Q&A with Author, Cynithia Hickey

Cynithia Hickey

By Maegan Beaumont

I sat down with my friend and fellow author, Cynthia Hickey, to ask her a few questions about what's she been up to...

1. When did you discover your love for the written word?

My mother said that, not having a Kindergarten close enough for me to attend as a child, that she taught me to read. I took to it easily and have always read above my level. Once I discovered the many worlds between the pages of a book, I was hooked.

2. When did you begin your writing career?

I've made up stories for as long as I can remember, but it isn't until a few years ago that I actually began to take the writing process seriously. My first novel, Fudge-Laced Felonies, was released through Barbour in 2007.

3. Tell us something that people may not know about you?

 I've been on television twice. Once on the backdrop of a weather report filmed on Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas and another time when a documentary was being filmed at the Pickle Plant where I worked.

4. Do you have a secret desire that may not ever come true?

I've always thought it would be a blast to be in a movie. Not a walk on character, but an actual main character. An insane person would be fun.

5. Do you have a favorite book?

 The one book I own that has stood the test of time is Gone With the Wind and Little Women. I still love them.

6. A favorite author?

I'd have to say that in today's market, I love Diana Gabaldon. Her Outlander characters are so rich, I feel as if I know them.

7. Do you have a favorite book that you've written?

No, I can't say that I do. I guess Fudge would be it if I had to pick, it being my first and all.

8. Any suggestions for pre-pubbed authors?

Never, ever, give up. If you're meant to be an author, you need to write as much as you need to breathe.

While I'm promoting book 5 in the Nosy Neighbor series, Jogging is Bad for Your Health, it helps if readers discover the first four books first. Anything for a Mystery is book 1. It is a single release and is also included in this tremendous collection by some of the Christian industries best cozy mystery authors. I hope you check it out. You may discover a new favorite mystery writer. Writing cozies is great fun! There will be two more in this series, then I have a new one planned for 2016. I hope you will join me on this adventure.

ANYTHING FOR A MYSTERY: What follows is a frolicking good time as Stormi finds herself the nosiest neighbor of them all. Can she find the killer before she becomes the next victim? (Christian)

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

GUNFIGHT AT GRACE GULCH: Cici and Audie take a dangerous gamble to nail the killer - and lay their lives on the line. (Christian)

ANOTHER STAB AT LIFE: In order to honor her grandmother's wishes and stay at Volstead Manor Bailey must unravel a string of mysteries and secrets, which all seem determined to stay happily ever buried. (Christian)

TROUBLE UP FINNY'S NOSE:A crazy kaleidoscope of characters such as the uptight gallery owner, Napoleon Prinn; half-baked Dimple Dent, writer of fortune-cookie wisdom; Alva Hernandez, octogenarian newspaper boy; and Monk, the amorous town caterer, add to the chaos in the shadow of Finny’s nose until Ruth finds herself in the ultimate do or die situation. (Christian)

MURDER IN THE MILKCASE:Sleuthing to exonerate herself from murder charges, she shakes up a murderer who has nothing to lose by killing any one in the way - including Trish. (Christian)

THE WEDDING CAPER: Join Annie Peterson, mother of the bride, as she solve crimes on her way to the wedding. In book one (The Wedding Caper) a $25,000 night deposit mysteriously disappears from the Clark County Savings and Loan, and Annie Peterson takes on the role of amateur sleuth to solve the mystery. Only one problem. . .she knows nothing about crime solving! (Christian)
MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE: What she'd hoped would be a relaxing holiday between jobs turns into a stressful and often frustrating

MAY RELEASES!

Take a look at these FANTASTIC spring reads!



Bite the Biscuit
By: Linda O. Johnston 
A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery #1

"Kicking off a cozy new series, prolific Johnston blends mystery and romantic intrigue."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Come to Harm
A Novel
By: Catriona McPherson 
 "[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."
—KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)






 







Murder with a Twist
By: Tracy Kiely 
A Nic & Nigel Mystery #1
"Witty, droll, and hilariously spot on."—Hank Phillipi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, 
Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

The Final Reveille
By: Amanda Flower 
A Living History Museum Mystery #1
“History and Civil War buffs will enjoy the historical details woven through the mystery, and Kelsey and the secondary characters are well drawn and sympathetic. This one will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary cozies with a history frame.”—BOOKLIST

MARCH & APRIL RELEASES!

Check out these fantastic new releases!

Tattered Legacy

By: Shannon Baker 

A Nora Abbott Mystery #3 

Witch Upon a Star
By: Jennifer Harlow 
A Midnight Magic Mystery #3

“A great mystery and a romp into the fantasy world 

that is dark, frightening, and a whole lot of fun.”

—SUSPENSE MAGAZINE

Snake Pass

By: Colin Campbell 

A Resurrection Man Novel #4

“Crackerjack entertainment: taut, gritty 

and full of devilish twists.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Innocent Damage
By: Robert K. Lewis 
A Mark Mallen Novel #3

Saving Cecil
By: Lee Mims 
A Cleo Cooper Mystery #3

"A compelling mystery full of near-misses

 and scientific wisecracks."—LIBRARY JOURNAL

FEBRUARY RELEASES!

