Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Cindy K. Green

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! (I love these days). Today I'm featuring fellow Wild Rose Press author Cindy K. Green. Enjoy!

Cindy, I'm so glad you could join me here today. Can you tell readers a little about your background?

Two of my goals when I was a teen was to be a writer and a teacher/or professor. I am now a published author, have degrees in history and education, and taught middle school history, math and English. Not too bad. Born in California, I currently live in North Carolina with my husband of thirteen years and two young sons. I now stay home and write as well as homeschool my kids. Visit me at http://www.cindykgreen.com/ to learn more about me and my books.

As a fellow teacher, I definitely appreciate your ability to tackle middle schoolers (yikes!). So when did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

I feel like I’ve always been writing. I have a folderful of stories written from when I was 10 to 18 years old. In college, I stopped writing fiction and excelled in non-fiction history, winning some awards. But it was once I stopped working and became a Stay-at-home-mom that I began to write fiction again. At first the writing was of a cathartic nature. I wasn’t working and I had just moved to a new state. I needed something and turned to writing. In time, I became more seriously turned toward publication. And a couple months later, I had my first contract. That was July 2006.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

This summer my 2nd NovelTea book, NovelTea Next Door, was released through The Wild Rose Press. It's a romantic comedy/romantic suspense series filled with fun literary references. It concerns bookstore/tea shop owner, Juliet Truesdale, and government secret agent, Grant Gerard. This second addition to the series is written in first person from the perspective of the hero. I had a lot of fun writing this book and getting into the head of my hero and really fleshing him out for the readers. Happily, this has also been a well-received and best selling series. My latest release, a short Inspirational story, Relationship Rescue, released last month with The Wild Rose Press. It is a story of failed love and second chances. As one reader said: Sometimes touching, sometimes funny, this short, sweet read will warm your heart.

Sounds like a treat to read :) What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

The greatest thing aspiring writers can do is read and read and read—and then write and write and write. Read books in your genre and then read books and articles on the writing craft. And just keep on writing. Join a critique group and continue to learn.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I love to read Historicals and Romantic suspense. These are also my favorite genres to write. My favorite author is Jane Austen with her novels, Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice being on the top of my list. I love that Jane created characters that stay with us – that have enough depth for us to analyze. She has created characters we can laugh at, despise, and fall in love with. What a gift. And most importantly, I love her style of wit and sense of humor. As an author, I completely appreciate her works and am inspired in my own writing.

Ah, I'm a Jane Austen fan myself :) Now for the tricky question: how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

Finding balance in my life is a never ending battle. I’m home all day, yet I never seem to have enough time for everything. On top of being mom, maid, and accountant—I’m also a teacher to my two boys. In between all that, I have to try to find time to write and promote my works. One of the things I have done is set up writing days. Two days a week and a few hours on the weekends, I am free to write. In fact, once I set particular writing days I became much more productive. My husband keeps the kids busy during those times and I am able to stay completely focused. On the other days, I get household chores done and spend time with the family. The house is still usually a mess but it’s better and everyone has been a lot happier.

What is your favorite movie? Did it inspire your writing in any way?

Oh, this is a difficult one; but after consulting my husband, I believe my favorite movie at the moment is the 2005 Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen. You are probably seeing a theme as I’ve already admitted to being a Jane Austen fan. I do like the 1995 Colin Firth P&P mini-series so I was skeptical when this movie first came out. However, I thought they hit the heart of the story is this 2 hour film. I do love the P&P story and all its terrific characters. This particular movie had outstanding acting. It was a totally different take on Darcy and MM played it so well. There is a lot more underlying emotion and tension in this version. But what I really love about this film is that it is absolutely BEAUTFUL. It is an art-film-worthy, and the soundtrack in one of my favorites. When you listen to the audio commentary with the director Joe Wright, you begin to appreciate this gorgeous adaptation all the more. Has it inspired my writing? Certainly! Characters like Darcy and Elizabeth will continue to inspire. Has it inspired me as much as my other Austen favorite, Persuasion? Not as much. I’ve plotted out my own Persuasion story that I hope to write one day.

Cindy, thanks so much for being here and giving us a peek behind the scenes of your writing life.

Readers, if you'd like to know more, or pick up a copy of her book, you can visit Cindy at http://www.cindykgreen.com/ to learn more, read excerpts, and find out about contests. You can also join Cindy's newsletter by sending an email at newsletters@cindykgreen.com and ask to be added to the list.

Keep up with the NovelTea Series at the NovelTea Blog at http://www.novelteaseries.blogspot.com/. Cindy also contributes to two blog groups White Roses in Bloom at http://whiterosesinbloom.blogspot.com/ and the Author’s Studio http://authorsstudio.blogspot.com/.

Authors, remember: if you're interested in being featured here on a future Writers' Wednesday, just send me an email or leave a comment in any post.

Have a great day!