{"id":1168,"date":"2015-11-05T19:02:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T19:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2015-11-05T19:02:24","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T19:02:24","slug":"crimson-cloak-publishing-author-cynthia-macgregor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/crimson-cloak-publishing-author-cynthia-macgregor\/","title":{"rendered":"Crimson Cloak Publishing Author- Cynthia MacGregor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interview Cynthia MacGregor<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hi all.\u00a0Here we have another \u2018Crimson Cloak Publishing\u2019 author\u00a0interview! Today, we meet Cynthia MacGregor.<\/em><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full or part time job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been a full-time freelance writer\/editor for more years than I can count, but just this year I took on some pretty heavy if part-time responsibilities for a publisher of children\u2019s books, including but not limited to editing, which led to my being named publisher of a new imprint of that company, which aims at an audience of adults.<\/p>\n

That said, however, the writing portion of my freelance writing\/editing was never just books. I have been hired by clients to write such diverse items as press releases, web copy, business letters, scripts for promotional videos, ads, a marriage proposal (!), poetry, and\u2014logically enough\u2014ghostwritten books. (Whew!) And that\u2019s not a complete list, either.<\/p>\n

My editing encompasses both books and other materials, and the book editing I do has been both for authors and for publishers. In spite of all this other work, though, I have managed to get over 100 books published (don\u2019t ask me the exact number\u2014I stopped counting at 100), and, like the Energizer Bunny (whom I\u2019m often compared to), I\u2019m still going.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Have you always wanted to be an author, or did some time or event in your life set you on the path?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have always loved writing, from the time I could spell C-A-T, but my childhood ambition, up through my junior year of high school, was to act on the Broadway stage. Unfortunately, I had Tourette Syndrome, which was totally misdiagnosed. It wasn\u2019t till I was in my early 30s that I finally knew what my problem really<\/em> was. So anyhow, in my junior year of high school, I tried out for the junior class play (the junior and senior classes put on plays for fund-raisers; the freshman and sophomore classes sold magazine subscriptions) and lost out on the lead (or any part at all) because of my mis-diagnosed medical problem. Tradition held that the morning the parts were announced, those selected would find a script on their homeroom desk. There was never, however, any recoourse if you were not selected, nor any explanation given. In a break with tradition, the faculty advisor to the play sought me out the morning the parts were given out and explained that although I had read best for the part, they were afraid to give me the part because of my \u201ccondition\u201d and had instead awarded the lead to my arch-rival. I got no part at all.<\/p>\n

It was a stunning blow. In that one instant I realized that if I couldn\u2019t even get a part in the junior play in high school, I had no hope of making it on Broadway. I knew then that I had to re-think my career choice.<\/p>\n

Writing had always been my second love, but resultant from the crush of being passed over for the play, and because I was made fun of by some of the kids in school, my self-confidence sagged. I wasn\u2019t sure I had what it took to be a writer. It took a few years before I started to take my craft seriously and attempt to sell my work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you always write in the same genre, or do you sometimes like a change of theme? If you haven\u2019t already, is there another genre you would like to write?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good grief\u2014if you\u2019ll check out my website at www.cynthiamacgregor.com<\/a>, you\u2019ll see that I\u2019m all over the place in terms of genre. In the first place, I never wanted to be a one-trick pony. And in the second place, I can\u2019t think of any subject on which I could have written over 100 books! I write for both adults and kids, and both nonfiction and fiction\u2014and cookbooks, which are assuredly nonfiction but feel like they\u2019re a separate category unto themselves.<\/p>\n

Although my writing is diversified, I think that nonfiction for adults comprises the largest segment of my output.<\/p>\n

There is<\/em> a downside to such diversification, however: It\u2019s harder to build a following when your work is all over the place like that. Just because someone likes my nonfiction for adults doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to want to read my novels, or vice-versa, and just because a parent appreciates some of my books that his\/her kids are enjoying doesn\u2019t mean he or she is going to read my nonfic works for adults. Even strictly within adult nonfiction, someone inspired by one of my inspirational\/motivational books (e.g. Don\u2019t Quit While You\u2019re Ahead<\/em> or What\u2019s Stopping You?!)<\/em> isn\u2019t necessarily going to want to read my humor (e.g. Life Behind the Office, Dust Bunnies Ate My Socks,<\/em> or Betcha Didn\u2019t Know<\/em>). And so on.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>How do you view the promotion, book signings etc. Is it something you enjoy, or do you prefer the writing stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I enjoy meeting the reading public as well as fellow authors and emerging authors, but a lot of the aspects of promo, especially arranging for the promo, are a PITA. For example, I enjoy the book-signings, and public speaking, and talking to the attendees, but I loathe the endless hours spent trying to arrange the signings, readings, speaking engagements, radio\/TV spots, and such, and the frequent turn-downs or simply no-responses.<\/p>\n

