Interview with Cindy K. Green

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Cindy K. Green. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called Meeting Mr. Right Online. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Meeting Mr. Right Online is a sweet Chicklit filled with romantic comedy and ending with that all important HEA. I love the humor in these kinds of books, but I wanted to write one that anyone could read and enjoy—even a 13-year-old girl. That’s how this story came to be. Lucy is a busy young woman as a sitcom writer who hasn’t really taken the time for her personal life. She’s already passed thirty and all her friends seem to have gotten married. She has, however, met a friend online. As the story opens, she is wondering what has happened to her British pen pal as he hasn’t written to her in days. She is also thrown a bombshell when her younger sister announces her engagement and then there is her work-nemesis plaguing her at every turn. It’s great fun.

Meeting Mr. Right Online is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Oh, I had that title from the very beginning. The heroine refers to that elusive ‘Mr. Right’ in the book and it just seemed perfect to put that in the title. Aren’t we all looking for Mr. Right? And in this day and age it seems the Internet is the way.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I enjoy reading chicklit novels as long as they have a good ending. They are witty and fun, but they also get to the heart of an issue through humor. I’ve read several more mainstream chicklits including Bridget Jones’ Diary, of course. But it was after reading a couple Christian chicklit novels that I decided to write a sweet one. Chicklit for everyone no matter what heat level you enjoy. It was so fun to add in all the exaggerations of the heroine and to let my character confide in the reader as the story progresses.

Are you a plotter or a pantser and how did it affect the writing of this book?

I can be both depending on the situation. This one was a pantser story. I was in the middle of editing a full-length novel and needed to write something new. At the time, I was actually worrying about an online friend whom I hadn’t heard from in awhile. So, with a couple ‘what if’ questions I just started writing the first draft of this book. After it was contracted, my editor and I decided I should add another spectrum to the story—her job. And the story expanded. It was great fun writing this book and I think you’ll be able to see that as you read.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book? What are your favorite research books or sites?

I didn’t actually have to do too much research. I spoke with some friends who work in cable television (the industry of my heroine). The rest just fell into place. I had fun making the love interest of my heroine British. I felt after all these years of being an Anglophile (as my husband calls me) and lover of British programs, I could pull off a British bloke. I did have some English friends preview his scenes and they loved him.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Definitely the heroine, Lucy. She is the star of the book after all. She has a sarcastic voice yet she remains sweet and isn’t jaded. There is a lot of romantic comedy in this one and I had fun placing Lucy in these hilarious situations such as falling into an artificial fichus tree in front of all her sister’s guests at an engagement party. She has a lot going on—her sister getting married (her younger sister at that), job issues, her missing correspondent who might just be at this party. How she deals with these situations makes her a fun character.

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research affect your character development?

For my short stories and short novellas, I don’t do a whole lot of preparation before starting to write. I have a file on my computer with story notes. I add pertinent information about the characters and the basis of the plot and then I just start writing. Now for my longer works, I do begin with character sheets and really get to know them before starting into the project. It’s funny but with some characters I just seem to know them well right from the beginning and others I need to take the time to get to know before I can tell their story. Then with my NovelTea series I did do an interview between the hero and heroine (quite funny) that really helped me get into their character as I began writing the third book. It helped me approach this new story with a fresh outlook without forgetting where they had gone in the other stories.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

I had two favorite authors while growing up and I see them in my writing today:

L.M. Montgomery – She is famed for writing Anne of Green Gables but did you know she wrote A LOT more books and a plethora of short stories. In the late 80’s and into the 90’s (when I was in junior high & high school), they began republishing her short stories into anthologies with similar themes. Today, I have a book shelf in my bedroom next to my desk. On the top shelf, I have all my Montgomerys – there are 33 book titles there. She had a certain fanciful way of turning a phrase. And of course I related to her characters – especially Anne since I’m a redhead too. I still pick up and read one of her books now and again. Last summer, I reread Anne of the Island & Anne’s House of Dreams. They sure read a lot faster than they used to.

Jane Austen – I am a certified Jane Junkie! To this day if you ask my favorite author, I’ll say JA. And if you ask my favorite book, I’ll either say Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion – I go back and forth. (Right now it’s Persuasion – aah Captain Wentworth ) I first read P&P in 8th grade and the story has never left me. JA had a way of creating the best characters: characters to laugh at, hate, and fall in love with. I am always reading one or another of her novels these days. I have all six as e-books on my Palm Pilot so I take them wherever I go.

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

I’m a big supporter of the blog. As an author published in the small presses, getting your name out there is key and blogging in an easy and inexpensive way to do it. I try to blog somewhere at least once a week besides my own blogs. Maintaining a newsletter subscription list is another important one. I have a large number of ready readers who I can send information to directly about a release or other news.

What do we have to look forward next?

Next year I have two releases coming. The first is in February. My first historical—Dilemma of the Heart. It’s a about a young woman who believes her sweetheart has been killed in action at the close of the American Civil War. She has a decision to make. Can she forget him and marry the wealthy man offering her a future? Of course, maybe the death of her first love has only been exaggerated but will this other one let her go?

Later in the year, I have another first for me. A high fantasy—The Princess and the Rogue. I’m very excited about this one. It’s a fantasy filled with humor, adventure and lots of romance. My hero is a mixture of Robin Hood and the Scarlet Pimpernel. He has a cheeky mouth and oozes appeal. I can’t think of another book that I’ve enjoyed writing more than this one especially with all the fun characters and the sensual tone.

Thanks, Cindy!

To celebrate her book release, Cindy is offering a free e-book of Meeting Mr. Right Online to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.
Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Fantasy, Contemporary, Chicklit, Suspense and Historical romance.

Check out author’s website at http://www.cindykgreen.com/ Buy Meeting Mr. Right Online at By Grace Publishing for $1.49 http://bygracepublishing.com/MeetingMrRightOnline.html

or at Amazon in print. http://www.amazon.com/Meeting-Right-Online-Cindy-Green/dp/1438231482/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1226427180&sr=8-3