Thanks for joining us for this interview, Christina. We’re looking forward to sharing more about your book with our readers.
What inspired you to pen this quite engaging tale of the challenges of young adulthood?I had a dream actually. There were two teenagers (Alex & Ally), a sign that said C I N and lightning in the background. That was it. I was at work scribbling this dream down when Tony, my boss’ father came in and asked me what I was doing. I told him my dream and he automatically starts quoting “Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin. You never come out the way you went in.” This grabbed my interest and as he was telling me about the history of Lynn, my story began piecing itself together!!
How were you able to craft Lisa’s character in such vivid, lifelike fashion?
Well, I based Lisa on myself and youngest sister. We are very similar in personality but completely opposite at the same time. I thought that combining our two personalities would make a rather mixed up character ;o)
Are Alex and Ally meant to be as strange as they seem?
Yes, I thought about letting them gradually become weirder and weirder but, that’s been done so many times and I am a more ‘to the point’ kind of person.
The story gets quite a bit “steamy” in some parts. Were you at all apprehensive about exposing young readers to somewhat “mature” content?
It was much steamier originally. I cut a lot out. Initially, I didn’t plan to leave those scenes in at all, they were practice scenes so that I could learn to put passion and angst into a story – this was a suggestion [adding passion and angst into a novel] from Heather Baror, Literary Agent from Baror International, for another book I’ve written. I took everything she said to heart and decided to leave some of the ‘scenes’ in there especially after reading some of the books she suggested. It was a tough decision for me though.
What kinds of responses have you gotten to the book thus far?
So far, people have said that the book is hard to put down and has great potential for the big screen. C I N even received an honorable mention in the Teenage Category from the Hollywood Book Festival this month! I’d really love to see this come to life on the big screen.
Also, one person did say I needed to flesh out some of my characters though which I plan to work on.
What’s the main message that you’d like readers to take away from the story?
I really think it is important for young adults to know that there is a place for them in this world. They have to make that place though. No one can do it for you.
What can readers look forward to in future installments of the CIN series?
More details about Pig and Rat, a love triangle they won’t be expecting, more in-depth stories of other characters and some things I can’t tell you yet! ;o)
How can our readers learn more about you and your ongoing efforts?
They can follow me on several sites:
My Official Blog – teeny120.wordpress.com
Facebook -facebook.com/teeny120
Myspace – myspace.com/teeny120
Social Network [work in progress] – http://teeny120.spruz.com/
How can they contact you directly?
I answer all my emails personally: clp120@ymail.com
Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
I am more interested in having my book read than anything else. So, for a limited time, I am offering my story C I N, free of charge (in PDF format only) to anyone who promises to write am honest review. Details on this deal can be found at: http://teeny120.spruz.com/ or my blog: http://teeny120.wordpress.com/
Thanks again, Christina, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Same to you!!
Hello, I am the author of C I N: “Lynn, Lynn, the City of Sin. You Never Come Out the Way You Went In.”
