It is a pleasure to welcome fellow Solstice Publishing author, Cynthia Ley with her new release, Creeps and Creepers. This book is free from 10/30 - 11/2/14, just in time for Halloween!
1. When did you first become
interested in writing?
I’ve always loved to write, but was scared off of fiction
writing for a long, long time. Too many creative writing classes where the
second half of the assignment was to read our work aloud in class. I was
painfully shy back then and could not imagine a more terrible fate. Sharing
something that comes from your imagination can be pretty terrifying. So for a
long time, I poured my love of writing into research work.
2. What is your latest
release? Tell me something about your book.
My latest release, in time for Hallowe’en, is a
collection of tales entitled Creeps & Creepers: Three Eerie Tales. The
blurb is: “Grabby floors, grabby dates, grabby places. All with very different motives.”
In other words, some funny, some eerie,
and some just plain strange.
3. Are you currently writing
another book ?
Yes. It has an historical basis, and is along the lines
of a chiller.
4. How do you fit writing
into your life? Is there a time that you prefer to write?
Not really. I scribble down ideas as they hit me, and
write stories when the Muse tells me to. Sometimes that’s 2am. Sometimes it’s
in the shower. Once time she got me in
the parking lot at Costco. Then again, Muses aren’t particularly
time-sensitive!
I rarely just sit down and write a story from start to
finish in the sense of idea-fruition. I usually write down ideas and give them
whatever amount of time they need to percolate. Then the story writes itself.
5. Can you give me a teaser
from one of your books?
You bet! These are from Creeps & Creepers: Three
Eerie Tales.
From Benefits:
Back in the day, there were a lot more problem places
around here. That’s what happens when you build over a shady part of town. I
put a stop to a lot of that nonsense. I’ll tell you, when that development of
Forest Glade was finally finished and folks moved in, my phone was ringing so
much I had to turn it to vibrate just to get some sleep. One house in
particular.
From Rinse, Repeat:
Six AM. Selene awoke to another grey day. The glory days
of autumn were definitely over. Now the earth and sky merged together in the
November fog. There was no telling where one set one’s foot, once outside.
At least she had gone to sleep wearing her fuzzy
bathrobe. That helped with the comfort level, at least. The tie had come loose.
She retrieved it and wrapped her robe closed, snugging the tie around her
waist. Much better, she thought.
From She Who Commands:
The first time she asked him to come over, he found her
house, just barely. There was no yard to speak of. What grass there was had
been overrun by weeds. What was once a handsome hedgerow lining the property
had gone to seed, and now parts of it threatened to consume the house itself.
The old tree in the front yard overhung the front door. He was reminded of a
big cat in mid-pounce.
It made him really uncomfortable. Don’t be an idiot—it’s just a tree.
Even if it felt predatory.
6. If you had the chance to
begin the writing process over again is there anything that you would have done
differently?
Maybe start doing it sooner, but maybe not. I think it
was very much a “right time-right place” kind of thing. Life experience counted
for me!
7. Lastly, what advice would
you give aspiring writers?
Keep at it. Don’t be blinded by your own ego. Writing is
a profoundly personal act and letting your work loose in the world can make you
a little nuts, if you let it. Be open to critiquing. Be learning. Keep practicing.
Keep submitting. Be professional and polite.
And give the independent publishers (aka “indies”) a
chance (like Solstice, for instance). I was thrilled to have found Solstice—the
staff and authors are amazingly supportive and forthcoming with help and
advice. My kind of place! :-D
If your manuscript is accepted by a publisher, don’t go
all starry-eyed over the thought of raking in the dough hand over fist. It very
rarely works that way. Reputations take time, and WORK, to build. An author
friend of mine recently got his first royalty check, and showed me what he
spent it on, at least in part—a tall cup of expresso. Ah, the sweet smell of
success! J
OTHER BOOKS: Perfect & Other Stories (Amazon
bestseller)
Tales of a Twisted World
Both of these are shorts
(under 100 pages), and, like Creeps & Creepers, are e-book format only,
available through Amazon. Short stories are great for those who find themselves
reading on the fly, or want that one last tale before sleep.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Blog: www.authorcjl.wordpress.com I mainly talk
about writing. One fun part for readers is all the author interviews. You can
learn a lot from other peoples’ experiences!
Twitter: @CynthiaLey2
