Cynthia Lucas

Today, I would like to welcome author, Cynthia Lucas!

Hi Cynthia! Thanks so much for taking the time out to chat with me. I know our readers would love to know a little more about you. Can you give us a little bit of your background? (Maybe include some fun facts about you)

Jax, before we go any further I want to thank YOU so much for the interview! I love and admire your work, and that of Period Images….you all have one of the best sites for book cover imagery. Beautiful photos, costuming, models and design. VJ Dunraven is fantastic! So…again, thank you for inviting me. Now I must inform you that YOU are in trouble because a.) I’m a writer and b.) I talk WAAAY too much as my friends will tell you. LMAO!! Anyway…hi-ho Silver, here we go…. ;)

 Now on to me…Well, as far as writing goes I don’t have any fancy credentials to list as far as a background in writing. However,  I am a professional musician….singer/songwriter by trade and therefore I enjoy telling a story!  I guess I’ve been a bit of a ‘traveler’ in my life…I was born out west in San Francisco and then we moved to my mother’s home state of Connecticut when I was very young, and I spent most of my growing up there. After my parents divorced we moved to the sunshine state of Florida, where I have spent most of my life now for 30 years other than a short stint in Alabama and Virginia. 

FUN FACTS:
*I’m half Greek on my dad’s side (he’s full blooded….first generation born here. My grandparents came from the Dodecanese Islands.

*I rehab wildlife as a hobby….squirrels, bunnies, birds…you name it. And I have about 15 pets running around my house right now.

*I play keyboards, sing and front my own band, NORTH 2 SOUTH. I’ve been a professional singer, songwriter and entertainer most of my adult life.  

* Last year, I asked award-winning actor, Jay Tavare (he’s appeared in many films including Cold Mountain, The Missing, Dreamworks mini-series Into the West, CSI, and yes..that’s Vega from Streetfighter: The Movie) to appear on one of my books, When Lightning Strikes. I designed a cover using one of my favorite pictures of him, and when I wrote to him and told him my story and how much I’d wanted to have him on my book, he told me personally that he loved it and said YES. This was a huge honor because he’s only agreed to ONE other book cover that I know of and I was over the moon because it was the only one of my books that had never had a model on the cover! Why? Because from the moment the ink was dry on the first edition (it was my FIRST book) I wanted him…but I had to wait until I had a few stats to offer him instead of saying I’d sold ten books to my friends, before I dared ask him. LOL! Just goes to show you, that ANYTHING is possible.  Reach for a star!

*At age 50 I appeared on one of my own book covers with one of Period Image’s own models, Grigoris Drakakis (who’s also Greek of course…and who happens to be oh, like 20 years younger than me.) For those wondering, YES! I was scared s**tless when I asked him to model with me! LOL! But I wanted to inspire other women that you can be ANY age and you can do whatever you want if you have the courage to go for it. My message to women of all ages is: LOVE YOURSELF. You’re beautiful exactly as you are and with all the gifts that make you uniquely you.  So LIVE, laugh, love and whatever it is you want to achieve….REACH for that star.

*On Grigoris Drakakis: I invited him here last summer to the US to work on a cinematic trailer for my book, SMOKE & MIRRORZ. He came in the fall, and the rest of course, is history…he’s gone on to become one of the most in-demand models right now for romance covers.  It was really one of the most fun experiences ever working with him and the Crunchreel crew, who I met at 2013 RNC.
SMOKE & MIRRORZ CINEMATIC TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpq683r1jdQ

                                

What inspired you to write Romance Novels?  

I have always loved stories that take me away to another time…place or fantasy world. After I’d read a few, I guess it just brought out the story-teller in me, and I had to try it for myself.

Have you considered writing or have you written any other types of books? 

The book I am currently finishing up and getting ready for release in October is definitely in the romance genre, but it is also VERY heavily science fiction/fantasy. Those who’ve enjoyed Riddick, John Carter, Cloud Atlas and Star Wars may like it. And yes, I have considered trying my hand at something without the romance element…but I really enjoy adding that to my stories, because love is such an integral part of life, and a life altering experience that helps bring us so much growth spiritually. This theme (spiritual growth and redemption)  weaves its way through all my books.

As you know I am very involved in cover modeling so I am curious. When do you look for your book covers? Do you see an image which inspires a story or do you look for an image to fit your story.