By: Maegan Beaumont

Take a look at the fantastic Midnight Ink has to offer this month!

 Death & the Redheaded Woman
By: Loretta Ross 
An Auction Block Mystery #1
“Ross’ thoroughly entertaining debut combines smart details about the auction business with two engaging mysteries and a uniformly appealing cast. Fans of small-town cozies, especially those by Denise Swanson, will love this, as will mystery readers who double as thrift-store aficionados and followers of auction reality shows.”—BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW)

Drawing Conclusions
By: Deirdre Verne 
A Sketch in Crime Mystery #1
"Verne's mystery is a winner, with plenty of twists and turns, an intriguing heroine and an ending that shocks in more ways than one."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

February Fever

By: Jess Lourey 
The Murder-By-Month Mysteries #10

“Lourey skillfully mixes humor and suspense . . . the characters are wonderful and wacky, and the mile-a-minute pace never falters.”

—BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW)

Writer's Guilt

By: Maegan Beaumont

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to start another novel.

I start getting the itch around November. Ideas start to niggle. Characters start to whisper. By December they are no longer niggling and whispering. They are pulling and yelling. I have to shove them aside while I'm basting the Thanksgiving turkey. I have to mentally shout back, I can't play with you right now--my kids are opening Christmas presents.

January, I promise them. I'll start in January.

January is the right month to start, right? In with the new and all that... right? The people in my life will get it. That this is not only my passion but also my job. That it's important to me. That I have to do this on about a hundred different levels.

They love me and want me to be happy. They get that if I don't write I'll end up like Jack Nicholson in The Shining and that's never a good look on anyone.  

They'll be understanding and supportive... right? 

I've come to realize that it just doesn't matter. No matter when I decide to start my novel, I still run into trouble. Kids still want dinner (EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!!). Husbands still want clean socks (my kingdom for a maid... honestly, I'd settle for a chimpanzee I can train to fold towels and match socks). Friends still get weird when you don't pay attention to them. 

I try to juggle it all but I'll never make it in the circus. I suck at juggling. Something's gotta give--historically, it's my novel... which explains why I haven't made a deadline since I started this whole crazy business. It's not that the people in my life don't want to understand. It's that they can't understand. 

They just can't. Not unless they understand what it's like to have an entire universe full of people shoved into their brain, talking all at once. They don't what dinner. They don't want clean socks or attention. They want to exist. They are literally fighting for their imaginary lives. A space, out here in the world, where people can see and hear them.

And sometimes, that's pretty hard to ignore. So, yeah. Something's gotta give.

I guess what I'm saying is that I still-- 4. books. later.--haven't figured out how to balance it all. I struggle. I forget to start dinner. I stumble. Socks get recycled and my husband pretends not to notice the dead fish smell emanating from his shoes. I drop balls. Friends feel ignored and I feel like crap... and my novel still suffers. I give in to guilt and start to put writing off. 

I'll write tomorrow becomes my mantra.

But every January, without fail, I make myself a promise: This year, I will put writing first. Well... maybe not first but definitely in the top 3. Top 5? Ahead of the laundry, for sure.

As I'm writing this, I realize that this isn't about putting my novel first--it's about putting myself first. Something I've never been able to do. Something I'm not even sure I know how to do and yet something I've encouraged others to do time and time again.

Put yourself first. It's okay. You deserve it. If they love you, they'll understand.

This year is different. This year, I'm bound and determined to take my own advice. Kids, husbands, friends--I hope you understand, but there's something I've got to do...

Maegan Beaumont is the author of  the Sabrina Vaughn thriller series. A native Phoenician, Maegan’s stories are meant to make you wonder what the guy standing in front of you in the Starbucks line has locked in his basement, and feel a strong desire to sleep with the light on. When she isn’t busy fulfilling her duties as Domestic Goddess for her high school sweetheart turned husband, Joe, and their four children, she is locked in her office with her computer, her coffee pot and her Rhodesian Ridgeback, and one true love, Jade.

Look for her latest, Promise to Keep, available through Midnight Ink, summer 2015

My Writing Mood Ring

By: Deirdre Verne

When I first started writing, I found I could only be creative when I was happy. Not mildly happy. I’m talking ecstatically happy -- running through a field of sunflowers in a wispy summer dress type of happy. For the words to come, I had to feel bubbly and light. It didn’t take me long to realize that this state of euphoria, although wonderful, is rare. Given this strict criteria, I calculated that it would take me a decade to crank out a three-line haiku.

In the name of progress, I’ve since learned to write through my moods, good and bad. I’ve also mastered the art of writing while sick or injured. This includes a stint recovering from back-surgery and then a broken ankle. After all that, I can say one thing for sure: no matter how badly I feel when I start writing, I most certainly feel better when I’ve finished for the night. In fact, if I ever want to feel like I’ve run through a field of sunflowers, all I need to do is create that feeling on paper. And if I’m not entirely thrilled with what I’ve written, I know there’s a library full of books to take me to my field of flowers, imagined into being by other writers just like me.

