Fairy Tale, Starstruck & More

Thank to all of you who commented on my Fairy Tale entry! I'm waiting for Emily to post the top 5 and from there I'll let you all know if you need to vote for me or vote for another entrant since I did not make it! We shall see!!!

To keep in the fairy tale spirit Cyn Balog stopped by my blog today and she is fantastic!!!


Happy Tuesday! As you know last week was Featured Writers Week and since I've recently come across such great Writers and Authors I decided to extend it three more days!!!!

Featured Writer: Cyn Balog

Author of Fairy Tale, Sleepless and Starstruck

Fairy Tale - Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne are a match made in heaven. They’ve been best friends since birth, they tell each other everything, and oh yeah- they’re totally hot for each other.

But a week before their joint Sweet Sixteen bash, everything changes. Cam’s awkward cousin Pip comes to stay, and Morgan is stunned when her formerly perfect boyfriend seems to be drifting away.

When Morgan demands answers, she’s shocked to discover the source of Cam’s distance isn’t another girl- it’s another world. Pip claims that Cam is a fairy. No, seriously. A fairy. And now his people want Cam to return to their world and take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Determined to keep Cam with her, Morgan plots to fool the fairies. But as Cam continues to change, she has to decide once and for all if he really is her destiny, and if their “perfect” love can weather an uncertain future.

To read the others click here!

1. How do you come up with your characters names? Do they just come to you or is there research required? I love with Starstruck that you have nicknames Dough & Wish.

I come up with them in all sorts of ways. Like in SLEEPLESS, I just liked the name Julia, but for Eron and Chimere, I used babynames.com (Eron means “peace” and Chimere means “dream”, which is fitting since they are both sandpeople). “Dough”, hmmm, I have no idea how I came up with that, but I really thought it would be great to have a main character who works in a bakery named Dough, which is short for Gwendolyn. And there was a guy where I used to work with the nickname of Wish (a shortened form of his last name) and I just loved it, so I stole it!

2. Growing up did you dream of being in a fairytale? Were you quiet and shy in school or loud and wild? What character would you have most liked to be?

I think I wanted to be in Cinderella. I was incredibly shy and didn’t utter more than 10 words my whole high school career, so I just had this idea that life would be much simpler if I could just go to a ball and have that love-at-first-sight thing. Also if I could have some mice sew clothes for me and a fairy godmother, too.

3. Is writing your day job or is there something else fabulous you do in your life?? A Ninja fighting crime maybe?

I used to work full-time in addition to writing, but now I write full-time. I also have two little kids, so most of my time is spent with them. Writing is something I do like, an hour a day, after they go to bed!

4. What is your favorite part about writing? First draft? Revisions?

AGHHHH I hate revisions! I can not do them without having a massive brain-freeze. Hmmm, I really don’t like writing first drafts, either. Actually, my favorite part of writing is the first draft, but only like, right after the first paragraph, to maybe chapter 5. And then the last chapter. And then writing THE END. And also coming up with a title. The rest of it makes me want to throw up. It used to be a lot more amusing when I wasn’t on deadline. Before it was fun, like eating ice cream. Now it is like eating ice cream but with someone sitting on your back whipping you and going, “EAT!”

5. Ever had a horror story at a book signing?

Oh yes, I’ve had a bunch of little horrors. I have had people come up to me and ask me to sign books that were not mine, because “I just know you will be famous one day but I don’t want to shell out money to buy your lousy book right now.” And I get a lot of cards from people who want to collaborate. A man came by and showed me about 4000 (bad) illustrations he’d done for about two hours, and a lot of people stop by to just chew your ear off. It’s like they know you’re trapped and can’t go anywhere.

Fun & Random Questions

Pizza Place: Skinny Vinnie’s at Rutgers
Cloud Princess or Water Princess: Cloud!
Fairy or Gypsy: Fairy, of course
Beverage: Iced Tea
Writing Snack: Twix bars
Favorite Book Series: Hunger Games
Favorite Book: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Writing Spot: The porch overlooking the beach
Favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing: Be with my kids

There you have it, the lovely Cyn Balog!!! She has some amazing books that you should definitely check out!!! For more about her check out her website!