Ask the Author: Cynthia Bond
Answered Questions (9)
Cynthia Bond
The idea for Ruby came from so many sources. My mom grew up in a small all-black town in East Texas called Liberty Community. Liberty Township in my novel is based upon that town. I was also a social worker for many years and heard so many stories, so many dreams...I've gathered moments from my own life as well. I have worked on this trilogy for so many years...Many of the characters have elements, traits of people I have known. The laughter, the love and the storytelling are based upon reality...So are the more difficult sections. Truth is woven throughout my novel. Thanks so much for asking!
~Cynthia
~Cynthia
Cynthia Bond
Hi Cynthia! (Nice name!) Thanks for the kind words. Re: casting...I have a few secret wishes...but perhaps I should keep them secret a bit longer. SORRY!!!! Working on the screenplay now...Actually right now. As soon as I finish this post, I'm going right back to work. Send good thoughts that we have that particular bridge to cross!
~ All best, Cynthia
~ All best, Cynthia
Cynthia Bond
Thanks so much! I lived in Texas when I was young and once we moved, we visited all of our lives. We are really Texans, and that language is in our bones. My grandmother, uncles, aunts...The stories my mother told...All of that is really a part of my breath and heart.
Cynthia Bond
I love to read poetry, especially when I'm feeling stuck. I also love to sit on my back porch and look at the rose bush, the two apple trees as I drink my coffee. My kid is growing an herb garden, and the scent of the mint...of honeysuckle...All of those things fill me and inspire me.
Sometimes, however, three strong cups of coffee in the morning, and a Hershey bar as a mid-morning snack do the trick!
Sometimes, however, three strong cups of coffee in the morning, and a Hershey bar as a mid-morning snack do the trick!
Cynthia Bond
Thanks for asking! I am currently writing the screenplay for my novel, Ruby for Harpo, Oprah's production company. I'm having a great time...It's exciting and challenging. Hogarth, the division of Random House that published Ruby, will be publishing the 2nd installment in the Ruby trilogy. I am currently writing that as well. Take care!
Cynthia Bond
There's an amazing essay written by a columnist named Michael Ventura. The title is, "The Talent of the Room." Here's the link! It is truly brilliant and I've taught classes based solely upon this essay!
http://michaelventura.org/wp-content/...
It's pretty short, and I can't stress how much it has helped me!
http://michaelventura.org/wp-content/...
It's pretty short, and I can't stress how much it has helped me!
Cynthia Bond
I get to live an entire lifetime in the course of a year, or five years, or in my case over ten years. (Ruby was originally a 900 plus page novel that I broke into a trilogy.) But imagine instead of 80,90, 100 some years, you get the best part of you characters. You get to see their courage, you get to see their secrets, their fears, you get to taste their favorite foods (fried chicken and blackberry cobbler...the best White lay angel food cake in the state!) You get to learn with them...because their lessons are yours. What you most need to know in life, they give you...Their gift to you, which you in turn, try, to the best of your ability, to pass on to your reader. Mostly however, you get to live their loves...Deep, heart bursting, impossible, glorious love. It soothes and fulfills you in a way that nothing else can, except being a mom. It is also wonderful, after all of these years, to be able to make my living as a writer. I truly feel blessed.
Cynthia Bond
It's funny that you would ask that now! I'm in the middle of writing the screenplay of Ruby for Harpo films and I have had to really buckle down and work. I don't call it writer's block...I call it "Writer's Anxiety." When I sit down to write, I often feel fear and anxiety. Sometimes it is so strong that I want to jump out of the chair, run out of my office and hop on a plane to Maui! Sadly, as a single mom, not an option!!! (A last minute flight would also be pretty pricey!:) What do I do? I set the alarm on my phone for 15 minutes and tell myself that that is all I have to write. I am gentle and loving to myself, because screaming that I'd better DO IT just adds to the stress and fear. Instead, I just make a commitment to not get out of my chair and to write SOMETHING during that time. I let go of the compulsion to be BRILLIANT! Any good writing comes from copious rewrites. The most important thing?--Getting the words on the page. Perfectionism can arrest a writing project and put it in jail with no bond. We have to let go of that...That's not to say that it doesn't matter what you put on the page...But if you are sweating over a word or a phrase, do the very best you can and move on. I promise, the answer will come to you later. If it doesn't, go back and put energy towards it in the rewrite. Good Luck!
Cynthia Bond
A good deal of my research has come from personal interviews, and traveling to the Piney Woods, speaking to the Director of the Historical Society and reading old manifests, death records etc... I have read books on the subject matter. Specifically books that laid the foundation for the plot in my novel. Because so much of African American culture in founded in slavery, I read a great deal about that time. I also researched vernacular of the time, using books written by Zora Neale Hurston, and even scouring the internet. I must admit that I have never changed a historical fact to better fit a plot twist or necessity. I instead truly love the idea of fitting my characters into the sway of history...Allowing them to become a part of something read. It is as if they join a wave, a swelling wave of time that we already know. My hope is that is allows the reader to capture a sense of truth. These real moments become inextricably woven into their lives. Thanks so much for the great question.
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