Today’s Writers’ Tip: Meet the Author

Meet the Author Cynthia Hickey

 

Who is Cynthia Hickey?

Multi-published and best-selling author Cynthia Hickey is a prolific writer, who works hard at her craft. She tells us, “I’ve had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. My first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. My third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as e-books through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with a new cozy series, all of which stay in the top 50 of Amazon’s e-books for their genre.”

More Than One Publishing Company Has Published Her

She has several historical romances releasing in 2013 and 2014 through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents.

How About Her Personal Life?

Cynthia says, “I live in Arizona with my husband, one of our seven children, two dogs, and two cats. I have five grandchildren who keep me busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer.”  When asking her for an interesting fact that most folks don’t know, she says, “I’ve been on TV twice—once on my honeymoon when I posed in front of a waterfall as the backdrop for the local weather report and at my high school job when I was interviewed for a documentary about how pickle factories are run. I worked at a pickle factory all during high school.” When “Nana” has time, she’s active on FB, twitter, and Goodreads. Visit her website at www.cynthiahickey.com

Check out Cynthia’s latest exciting release:

AN UNCONVENTIONAL LADY

 

http://www.amazon.com/Unconventional-Lady-Heartsong-Presents-ebook/dp/B00FTQHXFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395668822&sr=1-1&keywords=An+Unconventional+Lady

Annie Rollins longs for adventure. But her strict mother keeps her close to home, working as a Harvey Girl waitress. Until Dallas Baker shows up in town and takes the job Annie really wants—leading tours through the Grand Canyon. Annie’s frustrated but finds it impossible to ignore the handsome outdoorsman. 

With her split skirts and modern hairdo, Annie challenges Dallas’s old-fashioned notions of what makes a lady. To his surprise, he finds her delightful, until he learns she has no interest in settling down. Dallas is ready to win her heart, but is Annie willing to fall in love?

 

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: The Sacrifice Fiction Plot

March 17, 2014

Today’s Writers’ Tip

WRITING FICTION PLOTS

Plot Number 16: SACRIFICE

Abraham and Isaac

High Noon

Casablanca 

Have you been aching to write a real tear-jerker? Do you want to create a main protagonist, who is willing to sacrifice not only fame and fortune but even his own life for someone or something else? Well, then you want to write a Sacrifice Fiction Plot. Let’s take a look at the characteristics that make an excellent fiction plot with sacrifice as its theme:

1. The sacrifice comes at great personal cost.  The main protagonist plays for high stakes, either physical or mental.

2. Your protagonist should undergo a major transformation during the course of the story, moving from a lower moral state to a higher one.

3. Main events should force the protagonist’s decision.

4. Lay an adequate foundation of character so the reader understands the character’s progress on the path to making his/her sacrifice.

5. All events should be a reflection of your main character. They test and develop the character into a better person, animal, or entity.

6. What motivates that protagonist to go on? Make clear his/her motivation so the reader understands why he would make that kind of sacrifice.

7. Show the line of action through the line of your character’s thoughts. (P.O.V.)

8. Develop a strong moral dilemma at the center of your story, and have the protagonist in a position where he/she must choose.

Are you ready to start typing on that blank page you’ve been avoiding? Now you have some ammunition to create a best-selling novel with sacrifice as the theme.

Next time we’ll look at the fiction plot number 17: DISCOVERY.

All information compliments of:

Tobias, Ronald B (2011-12-15). 20 Master Plots (p. 189). F+W Media, Inc. Kindle Edition.

http://www.amazon.com/20-Master-Plots-Build-Them-ebook/dp/B006RAIXXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390841564&sr=1-1&keywords=20+Master+Plots

(I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in writing good fiction in any subgenre!)

Happy writing!

Marsha

P.S. Interested in a heart-warming Amish love story? Please check out one of my creations:

LOVE SONG FOR LOUELLEN

Why were Louellen and Eli Friesen shunned by their Amish Ordnung?

 

VOLUME 3 IN THE LOVES OF SNYDER COUNTY

http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Snyder-County-Love-Louellen/dp/1622083024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391533076&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+Song+for+Louellen+by+Marsha+Hubler

Twenty-five-year-old Amish Louellen Friesen finds herself falling in love with forty-year-old Englishman Dr. David McAndrew, a widower with two children, for whom she cleans house regularly in Mapletown, Snyder County, Pennsylvania. There’s only one problem. Louellen is already married. Well past the “marrying age” at twenty-two, Louellen Bidleman had wed Amish man Eli Friesen three years prior, mostly because of pressure from her family. Eli, also in his mid-twenties and in danger of being “passed over,” had married Louellen for one main reason, to have sons. Louellen has some love for Eli, but because of her church vows, sets out to be the best wife and mother she can be, especially when God blesses them with little ones. However, after three years, there are no children. Louellen is devastated, and Eli becomes bitter, feeling trapped in a marriage that has produced no offspring even though he knows that he has the medical problem, not his wife. Although he treats Louellen civil in public, at home he ignores her needs, and their wedded life is nothing but a disappointment to both. What should Louellen do? Turn her back on her husband and her Amish Ordnung? Should she leave, become “English,” and marry Dr. McAndrew, a man who has promised her the moon?

 

 

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