Friday, July 9, 2010

Interview with Cynthia Eden

I’d like to welcome our guest again today, Cynthia Eden. 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 coming out soon called DEADLY FEAR. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Yes, thanks so much for asking! DEADLY FEAR is the first book in my new “Deadly” romantic suspense series for Grand Central Publishing’s Forever line. In DEADLY FEAR, readers will be introduced to agents in the FBI’s elite Serial Services Division (the SSD). These agents track and apprehend serials—killers, kidnappers, arsonists, and rapists.

DEADLY FEAR is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Well, in DEADLY FEAR, the killer turns his victims’ worst fears into reality, so the title DEADLY FEAR seemed to fit well. Though I can’t take credit for this title—my lovely editor Alex Logan came up with it!

Would you describe your book as a cozy, mystery, suspense, or thriller?

I’d describe the book as a mix between a romantic suspense and a thriller. My heroine and hero must race to stop a serial killer, but, as they are tracking him…he is hunting them, too.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

Previously, I had written what I considered paranormal romances, but in these books, suspense elements just kept slipping into the stories! So, I thought I’d try my hand at writing a straight romantic suspense (without my beloved vampires or demons), and DEADLY FEAR was born. (Don’t get me wrong—I still love writing my paranormals! DEADLY FEAR just gave me a chance to branch out a bit.)

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

I have always been interested in the ways serial killers are profiled, so I knew that I wanted my heroine, Monica Davenport, to be a profiler. It was actually from her career that the entire story developed. I wanted to give her a challenging killer to profile, and I wanted this killer to force Monica to face her own greatest fears—and the demons from her past.

Do you have all the key suspense/mystery elements thought out before you begin writing?

For this book, I actually wrote out a very detailed synopsis in advance. I plotted all the twists and turns because I knew exactly where I wanted to take Monica and her lover (& partner) Luke Dante.

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

Oh, yes, this book was very research intensive! The Internet, of course, is always a great source of help. But I also have about 5-6 crime scene and criminal psychology books that I also used. My favorite? THE CRIMINAL MIND by Katherine Ramsland.

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

Tough call! I had a great time writing about my heroine, Monica Davenport. But she was very challenging. Monica is one of the strongest, but most damaged heroines I’ve ever created. However, my favorite character in DEADLY FEAR is Special Agent Luke Dante. Luke is a man who will do anything to protect the woman he loves—strong, dedicated, and not afraid to take a bullet…how could he not be my favorite 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?

I actually let my characters develop over the course of the story. Sometimes, they surprise me and I learn things about them that I never anticipated when I first started the tale. I do keep a listing as I write, though, that shows the dominant traits that I associate with my characters.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

So many authors inspire me! I love Shannon McKenna’s romantic suspense novels…and I’ve always been a fan of Anne Stuart’s RS tales. Dark and sexy—these books hooked me!

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

Great question…and I have no clue. I have back-to-back releases this summer (I’LL BE SLAYING YOU, my paranormal romance, released on 6/29 and DEADLY FEAR will release on 7/27), so to promote both releases, I’ve been running a “Deadly Days of Summer” blog event. I’ve had a ton of guest authors come by and blog commenters are winning lots of prizes. Is it effective promotion? I can’t say for sure, but it is fun.
Folks are welcome to come visit www.cynthiaeden.com/blog to get in on my Deadly Days.

What do we have to look forward next?

I will be in a Christmas anthology this Fall. THE NAUGHTY LIST will release on 9/28/2010. Also, ETERNAL FLAME, the third book in my paranormal bounty hunter series (my Night Watch series) will release in December of 2010. Then, I will have back-to-back romantic suspense releases in early 2011. DEADLY HEAT will release in 02/2011, and DEADLY LIES will release in 03/2011.

Thanks, Cynthia!

Thank you! I had a great time answering the interview questions.

To celebrate her book release, Cynthia Eden is offering a free copy of DEADLY FEAR to one lucky commenter on today's blog. (please check the blog Monday night to see if you won. Chances of winning determined by the number of entries.)

She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.
Cynthia Eden writes paranormal romance novels for Kensington Brava and romantic suspense novels for Grand Central Publishing. She loves horror movies, visiting the beach, and long, southern nights.

Check out author’s website at www.cynthiaeden.com
Buy http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Fear-Cynthia-Eden/dp/0446559245/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276136336&sr=8-1.

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for joining us again today Cynthia. It's a bit early but your chocolate will be served in a few minutes. Serial killers intrigue me, too. As a semi-normal person (I am a writer you know) I find it interesting how twisted their minds can be but to them it's all justifiable or makes perfect sense. Maybe if we fed them more chocolate...Have fun today.

Book of Secrets said...

