Cynthia Eden | On TORN, Killers, and Loving Strong Heroes
Cynthia Edenโs 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 โbigโ story (if
that makes sense!)โthe kind of story that would take more than one novel to
tell because of all the changes that I wanted the characters to experience.
SoโฆI thoughtโฆwhy 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 vampiresโthey 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 โ 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 heroesโphysically 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. BUTโฆyou will be seeing some familiar faces in those
books. Iโm going to release a new series called Bad Thingsโa 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 โumbrellaโ type series to connect my
paranormalsโฆa series that would let me explore dragon shifters, demons,
sirens, werewolvesโฆall 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 โmakeโ monsters. That no individual is born that
wayโinstead, 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 casesโon the
victims that arenโt found right away. What happens to them? Their families
donโt give upโIโve 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 missingโฆand 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 donโt know if I can write
a book without doing the killerโs POVโI 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 Iโm in the villainโs
POV. Sure, that doesnโt always happen, but with many of my stories, I like
to show the villain having one or two good pointsโฆor showing what has
happened to turn the villain into the person that he/she is. I donโt think
anyone is one hundred percent evil (or one hundred percent good), so I try
to show that by jumping into the villainโs 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! Youโve
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 Iโve 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
homeโshe canโt see the bad guys who are often right beside her). Iโve
always enjoyed SILENCE OF THE LAMBS because of Hannibalโhe is such an
amazing character. When it was on, I was also totally obsessed with
DEXTERโtalk
about getting into a killerโs 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 dangerโa 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 โBad Thingsโ seriesโitโs call THE DEVIL IN DISGUISE.
Itโs 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 HQNโa new suspense series (Killer
Instincts). The first book in this series tentatively has the title of
AFTER THE DARK, and itโs about a disgraced former FBI profilerโฆher last
lover turned out to be a serial killer.
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 RITAยฎ 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.
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