WIND in my Sales!

I'm absolutely gobsmacked about the fantastic sales of WIND over the holidays. It speaks to the fact that readers are still looking for a haunting YA Paranormal Romance to curl up with (I also wonder if I'm not the only one eternally fascinated with the notion that we all have a guardian angel!).

Thank you for taking a chance on the debut novel of a self-published author, and since everyone has been asking me, yes, SAND, Book Two of the Eternal Symmetry Saga, will be released in 2012.

And, to answer the question I've been asked by so many readers, "Will DANTE and FLYNN meet again?"  You'll just have to wait and see, and that's all I'm saying - LOL!

Grazie!

WIND IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRIME!

I'm excited to announce that WIND (Kindle edition) is now free on Amazon Prime, the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

The Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a collection of books that US Amazon Prime members can borrow for free, once a month, with no due dates!

If you own a Kindle, check out Amazon Prime!

4 Star Review on goodreads.com for WIND!

I'm so happy and proud that fellow YA writer, Medeia Sharif, (Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.) gave WIND a 4 star review on goodreads.com.

"I felt sympathetic towards the main character, Flynn.  Her alcoholic father passes away, her mother suffers from the depression that goes along with grief, and her sister transforms into a dark, moody Goth.  When Flynn meets Dante, a delicious romance ensues amid angel warfare.  Dante is not an ordinary young man and Flynn's sister, Kevan, enters the dark side in more ways than her outer appearance suggests.  This was a suspenseful read and my favorite part was the dark, haunting atmosphere."


Thank you so much, Medeia!

5 Star Review for WIND!

I'm so thrilled that someone left a wonderful review of my YA Paranormal Romance, WIND, on Amazon.com:


"I loved this book.  The characters are very well developed.  I did not want it to end.......especially the way it did (don't want to give anything away).  I am looking forward to the next in the series.  The angel theme is refreshing and a new slant on the "paranormal".  There was a lot of detail and the book appeared well researched, especially in the biblical and art references."


Thank you, kind reader!


WIND Is Now Available!

I'm pleased to announced that my Young Adult Paranormal Romance, WIND, is now available on my CreateSpace eStore, and will be on Amazon.com very shortly.

I hope you enjoy WIND!

WIND - Available on Amazon Soon!

WIND will be available on Amazon soon!

WIND is the first book in my Young Adult Paranormal Romance ETERNAL SYMMETRY SAGA.

I am currently writing the second book, SAND.

Stay tuned . . .

Controlling The Weather in Your Manuscript

Who says you can’t control the weather? You can in your manuscript, and what’s more, you can use it to enhance the mood, guide the plot, or boost the climax.

The weather plays a part in our daily lives: what we wear, how we plan events. The same can be said for your characters. They, too, can notice the temperature outside, what the sky looks like, how the air feels. Your characters’ observations ground them (and the reader!) in the setting, and add a layer of realism to your story.

The weather can also be symbolic of an underlying theme: Rain can symbolize sadness, despair, or new life; a blanket of snow may represent a feeling of stagnation, or hibernation; wind and storms often denote foreshadow a violent event; fog or mist are often the prelude to a revelation or another important event; moving clouds often represent change; thunder, the voice of God or gods, and so on.

For example, in “Dracula”, Bram Stoker chose London’s rainy, foggy climate to enhance his Gothic novel. Count Dracula can control the weather, creating mists to hide his presence. When he arrives in England, one of the worst storms ever recorded takes place, which, incidentally, he created for his grand entrance.

In “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald used the weather to chart his character’s moods—rain for tension, sun for laughter. Daisy ultimately has to choose between going away with Gatsby, or staying with Tom—on the hottest day of the year. The weather perfectly connects with the conflict.

On a more contemporary note, Stephenie Myer successfully created an eerie atmosphere when she chose Forks, Washington for the setting of “Twilight”. The rain (even of the freezing variety) is a backdrop in the story, providing a feeling of chilly foreboding. Bella moves from her comfort zone in sunny, hot Arizona to the constant cloud cover and rain of Forks, symbolizing her progression to a much more mysterious world.