Deirdre Verne (Lower Westchester, NY) is a college professor who is currently the curriculum chair of the marketing program at Westchester Community College. Previously, she held senior marketing positions at Time, Inc. Her latest novel, Drawing Conclusions will be available through Midnight Ink in Febuary, 2015.

November Releases!

By: Maegan Beaumont

Check out these exciting new reads!

Bloody Politics
By: Maggie Sefton A Molly Malone Mystery #3 
"A strong protagonist."—LIBRARY JOURNAL

 Hell on Wheels
By: Sue Ann Jaffarian 
The Odelia Grey Mysteries #9

“Action-filled . . . Jaffarian neatly pulls all the plot lines together for a satisfying outcome."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Trapline
By: Mark Stevens 
An Allison Coil Mystery #3

“Trapline rings as true as the beautiful mountains and valleys that frame this exciting, tense drama of today’s Colorado.”—Manuel Ramos, award-winning author of
Desperado: A Mile High Noir

Tradition of Deceit
By: Kathleen Ernst 
A Chloe Ellefson Mystery #5

"Ernst keeps getting better with each entry in this fascinating series."—LIBRARY JOURNAL

Maegan Beaumont is the author of the award-winning Sabrina Vaughn thriller series. The third installment, Promises to Keep, will be released in the late summer of 2015 by Midnight Ink.

First Page Blues

By: Deirdre Verne

I struggle with the first few paragraphs of anything. This blog entry alone has been started and trashed at least five times. Within seconds of churning out the first paragraph, I almost always require immediate feedback. I’m not asking for much. A simple ‘you’re on the right track’ from just about anyone is enough to boost my confidence. Without the thumbs up, I have trouble continuing to the second page. Once I get going, however, I’m good for the next three hundred. But that first page! It’s a killer.
A writer friend of mine warned me recently about soliciting criticism. “Never show your work to your family until it’s published,” she said. 
Good advice -- ten years too late. Enter my husband. He now refuses to read my writing, insisting that I purposely killed him off in the opening scene of my first (unpublished) book. Talk about sensitive. It’s not like I’m writing a memoir.
Then I tried my mother. She loves to read and she loves me. She’s also a teacher. Her only attempt to read my writing started with her licking the tip of a red pen. Let’s just say it didn’t end well.
Based on my prior experiences, I’ve trained myself to complete an entire chapter without external input. Then I seek out a peer from my writing group to provide constructive and actionable criticism. I still need the occasional pat on the back, but I’ve learned to replace my need for immediate gratification with a heaping bowl of ice cream.

Deirdre Verne is a college professor who is currently the curriculum chair of the marketing program at Westchester Community College. Previously, she held senior marketing positions at Time, Inc. Drawing Conclusions is the first book in her A Sketch in Crime mystery series. Available winter, 2015.

Fall Releases from Midnight Ink!

By: Maegan Beaumont

Check out these great new mysteries for Fall!

Black Thursday
By: Linda Joffe Hull A Mrs. Frugalicious Shopping Mystery #2 

"A fun and savvy mystery."—BOOKLIST

Catwalk
By: Sheila Webster Boneham 
An Animals in Focus Mystery #3

“Janet MacPhail's latest adventure will delight dog lovers, cat lovers, and mystery lovers…. Five stars for Catwalk!” —SUSAN CONANT, AUTHOR OF THE DOG LOVER'S MYSTERY SERIES

The Question of the Missing Head
By: E. J. Copperman, Jeff Cohen An Asperger's Mystery #1 

 "[A] delightful and clever mystery."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Lost Under a Ladder
By: Linda O. Johnston A Superstition Mystery #1

"Doggone cute."—LIBRARY JOURNAL

Adobe Flats
By: Colin Campbell A Resurrection Man Novel #3 

"A stylish noir voice."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Beauty with a Bomb
By: M. C. Grant 
A Dixie Flynn Mystery #3

"Readers will cheer for this avenging less-than-angel as she goes after some very bad people." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Of Merlot & Murder
By: Joni Folger A Tangled Vines Mystery #2 

Lively and entertaining . . . [a] well wrought whodunit." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

 Unraveled Visions
By: Nina Milton 
A Shaman Mystery #2

"[A] thrilling tale." —RT BOOK REVIEWS

Bitter Crossing
By: D. A. Keeley 
A Peyton Cote Novel #1

"A solid bet for Nevada Barr and Tricia Fields fans." —LIBRARY JOURNAL

Murder at Midnight
By: C.S. Challinor 
A Rex Graves Mystery #6

"A classic country-house mystery, with modern day twists and turns adding to the fun." —BOOKLIST

Maegan Beaumont is the author of the award-winning Sabrina Vaughn thriller series. A native Phoenician, Maegan's stories are meant to make you wonder what the guy standing in front of you in the Starbucks line has locked in his basement, and feel a strong desire to sleep with the light on. When she isn't busy fulfilling her duties as Domestic Goddess for her high school sweetheart turned husband, Joe, and their four children, she is locked in her office with her computer, her coffee pot and her Rhodesian Ridgeback, and one true love, Jade.