Hi, Cynthia! Your new book sounds very exciting! Was it difficult to put away your vampires and demons for this book? How difficult is it to transition to another genre?

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Kim! Thanks so much for inviting me in for a session. :-) And it is ever really too early for chocolate? I also find it interesting the one some minds can just twist and go down such a very dark path. Frightening.

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Diana! Thank you! It was actually a pretty easy transition for me because I use so many suspense elements in my paranormal stories. I just had to remind myself that, this time, my monsters were human killers, and not, um, literal monsters. :-)

Shelly Estes said...

Hi Cynthia, I love your books and am looking forward to the new one as I'm sure I'll love it too!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Thank you, Shelly!!

CrystalGB said...

Hi Cynthia. Great interview. Your new book sounds amazing. Love your writing.

Judy said...

This new series will definitely make it to my TBR list. When I am not reading, I am watching forensic shows:) Serial killers intrigue me but mainly scare me!!

Good luck with your new series!!!

cheesecake.thief59 said...

Great interview! Can't wait to read Deadly Fear!

Victoria said...

Hi Cynthia, I love your paranormal books so I'm really looking forward to reading your serial killer books. Did any of your research bother you to the point of causing anxiety? I read something 15 yrs ago and to this day it gives me the shivers.

Darkreader said...

I love your books-currently half-way done reading I'll Be Slaying You - I can't wait to find out what happens!
I am really looking forward to Deadly Fear! I know it's going to be great!
Love Chocolate & Reading, preferably together!

Cynthia Eden said...

Thanks, Crystal! I appreciate that! I'm really excited about Deadly Fear.

Hi, Judy! Oh, I love those shows! And the killers both intrigue and scare me, too! Thanks!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hey, c4casey! Thank you!

Thank you, Victoria! No, I didn't go too far into the research. If something started to bother me, I stopped. One of my childhood friends was actually murdered by a serial killer, so I always try to be careful when I'm researching. There are some things I don't want to know.

Cynthia Eden said...

Thanks, darkreader! Hope you enjoy the rest of I'll Be Slaying You! LOL, and chocolate and reading go together so perfectly!

jeanette8042 said...

I already love your paranormal series Cynthia so I can't wait for your suspense series to release! Congrats on your recent release of I'll Be Slaying You!

Connie T said...

I can't wait to read this. I LOVE suspense books!

Taylor Z said...

Ah! Yess!!! I love contests! I love your writing! Keep it up and enjoy your summer!!

catslady said...

I started out reading thrillers/horror stories and I'm thrilled that romance has been added to many genres. I love variety and it seems lately that different genres have been mixed which I think is great. Your book sounds very exciting!

Ina said...

Hi Cynthia :)
thanks for a very interesting interview - I love your paranormal books and now I'm curious how your new series will be...I've already read the excpert and can't wait to read on soon!
wish you all the best,
Ina

s7anna said...

Hey Cynthia,
I'm so looking forward to this upcoming new release. It looks like a riveting series.

*hugs*
Anna

Jane said...

Hi Cynthia,
Congrats on the upcoming release. I can't wait to read the first book in your new series and I can't wait to meet Luke.

Willa said...

Hi Cynthia *waving*

Ooooh - you cannot believe how much I am looking forward to your new suspense series.

Did you find that the abscence of demons/shapeshifters and their magic made writing straight romantic suspense a little harder, especially when the characters were in a tricky situation?

tetewa said...

I always look forward to your latest releases, can't wait to get this one! tWarner419@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Your books are great. This is also one I am looking forward too.

Valerie
valb0302@yahoo.com
in Germany

Estella said...

Cannot wait to read this series!

Jennifer D. said...

Hello Cynthia,

I'm really looking forward to your new book. I have a question about the series - you mention that you have created a FBI team - the SSD. Do you plan on having the characters (especially the hero/heroine) in each of the books interacting throughout the series? I always enjoy reading about the dynamics of these teams and how they work together - similar to Christy Reece's Last Chance Rescue Series or Suz Brockmann's Troubleshooter books. Thanks!

Scorpio M. said...

Romantic-suspense is one of my favorite sub-genres, I'm always looking for new authors. Really enjoyed the excerpt of Deadly Fear (from your website)! Thanks.

Katie Reus said...

Great interview, Cynthia! I love your paranormals so I can't wait to read your romantic suspsense :)

Cathy M said...

Hi Cynthia,

Love your suspense storylines, and after reading the excerpts for Deadly Fear, can totally see what makes Luke one of your favorite characters. I was a big fan of the Profiler tv show that was on years ago, too. Love dark and edgey with a hea, lol.


caity_mack at yahoo dot com

booklover0226 said...

Congrats on your release; I look forward in reading it.

I enjoyed the interview; it was quite informative.

