Author Interview with Cindy Lynch

The title “indie author” tends to take on a solitary meaning as if the writer is doing everything from coming up with the story to making copies in their basement printing press. However, it takes a village to publish a book. Everyone from publishers to cover designers to family and friends play a part in helping an author create and market their work.

Cindy Lynch’s answers to my usual 10 interview questions reminded me of how important a support system is to indie authors, and the biggest supporters of all are readers. Check out the interview along with links to buy her books, Bye For Now and Even Willows Weep below.

1. How many books have you written and where can you buy them?

I have written two books that can be purchased on my website or on createspace.com, Amazon and Kindle.

2. What famous books can you compare to your own?

My book writing is similar to Nicholas Sparks. At least that what I aspire for it to be like. The story itself isn’t really like anything I’ve read. There are comparisons to emotions and feelings that bubble up as you’re reading, like in Twilight or Harry Potter, but I feel it’s closer to Nicholas Sparks’ books.

3. Why do you write for this particular age group?

Young Adult fiction has always been my favorite type of book to read. The author grabs the reader immediately and brings them on an emotional journey. Gets me every time.

4. How autobiographical are your books?

My first book is pretty close to being autobiographical as it takes place up in Vermont, on Lake Carmi, in the summers. Just as I did growing up. Everything from the description of the lake house (Gramp’s Camp), to the description of the characters is pretty much directly from my life. I did fictionalize the love story, and change names to protect the innocent. In the second book, I continued on with the same characters and settings, but expanded on my fictionalization of story line.

5. What’s the best compliment that you’ve ever received about your writing?

The best compliment I’ve received is that my books made the reader feel happy, excited, afraid, and at times brought a tear to their eye.

6. What has been your greatest moment as a writer so far?

Other than making people feel something in my books the next greatest moment is when someone reads my book and says they have always wanted to write and that I’ve inspired them to pick up a pen or sit at their computer and start writing their story.

7. Where do you get your covers?

A man named Ivan Terzic designed the cover art for both of my books. I found him on the website 99designs.com. I was so pleased by the way the first cover turned out that I contacted him on the site directly for the second cover. He has an unbelievable way of taking my suggestions and ideas and creating a work of art that looks as though he was in my head looking at my thoughts.

8. Who is your biggest fan?

I would have to say my mom is my biggest fan. The fact that she went into Barnes and Noble, asking about the new author Cindy Lynch, when she knew my book wasn’t in there, makes me smile. She said she just wanted them to hear my name. (There is a way for indie authors to get their books into B&N, but I just haven’t taken those steps yet.)

9. What’s next for you?

Next up for me is to start writing book 3 in the Bye For Now trilogy. I’m very excited to see where the characters will take me. I have an idea where I want to end the series, but who knows. By the time I get there, there may be a completely different ending waiting for me.

10. End with a favorite quote.

A friend posted this quote from Milan Kundera on social media this week, and it really resonated with me:

“To imagine- to dream about things that have not happened - is among mankind’s deepest needs.”