INTERVIEW WITH CYNTHIA HICKEY

Cynthia Hickey lives in Arizona with her husband and two of their seven children. Multi-published, she has more story ideas in her head then she has time to write. Fudge-Laced Felonies was her first publication through Barbour. Candy-Coated Secrets, second in the series released this spring. Chocolate-Covered Crime, book three, will be released in the fall of 2010.







When did you know you wanted to be an author? Was there something specific that inspired you?
I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid but never really said, “I want to be a writer.” I started my first book when I was fifteen, more because it was fun than anything else. I was forty before I turned seriously to writing.

Was your road to publication smooth? Bumpy? Why?
Pretty smooth. I wrote a few things that were rejected, and wrote Fudge-Laced Felonies on a dare. I entered it into a contest, won first place, obtained my agent, then sold the book and two more. What a whirlwind ride it’s been!

Who has supported you the most along the way? How did they help you?
My husband is my biggest supporter, sending me to the ACFW conference every year even when money is tight. His philosophy is that I can’t afford not to go.

When did you first consider yourself to be a “real author.”
When Barbour presented me with a contract at the 2007 ACFW conference.

How much of yourself do you put into your characters?
In these three books, there is a lot of me. In my other novels, there’s always a bit, but not near the same.

Do you believe the old adage that you must “write what you know?” Explain how your belief relates to your writing.
I attribute God’s grace to my being published. I couldn’t write without my faith seeping in. It’s my way of thanking Him.

When you start writing a book, do you know exactly where you’re going? Do you plot everything out ahead of time?
I know my beginning and my end. The characters write the rest.

What part of the creative process do you find the most challenging?
The horrible sagging middle. I find I always need to kill someone off to pick the pace back up.

When you look back on your work (current or past books), is there something you’d do differently if you had the chance?
Not really. I’m having such a great time, doing what I love, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tell us about your latest project(s).
I have two works in progress. One is a romantic suspense about a murder on a cruise ship that I am hoping to sell to Steeple Hill. The other is a historical romance geared toward Heartsong Presents.

What’s next?
Keep writing until I get another contract. Writing is as essential to me as breathing.

Anything you’d like to share with your readers?
Keep looking for the next book. There wouldn’t have been a second without my readers. I owe them a lot.


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