Cynthia Eden | On TORN, Killers, and Loving Strong Heroes

May 31, 2016

Cynthia Eden’s latest book, TORN, comes out today and with it she continues weaving the story of her Last Option Search Team. Eden chatted with our Miranda Owen about TORN, her Blood and Moonlight series, writing complex villains, and whether she prefers vampires or werewolves.

Miranda Owen: With your Blood and Moonlight series, what made you decide to write a trilogy all focusing on one couple rather than a series with a different primary couple in each book?

Cynthia Eden: When I started writing BITE THE DUST, I knew that the characters were going to have a “big” story (if that makes sense!)—the kind of story that would take more than one novel to tell because of all the changes that I wanted the characters to experience. So…I thought…why not? I like to try new things and writing a trilogy that focused on the same two characters throughout seemed interesting, challenging. ;)

MO: I usually ask authors who write paranormal stories if they prefer vampires or werewolves, but you write about both and often have hybrids of both. What do enjoy most about writing both vampires and werewolves?

CE: Oh, I just love those characters. I love the basic, primitive, animalistic side that you can enjoy with werewolves, and for vampires—they just seem so seductive and powerful. Having both vampires and werewolves in the stories just lets me explore my two favorite paranormals!

MO: Aidan, in the Blood and Moonlight series, is exactly the kind of hero I love – strong, sexy, devoted to the woman he loves, and honest about his feelings for her. So many of my favorite paranormal heroes of yours fit that profile. What kinds of heroes do you enjoy writing, as well as reading, about? CE: Thank you! I am so glad you liked him! I love to write about strong heroes—physically strong and psychologically strong. But I love it even more when those characters are brought to their knees when they are overwhelmed by the love they feel for their heroines. Even the strong can fall for love. I enjoy writing about those types of heroes and reading about them. (You should see my current TBR pile!)

MO: Do you think you might write either a trilogy or a stand-alone book about any of the supporting characters from the Blood and Moonlight series?

CE: Right now, I am going back to stand-alone books. BUT…you will be seeing some familiar faces in those books. I’m going to release a new series called Bad Things—a series that will focus on dark paranormal characters. In those books, I will be using some characters that you have seen in my previous books (characters readers often ask about), as well as introducing new heroes and heroines to everyone. I wanted to create a big “umbrella” type series to connect my paranormals…a series that would let me explore dragon shifters, demons, sirens, werewolves…all sorts of bad characters are finding their way into these tales.

MO: In your excellent Phoenix Fire series you have a mad scientist as a villain. What appeals to you about writing this type of character? Are you a big FRANKENSTEIN fan?

CE: I am such a FRANKENSTEIN fan! One of the things that appeals to me most about this particular character type is the idea that humans “make” monsters. That no individual is born that way—instead, we create the things that scare us the most.

MO: I love the Lost series and so of course I'm so excited about your newest book TORN. What inspired you to write this series? Do you enjoy watching forensic TV shows as well as reading books on these kinds of topics? CE: Oh, yes, I am a total forensic TV show addict. I get sucked into those shows all the time. For my Lost books, I wanted to write a series that focused more on cold cases—on the victims that aren’t found right away. What happens to them? Their families don’t give up—I’ve seen news stories about families that keep searching five, ten, or even fifteen years after their loved ones vanish. It was those stories that inspired my Lost books. My Lost (Last Option Search Team) characters are the last hope that many use for finding the missing…and I just wanted to explore what it would be like to finally get closure on cases that others had forgotten.

MO: In your Lost series, as well as some of your other books, you have part of the story told from the POV of an unknown killer. What do you like about including that perspective?

CE: I don’t know if I can write a book without doing the killer’s POV—I just enjoy it too much. When I go into the killer POV, I get to explore a darker side. I get to see things from a slightly twisted perspective and I get to show that perspective to the readers. I also try to show some good points when I’m in the villain’s POV. Sure, that doesn’t always happen, but with many of my stories, I like to show the villain having one or two good points…or showing what has happened to turn the villain into the person that he/she is. I don’t think anyone is one hundred percent evil (or one hundred percent good), so I try to show that by jumping into the villain’s POV.

MO: As somebody who doesn't normally read books with high suspense, I love your books involving serial killers on the loose. I find them so evocative of some of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films or other classic films like CHARADE or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. As somebody who writes about suspense and terrifying scenarios, what are your favorite films and books with a lot of suspense or horror elements?

CE: Thank you, thank you! You’ve just totally made my day. I am actually a huge fan of Hitchcock. When I was in college, I took a film history class that was pretty much devoted to him, and I’ve been hooked since then. WAIT UNTIL DARK is one of my favorite Hitchcock films (the heroine is a blind woman who is terrorized in her home—she can’t see the bad guys who are often right beside her). I’ve always enjoyed SILENCE OF THE LAMBS because of Hannibal—he is such an amazing character. When it was on, I was also totally obsessed with DEXTER—talk about getting into a killer’s head!

MO: I haven't yet read any of your Harlequin Intrigue books. What can you tell readers about your Shadow Agents series and your Battling McGuire Boys series?

CE: I try to make my Intrigue books high on both suspense romance (generally going for a balance of 50/50 with those books). The heroes in those books are all ex-military (Special Forces) so they are used to living life on the edge. They thrive on danger—a good thing, considering all the danger I tend to throw at them.

MO: What are you currently working on?

CE: I just finished the first book in my “Bad Things” series—it’s call THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE. It’s dark, suspenseful, sexy, and, (I hope!) fun for readers. It was great to play with such a dark character and try to make him redeemable. I am also working on a brand new series for HQN—a new suspense series (Killer Instincts). The first book in this series tentatively has the title of AFTER THE DARK, and it’s about a disgraced former FBI profiler…her last lover turned out to be a serial killer.

About Cynthia Eden

Believe in monsters. They believe in you.

Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas.

Cynthia is a "hybrid" author. She has published extensively with New York (her New York publishers include Kensington, Grand Central, and Harlequin), and she has also enjoyed success in her indie writing career.

Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Blood and Moonlight | Magnus Pack | Long Island Coven | Mine | Phoenix Fire | Lost Angels | Cynthia Eden's Lost

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Comments

1 comment posted.

Re: Cynthia Eden | On TORN, Killers, and Loving Strong Heroes

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me!
(Cynthia Eden 6:06pm May 31, 2016)

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