Please welcome Cindy Tomamichel to The Clog Blog. Cindy, can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I live in rural Australia and have lived and traveled around the country. I have been an underground mine geologist and then worked in environmental science involved in cleaning up soil and groundwater.
How do you make time to write?
Squeeze it (and the more onerous marketing and social media aspects of being an author) in around a few other jobs and life stuff. I have been known to write a story while making dinner, and sticky notes for random thoughts are my friend!
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Usually, you are stuck for a good reason. Either the story needs more research, you are trying to force it in the wrong direction or something – your subconscious is arcing up about it! Otherwise, you may be feeling tired or burnt out, and need rest or fresh air. Search for the reason and the words should flow once more.
Tell us a bit about the genre you write and why you love it.
I write across genres, with short stories in fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate history anthologies. My main novel series is Druid’s Portal, a multi-generational time travel action-adventure romance. I love it because I get to combine historical research with a dollop of fantasy.
How are you publishing your recent book and why? (*e.g. Indie, traditional or both)
My Druid’s Portal series is published with Soul Mate Publishing, a small traditional publisher. Other works are small indie publishers, and I hope to dive into self-publishing next year. Why? Firstly, I got accepted by the publisher Soul Mate, and I have found them a great team. Indie and self-publishing mainly to try out a new adventure!
Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? How does this affect your work?
Introvert – makes it easy to spend time alone reading and researching or writing.
What is your favorite motivational phrase?
Writers write.
It helps focus when it is often way too easy to get distracted by social media.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Read widely to fill your head with ideas – including non-fiction. Generally just start writing- short stories, poems, etc. you need to write a lot of words to get into a rhythm and find your style. Doing NaNoWriMo (write a novel in November) is also a fun way to challenge yourself.
Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?
Contact Cindy on
Website: http://www.cindytomamichel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyTomamichelAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyTomamichel
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16194822.Cindy_Tomamichel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindytomamichel/
Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/AdventureNews
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cindy-tomamichel
Amazon Author page: https://amazon.com/author/cindytomamichel
Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/EscapeTheEveryday
Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share with us?
An excerpt from Druid’s Portal: The First Journey
The pendant was solid gold, with a stylised oak tree and some symbols and dots she recognised as Ogham, the ancient language of the area. She frowned, turning it over in her hands.
It felt hot, and the heat pulsed through her until she felt dizzy, as if she was standing on the edge of a precipice. She held onto the cabinet as the museum faded around her.
Then she fell into a grey void.
There was a smell of forest earth, long undisturbed, centuries of leaf mould, of the secret growing business of trees. Quiescence. A sense of time. A time long ago, ruled by gods long forgotten. But not far away—distance didn’t register. Somewhere nearby—close to her home and Hadrian’s Wall. Where she had grown up and where the stone and earth were part of her.
The void split into shadows as the peace was shattered.
Danger. Around her, the grey void echoed with screams of hatred and of death that pounded in her ears. She was in a battlefield, surrounded by the misty shapes of men as they bellowed in agony, and she choked as the smell of blood smothered her. A tall shadow filled her vision. Right in front of her, a shadowy figure raised a sword, and she cried out and fell to her knees.
Death and danger.
And love.
The grey void vanished, and Janet opened her eyes. She shook her head. It had been the impression of a moment, but death, danger, and love seemed intertwined in a way she could neither explain nor fathom.
To read more, this is a link to the preview: https://goo.gl/ydf8qK
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