Interview with Cynthia Hickey

What kind of research did you do for Deadly Neighbors?

I did extensive research on drugs and medications. I needed something accessible but not likely to kill the person it was administered to. There are a lot of drugs available out there if a person knows where to look.

How did you come up with the plot for Deadly Neighbors?

This is the first book of a new cozy series initially geared toward Barbour’s cozy mystery line. When that line closed, I shelved the book until my agent decided to ebook the cozies.

Share a brief blurb about the book.

When Marsha Calloway's daughter is accused of a crime she didn't commit, Marsha is determined to find the real culprit. She enlists the help of her Cadillac driving mama, the man who ditched Marsha at her high-school graduation but kept her heart, and a bumbling police officer. Folks around River Valley are having things disappear while they are sleeping with their eyes open. Seems everyone has a dream and not enough funds. Someone is determined to kill for that dream. Will River Valley's cast of colorful characters live to see another day? Can Marsha find out who the thief is before she becomes one of the sleep walkers?

What role have your life experiences played in the characters and/or the situations you develop in your books?

My experience with children and young adults played a huge part in the main character’s daughter’s actions. Plus, I listened to a lot of stories that friend’s teenagers did.

Do you see parallels or do you try to avoid using your own personal life as a source of inspiration?

Life is the best inspiration!

What are your own favorite authors? Genres?

I love Brandilyn Collins. She keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also love Robert Patterson’s Woman’s Murder Club series. Great characters. Great plots.

How has your passion for reading impacted your writing?

To write, you must read. Reading fuels the mind and keeps a writer up on the current trends.

Describe how you write a book – with your other responsibilities, does it tend to be something you work into your every day, or do you have to “set apart” time to write with open, undesignated blocks of time?

I often have to write when time permits. I get a lot of writing time at work, but it comes in chunks. I have to take advantage of the time when I can get it.

What provides your inspirations during that time – i.e. do you go out in nature, do you seek to be in a busy place with people or in a quiet library, etc.?

I go off “in space”. I daydream and let God lead me to the next scene.

How have social networking sites, even including email, etc. impacted your writing? Do you find the internet to be a helpful or harmful resource in research, advertising, reviewing, etc. your books?

In today’s writing world, social media is a must! You can reach tons of people using very little income. I try to set time aside each day to market.

Do you use these tools such as facebook as a means of observing the behavior of others which could be the basis of a character, or are you of the ‘old school’ that relies more on personal relationships and “human” touches?

Personal relationships and “human” touches. Forming relationships is the best way to reach people who may buy your books.