REVIEWER QUOTES
“Top marks…five stars…” Self-Publisher’s Showcase
“Loening is a master of her craft.” Main Street Magazine
Becoming a novelist was a dream come true for Cybele Loening, and one that was many years in the making. Like many aspiring writers and creative types, when she completed her education, she didn’t think she could make a living doing what she loved. So, she took a job that was related to writing but not actually writing: She became an editor. She loved editing but never gave up her dream of writing a novel someday.It wasn’t until she was in her late thirties that she finally realized “someday” was right now. After many years of working in Corporate America, she was burned out of her job and exhausted by city living. She realized she was giving her best energy to a career and life that no longer fit. So, she took a huge leap of faith and quit her job to write full-time. The book she began writing eventually became Dead Lies.
Quitting her job was a scary step, but it changed her life. Tapping away at her keyboard, she realized she was happier than she had been in a while. She felt creative and energized again and was thrilled to have discovered her passion, her life’s work.
That one brave step into the unknown led to other wonderful changes in her life. For years she had dreamed of living in the country, so she began renting a cottage in Litchfield County, Connecticut, to see how it felt. She never looked back. And it was in this idyllic place that she met her soul mate and now husband, the life and business coach, Brooke Loening. They married a few years later, and together they renovated a home in which they now both live and work.
Spending her days writing and living in a place she loves, she has found bliss she never thought possible.
A spiritual seeker and lover of all of life’s mysteries, Cybele is hard at work on the next book in the Anna Valentine Detective Series and a memoir. She is also a blogger with a global mission: to help women achieve their dreams and live their very best lives.
You can find her at www.cybeleloening.com, and on Facebook (Cybele Loening and Cybele Loening Mysteries) and Twitter (@CybeleLoening).
PLEASE WELCOME CYBELE TO BOOKHOUNDS
- What is on your nightstand? Right now I am reading And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, who wrote The Kite Runner. It is a spectacular book, so beautifully written and absorbing. It spans several generations of Afghanis and is written almost in short story style where each chapter is about a different character, all of whom are connected in some way to one of the other characters. I’ve always loved historical novels, and it’s magical watching how everything is unfolding. I wish I could write like him. His words are like poetry. Next in the stack are a few books by Elizabeth Berg, also another wonderful writer I recently discovered. It is chick lit at its best.
- What author would you totally fan? Harlan Coben. He’s just the best in the thriller genre and never disappoints with each new book that comes out. I love him so much I kept a copy of Gone for Good, which is one of my favorite of his novels, on my desk next to me as I wrote Dead Lies. Sometimes when I got stuck, I would open the book and read a random passage and get inspired by his style and cadence. It worked every time. I recently sent him a copy of Dead Lies along with a gushing fan letter telling him exactly that, and he actually wrote me back to say congratulations and good luck with the book. It was so exciting!
- What makes you cringe? When I realize I’ve written an email where I meant one thing, and the person sends me back a note saying they feel hurt or confused. Tone can so easily get lost or misinterpreted in an email. Maybe because I used to be an editor, I usually edit my emails carefully, and I sometimes even wait a few hours to send one. But sometimes a miscommunication happens anyway. I hate that moment where you realize you unwittingly upset or offended someone. I’m a writer, and I should be better than that!
- Are you worried that your google history will get you into trouble? Ha! No. I am so clean I could run for public office.
- Do you obsessively plot out each point or just go with the flow? I go with the flow. People are always shocked when I tell them I never plotted out Dead Lies. I didn’t even know who the killer was when I started writing it, and, in fact, I had one killer for awhile then switched to a different one mid-way because it just seemed more interesting that way. Now I look back and realize the first killer was a good red herring. I’ve read a lot of mysteries so I just know how they work, but also I had faith that I could write a good book, and somehow the story just came together. I am very much about working on instinct—with books and in life.
sounds like a good book. nice thriller – am in the market for a good one!
I absolutely love the cover!
It’s always a cool thing when someone you admire responds so nicely to you!
That’s awesome about Harlan Coben. I haven’t read any of his books but I sure shelve a lot of them at work, they are popular!
I agree about the emails. I don’t wait to send them usually because I have so many to reply to at all times but it’s always good to try to look at it from another angle. Things can so easily be misinterpreted!
Thanks for hosting a tour stop Mary!
This sounds really suspenseful and I’m happy to see that there is a bit of a forbidden romance too! That picture of the two kitties sleeping is like looking at a hidden camera into my house! Lol! There is nothing better than a good book, sleeping cats and a cup of tea!
I’m always ready for a good thriller.
Sounds like an interesting read. Thanks!
awesome giveaway
Sounds like a great book to listen too.
This sounds appealing and a little different. Have added to my Goodreads list.
I good murder mystery is a great read on a cold winter’s night.