Cindy Young-Turner

Guest blogging

I’m hopping around websites this week. Yesterday CMP author Sasha Summers featured me on her blog as part of her Tuesday Talent series. Sasha and I have traded interviews before for the Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop when our characters, Sydney (from Thief of Hope) and Poseidon (from Medusa, A Love Story), were forced to have a conversation that turned out to be not quite friendly. This interview went much better!

Today I’m over at Savvy Authors talking about the challenges of being an introverted writer: http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?2364-Breaking-an-Introvert-Writer-Out-of-Her-Shell-by-Cindy-Young-Turner. Hope you’ll stop by and share your thoughts!

Something spooky this way comes

I’m from Massachusetts and fall is by far my favorite time of year. There’s something about the beautiful red and yellow foliage and the changing of the light that turns everything gold. I love going apple picking and getting some many apples that you’re “forced” to make all kinds of apple treats–pies, bread, applesauce, baked apples, apple crisp, you get the idea. It’s the time of year to start hunkering down and getting ready for the long winter to come. There’s hot apple cider and pumpkins and hayrides and, of course, Halloween.

There’s a kind of magic in the air during fall, and particularly in October. You can almost feel like the walls between the worlds are growing thin and anything is possible. It’s a good time of year to get out the spooky stories. I recently read Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes as part of a group read on Goodreads. He’s a brilliant writer and he does creepy and psychological horror very well. I highly recommend it. Of course, almost as soon as I started the book our local carnival arrived. Yikes. I’m sure it was perfectly harmless, but I did not attend. Bradbuy’s October Country, the first book of his that I read, is a collection of deliciously eerie stories that are also perfect for this time of year.

I much prefer psychological horror to the gory kind. My imagination can scare me quite well. Authors like M.R. James, H.P. Lovecraft, and Algernon Blackwood have written some terrifying short stories. And “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs made me want to turn on all the lights after reading it (although there was a brilliant spoof on The Simpsons that takes away from some of the original’s power when I picture Homer holding the monkey’s paw to make a wish).

What are some of your favorite fall activities? And what do you read when you’re looking for a good scare?

Banned Books Week – celebrate the freedom to read!

September 30-October 6 is Banned Books Week, the 30th anniversary of an event celebrating the freedom to read. If you haven’t checked out the list of frequently challenged books, you might be surprised what’s on there. I’ve read quite a few of them and many are favorites of mine. It’s amazing what some people want to censor. Many of the books on the list are classics and other popular books (Brave New World, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Golden Compass, Harry Potter, The Handmaid’s Tale, just to name a few). 326 books were challenged in 2011.

Katie O’Sullivan, a Crescent Moon Press author-to-be, is hosting a series of posts on her blog about favorite banned books. I have a post up today about The Outsiders, which was one of my favorite YA novels growing up: http://katieosullivan.blogspot.com/2012/10/banned-book-outsiders.html.

What’s your favorite challenged book? Do you think certain books should be banned in libraries and schools?

Author interview – Jen McConnel

I recently connected online with author Jen McConnel and she was gracious enough to do an interview. Her new adult novel, The Burning of Isobel Key, releases today! Congrats, Jen!

The blurb:

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess. She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself. It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide. When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen. And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her. Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

Barnes & Noble | Createspace

I love the premise of the book! And now let’s move on to our interview questions.

Q: Where were you born? Are you the kind of person who likes to move around a lot, or do you prefer to live in one place?
A: I was born in Michigan, and while I love to travel any chance I get, it’s always good to come back home (which is now North Carolina).

Q: What sparked your interest in writing? How long have you been writing?
A: I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I think a huge influence is the fact that my mom wrote freelance work when I was a child. She also co-wrote a history book for young children, and that made it seem possible for me. I’ve been seriously writing fiction for the past four years.

Q: What provided the inspiration for your novel, The Burning of Isobel Key?
A: I sat down in 2009 to participate in my first NaNoWriMo, and the story just poured out of me. I’ve traveled to Scotland, and I love history, so I think those things played a huge role in the story itself, but some stories just want to be told.

Q: How long did it take you to finish it? How many drafts did you write before you were satisfied?
A: I “finished” the first draft at the end of that same November. A year later, I revised and expanded the novel. In 2011, I worked through an intensive writing class, focusing on Isobel, and in 2012, I finally reached a point where I knew I had to either be satisfied or I would go insane.

Q: How would you describe your path toward publication?
A: I sought traditional publication, querying as many agents as I could find. I actually did sign with an agent for my YA, but she had a career change, and I decided to try my hand at indie publishing. So, I guess I’d describe my path as long, curving, and surprising!

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
A: Write every day. Don’t question the words that flow out of you: you will have plenty of time to revise later. Also, read books about writing by other writers: you will find amazing inspiration and comfort there! If you can, attend writing conferences. They are a great way to connect with authors and other industry professionals; community is important!

Q: Name a few authors who have inspired you and describe why.
A: Susan Cooper and Neil Gaiman are two of my biggest inspirations, both because of the way they manipulate mythic stories to create something new. I’d also say that Anne Lamott plays a huge part in my writing process: if you haven’t read BIRD BY BIRD, you need to!

Q: What are you currently writing?
A: I’m working on a novella as a follow-up to The Burning of Isobel Key. I thought I was done with this story, but the characters had other ideas!

Q: Coffee, tea, or hard liquor? (or all three?)
A: All three, but not all at once! 😉

Q: What books are you currently reading or on your to-be-read list?
A: Too many!! The coffee table is overflowing. I am working on HAPPIER AT HOME, the sequel to the amazing HAPPINESS PROJECT.

Q: And now for the bonus fluff question: If you could be a character in your one of your favorite novels, which character would you be and why?
A: That’s a tough fluff question! I can only pick one? Okay. (Pause). If I could only be one, I guess I’d want to be Morgan in THE MISTS OF AVALON, because I would love to live the life of a priestess (although I’d rather be her for the first half of the book, when things are going well!)

Thanks so much for having me! This has been so much fun.

Thanks for sharing a bit of your writing life with us! Best of luck with your book!

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.

A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

Check out Jen’s blog at http://jennifermcconnel.wordpress.com/.

Muse Online Writers Conference

This will be my second year doing a workshop for the Muse Online Writers Conference. My topic this time is point of view, and my workshop will be on Saturday, October 13.

Mastering Point of View
Are you a head hopper? Can’t decide between first person and third person? Or does the word “omniscient” make you want to run for the hills? Let’s talk point of view. I’ll cover the basics and provide examples to help you figure out what works best for your story. You’ll never be afraid of slipping into the dog’s point of view again—unless you mean it.

There is a whole week of free online workshops, but you have to register by September 3o. It’s all free. Once you register, you can access any of the workshops. So sign up and stop by and chat about point of view! I’ll be posting and responding to comments throughout the day on 10/13. And check out all of the other great workshops while you’re at it!