Intimate Interviews

Chats with Cinders

[Madhu, After Dark] Can you tell us a little about yourself? What's your background in writing, where did it begin?

[Cinders, Featured Author] I began writing in Junior High. I would write in those spiral notebooks romances for my girlfriends to read during class. I look back now horrified that we were not listening.

[M] Haha! I don't listen in class either, so you're not alone there!
I'm sure everyone who read your books would love to know more about where your ideas come from and what your inspiration is.

[C] What I love about Wattpad is the diverse reading age. I began my writing journey quite young. I am now approaching (this makes me want to throw up a little) forty-two in August. I think that experience brings about inspiration.

I live in the US but have lived in 5 different states and we have moved 19+ times. I have a 19 and 15-year-old son and my youngest died at birth.

Losing a child was one of the worst experiences I have EVER dealt with. Even now we are approaching his 13th birthday, it is still hard. We miss him every day. These are the things that help you be a better writer.

I have a great family with loving siblings and some amazing friends. I also work in the public school system with emotionally disabled kids. I have worked with mentally disabled as well. I have seen horrible things.

Sexual, mental, you name the abuse, I have seen it. That effects my writing. We had a kindergartener that tried to strangle the baby in his house last May. My writing was one of the outlets that helped me through.

My writing is very private, I don't tell people from my real life that I write. I have to have somewhere to escape to.

My Neverland if you will.

[M] I'm so sorry for your loss. But, it's truly inspirational how you help others with problems.
How did you come across Wattpad?

[C] On facebook it said something about free books. I started as a reader and that's how I intended to remain. But eventually I couldn't find what I wanted so I dabbled at writing.

[M] Who was your favourite childhood author? Did that change as you grew up?

[C] I loved Anne of Green Gables. But when the Harry Potter series came out I devoured them. I had never seen anything like it before. And like the rest of the world I fell in love.
I like to fall in love with books rather than authors.

[M] I'm a Harry Potter buff too!
What is the one thing you first observe in a book?

[C] Tone, I like my books to be funny, even when they have darker themes. I like an ironic slant on things in ordinary situations. The tone can change everything.

[M] If you could choose one favourite character you've written about so far, who would it be?

[C] I can't it's too complicated. There are too many and it's like asking to pick your favorite child. I have characters I'm more protective of. Spencer in Beautiful Bex is the youngest Rotherford brother, he shares the name of the son I lost. I'm protective of him for sentimental reasons that have no valid backing. But isn't that what makes humans intriguing their quirky inconsistencies. That's where stories are born.

[M] What do you think is the best thing about Spencer?  

[C] Spencer is a rich man's son who finds himself in the slums of London. When a grubby pickpocket saves his life, he saves the boy who ends up being the heroine of the story. 

I love Spencer's sense of right and wrong. He is young and ambitious and yet tender and so understanding with Bex. Who is one of the most complex female characters I have ever written about being abandoned in her uncle's death and raped on the streets.

There is still a lot of humor in these characters as well which is what I love the most. We have to be able to laugh, life to too hard not to laugh.

[M] What do you think of the final drafts of your books?  

[C] I am in desperate need of a good editor. I wish that money were not an issue. I believe in my work wholeheartedly and the messages that I write about. I wouldn't publish otherwise.

But I am a working mom, who also lives with chronic illness and I can't afford to have someone go over them with a fine-tooth comb. So, I know that my books are riddled with imperfections. I suppose they are much like myself. LOL

I hope that those who read them see the beauty within the flaws.

[M] I'm sure they do!
After you got your books published and what not, what would you recommend to the author's who are new to publishing, get a publisher or self-publishing?

[C] I self publish. I tried the other route and wasn't getting anywhere. So, I thought go big or go home. I now am building my name little by little. I'm proud at what I have been able to accomplish in the last two years.

[M] What are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to writing?

[C] Writers block... I want it to die a big horrible death.

Not having enough time to write.

[M] How do you get over your writer's block?

[C] Often I will write for something completely different. I find taking my mind in another direction helps me to keep things fresh. The only problem with this is I mix up character's names a lot!

[M] What according to you make a book, a good book?

[C] It depends on what the reader needs. There are different things that speak to me at different times. I am not someone that only readers a certain type of book. The reader has to relate to somehow to the characters or the story and it has to move them in some way. That could be to tears, laughter, intrigue, passion, whatever it may be. Otherwise, why bother?

[M] What was the hardest scene to write in all your books?

[C] Any type of strong emotion, love scenes, fights, violence, sadness, anything of this nature can be hard to portray correctly. You want the reader to feel those feelings with your characters.

[M] What is your writing kryptonite?

[C] Myself, second guessing, not taking time, work, but it all boils down to me.

[M] How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

[C] Believe it or not the community on Wattpad is very kind. Publishing has been much like ripping off a band-aid in the sense that people will be completely honest in their opinions.

I don't think it has changed my process so much as hardened my skin. I have had to learn that I cannot please everyone. And that's okay. I take what I can from the feedback and keep going.

[M] If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

[C] Put yourself out there, you are better than you think you are.

[M] How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

[C] I'm not sure it changed my process so much as solidified that this was really what I wanted to do.

[M] That's awesome!
So then if you didn't write, what would you do for work?

[C] I do have a full-time job. I work as a special education assistant for emotional disability kids. They are kids that aren't successful in a typical classroom because of behavior. We have kindergarten through 2nd grade, and our class is the last stop before leaving the public education system. We are self-contained, and there is not a day that goes by without flying chairs, fist fights, kids in need of love, voices in heads, scary home lives, learning, hospital stays, child services, and through it all they are supposed to be learning their ABC's. It is grueling and often thankless work, but I adore each and every one of them.

[M] Are there any projects which we can look forward to, from you in the future?

[C] I am almost ready to release Lovely Lillian, it is the beginning of another Regency romance series, but this time from the younger sister's perspectives. And there is always something new and exciting in the mix! ;)

[M] We'll be eagerly waiting for it!
From the After Dark team and the thousands who have read your book and loved it, thank you for taking the time to go through this with us!
We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours!