Dear Readers, please welcome Cyndi
Raye to the blog. She and I are in a multi-author project, the Pinkerton
Matchmaker Series. Her book, AN AGENT FOR CARI, releases today.
Please
tell us about growing up.
I grew up in a small town
called Denver, but not in Colorado. It’s located in Denver, Pennsylvania. I
think there was one barber shop and a cut rate at the time. It was quiet and
friendly and like all small towns back then, everyone knew your business. I had
4 brothers and 2 sisters. We lived in a farm house that was built in 1772. If
you are wondering if it was haunted, the answer is yes. I heard noises and saw
ghosts many times throughout my childhood. One night I woke up in the middle of
the night. My two sisters and I shared a bed and I looked at them and there
were three bodies in the bed not including myself. Who was the other body? I
remember throwing the blanket over my head and praying like crazy until I fell
back to sleep.
Were
you the shy kid or the tomboy? Married, single? Children?
I was kind of in between
shy and talkative in school. I definitely was a tomboy. My favorite thing to do
was hang upside down in the big tree on our property. It didn’t take much for
me to go fishing with my brothers or find nightcrawlers after a storm. I was
quiet in elementary school, but I still have lifelong friends I went to school
with. I kept in my own circle in high school. I did love being the
president of the library club. I know, I was a bit nerdy in some areas even
though I hung out with the cool kids in school. I loved writing poems and tried
to draw and paint at times.
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| Cyndi's two eldest grandchildren |
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| Cyndi's youngest grandchild |
I have been married now
for 40 years with three kids and 3 grand children. We’ve raised German
Shepherds over the years and had to say goodbye to some as well.
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| Rowdy, the German Shepherd |
When
you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?
I love being around my family and since we have
two acres and a firepit, we have plenty of room for family and friends and
plenty of cookouts over the warm months. Being with my family is my idea of
relaxing even if they do get loud sometimes.
How
long have you been writing?
I feel like I’ve
always been writing. In my teen years, I loved writing poems and over the years
I’ve put together some short stories. It wasn’t until the early nineties when I
wrote a book, tried to get it published and was rejected by the big publishers.
So, when I started again in 2014 and found indie publishing, I haven’t stopped
since.
Where
do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?
I like writing at my desk
on my computer. Sometimes if I hear outside noises (meaning my hubby has the tv
up too loud) I’ll put on classical romance music to drown out the noise.
Tell
us about your writing schedule. Do you set goals? Do you write daily?
I write every day. I have
to have my coffee first so I have a set routine. First, it’s coffee, checking
email and facebook. I am in an accountability group where we check in each
morning. After I wake up I get right down to business and set a timer for 45
minute intervals. It’s important to get up and stretch, so I try to do
that.
Tell
us something about yourself that might surprise readers.
I have my motorcycle
license. Most people don’t know that about me.
What
advice would you give to unpublished authors?
Don’t fall into the trap
of buying every piece of advice out there. Write, edit, publish and repeat.
Build a backlist of books and don’t try to do everything at once. Learn your
craft. Relax and enjoy the journey, but make sure to write a good book.
What
do you hope your writing brings to readers?
Many times a reader will email me and tell me how
my book gets them through something tough they are going through. Many of my
readers are older or disabled and reading is very important to them. They love
that I take the time to answer them back when they write. I guess I hope to
bring a smile to my readers face. It’s just as important for me to put out
books that they love as much as it is for them to read a good book. They bring
out the best in me. I hope that I’ve made a difference.
Tell us about your
latest release.
I’m in a multi-author project called The Pinkerton MatchMakers. It’s
a fun serious with a bit of mystery and romance.
In this book, I dedicated it to my dear friend, a young lady who is
battling colon cancer. A portion of the profits will be going to help her
through this rough time. Not only do I want to help
her and her young family, but I also want to bring awareness to this terrible
disease.
Give us the summary:
A woman who breaks all the rules - A man who lives by them - Can
opposites attract while bringing down a notorious swindler before he kills again?
Cari Kyllikki won't allow her disability to hinder her dream of
becoming a Pinkerton Detective. She has become a master of hiding her daily
struggles. What she didn't count on was the Pinkerton Agent who is determined
to uncover her secrets. All of them!
Michael Durango works strictly by the book; there is no deviating
even a little bit. When he finds out what his new wife is hiding, he has a
decision to make -- tell the agency and risk her losing her job or keep her
secret and complete the case. If only he could tear his thoughts away from her
long enough to decide.
What does Michael do to protect his partner and solve the case? Will
their suspect kill again, or turn his attention to the Pinkertons on his trail?
Will Michael and Cari find love along the way, or will her secret tear apart
everything they believe?
Where can readers find
more about you?
To see my author page
on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cyndi-Raye/e/B00ENA1WEG/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
P.S. If you sign up
for my newsletter, you’ll automatically get a free short story. It’s a
historical western romance.
