Author Interview: Cyn Balog

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She is author of young adult paranormals FAIRY TALE (2009), SLEEPLESS(2010), and two other forthcoming novels from Delacorte. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Cyn and just can't say enough wonderful things about her so I couldn't resist asking her to stop by the blog for an interview!

Katelyn: Fairies and the fantasy genre have always been fan favorites but lately it seems like the fae are picking up steam in the young adult literature arena. What made you want to write about the fae, have you always been a fan?

Cyn: I was lucky because I just fell into it at the right time. When I started writing FAIRY TALE, it was actually the combination of two ideas. I wanted to write about a girl who thinks her boyfriend is made for her, but comes to find out that even the most perfect-right-now relationship might not be perfect forever. And I had a title in my head, FAIRY LUST (the original title of FAIRY TALE), which just came to me, and I wondered what that could be about. I had read books about girls who learned they were fairy princesses and thought that was pretty overdone, so I thought it would be a lot more fun to have a football-playing guy learn he was a fairy. I could just imagine telling his buddies that in the locker room after practice. So no, I've never been a huge fan of the fae; I kind of just started writing a story and then to my surprise, the whole fairy craze really took off.

Katelyn: You've got two books out, Fairy Tale and Sleepless and your third Starstruck is coming out in 2011 along with Living Backwards in 2012, how do you do it all? Where are you getting your ideas? Can we hope to see any of the characters we've fallen in love with in your previous books in future works?

Cyn: I am not sure. I have two really young kids. So usually I keep my computer open on my dining room table, which is a very central location, and whenever I get an idea, whether I be feeding the kids or doing the laundry, I run to the computer and try to get it down before my Swiss cheese brain loses it. I have lost a lot of ideas this way, but I also am usually pleasantly surprised by my word count and that I can have written a whole bunch of words without even having a nice long writing session. Usually writing a book takes me 3 to 4 months.

I get my ideas mostly by looking at things and seeing how I can turn them on their heads. I explore Wikipedia a lot and find crazy ideas that I think would be the center of a great story, and I keep them in an idea file. I always get asked to do sequels and while I'm not against them, I have so many new ideas I want to explore, too! And I'm really easily distracted and like to work on many different projects at once.

Katelyn: What's your favorite author/book?

Cyn: I have too many of those! I have a lot of modern favorites, but I am simply in love with mysteries, especially Agatha Christie Poirot mysteries. She is a genius! She had this way of introducing a bunch of characters and crazy plot twists and so much information, and she managed to add in a great deal of suspense without ever drawing things out unnecessarily. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is my favorite, and I just finished reading Curtain and thought that was a close second!!

Katelyn: As an experienced writer, do you have a favorite part of the process during your writing? Or the publishing process? Are there any elements to the process that you don't really like?

Cyn: My favorite part of writing is the last chapter, and THE END. My favorite part of the publishing process is seeing the cover of my book for the first time. The rest of it is fun, but it's also fraught with a lot of worry and nervousness and "I'm a hack" moments, especially when I'm revising and on deadline. But I love writing, and I would still be doing it even if I wasn't being paid for it. It's the best job I've ever had, and I've had a lot.

Katelyn: Do you have a favorite character in Fairy Tale and/or Sleepless? If so, can you tell us who they are and why?

Cyn: Someone once said that asking an author that is like asking them which of their children is their favorite. I don't see it that way! I am never so attached to my characters. I would happily kill all of them off! Just kidding. But my favorite of FAIRY TALE was Pip because I love the underdog, and my favorite of Sleepless was Eron because, hello? Hot sandman. Yummy.

Katelyn: Anything else you'd like to add?

Cyn: Thank you so much for having me!! :)

Isn't she great? If you guys haven't had the chance to check out Fairy Tale or Sleepless, do yourself a favor and get the bookstore now to pick up your own copy, they're fantastic! And be sure to be on the lookout for the upcoming Starstruck.