Cindy dreams of writing serial killers full time

Hi Cindy, welcome to Adventures in Authorland. Please get comfortable and tell us about your adventure.

What book are you reading now? 

Right now I’m reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I’m reading it for book club and I actually nominated it for our September read. I nominated it because I’d hear so many good things about it from authors I admire. I’ve just started it so I’m looking forward to putting aside a chunk of time this weekend to really get into the book.

Do you see writing as a career? 

Right now I have a day job but I would like writing to be my career. I have that dream of being able to write full time and still help support the household. I have enough ideas for writing to be a career. It’s just a matter of finding the time to write them all while still going to a 9 – 5 job.

In which genre do you prefer to write and why?

I like a few different genres. I prefer to think of myself as a crime writer and all the other genres are subs to that. I write paranormal crime fiction, urban fantasy crime fiction, science fiction crime fiction, contemporary crime fiction. No matter what “genre” I’m writing almost all of my stories have a crime element (usually a serial killer or sometimes just one murder).

When you are not writing, what are your hobbies, passions, etc? 

Reading of course, though I don’t do enough of that. I love watching movies. I also love (maybe too much) playing The Sims 3. I can spend all day, literally, playing that. When I have more time I would like to get back into painting. I used to paint landscapes in oil and found it to be very satisfying.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? Writing, or something else?

When I was a child I wanted to run a restaurant. Being eight, I wasn't allowed to actually use the stove so my friends and I would try to cook with hot water that we got out of the taps in the basement. We always ended up with soggy raw fries and the weakest tea you can imagine. When I got to high school I wanted to be an astronaut. I didn't figure that one out in time because when it was time to go to university I didn't have the maths and science I needed. But through it all I loved to write stories. I decided when I was eighteen that I wanted to be a writer and I've never looked back.

Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know. 

I flew a flight simulator at the NATO base in Germany when I was eighteen. Still can’t get the landing right on any simulator I try. I played Trivial Pursuit with Melissa Gilbert. Patrick Swayze kissed me.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jean!

REFLECTIONS:

Stay away from the mirrors

A road trip without a plan sounded like a good idea when Lena and her friends hit the road. A mini vacation and support for Steve, recently dumped, have the friends travelling through small towns and back roads. After hours of driving in the heat in a cramped car they're all ready for something to eat and a good night's rest.

Reflections Inn looks perfect for the group of friends. Though a little run down, it hides a supernatural horror.

Don't read the curse

Everything looks normal when they check in, except an old woman yelling about a curse. Intrigued, some of the friends decide to investigate. Some stay behind and learn about the curse first hand.

Run

A curse that replaces people with their repressed alter egos forces the friends to fight for their lives. And they realize they didn't know each other as well as they thought.

Check out my website: http://www.cindycarroll.com

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About Cindy: Cindy Carroll is a member of Sisters in Crime and a graduate of Hal Croasmun’s screenwriting ProSeries. Her interviews with writers of CSI and Flashpoint appeared in The Rewrit, the Scriptscene newsletter, the screenwriting Chapter of RWA. She writes screenplays, thrillers, and paranormals, occasionally exploring an erotic twist. A background in banking and IT doesn't allow much in the way of excitement so she turns to writing stories that are a little dark and usually have a dead body. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her fiancé and three cats. When she's not writing you can usually find her painting landscapes in oil or trying space paintings with spray paint.