I am on the board of an organization called 4 Authors by Authors (read the \u201c4\u201d as \u201cFor\u201d), serving established, emerging, and hopeful authors in South Florida (my home territory), and I have been tapped as a speaker at both of the all-day events the organization has held so far. I enjoy addressing the attendees and giving them talks that are both informational and motivational. These appearances are more likely to land me ghosting gigs or editing gigs than to sell tons of books, but it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n

I am comfortable doing public speaking. (Comfortable? Hell, I enjoy<\/em> it!)<\/p>\n

I guess I enjoy both the writing and the appearances, but not<\/em> the time spent chasing all those people who might (but probably won\u2019t, in most cases) give me a write-up, a broadcast interview, or a chance to promote my books in some other venue.<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Could you tell us something about your published books, and let us know what they are about and where they are available?<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOL\u2014you really don\u2019t want me to list \u2019em all, do you? Of course, some of my books are out of print by now, but some are in their second lives. Having gone out of print with the rights reverted to me, they have been repubbed in some cases. All the ones still in print or re-pubbed are available on Amazon.com, and you can read more about all of them on my website: www.cynthiamacgregor.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three of my recently published books are:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Quit While You\u2019re Ahead,<\/em> motivational\/inspirational. Crimson Cloak Publishing. Why stop just because you\u2019re successful or have accomplished what you wanted to in life? There is more success to be had, more worlds to conquer, more satisfaction waiting for you. Grab it\u2014it\u2019s yours for the taking!<\/p>\n

Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead<\/a><\/p>\n

Everybody\u2019s Little Book of Everyday Prayers<\/em>, non-sectarian religious. MSI Press. Regardless of what your religious affiliation is, or if you have none at all, if you want to commune with your Creator and turn everyday occasions into special occasions and recognize special occasions through prayer, here are the words you are seeking\u2014for both adults and their kids.<\/p>\n

Everybody\u2019s Little Book of Everyday Prayers<\/a><\/p>\n

Heartfelt, the Special Reindeer<\/em>, picturebook for kids who still believe in Santa. AcuteByDesign. Heartfelt is not only a \u201cspecial\u201d reindeer, with the power to see inside people\u2019s hearts and know their most heartfelt wishes; she is also a \u201cspecial needs\u201d reindeer: Her rear legs are way shorter than her front legs, and her back slopes sharply downward. Heartfelt\u2019s own most heartfelt wish is to be a regular member of Santa\u2019s team and not just one of his \u201cbackup reindeer,\u201d who join the team only if one of the regulars gets sick. Meanwhile, Santa is very troubled because of a sad little boy named James. Can Heartfelt solve Santa\u2019s problem with her special talent? This heartwarming story introduces a new character, Heartfelt, to the Santa legend. Heartfelt is sure to win your heart.<\/p>\n

Heartfelt, the Special Reindeer<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All these books and many more are available on Amazon.com or through my website, www.cynthiamacgregor.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks so much for such an honest and interesting look into your life, Cynthia. You clearly have a great dedication to writing, and such a varied collection! Best of luck for continued success. Lynne North<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview Cynthia MacGregor Hi all.\u00a0Here we have another \u2018Crimson Cloak Publishing\u2019 author\u00a0interview! Today, we meet Cynthia MacGregor. 1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full or part time job? I have been a full-time freelance writer\/editor for more years than I can count, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,145,11],"tags":[23,24,32,138,66],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-interviews","category-book-promotion","category-crimson-cloak-publishing","category-kindle","tag-author-interviews","tag-authors","tag-books","tag-crimson-cloak-publishing","tag-kindle"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1170,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/1170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lynnenorth.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}