Interview with Cyn Balog!

There's another fantastic book birthday going on this Tuesday, and that is Cyn Balog's Sleepless!! This was a wonderful, sweet story that I'm sure everyone is going to love! You can see my full review here. Thanks, Cyn, for stopping by to answer a few questions!! :)

Describe Sleepless in your own words?
SLEEPLESS is about a Sandman who falls in love with a mortal girl whose sleep he controls. Actually, my agent came up with that. I tried to come up with a blurb and it was long and winding and made no sense, so I just go with what he says.

Can you tell alittle about how you got interested in writing?

When I was five I started writing "books" as soon as I learned to read and write. It just came really naturally to me. So I've always been interested.

Tell us about your ideal writing space.

My ideal space would be in a cottage with a big picture window overlooking the ocean, with sea breezes wafting in, the sound of waves crashing, and a glass of icy lemonade nearby. Do I have anything close to it? Right now I am writing on the dining room table and the sun is right in my eyes, and someone upstairs is screaming, so no!

What was your inspiration for Sleepless and the characters in it.
When the idea of writing about a sandman first presented itself, I jumped on it because it sounded like something that hadn't been attempted much. One of the characters, Eron, is based on my grandfather. There others I just threw a bunch of characteristics together...

How would you describe your writing style?

My main focus is really trying to get an authentic voice down. In first-person, it's really important, and I don't want to be the same character in every book I write. In FAIRY TALE, the main character was a little obnoxious and self-obsessed, because she is a psychic, and I thought that in my high school, any person who was a psychic wouldn't be ostracized... she'd be the most popular girl in school because everyone would want to know his or her fortune! In SLEEPLESS, Julia is scarred by a past incident and so she feels very unsure of herself. I think the main character in STARSTRUCK, though, the book I just finished, is most like me. Always finding a way to crack a self-deprecating joke.

Who are your favorite authors? What are you reading right now?

I love the Hunger Games trilogy more than anything. I also never read Harry Potter when the rest of the world did (I am generally 10 years behind all the trends), and so I'm doing it now and loving it. I have a lot of favorite authors... Agatha Christie, Stephen King... generally I love really dark stuff, especially dystopian, which is nothing like what I write.

What kind of books did you love to read as a child/teenager?

I read everything I could get my hands on. The children's section of my library had maybe 10 books in it, so I read a lot of adult stuff.

Which of the characters that you've written is your favorite?

Eron is so adorable and clueless. He gets transplanted on earth after 100 years so he's chivalrous and unsure of today's world, and writing scenes where he dealt with that was so fun.

Did you have any trouble sleeping while writing Sleepless? :)

Well, yes, considering the first draft was terrible. It was really terrible because I was having horrible morning sickness while writing it and all I could think of was doom and despair. And consequently the draft was the most hopeless, depressing piece of garbage you could imagine! So I decided to rewrite it, which I did in 3 weeks. All that rewriting, combined with being in my last trimester and huge as a house... massive case of insomnia.

Fun questions:

Favorite snack while writing?

Twix bars. Mmmmm. But I have been known to eat an entire box in one sitting so I don't keep them around.

Favorite movie?

It's a toss-up between The Goonies and Swing Time with Fred Astaire. I know, they're sooo alike.

Favorite flower?

Gardenias

Favorite band and song?
I really don't listen to much music these days! I prefer complete silence!

Favorite teacher from your school years?

Mrs. K. She taught my composition class Senior year. She read one of my books and gave me an A+++++++ on it.

Like cupcakes? More frosting or more cake?
Oh yes, bring on the frosting! The more the better!


Check out more about Cyn and her books on her website: http://cynbalog.com/
and her blog: http://cyn2write.livejournal.com/

Grab a copy of Sleepless this Tuesday, July 13th!

Be sure to check in here tomorrow for a chance to win Sleepless, along with three other fantastic books that come out this week!