Interview with Cynthia Toney

Author of 8 Notes to a Nobody (Bird Face series book one)

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’ve lived all over the southern U.S., from North Carolina to Texas. And, yes, Texas and Oklahoma are considered the South by many. But I have returned to the only state that ever felt like home: Louisiana.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I think the place where you have your first or greatest number of fond memories becomes more important, and feels more like home, than where you were born. Unless you are fortunate to have grown to adulthood in the place of your birth! I’ve never felt completely comfortable in anything bigger than a small town, so I have returned to one I loved.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Emotional pain. That which I experienced myself and that which I witnessed young people experiencing when I was an adult. I learned that middle-school kids had to cope with more problems, and more serious ones, than I ever imagined. I wanted to show them through my stories, and the characters in them, that tweens and teens are wonderful and valuable creations, and that they are more powerful than they realize.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I write teen reads with twisty plots because real life is complicated just like that! My main characters try and sometimes fail at first to achieve their goals but they learn about themselves and others around them as they push forward. Decisions are often hard to reach because answers to a problem are not always clear, but each story is filled with hope and positivity for the future. Each plot contains an element of mystery, and some of them are quite suspenseful.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Tweens, teens, and adults who are or were socially awkward will connect with the Bird Face series, starting with 8 Notes to a Nobody. But those books contain humor and subplots to balance the more serious topics. In my first historical novel, The Other Side of Freedom, young people and adults interested in the 1920s, the Mafia, the U.S. South, prejudice, segregation, immigration, and rural life will find a story with lesser-known historical facts and setting to engage them.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That I had more than one novel to write after I got started! I didn’t think at first that the stories would continue to develop one after the other, but they did. And I surprised myself by writing short stories for anthologies.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Get an earlier start. I wish I had tried writing fiction when I was in my twenties and not waited until my late forties to begin.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

I don’t know. I would like to have my books in every public library in the country. I would also like to see one or more translated into Spanish and Italian.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Waiting for and hoping for reviews. Even readers who tell me they enjoyed one of my books often don’t leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, much less Goodreads. I read a lot and always try to leave at least a couple of sentences in a review if I enjoyed anything about a book.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

From what I’ve been told, I’d say I have the ability to place the reader into the mind and heart of a main character in my writing. Regarding publishing, I don’t follow trends in fiction. In marketing, I hope some of my informative blog posts have caused those readers to become readers of my books.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I’m not a fast writer. I revise many times. I no longer enjoy public events.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m writing it now. It’s a companion to The Other Side of Freedom.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I’ve always had a small but traditional publisher.