Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a mom to three children – 19, 16, and 11 and wife to my husband for 21 years. I work as an analyst for a Telecommunications company part-time and use the rest of the week to write. Northern Escape is my first book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This is the Afterword in Northern Escape. It describes what inspired the story.
Life with children is busy. While my husband and I were running the kids to their activities and helping them with their school assignments, a big part of me was missing who I used to be.
I missed the carefree times when I could count on hanging out with my friends on a Friday night. I missed being able to go camping on a whim. I reminisced about a time when I was figuring out who I was and what I wanted out of life. Although I didn’t want to have to go through all that again, I did realize it was a special time and one which made me who I am today.
I started writing Northern Escape in order to capture memories of those days, many of which happened during the five years I lived in Ontario. They were memorable partly because I was there on my own and my friends were my family, and because they were memorable, I wanted to tell my family about some of the adventures I’d had.
As we live, we see things, read things, and hear things and we want to protect our children from them. These, too, were some of the reasons for wanting to write this story. I wanted to capture important messages in my writing—messages such as choosing your partner carefully, staying away from drugs, asking for help when you’re feeling down, and not letting anyone treat you poorly.
Northern Escape is fictional. This story did not happen to me; it was an adventure I created as I wrote. The similarities end with the settings and tidbits of things I love and worry about. I hope it brought awareness to certain issues, but most importantly, I simply hope you enjoyed the story.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I will often listen to a favourite song that will put me in the correct frame of mind for a particular scene. I choose romantic music for a romantic scene and fast-paced music for a frightening scene. I can’t write while the music is playing in the background though. I have to listen and then turn it off.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephenie Meyer and Carolyn Keene.
What are you working on now?
I am working on the sequel to Northern Escape.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Online book promotion sites and their newsletters have worked well for me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Enjoy writing your book, take your time, improve your story through feedback, and then hire an editor to help make it a book you are proud of.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be yourself in all situations.
What are you reading now?
Tana French’s The Searcher
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working to develop a course on what is all involved in the self-publishing process. You can check it out at https://www.cindyfolkauthor.com/self-publishing
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Twilight, The Hunger Games, a book by Louise Penny, and another by Ruth Ware.
Author Websites and Profiles
Cindy Folk Website
Cindy Folk Amazon Profile
Cindy Folk’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account