In science fiction and fantasy, the sky is the limit (so to speak) when it comes to adding weather to your manuscript. When you are world building, the weather becomes a crucial element, and you are in control. Volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, wind, rainbows, and lightning are magically yours to command, and vividly express to your readers.

On a much grander scale, many writers use weather as an “event”.  In “State of Fear”, Michael Critchton used global warming as the backdrop for the story, wherein the main villains are environmentalists. In Stephen King’s “Dolores Claiborne”, the tension of the story mounts as a total eclipse of the sun looms. Of course, this type of writing can be tricky; research is key.

In my YA Paranormal Romance, WIND, I use wind (naturally!) to signify the strength and awesome power of the angel, Dante, who arrives in Flynn Flood's life just when she needs him.  The story takes place in the fall and winter, so, at first, the wind is a subtle foe, swirling leaves and bringing colder air.  As the story progresses, the wind and snow is a catalyst for the evil which soon arrives in the form of the evil Lix Tetrax. 

In WIND, Dante explains the meaning of the name Lix Tetrax:

“The name Lix is Greek, referring to the Earth, and Tetrax refers to the four seasons.  Technically, he’s called the Demon of the Wind.  He’s definitely full of hot air.”

Whatever the weather, don’t forget to add a splash of rain, a mysterious fog, or a perfect, sunny day. Used appropriately and imaginatively, weather will have a huge impact on your story.

How’s the weather in your manuscript?

Writer Interrupted

We've probably all experienced writer's block at one time or another.  You know the feeling - when you just can't drag yourself to open MS, and you have absolutely no plot/character ideas in your usually over-crowded mind.

I've been experiencing writer's block for a couple of months - actually since January, if truth be told - and it's scaring me to no end!  A little voice in my vacant head keeps niggling me, "Will I ever get back to my current WIP?"

In December, 2010, I was happily working on SAND, the second book in my YA Paranormal Romance Saga, while querying agents for the first book, WIND.  Then, of course, Christmas arrived, as it always does, and sucked up a great amount of my time and energy.  I told myself it's normal not to be writing during the holidays, what with all the shopping, gift wrapping, cooking, parties, family time, etc.

As 2011 rolled around, I was struck down by a horrible flu (I was sure it was pnemonia, but the doctor insisted it wasn't, and he should know!), which I'm still battling to some extent as it slowly dwindles down.  To add to this, I have a very demanding daytime gig (I'm an Admin. Assistant at a large Paramedic Service).  Then, just as I was starting to feel better, my kids got sick too.  They're both young adults, but still, I'm their mom, and my natural instinct is to take care of them, which of course, I did.

All this sounds like I'm whining a bit, and maybe I am, but the point is, I can't seem to get back on track with my writing.

So, lately I've been asking myself questions like, "Am I meant to be a writer?", "Should I carry on writing?", and "Will I ever find an agent?"   Of course, deep down inside, I already know the answers to these questions (yes, yes, and yes!)  In my heart of hearts, I know I'm just going through a funk, and I'll get back on track soon. 

I miss writing.  I miss the joy of creating a well-written, richly descriptive paragraph, or realistic, moving dialogue.  But most of all, I miss my wonderful friends who come alive when I open my MS; WIND and SAND's cool protangonist, Flynn, her emotional little sister, Kevan, and their goofy, but loveable, brother, Dylan.  I even miss the evil, Lix.

I miss connecting with my wonderful writer friends.  I miss the comraderie; sharing the agonies and ecstacies of navigating the publishing world.

Then I began to wonder:  Has this happened to you?  Have you, for whatever reason(s), experienced writer's block?  I'd love to hear your story!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

I'm so thrilled, my Young Adult Paranormal Novel, WIND, has moved to the second round of the fabulous Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest!

