Hello and welcome to my blog, Author Interviews. My name is Fiona Mcvie.
Let’s get you introduced to everyone, shall we? Tell us your name. What is your age?
Hi Fiona. My name is Cynthia Maddox and I’m 61. Well, I’ll be 62 on October 28.
Fiona: Where are you from?
I was born in Mobile, Alabama and lived there until I was 10 and after couple of other moves I ended up in a small town called Andalusia, Alabama. That’s about two hrs north of Mobile. I met and married my late husband there when I was 17. We lived there about 5 yrs and he joined the Army. Long story, we ended up in Evansville, Indiana in 1988. My husband passed away in 2009 and since I don’t have another home to go back to, I stayed here.
Fiona: A little about your self (ie, your education, family life, etc.).
I was a small town girl who never dreamed I’d travel the world but lived in two European countries before I was 30. I loved to travel and have never stopped missing that life. During our military hitch we had two sons. My oldest son is single and lives near me and the younger son divorced, remarried, and moved to Arkansas. His 11 yr old daughter lives here and is usually with me. She keeps me hopping.
In 1989 I enrolled at the University of Southern Indiana here in Evansville and graduated in 1995 with a BA in History. I studied journalism as a minor. After graduating, I went to work with the Housing Authority in the Section 8 department. I retired from there in 2013.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news.
Last year, my writing group The River City Writers self published an anthology called Crossroads. I have two short stories in that. It is my first “real” published work. Although, I had published an article in a local magazine in 1995 on financial aid. In college I wrote for the university Transitions Magazine and a few articles for the school paper The Sheild. I never cared much for news writing. Right now, I’m working on finishing the first draft a novel I stared during National Novel Writing month in 2013. I’d like to be done and started editing by the end of summer. I’ve done NaNoWrimo for 14 years. In 2010, I became the local Municipal Liasion for the region, wrangling writers and wannabe writers to write a novel. I’ve got several drafts from the last 14 years to choose from but the one I’m working on is called The Long Summer Run.
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
Oh, wow. I’ve always loved storytelling. My grandmother raised me and she used to tell me wonderful stories and I loved reading the comics as a child. She told me when I was about 3 or 4 I’d sit on the sofa and pretend to read my favorite comic, Dick Tracy. I couldn’t read a word but I’d make it up. So, I was probably a writer then but didn’t have the tools. When I was in the 8th grade I had a class assignment to write a short story we’d read in class. I was out sick the day it was due and didn’t get to read mine but friends read it. I was totally stunned when everyone raved about it. Something clicked in my head. I started writing stories and at 15 I had finished a whole novel. And no, I don’t have it anymore. It was lost in a move about 5 yrs later. I just kept writing other stories but I never had the courage to actually try to publish one. I didn’t have a clue how to go about it.
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That’s a good question. I never considered myself a writer, even though I have a box of things I wrote before I was 30. I had a very negative experience in a journalism class in highschool that probably contributed to my never letting anyone know I wrote anything. No one knew but close family. In fact, I only took my journalism classes in college on a dare from the professor after he overheard a conversation I had with another teacher talking about my love for writing. When I was in my last year of college, my writing professor graded a feature article we were assigned. At the bottom, he wrote me a note that said, “You’re the finest writer to ever grace my class.” I think that was the moment when I laid claim to the title Writer. I went home and cried over that paper. I still have it. I think I even published it on my personal blog. I was 35.
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
Well, as I mentioned, I’ve not published anything but the short stories. I’ve done several of those online. I started the River City Writes because I craved talking to other writers. And I wanted to share knowledge and information. We heard about another group who did an anthology and after talking about it, we decided to try it.
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
During the planning process we discussed the theme for the anthology and decided on stories about “crossroads”. It could be a direction, a decision, an event, a conflict. As long as the concept or word was in the story. We decided it would also make a good title for the collection.
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style? Is there anything about your style or genre that you find particularly challenging?