Thanks,
Tracey D

Diane said...

I have enjoyed your books Cynthia and I'm looking forward to this next one even though it's not a paranormal.

Unknown said...

Deadly Fear sounds like an awesome read. Occasionally I want to switch up genres so suspense looks like the way to go. Can't wait!

Cynthia Eden said...

Thank you, jeanette!! I can't believe how close the suspense release is getting!

Thank you, Connie! I love 'em, too!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Tina!! Oh, good question! I always try to add some twists in my stories, but with the RS stories, I felt like I needed to go darker than I had before--so pushing myself to that dark place was more of a challenge.

LOL, Taylor Z, I love contests, too! And I am so glad you enjoy my writing! Thank you!

Cynthia Eden said...

Thanks, catslady! I really enjoy both writing and reading those genre blended books. (I'm even giving a workshop on genre blending at the upcoming Romance Writers of America conference b/c I like it so much!)

Glad you enjoyed the interview, Ina! I will be posting more excerpts, soon. I want folks to get a feel for the characters. And there is even a small prequel that may be available soon. So stay tuned!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hey, s7anna!! Thank you!

Thank you, Jane! Luke was such a fun character for me. The heroine is dark and reserved, but Luke was fire and passion. :-)

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Willa!! I am so happy to hear that!! And, yes, woman, I totally found it harder in those tricky situations! LOL--I would think--my demon could just psychically blast his way out of this situation. My agents...ah, not so much. Reality can be harder.

Hello, tetewa! Thank you!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hey, Valerie! Thanks for checking out the interview & I'm so glad you enjoy my books!

Thanks, Estella!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Jennifer! Yes, I do plan for the characters to keep interacting. (Thanks so much for asking this question.) Monica and Luke will appear as secondary characters in Deadly Heat & later in Deadly Lies.

So happy you enjoyed the excerpt, Scorpio! Thanks!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Thank you, Katie!! And thanks for checking out the interview! See you tomorrow. :-)

Hi, Cathy!! Oh, I so remember that show! I loved "Sam" and I think the killer was...Jack? Very good show. (And thank you!)

Cynthia Eden said...

Thank you, Tracey! Kim always has great interviews. She's an interview pro!!

Thanks, Diane! I hope you like it!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, KT! I like to switch things up, too. Right now, I'm itching to read a horror novel. Next week--I'll be back to my romances. So glad you like the sound of Deadly Fear!

Thanks for all the comments!!

katsrus said...

Hi Cynthia. Followed you from your blog. Love the name of this blog. Can't wait til I can get a copy of your new book. Sounds so good.
Sue B

Linda Henderson said...

I enjoyed your interview and I really enjoy romantic suspense so I can't wait to read Deadly Fear.

Pam P said...

Hi Cynthia. Always enjoy your books, and I've been looking forward to your RS series since first hearing about them on your blog.

mariska said...

Great interview Cynthia !
You are a new for me author. I'm sooooo want to read your books :)

Edie Ramer said...

Cynthia, all your books are great, but I'm really, really looking forward to Deadly Fears. The excerpt you put on your personal blog was awesome!

Unknown said...

Great interview! The book looks like something I would enjoy and the hero sounds yummy.

Mary Preston said...

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. I'm a fan. What more can I say?

marypres@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I'm really looking forward to this book! Stephenia quilter892ataoldotcom

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, katsrus! Thanks for coming over!! LOL, I love the name of this blog, too. :-)

Thank you, Linda!! Glad you enjoyed the interview!!

Hey, Pam!! Thanks so much!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Hi, Mariska! Happy to hear you liked the interview! Thank you!

Hey, there, Edie!! Thank you! And I am so looking forward to Cattitude!

Thank you, mbreakfield! Luke is one of my favorite heroes so far. He was fun to write!!

Cynthia Eden said...

Oh, thank you, marybelle!!

Thank you, Stephenia!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

CatsMeow said...

Great interview Cynthia and Kim. I read the excerpt your blog and love Luke already. Sure would love to read the whole thing (early and signed, lol).
c.

lrhubble said...

loved reading the interview. I am really looking forward to this series. I love the other series too. :-) Congrats on the latest releases.

Larena

Anonymous said...

congrats on the book
great covers
what are u favoirte tv show
kh

Terry's Crafty Fingers said...

Fantastic Interview Ms. Eden. Your new book sounds wonderful. A romantic criminal suspense sounds like just what I need to read right now. If I'm not luck enough to win it I will have to find out where I can buy it. Is it/will it be available in ebook format?

Fedora said...

Thanks for the terrific interview today, and happy release, Cynthia! Sounds like a slightly new direction for you, but one we readers will gladly follow you in! Can't wait to pick up Deadly Fear!