I have my eye on book covers all the time…actually. Usually, I have already written the story and I design the cover myself and know exactly what I want. More recently, I purchased a couple of premade covers that I came across that  grabbed me. Not sure yet IF I will use them, but in case I want to, I have them. I’ve always wanted to write a story in that flavor…so in the end the decision will be how well it fits when it’s done.  So far I have designed all four of my book covers that are out there (yep…I do the graphic arts too!) However, this time around I wanted to do something different and my new release HUNTER was designed by the amazing Melody Simmons, who works closely of course, with Period Images.

If you could work with anyone in collaboration on your next cover, who would be on your dream 

team? 

That’s a hard one to answer, because I have so many talented friends in the business, and know some incredibly beautiful models, yourself included.  I will say, that this new cover for HUNTER is probably my best to date, and that is thanks to VJ’s photography, Thomas Gunter is just stunning….gorgeous model, and Melody Simmons is a top notch designer. There are a few other designers out there….Fiona Jade, Erin Dameron-Hill…I truly admire their work. As for the models themselves, I think it comes down to who captures the perfect essence of a character, not just in look, but something about their ‘spirit’ that comes through in a photograph.  There’s covers out there I’ve seen where the costuming was right…. and the poses and lighting were all great, but something about the particular model just didn’t capture the essence of the theme of the shoot. Not because they weren’t a great model…but just a mis-casting of character, just as sometimes an actor is miscast. It can happen with models too! I guess for me what it would come down to is who best captures the essence of whatever particular character I’ve written and how well their look and expressiveness communicates that.  AS far as the shoot? I’d call in VJ/Period Images without a second thought!  And I definitely want to have YOU on one of my covers as well, Jax.

You have a new book coming out, can you tell us a little bit about it?

You betcha! The book is called HUNTER and it’s very different from anything I’ve written to date. It is a sci-fi/fantasy action romance that takes the reader on a journey across galaxies and realities. It is a completely new twist on the idea of demons and demon hunters…as well as a spiritual journey of personal growth and love across time and dimensions.

The lead character, Nyx Leron is a demon hunter…except demons aren’t what humans think they are and reality depends on what reality you perceive in.  After being sentenced to serving a term in Reality Level 3 on the prison planet known as Earth for a galactic 'crime' he didn't commit, the Hunter soon learns that the balance of power and the control of Sacred Knowledge that can free all souls from endless life and death cycles on prison planets like Earth are in the hands of corruption. After his targets escape, losing him his bounty...and his debt payoff, he barely escapes with his life and unexpectedly lands in the apartment of librarian and sometime tarot card reader, Lyra Hall. With a coven of soul-sucking demons now on his tail and traces of his energy in her living space and on her person, the Hunter has no choice but to take the human woman with him as he makes his escape to another galaxy, dimension and reality level where he will try to figure out how to protect the billions of souls that are now in danger. As she and the Hunter make their escape Lyra has no idea how deep the 'rabbit hole' goes , but she soon discovers she's about to embark on not only an adventure beyond any she could have imagined...but an awakening of who she really is and the real meaning of the word 'soul mate'.

What brought you to Period Images when looking for your new cover?

The universe LITERALLY handed me this cover! LOL! I was starting to think about what kind of design I wanted and looking to find the right model…and I was scrolling down Facebook one day in the newsfeed and there was this absolutely PERFECT image of Nyx Leron sitting there complete with his white wolf! I sat there staring…dumbfounded because here I am writing this deep book on spiritual awareness and how the universe takes you exactly where you need to go, and BAM! There was my cover. I bought it right away…and the second one Melody made which also goes very nicely with what will be the sequel.

The Universe has spoken! LOL! ;)

We would love to see your new cover, will you share it with us?

What can we expect from you in the future? Are you working on any other books at this time?

Right now I’m working on final edits for HUNTER and after that I will be working on the sequel, The GATHERER.  There may be a third in the series…and after that, who knows. 

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Yes! My love and my thanks to all of you for taking the time to check out my work. My websites:
www.cynthialucasromance.com
www.facebook.com/cynthialucasromance
www.north2southonline.com

And….some pics of me and my friends! J

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. It is always a pleasure learning more about the authors that we work with. Good luck with you new book and can’t wait to see more from you in the future.