Cindy Thomson’s Writing System

Cara author interviews, writing 23 Comments

Today, I am delighted to have my friend Cindy Thomson here. She’s taking part in the writing system blog tour, so welcome if this is your first time here! Cindy’s latest novel, Annie’s Stories, released July 1st — if you love turn of the century novels, you have got to check this one out. Here’s Cindy!

Cindy, can you tell us what you are currently working on?

I’m working on book three of the Ellis Island series, Sofia’s Tune. It’s about an Italian immigrant, which will be just a bit different than the previous two. I’m also working on an idea for a contemporary/historical novel (with two different time settings.) More immediately I’m working on the short stories that are referred to but not given in my new novel, Annie’s Stories. Subscribers to my newsletter will get those for free. (You can sign up here)

How does your work differ from others of its genre?

I really focus on how circumstances and choices affected our ancestors, which ultimately influences our lives today. I aim to place the reader firmly in the historical setting.The most unique thing, I think, is that I’ve been including something iconic that was introduced at the time. In Grace’s Pictures it was the Brownie camera, which made photography personal and widely available. In Annie’s Stories it was the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, which changed children’s literature for Americans and which I assume resonated with new immigrants. In Sofia’s Tune it is the advertising icon His Master’s Voice, which clearly illustrated how inventions could enhance our lives (the dog’s ability to hear his master’s voice.)

Your passionate about these stories. Why do you write what you do?

I believe that these stories of our ancestors’ struggles and achievements are our inheritance. Telling those stories, that may be fictional but are based on what people actually did and experienced, I hope will encourage readers to consider their own legacy to be passed down.

How does your writing process work?

At times I really don’t know! There truly is no easy answer to this question. Basically I write full time. After devotionals, emails, Facebook and Twitter, I plan to sit down and write. But life sometimes gets in the way so I have to juggle the order I thought I’d get things done in. As for the process of getting the work done, I’ve found I have to brainstorm by hand with a pencil and a legal pad. That helps me think through the plot and character motivations. That can take a few weeks, and even after I go back to my computer to do the actual writing, if I get stuck I have to go back to the legal pad. I will keep a more formal outline, timeline, and character sketches on my computer (I’ve been using a free program called Hiveword.) Once I have the structure set (which is the major struggle) I feel the wind beneath my wings and really enjoy the writing process.

Thanks so much for joining me today, Cindy. And thanks for stopping by to read this. Cindy and I are giving away a copy of our books. It’s easy to participate. Just follow the form below. Happy Fourth of July!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments 23

  1. Love finding new-to-me authors. Hi, Cindy!
    I love reading so many different types of books, but I guess my favorites are historical fiction, particularly westerns – all those rugged cowboys, and all.

    Time to go track down Cindy’s books…. 🙂

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  3. Christian Romances and Historical fiction. Or a combination of both is great. Thank you for the interview. I love meeting new authors 🙂

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  4. Anything with a Christian base. I do enjoy anything Amish. Just finished reading Courting Cate by Leslie Gould. Would enjoy reading this one! Happy 4th of July 🙂

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  5. Cara, thanks for introducing us to Cindy. What a beautiful book cover.

    Thanks for sharing you writing process. It’s always interesting to hear what works for others and think about my process.

    Have a good weekend!

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  7. Great interview, Cindy and Cara!! Enjoyed learning about your writing process and your work in progress, Cindy!!

    My favorite book genre is Historical Romance, I also enjoy Biblical Fiction.

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  8. I read many different types of books, but my very favorite is historical Christian romance. I actually read over 300 books a year.

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  9. I love to read books with at least a little romance! I especially enjoy historical romance and romantic suspense books. Cindy’s book(series) sounds awesome.

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  11. My favorite books to read in general is Christian fiction. I love a sub-genre of historical and romances but suspense & mystery are my favorite genre whether Christian or mainstream fiction! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Annie’s Stories!

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  12. I don’t usually judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the dreamy girl with the early edition Wizard of Oz draws me straight to the book without knowing the first thing about the contents. Lovely. Of course, I read the interview too and look forward to reading the book.

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  13. When a story is labeled “Christian”, I know I will enjoy reading with no fear of foul language , sexual explicit situations, or horrific violence. happy for a chance to be part of a give away.

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