Cindy Cromer

An Interview with Cindy Cromer: Scientist & Author

Sylvia: Hi Cindy, it is such a pleasure to interview you.  I know how busy you are so thank you for your time.  Please give our readers a brief introduction of yourself and a little about your book.

Cindy: I am originally from Freehold Township, New Jersey and currently reside in Stuart, Florida with my husband, son, and daughter.  I am a scientist and earned B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Biology. I then rose in my career to the executive level and became the president of a laboratory network. In this role I have written numerous laboratory procedures and research documents.

Now I have embarked on a new endeavor, into the publishing world, with the release of my debut mystery novel, Desperate Measures.

Sylvia: What inspired you to write ‘Desperate Measures?’

Cindy:   I’ve loved to read ever since I was a small child. In the back of my mind I had a dream to one day write a novel. My friends and family teased but encouraged me to think about writing. They think I am a great story teller and have stated that even my e-mails are entertaining. What really prompted me to attempt writing was one particular book by an established author whose name I won’t mention. In this fiction book there were four characters with the same name and once I reached the ending I felt cheated as a reader and had wasted my time to reach such an anti-climactic conclusion. I sat down at my computer and created Caitlin using my scientific and executive background then thought of a plot in a book that I would like to read. Once Desperate Measures began to unfold, Desperate Deceptions began to form in my mind. When I completed the first book, I did my homework on the process of obtaining an agent/publisher. I wasn’t sure I’d ever receive a contract but was overwhelmed with self-satisfaction that I’d achieved a dream and goal I had set for myself and wrote a mystery novel. Now my friends and family bash my entertaining e-mails and tell me to quit writing stories in my messages and finish the second book then get the third and fourth done! I assume there is a compliment in there somewhere, right?

Sylvia:  How awesome Cindy!  Amazing how the mind can run wild!  Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Cindy:  I’m not sure how to answer this question. Desperate Measures is suspenseful entertainment. I suppose one could surmise from the ending that sometimes secrets are kept and hidden at all costs to protect family and loved ones.  I believe Desperate Deceptions, my second novel, will have a more profound message about the destruction power and money can inflict on someone’s personal life.

Sylvia:  Do you have any advice for other writers?

Cindy:  Don’t give up, grow thick skin, and be prepared for rejection. Embrace each criticism as an opportunity to polish your work to make it the best it can be. Also, always carry a notebook to jot down a scene when inspiration hits and a computer aren’t available.

Sylvia:  Great advice!  I agree with carrying a notebook or something to write on when you have an idea… otherwise, you can easily forget.  I have a ‘voice memo’ app on my IPhone and so I record my thoughts. 

Why should we buy your book?

Cindy:  Desperate Measures is a page turner and the reader will never figure out the identity or motive of the villain until the very end. Just today, I received a call from a friend who is about 2/3 through reading. She said, “I love this book, can’t put it down. I thought I knew who it was at the beginning but now I really know who it is!” She gave me her guess and all I could do was laugh. She wasn’t even close!

Sylvia:  Is there a special place that you prefer when you write?

Cindy:  I have a small office area set up in the bedroom but I can write anywhere as long as it is quiet with no distractions.

Sylvia:  What is your POWER WORD?  Why this word?

Cindy:  My power word is Challenge. I view every challenge as an opportunity for improvement. As the president of five laboratories I used this mantra frequently to motivate my employees during any upheavals in the operations. Oops! I just noticed in my answer above to advice for other writers, I used this analogy and substituted criticism for challenge and followed with opportunity. It must be embedded in my subconscious, HA!

Sylvia:  Who is your favorite character that you created?  

Cindy:  My answer is Barry Solerno and when I’m asked this question, most expect me to respond with Caitlin, the main character.  I’ll explain why I am partial to Barry.  I reached an impasse while writing Desperate Measures at around 12,000 words, all of you writers know how important that work count ticker is.  I had the plot and ending set but realized I needed something or someone to add and bring it all together and thus Barry was born.  I’m particularly proud of how I introduced him then peeled away the layers and revealed to the readers what makes him tick.  One of my favorite scenes is when that first layer is pulled away.  I read it over and over sometimes when the dreaded writers block sets in.  Those who have read Desperate Measures, any guess to which scene I am referring to?

I also had a lot fun writing about Tomas Medina, FBI Senior Special Agent in Charge.  He has some light comedy scenes and at times found myself laughing hysterically when writing about him.

Quite a few readers have asked me who Chris Dobbs is and want to meet him.  Well, so do I! He’s a complete figment of my imagination. I needed a character to spice up a few scenes and created Chris, tall at six foot-five, and gorgeous.  He plays a bigger role in Desperate Deceptions.

Sylvia:  Now, I must ask you, who is going to star in Desperate Measures when it becomes a movie?

Cindy:  I chuckle at this question because most people do not understand the process and writing a book does not immediately catapult the author into fame, glory, and least of all fortune. I’m thrilled Desperate Measures is published but made into a movie, not sure if that will ever happen. Anyway I can envision certain actors playing the characters I created:

• Cailtin Martel – Sandra Bullock
• Tomas Medina – Josh Duhamel would be perfect for this role. Tomas has some very serious scenes but also a few comedy ones as well.
• Scott Martel – Nicholas Cage
• Lukas Bucklin – Clint Eastwood
• Drew Porter – Martin Lawrence
• Barry Solerno – Tom Hanks

As you can see from the list of actors this is quite a pipe dream for a new author and the producer would have to have a huge budget. A good friend of mine from college, Gary, keeps joking with me, says he wants to be in the movie and he has no acting experience. He’d be a great way to reduce the budget so I told him he could play eighty-three year old multi-billionaire, Lukas Bucklin. Gary didn’t balk at the forty year age difference but loves Lukas’s fortune and private Learjet! Oh well! He’s hired and Clint can direct! LOL!

Sylvia: I just love it!  Cindy, it’s been a pleasure.

Cindy: Sylvia, thank you for the opportunity for this interview. Here is my contact information:

Desperate Measures is available in e-book and print format at Amazon, eTreasures Publishing, and Barnes and Noble.

Website: www.cindyhuefnercromer.com
Email:  thecromers@comcast.net