Aspiring Author Profile: Maxwell Cynn

You may remember Max from the erotic poetry duet I posted last April (I can't believe it's been that long!).  Here's his profile.

Name: Maxwell Cynn

Age...ish?: 48

Location/Country: Matthews, NC - USA

Genre(s) you write: Everything, but always with a touch of romance.

Books/Authors you love: Tolkien, Lewis, Poe, Burroughs, Twain, Wells, I love the classics. Modern works that inspire me - Richard Bach, Douglas Adams, Stephenie Meyer (Host more than Twilight), Anne Rice (Lestat not Interview), and of course Dr. Seuss rocks!

How long have you been writing? An English teacher in the tenth grade encouraged me to be a writer after reading some of my short stories, but I seriously began my first novel about three years ago.

Do you have any professional/industry experience as a writer? No, but I built a website and published my first book "ArchAngelxx" online. Then I republished it, along with my second novel "CybrGrrl", as eBooks on MobiPocket and Kindle. I'm currently trying to break into print with three manuscripts I have ready, and two more I'm working on. I NEED AN AGENT!

Had anything published? ArchAngelxx (MobiPocket and Kindle), CybrGrrl (MobiPocket and Kindle)

Agent status (please X all that apply)

[X] Need one

[X] Want one. Desperately. Want. One.

[ ] Got one

[ ] We're "talking"

[ ] I'm cyberstalking him/her, but so far they have yet to respond to my inappropriate sexual advances.... Erm, I mean, my query letter.

[ ] Agent? Who needs an agent?

Either/Or when you write:

Pen and paper, or computer screen? Computer. I used to write on paper, but I hate going back and typing it out. It has to get on the computer eventually, so why not start there.

Plotster (outlines, scene cards, etc.) or Pantster (writing by the seat of your pants)? Both. I do a good bit of plotting, but when I write it often goes off in a new direction all its own.

Music on, or off? Off when I write, but I like music when I'm editing.

Solitude, or surrounded by people, sounds, things? I would love solitude, but I'm generally surrounded.

Cleanest first draft possible, or screw grammar/spelling/punctuation and fix it later? My first draft is pretty clean, but there are still plenty of revisions later.

Slave to the whimsy of your muse, or writing like it's your job, even when you don't feel like it? Total slave of my muse, but I do try to take the "job" approach. If I'm not into writing something new - I edit. I try to be productive every day.

Do you have a certain place/time of day/writing implement/obsessive ritual/etc. that is crucial to your writing process? No. I write whenever I have the chance - wherever I happen to be. I take my laptop with me everywhere.

Where do you get your inspiration? I generally start at the character level. I envision characters - then location, plot, and everything else comes from that. I get my character ideas from all over. I'm a people watcher, and after 48 years I've seen and met a lot of interesting people.

What one thing do you really love about your own writing? My characters.

What one thing do you wish you could do better? "Show don't Tell." I hear that all the time. I'm a natural storyteller and it's hard for me to just let the story unfold. I want to speak right to the reader and tell them a good story.

Anything else you want to say? Thank you, Jen. This is my first interview, and it was fun.

Anything for us to read? ArchAngelxx is available on MobiPocket eBooks and the Kindle Reader. You can also read the full version free on my website. CybrGrrl is also available on MobiPocket and Kindle, and I have excerpts of some of my manuscripts, as well as short-stories and poetry, on my website. Come visit.

http://maxwellcynn.com/
http://maxwellcynn.blogspot.com/
http://archangelxx.net/