Author interview: Writing What You Know & Other Stories Wk 5

Overcoming Writers Block - Author Interview - Week 5

This week I interview Mary Cunningham, author of the successful Cynthia's Attic series. 

KK. What inspired you to write your first book?

MC: I'd just finished telling my best friend, Diana, about the recurring dream I'd had for almost 20 years, when I had a "light-bulb" moment. It occurred to me that the dream took place in the attic of my childhood friend, Cynthia. "Hmmm..." Diana remarked, "Cynthia's Attic. What a great title for a book!" The dreams stopped and the writing began.

..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

KK: How long did it take you to write it?

MC: It took about 3 years to complete the first two books in the series, The Missing Locket and The Magic Medallion.

KK: How did you accomplish the writing of the books?  Did they just flow out of you without any effort, or did you have to work at it, or something else?

MC: The first two books came easily, especially the first one. I laugh thinking about my fingers flying on the keyboard and my husband standing over my shoulder reading as I typed! Curse of the Bayou, Book Three, has been a struggle. I've known the plot for some time (about 3 years!), and the first half the book came quickly, but I've changed directions several times with the 2nd half. I'm very pleased with the finished version, though.

KK: What kind of obstacles have you encountered in writing and publishing your book(s)?

MC: By far, the biggest obstacle is marketing. It's frustrating to see the big box stories dictating, more and more, what is being written and accepted. I've also been frustrated by the lack of reviews by major reviewers, such as, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus. But, I keep plugging away, one library at a time. It's exciting to get national exposure, such as, The Magic Medallion being a finalist in the USABookNews Children's Book of the Year.

KK: What one or two key pieces of advice do you have for people who want to write?

MC: I keep going back to some great advice I got early-on. "Write what you know." It's so much easier to write about familiar topics. 

Since the original setting for the books is in my hometown, ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Corydon, Indiana, and takes in many childhood memories, much of the research was already in my head. All three books in the series are loosely based on stories I remembered hearing about my parents and grandparents, and great-grandparents. In fact, many of the characters in my book are based on Cynthia's and/or my family members.

For instance, Book Three, Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou, is about the disappearance of my great-great-grandfather, who vanished while taking a flatboat full of produce down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. In the book, Cynthia and Gus travel back in time in order to find him, encounter ghost pirates, shape-shifters, and even some old friends.

My second piece of advice is much less glamorous: Edit, edit, edit!!

KK: Tell us a little more about your books - genres, titles, storylines, interesting tidbits:

MC: Disappearing stairs and a spooky attic filled with dusty antiques-what more could two adventurous young girls ask for?  Best friends, Cynthia and 'Gus' are as  "different as bubble gum and broccoli." They discover a mystical trunk in Cynthia's attic, and are swept through the trunk back to 1914, into the lives of their twelve-year-old grandmothers.

The books are targeted toward young readers, but readers of all generations have come to know and love Cynthia and Gus and their adventures. Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket, is book one. Book two in the series is Cynthia's Attic: The Magic Medallion. Curse of the Bayou, Book Three, is scheduled for release by Quake, NOV 2007. Although I love all three stories, I believe this is my favorite. I think that's why it was such a struggle to finish. Maybe I didn't want to "let go!" (lol)

KK: Can you share with us what you are working on now, and when will it be published?

MC: I've been asked by my publisher to write Book Four! I'm working on the storyline, but it's too early in the process to reveal much. I don't even have a working title yet! I'm also working on an adult time-travel. It's less fantasy, though, and more real-live experience. Yikes! I'd better end this interview and get busy writing!

KK: Where can we learn more about you and buy your books?

MC: Cynthia's Attic series is available on Amazon, Fictionwise, all major online bookstores, and through my publisher, Quake.

Please check out my website: http://www.marycunninghambooks.com/, and also my blog http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Kerul! It's been fun!

The adventure continues in Cynthia's Attic! Curse of the Bayou - Dec. 2007 Have you checked out Fictionwise?   Mary Cunningham Books