It's time for Spring Cleaning! :)

We've made it! After a few freak snowstorms and a little
rain, it looks like spring is finally here in the midwest. The jonquils are blooming near the mail box, and I harbor hope that the tulips and irises will start blooming any day now. Now that the warm weather has arrived, can you think of a better time of the year for some "house cleaning"?

That's the topic of this month's column at Miscellaneous
Ramblings ezine: The Buck Stops Where? You'll
understand exactly why my home is in a constant state of
disarray after reading this short, humorous piece. You can access my column at either my web site:
http://www.cyberedge.net/~cynthianna/momsday_index.html or
http://www.miscramblingsmag.com (click on the column
link at the table of contents)

Actually, the real reason my home is messy this month is
because I've traveled out of town twice and had company
visiting over the Easter holidays until an hour ago. Plus, I received some exciting news that has kept me busy at my computer printer during the lulls in the action. A well-known New York publisher has requested to see a complete manuscript of one of my books! Keep your fingers crossed for me, as this could be my big break. More details as they come available, but I will tell you that the story is a humorous contemporary romance novel set in the wild west with a hunky hero and a spunky, sleepwalking heroine with the tentative title, BEAUTIFUL DREAMER.

But in the meantime, if you haven't already read one of my other novels, what's keeping you? Give yourself a break from spring cleaning and pick up a copy either THE
FIXER-UPPERS or COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL today!

You can read an excerpt of both books by clicking on the
links on the first page of my web site
(http://www.cyberedge.net/~cynthianna/). Scroll down past the review blurbs and the excerpt to find complete ordering information. COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL is available in trade paperback from Publish America Inc.
(http://www.publishamerica.com). Both COUNTRY BOY,
CITY GIRL and THE FIXER-UPPERS are available in
electronic formats for enthusiastic ebook readers from
Wings ePress (http://www.wings-press.com).

In recent book-signing news, I signed several copies of
THE FIXER-UPPERS at the Duel on the Delta conference
in Memphis a little over two weeks ago. What a fantastic
gathering of writers and presenters! I felt truly inspired. I also met two agents there who both requested to see a partial of BEAUTIFUL DREAMER. (Remember, keep those fingers crossed for me!) The Peabody Hotel ducks made their famous march across the lobby and plopped into the fountain, too, but the crowds were so large both days, that I couldn't snap a photo of the birds and had to settle on a postcard of the ducks instead. :)

The next book-signings I'll be attending are tentatively set for April 22 and 23rd. GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS editor and originator Allison Gappa Bottke will be in the St. Louis area that week and I'll be signing along with other series contributors. As soon as I get firm details on times and places, I'll let you all know. In the meantime, check out the GAUT web site at http://www.godallowsuturns.com for more information. Added bonus: this week you can read my story "Cyber Witness" from MORE GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS as the story of the month online:
http://www.godallowsuturns.com/samplestory.htm

Now, onto the Q and A portion of the newsletter:

Q: Are characters in your stories based upon real people you've met? (Several of you have asked me this question lately. I'm taking the easy way out by answering you en masse!)

A: Yes and no. Most fiction writers will tell you that their characters are entirely derived from their fertile
imaginations, and this is true, up to a point. So, how do we come up with our "characters"? Writers are great observers of other people, constantly making mental note of their appearance and behaviors. You could say that every fictional character is based on a "real person," but more than likely a fictional character is based on "real persons"--a conglomeration of behaviors, traits, and actions that the writer has observed over the course of her life.

Personally, I do not sit down at my computer keyboard and say, "this heroine will be patterned after my Aunt and the hero will be the spitting image of my Uncle."
Nope, sorry to disappoint y'all. :) But that isn't to say that the heroine and hero won't share some vague resemblance to those near and dear to me. Being human, you just can't help it! (And, no, Mom, I've never had an encounter in a cave like my characters Ronnie and Dave from COUNTRY BOY, CITY GIRL did. It's simply my fertile imagination at work!)

If you have a question--any question, romance writing
related or not, don't hesitate to email me at
cynthianna@hotmail.com. (Do not hit "reply" to this
newsletter, as your email will bounce.) Results guaranteed or double your money back. :)

Until next time, enjoy spring--and may your house
cleaning chores be light!
God Bless--
Cindy
a.k.a. Cynthianna Appel
web site: http://www.cyberedge.net/~cynthianna

P.S. Please pass this newsletter on to an email friend. You'll be glad you did!