Author Cynthia T. Toney shares about her two young adult novels, the important issues included in them, her passion to rescue shelter dogs and more in her Q & A interview below.
Anonymous sticky-notes, a scheming bully, and a
ruined summer send fourteen-year-old Wendy down a trail of secrets and
self-discovery.
Wendy Robichaud doesn't care one
bit about being popular like good-looking classmates Tookie and the
Sticks—until Brainiac bully John-Monster schemes against her, and someone
leaves anonymous sticky-note messages all over school. Even the best friend she
always counted on, Jennifer, is hiding something and pulling away. But the
Spring Program, abandoned puppies, and high school track team tryouts don’t
leave much time to play detective. And the more Wendy discovers about the
people around her, the more there is to learn. When secrets and failed dreams
kick off the summer after eighth grade, who will be around to support her as
high school starts in the fall?
A Cajun family secret, two very different boys,
and a fight to keep a grandmother’s love—who would’ve guessed that looking
through old photo albums could get Wendy into so much trouble?
Wendy Robichaud is on schedule to
have everything she wants at the start of high school: two loyal best friends,
a complete and happy family, and a hunky boyfriend she’s had a crush on since
eighth grade—until she and Mrs. Villaturo look at old photo albums together.
That’s when Mrs. V sees her dead husband and hints at a scandal down in Cajun
country. Faster than you can say “crawdad,” Wendy digs into the scandal and
into trouble. She risks losing boyfriend David by befriending Mrs. V’s deaf grandson,
alienates stepsister Alice by having a boyfriend in the first place, and upsets
her friend Gayle without knowing why. Will
Wendy be able to prevent Mrs. V from being taken thousands of miles away? And
will she lose all the friends she’s fought so hard to gain?
Genre:
Teen/Young
Adult (YA), although many parents also recommend it for middle-schoolers as
young as 11 years old. 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status can
certainly be read without first reading book one, 8 Notes to a Nobody, but I’d recommend the younger crowd read them
in order. Teens will connect with 10
Steps to Girlfriend Status more quickly because it deals with dating, among
other issues.
How did you choose the title for 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status, and did you design the cover?
The cover design was a collaborative effort with my publisher. Although the series handles some serious issues, my new publisher and I agreed that the covers should be cheerful. The stories are full of hope and contain some humor. I also wanted the covers to tie together yet retain individual looks. When my publisher asked for new titles because she wanted to use “Bird Face” as the name of the series, I thought about the elements of the stories that were numbered. Wendy receives eight notes in book one, 8 Notes to a Nobody, and tracks ten steps in her relationship with David in book two, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status. It must’ve been divine inspiration that caused me to create titles containing numbers that also employ alliteration and have a sort of rhythm to them. I’m happy to report that I’ve received positive and unsolicited feedback regarding the titles and covers.
How
would you describe the book to someone in a text message?
A Cajun
family secret, two very different boys, and a fight to keep a grandmother’s
love—who would’ve guessed that looking through old photo albums could get Wendy
into so much trouble?
Who is
your main character and what problem does he/she face?
Wendy Robichaud is on schedule to
have everything she wants at the start of high school: two loyal best friends,
a complete and happy family, and a hunky boyfriend she’s had a crush on since
eighth grade—until she and Mrs. Villaturo look at old photo albums together. That’s
when Mrs. V sees her dead husband and hints at a scandal down in Cajun country.
Faster than you can say “crawdad,” Wendy digs into the scandal and into
trouble. She risks losing boyfriend David by befriending Mrs. V’s deaf
grandson, alienates stepsister Alice by having a boyfriend in the first place,
and upsets her friend Gayle without knowing why.
Wendy’s
problems in a nutshell: She must fight to try to prevent Mrs. V from being
taken thousands of miles away, and she risks all the friends she’s fought hard
to gain since we met her in book one.
What
makes your book stand out from other books like it?
This story uses humor and hope to
address issues of adapting to a blended family, having a loved one suffering
from Alzheimer’s, and struggling through that first innocent romantic
relationship. It also has a deaf teen character. I haven’t seen that combination
anywhere else!
When you
were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
It
changed from artist to schoolteacher to veterinarian to commercial
artist/designer, I think. I still
think about how great it would be to practice as a veterinarian. I could still
write in my spare time.
When did
you know you wanted to be an author?
In my
forties while working as a marketing/advertising designer and copywriter.
What
books have influenced you most?
Betsy
Byars’ Bingo Brown series made me
want to write books containing humor and young teen characters. Judy Blume’s middle-grade
and teen novels made me want to help young people handle some of the issues and
challenges they face.
What’s
the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I rode
in a twin-engine plane over a body of water.
Do you
have life philosophy?
When I
choose someone to add to my life, I choose someone who is kind to animals. That
person will likely treat me well.
Ever think about becoming an author yourself? Here's Cynthia's advice to you:
Start
now! The more you write, the better you become. Read modern bestsellers and
classics in the genre you want to write. You’ll develop your own style. If you
don’t feel ready to write a novel, write a short story. Read books about
self-editing, plot structure, setting, and character development.
Who is Cynthia T. Toney? Read on to find out:
Cynthia
is a former advertising designer, marketing director, and interior decorator
who holds a BA in art education with a minor in history. While employed by a
large daily newspaper, she rewrote some ad copy without permission and got into
trouble for it. At that point, she knew she was destined to become an author.
When she’s
not cooking Cajun or Italian food, Cynthia writes historical and contemporary
teen fiction containing elements of mystery and romance. The first edition of her
debut novel, Bird Face, won a 2014
Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Bronze, in the Pre-teen Mature Issues category.
With a
new publisher for an entire Bird Face
series, the original story is now Book One and titled 8 Notes to a Nobody. Book Two is 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status. Look for more books in the series in
the near future from Write Integrity Press.
Cynthia loves
rescued animal-shelter dogs and the friendly South from Georgia to Texas, where
she resides with her husband and several canines.
 |
| Rescue dog, Angela, who is blind in one eye, resting. |
Have questions or comments for Cynthia? You can leave them in the comments section. She enjoys connecting with readers online and looks forward to hearing from you.
Links:
Twitter:
@CynthiaTToney