My writing style. Hmmm, I don’t know what you’d call my style. I prefer mysteries and I want to write mysteries but over the last 10 years I’ve found that I also like writing alternative history. Places that are not in our time or place. I think what I find challenging is what all authors struggle with. Plotting is something I’ve been reading up on for about a year now because I feel that I just don’t get it. I’m what’s called a pantser and I don’t outline. That’s a really bad thing, by the way. I think it is why I’m going over scenes and finding these huge holes that I feel compelled to go back and patch up. It is as if my story is suddenly overrun with gophers.
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
My stories are all fiction and not based on anyone. Good heavens, Silver Lining, one of those in the Anthology, is about jealousy and murder. I don’t think I know anyone who’d contemplate that. I hope not.
Fiona: To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?
I don’t travel these days except on vacations with my aunt and uncle. They invite me along once a year since my husband died. My processes are rather mundane, I fear. I sit down and write. Sometimes I’ll get an image in my head and the story just sort of rolls out. I’ve seen pictures or paintings and suddenly, I’d have a story about what is either going on in the picture or that could happen in it. During the process of writing I try not to get side-tracked but I do stop to look things up or get information about specific items, places, or events. I did tons of research in college as a history major and found I love it, so I have to be very cautious.
Fiona: Who designed the covers?
DeWayne Todd, a member of the River City Writers and a contributor to the anthology, is also a photographer who travels a lot. He took the photos for our covers and designed it. The one we chose is one I particularly liked. I couldn’t believe he’d found a place with the title of the book on the building.
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
We wrote the stories with crossroads in mind. My stories are, I think, about decisions we make and the impact, positive or negative, they can have on life. I hope that readers will see this in them.
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?
Brian Scutt, who I met in a writing group on Facebook seems promising. I read his short story Korean Road and really enjoyed it. He also wrote another short called Hemmingway’s Shoes: The Itch. It’s really horrible, and by that I mean the story is powerful. He likes to write horror and I don’t read that, but these two were horror in the sense of a tragedy.
Wow, my favorite writer. I don’t think there is just one. I’m a huge Christy, Sayers, Marsh fan but they’re all dead and I’m out of their books. Today, I’m reading Charles Todd novels, one after the other. They are wonderful and exactly what I love. A good mystery that keeps me guessing until the last page. Todd is a mother/son writing team and I’m amazed at how seamless they write. They do travel to get the material and it shows. Their stories are set during World War I and you don’t read much about that in novels. I have really been surprised at how little I knew about the period.
Fiona: Outside of family members, name one entity that supported your commitment to become a published author.
I’d have to give full credit to River City Writers. The group we had was wonderful and supportive. The five writers that participated put their heart into the effort and when I became ill, they carried on. If they had not, I doubt I’d have seen these stories published at all.
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
I had a career and it was demanding and exhausting. It was a love/hate relationship that I do not want to repeat. I was forced to leave it because my health got worse. For over 10 years I have had rhuematoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. They’ve only worsened since I retired. Last year I ruptured a disk in my back and had to have surgery. It caused nerve damage in my dominant left hand.
So, no, I don’t see it as a career. I see it as a vacation. I do it because I love it. I don’t have to worry about supporting a family or paying the bills. I was blessed with enough retirement to keep a roof over my head, food on the table, and my medical bills managable. I’m concerned about the damage to my hand as my RA and the nerve damage has impacted my typing ability. I’m trying to learn to write by dictation but it is very restrictive at this point.
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I’d like to see those short stories, at least one of them, develop into a novel. I don’t know that it will but it might be fun. Of course, as a writer, they’re never good enough.
Fiona: Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
I learned that you have to keep going. And it helps to have a strong support system that will push you. I would have given up had it not been for the group stepping in and taking it to the finish.
Fiona: If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
I’d like to play Kate but she’s about 22 and I’m well beyond that. No, I’ll leave that to professionals. Honestly, I couldn’t play any of the characters in my stories.
Fiona: Any advice for other writers?
Don’t let anyone stop you from pursuing your dream of writing. Read, read, read every thing you can. Read the classics. No, we don’t write like that anymore but they knew how to correctly shape a story, form a paragraph, structure a sentence. You need what they knew. Study the craft. The library is filled with books on every aspect of writing. Practice by writing, writing, writing. If you’re any good at all, you’ll get there. Don’t be afraid to get your stories out there. And if someone criticized it, don’t let it make you stop. It isn’t personal. Use that as a learning tool. Fix the problems.
