Cindy Davis
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindydaviseditor/
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Biography
Cindy Davis was born in New England. In 2014, to avoid any more cold weather, she sold everything and moved south where she met her future husband on a dating site. Rick is also from the Boston area; they find it humorous that they had to come all the way to Florida to find the perfect relationship.
Together they have written a number of self-help books and visionary fiction. They study all aspects of the metaphysical world; have seen past lives, do self-healing, and even became certified Master Healers and Hypnotists. He must love her a lot; he’s taken a half-dozen courses on book promotion and brought a number of her mysteries to Top Ten status.
Taking Time With The Author
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? What/who inspired you to publish your first book?
No recall at all, but the urge to write has always been there. When I was seven, I wrote my first book! All I remember is it was set in Egypt and the title was Home of the Pharaoh. Is it coincidence my first incarnation was in Egypt?
How much of your books are realistic? Are the experiences based on someone you know, or are they events in your real life?
I believe everything I write is something I learned somewhere, whether from a life situation or something that directly happened to a friend or relative. I do not include real people in my stories, but there are bits and pieces of each one. For example, if I meet a blonde woman wearing purple cat-eye glasses, one of my characters is sure to look the same. Or if a man keeps snapping his gum or telling bawdy jokes…
What is your current project? Will you share a little of it with us – kind of a sneak peek?
I belong to a group called Underground Authors. We read each other’s material and provide encouragement and assistance with plot ideas and character development. One of us—not sure which (and when I remember, there’s going to be big trouble) got the bright idea of writing a series of mysteries with the common element of a town called Magnolia Bluff, in Texas hill country. Eight of us have shared some of our characters within our stories. Mine will be the third one released. It’s titled Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. People might recognize those as Jimmy Buffett lyrics. Here’s the cover blurb to give an idea of the storyline:
Tag line: Can lyrics from Jimmy Buffett’s songs help Bliss solve a month-old murder?
The Texas hill town of Magnolia Bluff looms as a mere distraction for Bliss Jager when the new-to-her motorcycle breaks down under a banner publicizing the annual persimmon festival. What in the world is a persimmon anyway?
Only in town one hour, she’s offered pizza-for-life, and a job at Doyle’s General Store. The job comes with two perks: a yellow-throated toucan, which is odd enough, but add to that the ghost of Merrick Doyle and life takes a vociferously strange turn. The fatherly man is friendly and much loved, and related to most everyone in town. Trouble is, he’s been dead a month. Townspeople think he died of natural causes but he insists he was murdered. Can Bliss expose the killer before people find out she’s been getting clues from a ghost, and um…a toucan? More important, can she find the killer before the killer finds her?
What do you or did you do in the ‘real world’ when you weren’t writing?
I was a mom, wife, foster mom, dairy goat farmer, a 4H mom, grandmom…but that’s probably not what you meant. The only job I ever had besides all that was as editor of both fiction and nonfiction. One time I was filling out a questionnaire for an interview much like this. At a loss for an answer to the first question: What does an editor do? I asked a friend. She said, “You take crappy writing and show authors how to make it good.” Okay, I can go with that.
What are the challenges in writing your books? (Ex: logistical, research, literary, psychological, etc.)
I guess my biggest obstacle is time. There never seems to be enough of it. Since moving to Florida and getting married, there’s never enough time for all the things I want to do. Thankfully, much of the time, I can incorporate ‘real’ life into the writing. For example, I’ve written a fiction trilogy where my character Jade learns about the spiritual life. Her journey takes her to places like Mexico, Sedona and Peru—which made our research trips tax deductible.
Are there any quotes or verses you find inspiring? What are they and why?
Yes, one in particular has always stuck with me. It’s from Jack London. “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” When I’m stuck on a chapter, it helps me push through.
Tell us a little about yourself. Perhaps something that a lot of people do not know?
You mean the answers to number four weren’t enough? Okay, how about this? I am a certified hypnotist, White Light healer, and a channel.
Are you a planner or a pantser when it comes to writing? (Planner – outline; Pantser – sit down and write)
Mostly I’m a planner. I like to know when and where I dropped a mystery clue, or on what day my character discovered something sinister about herself. Mostly this is because, as an editor, I have a LOT of timelines, characters, and plots circulating in my head. I like to keep them all in their right places.
If there was anything you could change regarding your publishing experience, what would it be and why? Also, do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
I used to think my big dream was to have one of the Big Six (well, actually Big Ten at the time) ‘discover’ me. I’d get a giant advance and spend all my time writing and having successful book events, with long lines of people waiting to meet me. Like I said, used to. What changed my attitude? Time and the evolution of the economic world. When a friend’s daughter got a two-book deal from Little Brown. Big advance, yes. But she had all kinds of hoops to jump through or she had to return the money. One of the hoops was a series of short stories—10,000 words at least—using the characters or subplots from the main story. My friend’s daughter realized there weren’t enough hours in the day to write those AND the second book they wanted. In the end, she didn’t have to return the money, but book sales hadn’t been enough and they wouldn’t consider another series. Personally, for me, the pressure wouldn’t be worth it. The money would be nice, but as I’ve aged, I realized life is about a LOT more than money.
Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Send me some of your quirks and idiosyncrasies! Maybe they’ll become part of a character. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy all my stories.