Cindi Myers
CR: First of all, tell us about yourself. How did you become a romance writer and when did you start writing?CR: Tell us about your upcoming release(s).
I started writing about the same time I started reading. I wrote my first short story on a Big Chief Tablet — about my cat. I wrote stories in notebooks tucked into my math textbook in class. (To this day, I’m not very good at math.)
I sold my first short story when I was 19 and a couple of years later started writing a column for the local paper, which led to a job as a reporter. I started freelancing for magazines, writing travel and history articles.
Finally, I decided I wanted to write a book. I wrote a couple and landed an agent, who was unable to sell the book. She suggested I try romance, since my stories all had strong relationships. I’d never read romance, so I called a friend who was a fan and she made a bunch of reccomendations.
I remember the first romance I read was Jude Devereaux’s Knight in Shining Armor. I was hooked! I knew I wanted to write a romance.
I wrote ten complete manuscripts before I sold. I was able to go back and sell a number of those later. But if I’d given up anywhere along the way, I wouldn’t be here today.
In March 2006 I have two new books out:
Bootcamp, an anthology from Harlequin Signature Select, with Leslie Kelly and Heather MacAllister. It’s about three wealthy, successful women who go to a Boot Camp to learn WAR — The Womanly Art of Romance, then are given assignments to put into practice the lessons they’ve learned at the camp. My story, Flirting With An Old Flame, is about a woman who goes back to her hometown to reconnect with her roots. It takes place in my real hometown of Cut and Shoot, Texas.
CR: Tell us about your upcoming release(s).
Also in March, I have No Regrets, A Blaze that is a modern take on those 40s film noir private eyes. After almost dying in a car accident, my heroine, Lexie, vows never to live a dull life again. She makes a list of 100 things she wants to accomplish and takes a new job as assistant to a private detective, Nick. They book combines mystery, romance and hot sex.
In April, look for The Birdman’s Daughter from Harlequin Next. This is the story of a woman who returns to her hometown to look after her father, a champion birdwatcher who has suffered a stroke. She hopes to reconnect with him and learn why he loves birds so much — and why he didn’t love her more. It’s a very poignant, emotional story, but also very positive. It’s one of my favorite books I’ve ever written.
In the Fall of 2006, I’ll have the first in a new Blaze miniseries — It was a dark and sexy night — three books that give a modern, sexy spin to traditional gothic romance.
CR: What publishers do you write for and what do you like about them?
I write for Harlequin and I like that I’ve had the opportunity to write many different things for them. I’ve written single title for Signature, romantic comedy for Flipside, women’s fiction for Next, and sexy stories for Temptation and Blaze. I’ve also participated in an anthology and written an online story. They’ve also enabled me to have a lot of books out there in a short time. I worked with wonderful editors there too — some of the best in the business.
CR: Do you have a favorite book and/or character from your releases?
It’s hard to choose one. Phoebe from What Phoebe Wants and Shelly from Learning Curves are probably my two favorites. They both really came alive for me. They weren’t perfect, but they were sincere and had a sense of humor.
Diet Coke. Hot tea in the winter.
CR: What’s something that your readers may not already know about you?
Hmmm — I’m an avid downhill skier. I try to ski at least once a week during the ski season. I’ve been married 26 years to a man I met on a blind date. We’d known each other six weeks when we got engaged.
CR: How can readers reach you?
Don’t give up — and do everything you can to improve your writing. And don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. In other words, if you have a great idea but it’s not like anything else that’s out there, write it anyway. You might start the next big trend. But make sure the writing and the storytelling are the absolute best they can be.
Go to my website at www.CindiMyers.com or email Cindi@Cindimyers.com
Thank you!
kim h said: