Cindy C. Bennett
After a frustrating experience trying to get her first book, Geek Girl, published, Cindy initially self-published. With a friend, she has since started Prose by Design, a company specifically focused on helping other authors who want to self-publish, but which also offers resources for traditional publishing.
Cindy volunteers much of her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be fascinating creatures. From time-to-time she co-hosts a podcast with her son called Geek Revolution Radio, where they talk about all things geek. When she's not writing, reading, answering emails or hanging out with her family, she can often be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home.
Author's Comment: I started writing a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...no, wait, that's Star Wars' intro, not mine. I did start writing a long time ago, that part is true. I can't remember when I started making up stories and putting them down on paper, it seems I always have. Then, in high school, I had an amazing English teacher, Mr. Bickmore, who really expanded my passion for writing. Every day as we came into class, he had a "ten-minute writing" assignment, which is exactly what it sounds like. I looked forward to that ten minutes each day like you can't believe. He taught me a love of pure, creative writing, and a love of great literature. (Who knew Romeo and Juliet begins with two pages of dirty jokes?)
Then at some point, YA became a popular genre, and, having two teen daughters, I found my house inundated with it. So I read many of the books, and fell in love with them. I mean seriously, who doesn't have a crystal clear remembrance of that time in your life: the awkwardness, the insecurity and drama—the flush of new love. A few years ago, I began writing Heart on a Chain...And I found my niche.
Nationality: American