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02 October 2016

Cynthia Hickey -- Why I Write


Author Cynthia Hickey

WHY I BECAME A WRITER
Funny how this roller-coaster business can tug on someone until it’s either write or die. A bit dramatic, yes, but that’s how most writers feel. Writing is like breathing, or eating.

I started reading at the young age of five and became hooked on words and stories. Being a shy child, I would make up stories to act out, but it wasn’t until Junior High and an English teacher assigned a writing project that I realized how much I loved putting the story to paper. I began writing short stories in which my younger brother was featured as the hero or I’d write a romance featuring me and whatever boy I had a crush on at the time.

When I turned fifteen, I wrote my first “real story” about terrorists taking over a high school. Funny how I have now seen that very plot made into a movie. I couldn’t be stopped after that first “book”. I kept writing, keeping my stories in a notebook, which I unfortunately lost when I married and moved out of state. Then, life happened and I didn’t take up writing again until the age of forty when my children were older and I had time to devote to the art.

In 2007, I published my first cozy mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, with Barbour Publishing and haven’t slowed down since. Fifty plus books later, and several genres added to the mix, I have no intentions of stopping this crazy career any time soon. In May of 2013, I left behind the day job and became a full time writer. Scary, but worth every busy minute.

My husband and I now own a small press with over seventy authors on our roster. How do I do it is a question I’m asked over and over. Post it notes and lists! Add that to God’s grace and I can’t see myself slowing down any time soon. 

(CFP: One of the Forget Me Not Romance collections is O' Little Town of Christmas which Carrie Fancett Pagels' novella, The Substitute Bride is included as well as Cynthia's lovely Christmas Stamp is, and four other novellas by Debra E. Marvin, Becca Witham, Teresa Ives Lilly, and Linda Baten Johnson!) 



Watch for Poison Foliage, book three in the Shady Acres mystery series.


Bio: Multi-published and Amazon Best-Selling author Cynthia Hickey had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. Her first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. Her third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as ebooks through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with a new cozy series, all of which stay in the top 50 of Amazon’s ebooks for their genre. She had several historical romances release through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents, and has sold over half a million copies of her works since 2013. She has taught a Continuing Education class at the 2015 American Christian Fiction Writers conference. You can find her on FB, twitter, and Goodreads, and is a contributor to Cozy Mystery Magazine blog and Suspense Sisters blog. She and her husband run the small press, Forget Me Not Romances, which includes some of the CBA’s best well-known authors. She lives in Arizona with her husband, one of their seven children, two dogs, two cats, three box turtles, and two Sulcata tortoises. She has seven grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”.

Giveaway: An ebook copy of O' Little Town of Christmas Collection. Leave a comment.

33 comments:

  1. I would be delighted to read O' Little Town of Christmas Collection.

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    1. It was a lot of fun to write :)

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    2. Congrats, Kaye Whitney! Per random.org you are our ebook winner for a copy of O' Little Town of Christmas!

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  2. Cynthia, I'm in awe of all you have accomplished. 7 children, 50 books and 7 grandchildren? You're a Duracell bunny. This was a great interview.

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  3. Don't enter my name. I just wanted to say Thank you for all you do! I have this little collection and loved all the stories in it.I read one story per week, to make it last. I also have enjoyed several of your other collections.

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  4. Cynthia, thank you so much for sharing your writing journey with us on OWG! We are delighted to have you and wish you continued blessings on your writing! I wrote a short story in high school and you just don't want to know what the teacher said about my writing! So I became a reviewer instead and let y'all do the writing. ;)

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    1. It was my Junior High teacher that set me on this crazy path. She told me I wrote with "action". Not exactly sure what she meant, but I took it as a compliment

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  5. Enjoyed hearing your story, Cynthia, and I'm so happy to be a part of Forget Me Not.

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  6. You know what they say about busy people. Thank you for not slowing down. I've appreciated how accessible you are to your stable of writers.

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    1. You're welcome. Glad you're part of the family

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  7. I wish I had that drive to write but I don't and that's how I know I'm not a born writer like yourself! I admire you for it though and love your books, Cynthia!! I do have some amazing dreams that could be epic stories/movies, lol. ;)

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    1. You should share those dreams with a writer :)

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  8. Thank you for sharing your journey in writing. I for one am glad you write and enjoy your books.
    Blessings, Tina

    Don't enter me, I have the book.

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  10. I'm impressed, Cynthia! Your life sounds wonderful and exhausting! Haha I'm grateful that you and your husband are bringing us such wonderful stories, though! Thank you!

    mylittlebirdie (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  11. Always interesting to follow the writing journey thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  12. Cynthia, you truly are a great example & an inspiration. What a life and what a ministry!

    carol.nemeth.cn@gmail.com

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    1. When is your next book going to be finished? hint hint

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  13. Welcome Cynthia and loved reading about your writing journey.Guess it is getting close to Christmas, huh? yet seems to me its only been a short time ago. My, how fast times goes by for me. I have you beat on the grandkids with 12. But also have 19 greats and in May a great-great coming. But, I will admit I also have MANY years over you. Would love to win your book. GOD bless all of my OWG girls. Love you all. Maxie > mac262(at)me(dot)com <

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  14. Thanks for sharing about your writing journey, Cynthia. It is so interesting to learn how an author gets started and now you are a publisher as well. Definitely sounds like a full-time job...lol. Thank you for the giveaway.
    bettimace(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Love the interview. I'm amazed by your personal productivity and your work on behalf of all your authors. No need to enter me in the giveaway.
    Linda Baten Johnson

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  16. When I met Cynthia this past August at a conference, I was beyond AMAZED at all she does! I asked her HOW she managed to get everything done - - and smiled when she mentioned using post-it notes (I use post-it notes, but then I misplace them, LOL). ;) She must be the Queen of Organization! Thanks for sharing this interview - - Cynthia is an inspiration. Blessings, Patti Jo :)

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    1. My desk and wall are full of different colored...squares :)

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  17. Thank you for sharing your writing story. Always love to hear how people started their journey.

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    1. Which you are well on your way to being great!

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  18. CYNTHIA, thank you for sharing your writing journey! I LOVE your cover designs! Blessings to you!
    psalm103and138 at gmail dot com

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