The contest started with 10,000 entrants, then it was broken down to 2,000 entrants; 1,000 General Fiction and 1,000 Young Adult Fiction (of which I am one!).  The next round of 500 quarter finalists will be announced on March 22, 2011.

Even if WIND doesn't make it any further, I totally honored to have made it this far!

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=332264011

Personal Encounters with Angels

Ever since I completed my Young Adult Paranormal Romance, WIND, I’ve been asked by many people, “Have you had encounters with angels?” This question always gets me thinking about what I believe are my personal encounters with those spiritual messengers.

As far back as I can remember, whenever I’ve been in a tight spot, a stranger would appear, seemingly out of the blue (so to speak), and assist me in my time of need. Then, just as quickly, they’d leave; vanish from my sight.

I recall the time when my car was stuck in my extensive, uphill driveway during a blizzard. My son—a baby at the time—was in his car seat in the back; my husband was not yet home from work. After several futile attempts at gunning my way up the drive, I realized the more I tried, the deeper the tires spun and dug into the overwhelming amount of packing snow already accumulated on the drive. I gave up. Yet, I was terrified the car would start to slide down the drive, and into the street. I took my small son out of the car, and we stood silently in the snow. I said a short prayer. Then, suddenly, a young man appeared out of the eddy of swirling snow. He walked toward me, and asked me if I needed any help. I hesitated, and then asked him if he could possibly get the car to the top of the drive. He smiled, jumped in the car without hesitation, and immediately drove it straight up the slippery slope to the top. He turned off the engine, leaped out of the car, and, still smiling, gently placed keys in my hand. Relieved, I began to thank him profusely, but he just kept walking, until he finally disappeared into the swirling flurry of white. How do I know he was an angel? There was something about him—a divine aura—that told me he wasn’t any ordinary good Samaritan.

Many years ago, I had locked my keys in my car (just like my main character, Mary-Flynn Flood does in WIND). After several futile attempts at trying to unhook the door lock with the end of a hanger, a man tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, and he asked if he could give it a try. I immediately handed him the untwined hanger. He leaned into the cracked window, jiggled the extended wire hanger, and unlocked the door at once. I was stunned. I opened the car door, and then turned to thank him. Of course, he was gone.

I have experienced many more incidents such as these; too many to recount here. You may wonder, what did these heavenly helpers look like? Unlike many angel encounters I have read about, they weren’t especially tall, nor were they blond, with icy blue eyes. Both of these strangers looked like “regular” guys, dressed in an unexceptional fashion. They both appeared unexpectedly, quietly assisted, then disappeared, without warning.

Have you ever had an encounter with an angel?

What's Your Writing Background Noise?

I was just surfing through the TV channels, and had to laugh; I saw "The Cottage Channel". You see, I wrote my novel, WIND, with this program quietly splashing in the background.

The Cottage Channel is the cousin of other weird programs like, "The Fireplace Channel," "The Aquarium Channel," and "The Sunset Channel." These simulations are, without question, bizzare, but somehow comforting when you can't get near the real thing. I love water, and grew up with a cottage on a lake, and found the sound of water lapping, and the haunting calls of loons conducive to long stretches of creative writing. The funny part is that every so often, one of my kids would stroll into the room and ask, "Do I hear loons? What are you watching, Mom?"

I'm "channeling" my fake cottage again, while writing my second book, SAND (which does take place at a cottage!).

Have you seen these simulation channels?

What's your writing background noise?

WIND by Cynthia Watson

I have finally completed my 75,000 word Young Adult novel - Wind.  Now I'm beginning the quest for a literary agent. I have queried a handful of agents - I've had several requests for partials and am hopeful something will be forthcoming soon! I'm dying to share my adventure with everyone!  It's exciting & romantic, with a sincere, yet funny heroine & a mysterious stranger from Italy who changes her life forever.

Stay tuned . . .