Marian P. Merritt - Lagniappe: Cynthia Toney

Good Monday Morning Readers!

Today,

Cynthia Toney

visits Lagniappe to discuss her latest release,
6 Dates to Disaster

Welcome, Cynthia!

Tell us a little about 6 Dates to Disaster

Released December 6, it’s the third book of the Bird Face series. The main character, Wendy, is a half-Cajun 14-year-old in the second semester of ninth grade. She has matured since the first book, 8 Notes to a Nobody, and even a little since the second book, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status. In this story, Wendy’s new blended family must deal with sudden financial hardship, and she decides to try to make money on her own to reach a personal goal. Of course, she creates trouble for herself, as Wendy often does in spite of her good intentions.

6 Dates to Disaster on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dates-Disaster-Bird-Face-Book-ebook/dp/B01MXUMV8K/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

The official blurb:

When her family has money problems, Wendy must find a way on her own to see Mrs. V and Sam again—but will she lose David forever in the process?

For her mom’s birthday, Wendy finds an old jewelry box at a flea market—the perfect gift for someone who loves salvaged junk. But inside the box is a cryptic note that appears to have been written recently. Who wrote the note, and did the intended recipient ever see it?

Wendy’s curiosity leads her on a search with boyfriend David at her side and eager to help.

But Wendy needs more personal and urgent help—the financial kind—because her stepfather has lost his job. The family’s plan to visit Alaska on vacation is headed down the sewer like a hard Louisiana rain. How will Wendy ever see Mrs. V or Sam again?

When an opportunity arrives in the form of tutoring Melissa, one of the Sticks, Wendy’s money problems appear to be solved. Until the arrangement takes a turn that gets Wendy into trouble like never before.

And in the final months of ninth grade, she might lose everything she counted on for the

future.

QUICK ANWER

Favorite smell or fragrance?

Fresh basil from my herb garden

Favorite Flower?

Any kind of daisy. They’re so cheerful, come in lots of colors, and last a long time when cut and placed in a vase of water.

Most treasured possession?

My dad’s old leather wallet from 1979.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Birthday Card: Email or Snail Mail? Snail mail

Favorite Decorating Color? Just one! Turquoise

Laptop or Desktop? Desktop

Steel Magnolias or Fried Green Tomatoes? Fried Green Tomatoes

Crawfish or Crawdads? Crawfish

What is the best NON-writing advice you’ve received?

It’s the same advice I’d give to a young person looking for someone to marry and spend a lifetime with. Find someone who is kind and caring to animals and to the elderly. That person will be good to you in your old age and a good parent to your children.

What is the best WRITING advice you’ve received?

Write your story without worrying if anyone will like it.

Give readers your brand/tagline and share how you came up with it.

“I write character-driven novels with twisty plots—because life is complicated.” I came up with that because I’ve been told by one or two people that my stories have too many plot threads. But that’s the kind of novel I prefer to read, so that’s the kind I write.

If you weren't a writer, what would be another dream job?

Veterinarian

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’ll write at least one more book for the Bird Face series, to wrap up questions readers have about Wendy and her friends. But the next book to be published will be a tween/teen historical, The Other Side of Freedom, which takes place in the 1920s and has a 13-year-old boy protagonist. Look for it in late summer/early fall of 2017 from Write Integrity Press.