Cynthia Kumanchik Interview Published on: 23, Oct 2020

I grew up in the Midwest where life is simpler, and people are honest and down-to-earth. I have fond memories of riding the Blue Streak roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

I loved working at Cable One as a Marketing Manager, promoting all the movies, events and working with the cable networks. The job allowed me to attend Cable Industry trade shows and gain freebies from the networks, such as guitars, concert tickets, T-shirts and toys.

I wrote my first YA novel when my daughter entered high school, deriving the characters and plot from some of the experiences and adventures she had. My characters and plot in The Estrogen Chronicles came from my working experiences in a hospital. I developed strong bonds with the women I worked in a stressful ER environment.

I liked to write so I pursued a degree in journalism, focusing on advertising and public relations.

The Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an organization that encourages writers and artists of picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels, providing seminars, workshops, contests, and promotional opportunities. Henry Winkler in fact is a member. I attended my first Writers Conference in LA a few years ago and was hooked after seeing Judy Blume speak.

The Pasadena Area Writers Society (PAWS) is a local writers’ group that meets monthly and I was invited by a friend who introduced me to writers like myself.

I wanted to write about a world where compassion, empathy and forgiveness overcomes fear and inequality. The story transcends time and place where the characters must beat insurmountable odds.

Automaton Nation is a coming-of-age novel that narrates a forbidden love set in a dystopian society. It allows readers to relate and reflect on some of today’s evolving societal values such as equality, freedom and diversity from two distinct points of view, human and robot.

A believer in spirits and the paranormal, I wondered what it would be like to have the main character as a ghost. It wasn’t hard to imagine Lakeview Shores because we lived in a similar small town, sometimes driving our boat to the local lake hangout where our daughter worked as a waitress. The characters are based loosely on people who frequented the restaurant and lived in that lake town of two thousand residents.

Reading is extremely important to learn about new writer techniques, different perspectives on writing, and understand different genres. I like sci-fi, women’s fiction, and psychological thrillers, but I’m trying to branch out to read memoirs, such as Becoming and Modern Madness, and those focusing on contemporary issues, like American Dirt. I have my favorite authors such as John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and Octavia Butler.

I’ve learned over the years that editing is crucial to good writing. My last book was edited professionally by two Reedsy editors and I rewrote it three times to mold the story into a better book.

I’m working on a Trilogy for Automaton Nation with two prequels, using many of the same characters. The next books will focus on specific characters and a build-up to Automaton Nation.

I love how AllAuthor promotes writers and their novels with contests, marketing tools, and frequent Twitter promotion. I have promoted AllAuthor to my writer friends. I find AllAuthor an essential part of my marketing campaign.