Why do you write romance?
I've always been a bit of a cock-eyed optimist. I love the "they lived happily ever after" ending (or at least "happy for now" ending). Even when all else goes wrong in the world, it's nice to think that lovers can find each other, fall in love, and have a wonderful life together. Romantic fiction has the best of all genres along with this inherent optimism that just can't be denied.
How do you write?
Mostly I write by the seat of my pants. I've tried outlines in the past, but I didn't feel they helped me much. Once the characters start "talking" to me and I have their backgrounds and a setting and time established, there's no real need to create extensive outlines. I just follow the characters' choices and journeys. Characters can be quite chatty at times. They won't stop talking to you--in your dreams, while waiting in line at the store, driving home, etc. Writers, as a whole, seem to be schizophrenic with all these voices in our heads!
Any writing advice?
Listen to your heart and write what you like to read. It shows in your writing if you're not happy with either the genre or the characters you're attempting to write. Don't follow the crowd--be original. (You also might want to read my funny how-to Defeating the Slushpile Monster. It's got writing advice to help you get your writing published.)
Here's my official third person bio:
Cynthianna grew up watching Star Trek and reading the science fiction classics, along with Harlequin romances by the bushel. Somewhere along the line she figured it was just as fun to write stories as it was to read them. She has published both contemporary romances and fantasy romantic-comedies and also writes SF/paranormal/vampire erotic-romance under the pen name of Celine Chatillon. Her screwball fantasy romance series inspired by the hit TV series Doctor Who is entitled Loving Who. You can read excerpts from her novels at her web sites: http://www.cynthianna.com and http://www.celinechatillon.com
Cindy works as a freelance editor/proofreader, writes feature articles, evaluates manuscripts for a literary listing service and reviews books. More about her non-fiction publications can be found at http://www.cindyamatthews.com. Her EPIC nominated writers' guide, Defeating the Slushpile Monster, is now available in both Kindle and print formats.
In 2016, her first Young Adult/New Adult novel, set in the fantasy world of BloodDark and co-written with her husband Adrian J. Matthews, was released from Desert Breeze Publishing. Olivia's Escape, Olivia's Return and Olivia's Decision features Olivia Brown, a fiesty heroine with the courage to start a rebellion and free an enslaved human populace from their vampiric kidnappers. More information on the BloodDark series at http://blooddarkbooks.blogspot.com
Cindy is happily married to the multi-talented artist and fellow author A. J. Matthews. They enjoy attending historic re-enactments and science fiction cons and chatting with friendly folk. Feel free to drop her a line or meet up with her at an author's chat.
Where to find Cynthianna on the Internet:
Web page: http://www.cynthianna.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Cynthianna.CelineChatillon
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cynthianna3
My books at Amazon and for the Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002CQZYGK
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/celinechatillon_cynthianna
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/cindyamatthews
Confessions of a Blonde Writer Blog: http://www.cindyamatthews.com
