Cynthia Luhr Interview~Giveaway

Cynthia Luhrs

Describe your books in 3 words?

Dark sexy ghosts

If you could be any character from one of your books who would it be?

Draken (he’s a dragon) as he's the most powerful being in the Shadow Walker world. Not to mention he breathes fire and has lots of other talents. Plus he’s funny and I’m not!

What is your greatest fear about being an author/publishing your book(s)?

That I won’t provide an escape for my readers. To open a book and be transported to another time and place. To laugh out loud or cry or want to scream at a character…that's the greatest thing an author can offer a reader and what I strive towards every time I sit down in front of the keyboard.

Would the 10 year-old version of yourself kick your butt or praise you for what you've accomplished in life?

Kick my butt. She wanted me to be the dictator of the world :)

What do you do when you finish your book and turn it in to the editor?

Catch up on a few fave TV shows or go out to dinner with friends…then it’s back to work on the next book.

What is your favorite Genre and why?

That’s a hard one! There are so many I enjoy but if you’re gonna pin me down… Paranormal because it’s so full of possibility. Limited only by the author’s imagination.

What is one thing that would surprise us to know about you?

I’m afraid of clowns.

Was there an Author who inspired you to write?

Not a single one in particular. But rather lots of authors. My goal has always been to write books that make me laugh or cry or stay up all night finishing them. Just like so many of my favorite authors have done for me.

How did you come up with the characters in your books?

I wish I had control over those guys! But they came to me. Fully formed and hanging around in my head until I told their story. When I started the first book, Lost in Shadow, I knew how the series would end. But what I didn’t know was who the heroine would be for each book. As I started telling each warrior’s story, the heroine meant for them would show up. On this last book, Embraced by Shadow, Monroe’s book, I had planned to have a different heroine but readers pointed out the attraction between Monroe and Amy and as I thought about it, I realized Amy had her own story. She was patiently waiting for me to realize it. Her life as she knows it has all been a lie.

Do you prefer to write alone or do you like to collaborate with other authors?

I like to write alone. I can be sitting in a cafe writing and tune out everything around me. I only listen to music if I think a scene needs it because I end up tuning it out. It works well when my nieces are running around screaming!

Everyone uses computers, tablets, phones and no one uses handwritten form or typewriters, what do you prefer to use?

My laptop or my Alphasmart NEO. The NEO is a very basic word processor that isn’t made anymore, It was used in schools. So when I’m too tempted by all the shiny things like social media, email and internet, out comes the NEO. I write on it and then transfer the file to my Mac later. Here’s a picture (I added the fun stickers).

Is there a ritual you do before you begin your book?

When I go to bed I tell myself I’m going to dream about the book and characters. Then when I wake up, I lay there for a bit and write down whatever comes to mind. I keep a notepad in my car and my purse too so if an idea pops into my head I jot it down before I forget. The other thing I do when I’m stuck is sit outside (if it’s nice) and stare at the woods. Usually the solution comes to me and I furiously start writing.

What was you're greatest moment since publishing? 

I had a number of readers tell me they stayed up all night reading Reborn in Shadow. And that not only did I make them love a character they previously hated but I made them cry. At that moment I was fulfilled as a writer and those readers made my day and brought a tear to my eye!

When writing your characters, do you picture someone specific that you take their features from (eg. actor/actresses) or do you pull looks from the air?’

I can see the characters in my head. Later I go and try to find actors/actresses that look similar. I usually post them on an inspiration board on Pinterest. You can find the boards here - http://www.pinterest.com/cynluhrs/ And…just for you Carrie, if any of you have someone different in mind, comment below and I’ll add them to the inspiration board for that book with your name.

 

Fast Fairy Questions

Apple or Windows? Apple

Dog or Cat? Cat

Pepsi or Coke? Pepsi

Facebook or Twitter? Twitter

Summer or Winter? Summer

Fairies or Angels? Fairies

Dark or Light Fae? Dark

Vampires or Werewolves? Vampires

Amazon or Barnes and Noble? Amazon

Funny or Serious? Serious

Print or E-book? E-book

Eyes or Smile? Eyes

Dean or Sam (Supernatural)? Dean

Dream spot to visit? Beach

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