Penny's Reviews and Chat

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

I'm pleased to interview Cindy A. and Adrian J. Matthews, a married writing team who met through a mutual publisher.  Together they have created the exciting world of BloodDark, a tidally-locked world inhabited by the Pure Bloods, a vampire-like race, along with abducted humans and their offspring.

How did you decide to become Young Adult (YA) science fiction writers and what steps did you take to make that happen?

We both enjoy reading and writing science fiction and fantasy and wanted to reach a larger audience with our stories. We developed the world of BloodDark and thought of several series' ideas that could be based in that universe. We decided to go with Olivia's story first, as YA heroines are very popular right now. Her adventures on the tidally-locked planet (one side always in darkness), many thousands of light years from Earth, make a good introduction into its world and peoples.

Tell us about your book(s), especially about the one you are promoting now. 

 Olivia's Escape:  Book One in the BloodDark Series

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Brown is abducted on her way home from a night out and wakes up to find herself imprisoned by a vampiric race in a dark city bathed in eternal night. Hernando, a handsome half-human slave, reveals what is intended for her – they want her blood for the upcoming festival. Together they escape.

Joining a resistance cell, they help plot a revolution and fall in love. Their group plans to take control of the Portal, a teleportation device that links Earth with BloodDark. They plan to attack when the Pure Bloods hibernate in caverns located deep beneath the city. The Resistance fighters make it to the city only to find the Overseers, the Pure Bloods’ henchmen, are armed and waiting for them.

Will Olivia and Hernando survive the battle? If she returns to Earth, will Olivia ever see him again?

What is a typical writing day like for you?

Adrian says, "Time permitting, get two to three hours of writing in with backside on chair and fingers on keyboard."

Cindy says, "I never seem to have a 'typical day,' as I freelance edit and write for others to make a living. I try to go with the flow and not fight it. Whatever is working best for me that day I will write, whether it's researching and crafting a non-fiction piece or making some revisions on a chapter in a manuscript we've been developing.  My goal is to write something original each day."

What do you enjoy most about writing YA science fiction?

Adrian says, "The possibilities—endless possibilities. The chance to explore strange new worlds and at the same time explore the human condition."

Cindy says, "Science fiction is a wide open genre that allows both reader and writer to see the world we share in a different way, whether it be in the past, present or future. We learn a lot about ourselves as a species when we ask 'What if?' questions and extrapolate the answers into an action-packed yarn."

Do you have a website? If so, please give the URL.

We both have web sites for our various fiction and non-fiction pursuits, but for our new YA series we've started its own page called "The World of BloodDark."  You can find it online at http://blooddarkbooks.blogspot.com

 

What are you working on right now?

Right now we're working on polishing up Book Two in the series, Olivia's Return, for a February 2017 release. Adrian is also working on some cozy mystery manuscripts, and Cindy is working as a freelance writer/editor for several concerns.

 

What is your best tip for aspiring authors?

Cindy says, "Listen to your heart and write what you like to read. It shows in your writing if you're not happy with either the genre or the characters you're attempting to write. Don't follow the crowd—be original."

Adrian says, "Resist the urge to revise what you've already written. Keep writing to the end and then go back and rewrite as needed. Keep up the momentum!"

Thanks for the interview! We appreciate the opportunity to make new friends and reach out to new readers.

Thank you both for sharing your writing life, process, and tips for new authors.  

Here is Cindy and Adrian's official joint author bio:

 Cindy and Adrian Matthews have been published multiple times in SF/fantasy/paranormal and contemporary fiction. Cindy writes SF/Fantasy under the pen-name Cynthianna, notably her Doctor Who-inspired romantic-comedy series Loving Who, and adult vampire fiction as Celine Chatillon. Adrian writes SF/paranormal/contemporary fiction as A.J. Matthews. (His Mr. Grey, Ghosthunter series is intended for mature audiences.) Cindy and Adrian regularly attend several science fiction conventions as panelists. They enjoy chatting on many writing/publishing and sci-fi fandom topics. Adrian also creates SF/fantasy/steampunk three-dimensional artwork for sale at Cons and through Smiling Assassin Productions.

****

Tags:

Olivia's Escape, Science Fiction, Sci-fi, Young Adult, YA, Cindy A. Matthews, Adrian J. Matthews, Blooddark, vampires, tidally-locked planet, fantasy.