She is a great writer who’s latest YA book, Beautiful, released at the end of 2009. Great story!
Cindy and I go way back – as you’ll see in this interview with her. To find out more about Cindy and her writing, please visit her website.
1. How did you get started writing?
It all began in childhood with summer boredom and living in the country with nothing to do (no cable TV, no computers, and not many friends nearby). I spent a lot of time reading, and when my cousin would come visit, we’d write stories. Then at age 12, I started my first novel. It was a groundbreaking story about a girl, very much like myself, who with her friends goes on an adventure looking for underwater treasure. To be honest, it was a bit of an Indiana Jones knock off. I loved those movies!
More serious writing pursuits began when I was 19 – I finally believe I knew what I should do with my life (writers get to live all kinds of careers through our characters). I wanted to be a writer, felt it could be my calling, but a lot of self-doubt plagued me for years. I dove right in anyway, starting with book ideas and writing plays and newsletters for my church. My first published work was one of those plays – I made $90 and was thrilled.
It took another nine years to get my first contract for a novel. I received a lot of rejection and kept developing my craft and going to writer’s conferences. It really helped to have writing friends (like you Tricia). I’m not sure where I’d be in my writing if my early friendship with you hadn’t taken place in the earliest stages of my writing pursuit. I’d been writing for about a year when I remember you saying, “I’m interested in writing too.” We spurred each other on. Tricia and I were partners in crime for years before our paths sort of took us different routes. But my writing start will always include hundreds of memories with Tricia Goyer. We’ll always be friends and sisters, and perhaps someday have more time to laugh together on new adventures.
2. Tell me about your first Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference …
This great friend of mine and I arrived at Mt. Hermon with these varying degrees of giggles and serious writing pursuits (why that friend was you again, Tricia!). I remember how we were thrilled to see a real editor and how we carried our brochure around looking for people in the pictures. It’s hilarious to think about now, even though at times I feel just like that same girl – almost as if I’m secretly fooling everyone that I’m a real author and speaker. Inside, I think there’s a bit of Peter Pan in most all of us!
3. Where have you traveled for research? Any interesting travel stories?
I’ve traveled throughout Europe six times, across the country, and in the Philippines four times for the different novels I’ve worked on. A lot of my advance money went to travel for a while there. I love when I can go to the actual location of my settings. But travel stories…where do I begin? Tricia, you’ll remember the bird that laid the egg in our Vienna hotel, the puppet shop in Prague, the Metro in Paris, borders closed between the Czech Republic and Austria and finding the last ferryboat to take us across a clandestine route, singing aloud to Aerosmith on the road across Illinois and Michigan, dancing with WWII veterans or rather trying to as I stepped on Tony’s toes as he tried teaching me the Foxtrot. With other people: I hiked up a mountain on a rainy night with one of my best friends since 3rd grade to the cemetery in Austria to feel a bit of the fear my character had when she was kidnapped there. I’ve buried a treasure in Austria too. In the Philippines, I met my husband and the discoveries of a very different culture have given me just as many travel stories there too.
Travel stories, I have a lot! ☺
4. Finally, what’s coming down the pipeline for Cindy Coloma?
I have another YA novel coming out in May called Caleb+Kate. The book is about believing in true love. Caleb has a high standard for falling in love, and Kate has given up believing in it. The story is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. I’m really excited about it. It’s my first every novel to focus primarily on love, so I’m excited to see how people like it. It has both the male and female POV. I have a teen guy reading an early draft and says he’s loving it (he just doesn’t want his identity revealed since it’s a chick book!). After that, more stories! I have an undersea series (returning to my childhood but in a new framework) and other exciting ideas that I can’t wait to develop. I have an unlimited supply in my head with new ones developing all the time.
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