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I want to welcome Cynthia Garner and her rockin' books over today. Thanks so much for stopping by, Cynthia! 

Lets dive right in. You have two amazing books on sale now. Can you tell us a bit about them?

"Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world--or send it spiraling into chaos." INTO THE RIFT is a novella prequel to SECRET OF THE WOLF, which comes out on July 1st. INTO THE RIFT is a snapshot look at life in another dimension and explains how at least one person came to be on Earth as a preternatural creature. It's the story of Sirina lan Maro, who later becomes Tori Joseph, the heroine of SECRET OF THE WOLF.

*Looking down and fiddling with my Kindle* I just added both of those! Your books sound amazing! You had me at "rift between the paranormal world and the human world..." So tell me, what are your hobbies when you’re not writing?

Like most writers, I do a lot of reading, both fiction and non-fiction (mostly for research or on writing). I also do some crafty things, like soft-sculpture rocking horses. And...hmm. Does watching TV/movies count as a hobby? If so, I'm a master craftsman, especially when it comes to those awesomely bad SyFy creature of the week movies! 

Watching TV absolutely counts! And it's a good hobby I think. Except when your friends tie you to a chair and force you to watch Toddlers in Tiaras (I'm looking at you Hannah Jayne!) then it can be torture. So what is the hardest part about being an author? 

I think the hardest part is finding a balance between doing what I love to do (write) and everything else. It’s a good thing I have a day job, otherwise I’d make a great hermit.

Hermits are cute and sweat pants are comfy so I say hermit away because I want some more of your books! Okay, that came out kind of like a threat, but I promise it's more of a pleading-begging type thing. Do you have any advice for other writers?

One of my favorite quotes on writing is from Stephen King in his non-fiction Danse Macabre: "To be successful, the artist in any field has to be in the right place at the right time. The right time is in the lap of the gods, but any mother's son or daughter can work his/her way to the right place and wait." So keep learning. Keep honing your craft. Read lots in all genres, but especially in the genre you write. Be patient. Be persistent (but not obnoxious). Publishing is a business and you need to treat it as one, even (maybe especially) if you're self-publishing. You're asking people to spend money on a product you've created, so make sure it's the best product you can turn out. That means make sure it's edited (by a professional editor, not your spouse or parent or best friend), proofread, and plot holes are plugged. Then check your ego at the door, because some folks aren't going to like your book as much as you think they should. Don't argue with them. They have a right to what they feel/think. If you must respond, thank them for their time and move on.

I like that so much! Great quote! Can you tell us 5 things that are on your bucket list?

My bucket list is mostly about travel, and the top 5 destinations for me are: Ireland, the UK (England, Scotland and Wales), Australia, New Zealand and Greece. Plus I’d like to be able to say I’ve visited all 50 states here in the U.S. So far I’ve only been in 19. I will say that I have no desire to jump off a bridge with a rubber band wrapped around my ankles, nor do I have the need to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

Agreed! Airplanes are meant for sitting. I mean, they go on and on about the seat belt sign right? Yes, at one-gillion feet in the sky, sitting is good with me. Cynthia, thank you so much for chatting with me today! And to all you lovely readers out there, Into the Rift and Secret of the Wolf are available now! Click on the title you want and order it today! 

You can also enter to win the Kindle Fire with Cynthia's book, Into the Rift already uploaded on it! Click HERE to find out how!