Hey guys! Before we get started on this interview, I would like to say a
massive thank you to Cindi for not only sending her book to me to review (it was awesome!!) but for also agreeing to the interview! Her debut book DEMONS OF THE SUN came out two days ago (Sept.4!) and everyone here should all go and buy it! And she's also got a book coming out from Entangled(you know I love all of their books, right?) this December called ALL THE BROKEN PIECES!
About the book!
Persephone didn’t ask
to be the guardian of Hades Dagger, an artifact Hades forged to turn
demons into daywalkers. She didn’t ask for the demon blood running
through her veins that allows her to touch the thing, either.And she
definitely didn’t ask for Jax, a cocky Warrior, to barge into her life
and proclaim himself her bodyguard now that Hades wants his dagger back.
Forced to deal with this reality, along with an increase in
demon attacks, and the fact members of the Order of Zeus keep turning up
dead, Persephone finds her hands full.
When demons tell
Persephone that she’s one of them she’s appalled... And a little
intoxicated by the power she feels when they call her their queen.
Telling Jax about her demon side might turn him away from her forever...
Something
bad is brewing, and if Persephone doesn’t figure out a solution, and
soon she’ll be responsible for unleashing Hell on Earth.
1. How did you came up with
DEMONS OF THE SUN? I love the greek mythology by the way!
Thanks! I always loved Greek mythology and their
stories. I wanted to do something using the mythology, but in the modern world.
I wanted my female character to be strong, but for her to have this inner
struggle of who she was and who she’s meant to be. That’s where I came up with
the idea that she had demon blood inside of her, constantly tugging at her,
especially as things in her world got worse and worse.
2. Do
you have an author(s) that you look up to or are inspired or amazed by?
So
many! I love Jeri Smith-Ready, who’s got great characters and is super
interactive with her fans. Rachel Hawkins and Myra McEntire are both super
funny and great. Cassandra Clare writes amazing stories with amazing conflict. Stephanie
Perkins and Sarah Dessen. I also love the classics, authors like Charlotte
Bronte and Mary Shelley. Kelly Creaugh’s book Nevermore was amazing, and
Jennifer Armentrout has great characters and romantic tension. I also adore
Rachel Harris, who is one of the nicest, coolest people I know, and wrote one
of the most fun books I’ve ever read, My Super Sweet 16th Century. I
could fill a whole page with awesome authors.
3. Did you always know what the relationship between Jax and Persephone would be
like? They're one of my favourite couples!
That makes me so happy! I
knew that Persephone needed someone who wouldn’t let her push him around,
because she’d basically scare the crap out of most guys. She needed someone to
challenge her and who was confident enough to handle her, but also knew when
she needed space and could see through her tough girl front. I love the back
and forth banter, half the time attracted and half the time driven crazy by
someone type of relationships. Those are some of my favorite couples, going all
the way back to Pride and Prejudice.
4. Why do you write f\or young adult?
I
love writing during the time when there are so many difficult decisions (What?
You didn’t have to keep an ancient artifact safe from Hades during high
school?) I love the first love and the high emotions and I really do think
teenagers rock! I work with the teens at yaromance.com, and they’re awesome. I
think in some ways, I never really grew up either. I do write for adults, too,
it’s just all about what story I want to tell and how the characters come to
me. I’m also so glad there are so many options. When I was in high school
(dating myself here a little) it was Nancy Drew or Sweet Valley High. So happy
there are so many great YA stories out there now.
5. Tell us a little bit about your writing journey from the first word to
publication.
Well,
that’s a loooong story. Longer than any of my books. I always liked to read and
I always had stories in my head. So I sat down and wrote one. I think the humor
was good, but I had no idea what I was really doing. I wrote a couple more,
then more and more. Finally I got to a place I’d done everything I could
myself, but was told by agents my ideas were good, but my writing wasn’t there.
It was pretty crushing, honestly, but I found a writers group and then a
critique group. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, because it was
more of what was wrong with my writing. But they told me about the good things
too, and one of the ladies said reading it made her feel like a teen again :)
So I worked for two more years, got a lot more rejection, and then finally
found two publishing companies who wanted my two different stories within the
same week! It was a dream come true. There were more edits and a lot more hard
work and even tears, but then I got to see the covers and it all started to
feel more real. And then people started reading it and telling me they loved
it. That made all the hard work worth it.
6. Who's your favourite character? And if you can change anything about Demons of
the Sun, what would it be?
Pick
a character? That’s like choosing a favorite child. I love Persephone and Jax,
and I think they need each other. Also, I really love Turtle. That mangy cat
stole my heart a little. As for changing anything, I know there’s a typo, even
after all the passes, and I probably shouldn’t say anything in hopes no one
notices, but yeah, I’d get rid of that.
7. If you could live in any fictional world what world would it be?
Well,
a lot of the fictional worlds I read are beautifully dark. Not sure I’d want to
live there, even though I love living in the book. So I guess I’m going to be
kinda shallow and say I’d live in Myra McEntire’s world so I could stare at
Kaleb. And I mean, the time travel thing would be cool, too, but I’d probably
just keep traveling to where I could see when Kaleb was shirtless.
8. If you could be one supernatural being, what would it be and why?
Probably
a witch. That encompasses a lot of things, like spells and flying, and turning
people into toads. Wouldn’t it be fun to turn mean people into toads?
9. Can you tell us something about your other YA novel coming out from Entangled
Teen this December, ALL THE BROKEN PIECES? And I'm a sucker for romance, so I
hope there will be lots of sexy scenes! ;P
Sure!
And I’m a total sucker for romance, too :) ALL THE BROKEN PIECES is about a
girl who wakes up from a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct,
warring voices in her head. She’s broken and trying to move on and get past
this sense of wrongness she feels, all while trying to get the hang of high
school and all the drama that brings. She meets Spencer, who’s very standoffish
at first, but they start spending more and more time together. Things only get
weirder, though, so she enlists Spencer to help her figure out what really
happened in her past.
10. And
finally, what can we expect from you next year (2013), new books, new stuff?
Well,
I just signed a contract with Entangled Publishing for my adult romantic comedy
CINDERELLA SCREWED ME OVER and my editor and I are discussing my next YA novel.
I’ll keep my website and blog updated with the news as I get it. http://cindimadsen.com
Thank you so much to Cindi!
About Cindi's other upcoming book coming from Entangled Teen!
What if your life wasn’t your own?
Liv
comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct,
warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems
familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get
louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously
despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose
own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for
the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.
Liv knows
the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the
voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories,
she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less
things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when
it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?
About the Author:
Cindi Madsen sits at her
computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love
with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it,
she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a
reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly,
colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer
lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most
definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.
