Exclusive Interview with Cyn Balog!

When I read FAIRY TALE this week, I couldn't stop thinking about it all day! So I emailed the author and asked for an interview for us, and she said YES! We are so super lucky!! She is so down to earth and nice!!!!

Let me introduce you to CYN BALOG author of FAIRY TALE!



Sweet Bookshelf: Welcome to the Sweet Bookshelf! We are so glad to have you!

Cyn Balog: Thank you so much, Mary! I really am so happy you liked my book-- it's so nice to hear! And these are great questions!

SB: Ok let's get this Sweet Party Started! How did you come up with the idea for FAIRY TALE?

CB: Well, there were a couple of things I wanted to write about, and I ended up mixing them together to come up with Fairy Tale. First, when I was a teen, all of my friends seemingly had everything figured out about their future, only to have everything change for them, so I wanted to convey that. The "perfect" love might only be "perfect" for right now, but who knows about next year? That's why I wanted to make Morgan a psychic-- at first she is so confident about where she is headed, but even she must admit she has no idea what her future holds. And I knew I wanted to have a paranormal aspect to the story, but I thought the idea of having the girl learn she is a fairy princess was overdone... and just not as interesting as having the guy, a secondary character, learn he was a fairy. I mean, a girl fairy would be the envy of all her friends, but guy fairies would most likely be ridiculed and want to hide it. Similarly, all the books I'd ever read about psychics make them seem like outcasts, when in reality, if someone showed up at MY school with the ability to tell the future, they would be SO popular. So that's Morgan.

SB: The message I got from FAIRYTALE was about love and loss. Is there a special message in that you intended us to have?

CB: Just that it's probably not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket-- no matter how sure you are how your future will turn out, you're bound to be surprised.

SB: I found myself laughing out loud while reading! What is your favorite funny moment in FAIRY TALE?

CB: Hmmm, I don't really find my own writing very funny, but thanks! Let's see-- the only one I can remember right now is when Morgan whines to her dad that Cam is a fairy but he doesn't care because he's so interested in watching General Hospital.

SB: Oh I thought the dad was so funny! Who is your favorite character and why?

CB: Pip, because he's so humble and sweet and I imagine he would take good care of his girlfriend.

SB: He is my favorite too! I had tears streaming down my face as I was reading the end. Did you cry while you were writing it?

CB: If I did, they were tears of joy from finally finishing it! Actually, I rewrote the ending so many times, I couldn't tell immediately if it worked. I played with a bunch of different outcomes but this was the only one that seemed right. And I fully realized that some people would be disappointed in the ending, so I was nervous... I just hoped that most people would like the ending.

SB: I was crying by how precious the ending was! It was perfect!! You have said you don't plan on having a sequel, but I can't stop thinking about the untold stories in Otherworld. What happened to Pip while living there, and why Morgan can see the fairies? About another time when these 2 worlds might reunite again? Would it ever be of interest to you to find more of their untold stories and publish them?!

CB: Yes-- maybe in another year or two, I would like to revisit them, if Delacorte wanted me to. I have received so many requests for a sequel, I can't count them! But I agree there are a lot of unanswered questions that I'd love to go back and fill in the blanks, either with a prequel or a sequel.

SB: This is so great to hear! How long did it take you to write FAIRY TALE?

CB: A couple months, I think. It was one of those books that pretty much wrote itself. I didn't have very much to do in the way of revisions either, so the book isn't much different from the first draft.

SB: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

CB: Since I started writing when I was 5, but didn't actually attempt to get published until dozens of years later, I would just say... if you love it, DO IT. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done... because it is possible, if you keep trying and don't give up.

SB: Tell us how you got your literary agent?

CB: I actually met someone online through livejournal (my critique partner, Mandy Hubbard), who was agented by this agent. She loved my work and sent it to her agent, who also loved it and signed me a little while later. Networking can be so important-- how else can you land an agent without writing a single query letter?

SB: You're next novel, SLEEPLESS, comes out in 2010. What can we expect?

CB: Yes, I'm so excited about it! It's about a Sandman who falls in love with a mortal girl whose sleep he controls. I also have two more unrelated paranomal novels in the works... FEVER and STEADFAST.

SB: OH WOW! I can't wait!! What book are you reading now?

CB: TWENTY BOY SUMMER by the amazing Sarah Ockler. This book is SO good. I cried like a baby after only like, 2 pages.

SB: What is the BEST part about being a published author?

CB: Getting to read ARCs of books before they come out? Haha. Actually, the best part is that when I was a Marketing Manager, I would tell people that was my profession when they asked, and the response would be, "Ho hum." But now that I am a full-time author, I realize you can not tell people that this is what you do without them getting insanely excited! It begs the follow-up question, "Have I read anything you've written?" and of course I love to talk about my book. And they act like they've just met someone famous. Even though, ha, me? Famous?

SB: You are SO famous! I'm giddy doing this interview! Is there anything else you'd like The Sweet Bookshelf readers to know?

CB: To everything, there is a season? Ok, um...Thank you! I've had fun during this interview! And though I've been a busy since my release (I just had a baby, too), I always respond to emails from readers and other writers, so I would love to hear from your readers ([email protected]).

SB: If I mail you my book would you sign it?! PLEASE!

CB: Of course! Or you can just send an SASE to PO Box 202, Quakertown, PA 18951 and I will send you a signed bookplate!

Thank you so much for the interview Cyn! We wish you all the success with your career, and can't wait to read what's next! Congrats on the new baby!!