Fiona: Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
Well, of course, I want to encourage them to buy the anthology and leave a review to let us know what you liked or didn’t like and how we can improve. An anthology is a good way to show what you know. It is an equally good place to receive constructive criticism.
Fiona: What book are you reading now?
I just finished Cheryl Bradshaw’s “Stranger in Town” and started reading Charles Todd’s “A Fine Summer’s Day”.
Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
Aside from Dick Tracy? Nancy Drew. The Secret in the Old Clock is the first book I can remember reading. There may have been others, but Nancy Drew probably set my path.
Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?
My granddaughter. She’s extremely funny and charming and beautiful I laugh at the funny and cry at her beauty. The world is a hard place for such fairies.
Fiona: Is there one person, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?
Oh dear. I’d love to meet Mr. Trump. Girl, so many questions! And that’s all I have to say about that.
Fiona: Do you have any hobbies?
A few. I crochet, write, sew, and read. I love building things. I just remodeled my den and am about to start on a bathroom. I love painting things, too. Just painted my patio chairs. I’ll include a photo for you.
Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
I don’t watch a lot of television. I don’t even have cable. I use Netflix and Hulu but I rarely watch them. I even have Amazon Prime but again, I rarely watch it. I do love British mysteries and dramas, mostly the detective shows. That’s why I like Netflix and Hulu. They carry a lot of them. I don’t know, and maybe this is unAmerican, but the British have the mystery down pat and they’re so cerebral. They just seem to be able to do it so well. As you can see from the question earlier about my favorite authors, I love British authors, too.
Fiona: Favorite foods, colors, music?
I love Mexican and Chinese. Not the American versions. I like restaurants that don’t tone it down for American paletes.
I’m a blue fan but I really love lots of color. I once painted a room red. Changed it two years ago to a sunny yellow. I just painted a room aqua and one brilliant white. And those patio chairs? Each one is a different color: hot pink, lime green, turquoise, and yellow.
Music. I just had this conversation with my granddaughter. We both love the song “Dumb Ways to Die” It is really a horrible song with a catchy tune and quite amusing. Probably not a good song for either of us. I really love classical music. I used to listen to a lot of different music. Our family was eclectic in that area. We listened to oldies, country, christian, and classical. I’m kind of proud of the fact that my sons can listen to oldies without grimacing.
Fiona: Imagine a future where you no longer write. What would you do?
Oh, with RA, that is the fear I live with every day. I already can’t use a pen for very long at all and it is difficult to write even a sentence with one. When my hands swell and hurt I just get terrified. What if I can’t type? What am I going to do? I pray a lot for my hands. Really. It is one of my biggest fears these days. It is why I bought a headset and began to learn to use Windows speech recognition software. I have to be prepared for the eventuallity that I won’t be able to use my hands. I can’t afford the expensive software and after reading the reviews I felt it was a waste. I’ve found that the Windows 7 equivalent is really very good. Not perfect but after working to “train” it, it has really improved.
Fiona: You only have 24 hours to live how would you spend that time?
With my family. Family is more important than anything. I watched my husband die. You never forget that. And you realize just how much your family means when faced with death.
Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone?
I’ve never thought about that before. We don’t think about dying much, do we? I think “A Woman of Strength, Love, & Faith”. I’d like to think I am all of those. It will really be up to the ones I leave behind to decide how they view me. I hope that is what they have seen.
Fiona: Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers?
I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cynthiaimaddox.
I’m on Twitter @Dixiegirl1028
And I do have a personal blog I started because I’m a writer with RA and I couldn’t find a single writer out there with RA who was telling me about what they faced trying to write with an auto-immune disorder. There may be some but I haven’t found them. I’d love to be able to have writer’s who struggle with illness share their experiences and how they cope with me. So, I started my own blog about my journey. https://writing-my-life-away.blogspot.com/
authorsinterviews 
Good luck turning your short stories into novels and best of luck with your anthology.