WELCOME
Cynthia L Simmons and her husband, Ray, have five children
and reside in Atlanta. She has taught for over twenty years as a homeschool
mother and Bible teacher. Active in Christian Authors Guild (CAG), she conducts
writing workshops and has served as president, vice president, and conference
director. In December 2009 the membership granted her Life Time Membership for
her numerous contributions to writers. “Cindy” is fond of history and writes both
historical fiction and nonfiction. Her writing appeared in CAG publications,
NATHHAN NEWS, Chattanooga Regional Historical Magazine, Georgia Right to Life
Newsletter, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Catholic Exchange, and Christian
Devotions.us. Her first book, Strugglesand Triumphs, came out in 2008. While promoting her book, she had
interviews on radio and TV across the nation and was nominated for 2008 Georgia
Author of the year. She also conducts monthly podcasts called CAG Spotlight in
which she interviews authors and VIPs in the writing industry. Her twelve week Bible study using the stories in Struggles and Triumphs releases April 6, 2012.
You can view the book trailer for it here.
Let's get to know Cynthia!
What made you decide to write? What did you do before becoming a writer? I’ve homeschooled my five
children for about twenty-five years. My husband and I shared teaching
responsibilities and taught them through high school. Words have always
fascinated me, and I tried to write a novel in elementary school.
Tell us Triumphs
and Struggles. I found the premise of woman of history grappling with
issues of faith to be fascinating. What
inspired you to pursue that aspect? I’ve always enjoyed reading material on women
in history. Typically I look for their letters and diaries so I can get a sense
for how each lady thinks. The stories I unearthed demonstrated various aspects
of Scripture, and I complied them so I could use them to teach. You’ll notice
certain stories contrast others. For instance, Princess Alice doubted her
faith, but came back. Her sister, Princess Victoria, abandoned faith. I wanted
the reader to see the outcome of their choices.
You are very involved in Christian Authors
Guild (CAG). Tell us a little about that. How has that community been
beneficial in your development as a writer? Christian Authors Guild is wonderful. I’ve
made good friends and learned so much there. Aspiring writers need the
encouragement and support. If they can’t find a local group, I recommend they
start one.
You also have a blog where you are regularly
interviewing others and producing podcast. What has been the best part of that
experience? I
love interviewing writers and connect with them as I listen to their zeal. Also
it’s wonderful to see how God moves his people to impact the world.
Is the life of a writer what you thought it
be? What is different? Today
a writer needs to be a celebrity of sorts, which means you must do other things
besides write. I’ve always been shy and while I enjoy people, I dislike
promoting myself. Instead I prefer to think about offering a ministry.
Do you have any
special time management tricks for working in writing time and living a normal
life? This
question makes me smile. I used to assign my kids all sorts of chores while I
did other things. We got a lot done in a short time because everyone worked.
Four of my five children are out of the home now, so I’m learning a new way to
organize myself.
What do you do to fight burnout? Do you ever
worry about "running out of stories"? How do combat that? Writing has made me aware
of how finite I am. I often need to ask God for words. His supply is limitless.
What do you do when you
aren’t writing? Over
the years, I’ve dabbled in all sorts of things, particularly music. When the
kids were little, I played piano duets with my girls and sang duets with my
oldest son. Currently, I grow orchids and often share the flowers with my
church. I also arrange cut flowers.
Tell us a bit about your
work in progress. I saw on the website you are creating a study guide for Triumphs and Struggles. What is your
hope for that? In
the study guide I explore all sorts of issues that emerge from the stories. I
hope that students who use the study guide will grow deeper in their faith in
Christ.
What is next for you? I’m working on a novel
about a bank during the Civil War that will probably have a sequel. And I’ll
probably write another book about women in history and create a study guide to
examine the pertinent issues.
How can we find out
more about you? Blogs? Facebook? Twitter? I have a website www.clsimmons.com and a blog http://blog.clsimmons.com. I’m also on Facebook. I
co-lead Catch the Wave Writing Conference,
which is a ministry of Christian Authors Guild.
Thank you so much for visiting with us, Cynthia!
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