 |
| Cindy A. Amos |
A Winding Road Led to My Destination
It often takes a winding road to arrive at our true destination, like my quest to become a published writer of books. My first stepping-stones came with technical writing of scientific reports in graduate school in North Carolina, a skill that helped me reap the reward of becoming a coastal marine biologist. Next, I traveled a sandy road as island naturalist and wrote press releases plus a quarterly newsletter for a small nature nonprofit involved with sea turtle conservation. Along a palm tree-lined road at an environmental consulting firm in Florida, I became the in-house technical writer, mostly for large regulatory documents. The culmination of my public career came as the supervisor for a division of Palm Beach County government where I wrote more environmental reports.
When I became a stay-at-home mom in 1994, the fiction bug hit pretty hard. I had always admired novels and gravitated toward the wholesome, happily-ever-after kind, but how to go about writing it seemed a mystery! Oh, how I feel for some of those early contest judges who had to comment on my error-ridden entry. I remember their endless editorial marks up and down the margins. Thus, the tracks of a self-taught fiction writer always appear in red ink! By the grace of God and some plucky perseverance, I ascended the steep grade of this trial-and-error path.
In 2016, publisher Cynthia Hickey of Winged Publications read the opening chapters of the first book in a series entitled Landscapes of Mercy and offered a five-book contract. In August 2016, my debut book, Redeeming River Rancher, released with Forget Me Not Romances. My themes always include man living close to the land, as reflected in my tagline: Writing Romance onto Nature’s Landscape.
In 2019, I have the privilege of working with literary agent Linda Glaz to place my longer fiction into a larger publishing house for enhanced marketability. I embrace the challenge to diversify. To date, I have the privilege of listing 26 published titles with Winged Publications, along with 15 boxed set collections. Each release advances me a few steps further down the road to becoming the author God intends me to be.
Endeavor On
A terrible hesitation that hits many aspiring writers is to stop for a considerable period of time after that first manuscript has been written. At this juncture, it will benefit you to consider the process of writing—not the product. You are on a journey, so I encourage you to stay in motion.
Endeavor on. Take your next best idea for a premise, brainstorm on its development, and then let your creativity out of its stall and set loose on the track of writing your opening scene. What you learned by writing your first book, you can apply with some level of confidence for this second book. You may have attended a writing workshop in the interim, so add what you’ve learned to your natural creative process. Your capabilities are expanding by moving on. A book-list is born through perseverance.
Craft Tip: Your proposal should read as if your manuscript is already a book. Make it read like a certainty. Don’t try to convince the editor that this should be a book. Convince them it is a book.
Thank you, Dawn and the SW bloggers, for allowing me this unique opportunity to share!
 |
| Ocean's Edge: Romance on the Tides |
Book 1 of the Adventure Brides Collection
Is she simply building sandcastles that will wash away?
Or is there hope at the ocean’s edge for something meant to last?
Ready to escape high-and-dry Kansas, Wynn Yardley arrives too late for the Dreams Come True event, but her request for a trip to the ocean’s edge still falls within foundation director Teague Montgomery’s power to grant. Following his plan to cut expenses, Teague brings Wynn to the Outer Banks at his grandmother’s beachfront timeshare while he stays with an old family friend in Millionaire Row. Wynn’s open-eyed delight of time spent on the shore fills a lonely spot in Teague’s heart. A walk on the pier takes them beyond the ocean’s edge to forge a romantic bond, but a situation at the Mansfield cottage soon challenges their togetherness. Only quick thinking will yield a workable plan, but Wynn feels the pain of being an outsider during the deal.
From a background of natural resource management and endangered species conservation, Cindy M. Amos writes both contemporary and historical inspirational fiction about man living close to the land. Whether plotting to save the family ranch or detailing a vacation in the wild, Ms. Amos takes the pulse of the land through her characters. Romance is typically at the helm, although the waters may not always allow for smooth sailing. Ms. Amos writes from Wichita, Kansas where she lives with her aircraft engineer husband, having fledged two sons to college and successful engineering careers. The family ranches each weekend on the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills. For hobbies, the author enjoys tranquil nature study, gardening and home canning, and is fond of riding her beach cruiser along local Rails to Trails bike paths.
Member: American Christian Fiction Writers and Heart of America Christian Writers’ Network
To connect with Cindy and learn more, please visit:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Cindy.M.Amos
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/NatureInkBooks
