Sydney also writes as Cynthia Meyers-Hanson when writing non-fiction/kid lit.
Works Out by Sydney S. Song is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Works Out (Life's Crazy)
UK: Works Out (Life's Crazy)
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| Works Out by Sydney S. Song |
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Author Quiz interviews Sydney S. Song...
Is there anything about you or your writing that makes you unique from other authors?
Unlike many novelists or children’s literature authors, I started writing non-fiction rather than fiction. Some people dream of being authors; my writing began as what could be described as a nightmare! As my mother died, her experiences ran the gamut from going through all the grieving steps a terminal soul follows to having what would be called a Christian NDE- if she had lived. I was in the room most of the times that she visited with God, Jesus, or multitudes of angels and souls. Believing everything she said even during what others called babbling, I became her translator. When most of her messages from God panned out, people in Orlando buzzed with the story of my parent’s death or Cindy’s tale. My grief counselor listened to my version of the events requiring I write my first book: Mom’s on the Roof and I can’t Get Her Down; that was 1991. Starting in 2000 (the new millennium), God’s prophecies through my mother as found in my first book began to materialize; my story- copyrighted in 1994- was proving itself as the truth! How miraculous! Do you want to know the details of the prophecy? Buy my non-fictions including the one about my mother and My ArmOr. It was many years later that I began dabbling with novel ideas, YA stories, and kid lit.
Where did the inspiration for your latest novel, Works Out, come from?
Quite startling to us all, my mother’s best friend lost her child to cancer while that older woman suffered her own bout with breast cancer. The younger of the two relatives died in her 40s; I attended my childhood friend’s funeral but her mother was so surrounded by love and attention that we barely got to talk about her daughter. I went back months later when it appeared that the cancer was claiming that mother. We talked for hours about love and marriage, fabulous vacations, and our lives including jobs. We spent two days chatting breaking to eat and to sleep, only. As I left that last face to face meeting, my second mother remarked that I thoroughly entertained her; and she suggested that I write my stories. My version of Tuesdays with Morrie became a trilogy about love and marriage, crazy vacations, and what it was like to be in computer technology before Microsoft and Apple even existed. Plus, the unique part of my novels based on true life experiences has the younger soul not the dying person leading the conversation’s insights.
If your book, Works Out, was made into a movie who would you want to play the main character and why?
People say I look like Molly Shannon in her role as ‘Super Star.’ I believe that movie star stalked me as a teen because I am Catholic and clumsy. Plus, in my younger years, I did resemble that factious character. Since Molly knows how to play me to a T, she needs to be Bonnie in my trilogy especially the movie based on my book Works Out.
Are any of your characters based heavily on people you know or have met from real life and if so, would they regard it as a compliment or an insult to discover they were the inspiration for the character in question?
I have had about 10 coffee clutch pals during my adult years. Many of them are more outspoken and brazen than me. On the other hand, some are more prudish and provincial. Then, again, some of those women are very similar to me in the way they express themselves. If you ask the clever and self-assured gals if they recognize some of themselves in Ruthie, they’d brag and claim all her best lines. If you asked the reserved pals if they are offended that you’d ever think they are anything like Ruthie, they’d say, “Yes I’m highly insulted!” The friends most like me would nod and smirk possibly pulling out clever lines they wish they’d thought in time to insert into our ongoing conversations so that they could point out their silly dialog captured for posterity.
If you could go back to the moment when you completed your first book and were at the stage where you were ready to release it to the world, is there anything you would do differently this time with regard to promotion?
I used a small publisher that messed up so many things. I started writing pre-mass technology and the eBook revolution. If I had it to do over in the Re-release phase of my first title into this era, I’d have done some book launch events in Facebook and so on. I’d have made that title an eBook sooner. I’d have done it myself instead of thinking a small publisher might be the stepping stone to fame for my book- and me. I’d have slowly released all the books that followed mom’s story instead of jumping in with all the copies ready as print and eBooks all at once. I think I unwittingly overwhelmed my audience.
How do you see the publishing industry changing over the next few years?
Indie authors are not disappearing; they are multiplying like rabbits. However, what the big publishers offered that is missing in the e-world is time to do and get the marketing done right. I see PR firms rolling in to help launch future, bestselling authors and replacing the big publishing houses in that capacity. It’s already happening. As authors find less time to market, they are opting for that kind of help. I hope those assisting groups find the niche the old publish houses held taking a share of the profits instead of charging upfront fees for everything. In other words, if the PR Marketing groups see the true potential of a select few authors instead of going all in ‘for a fee’ to anyone professing to be a good writer, things might get less murky for the best authors or books in each genre. In other words, I see those marketing experts as the agent-publicity group pushing their writers’ talents the way agents do while being more choosey about whom they represent for marketing and PR.
Do you have a favorite review or has anyone expressed a particularly nice compliment about your writing which stands out as your most memorable piece of praise?
Going back to my first book entitled Mom’s on the Roof and I Can’t Get Her Down, many of the reviews are five stars as well as similar in that they say a nice family story that is inspirational. I appreciate those reviews since I didn’t solicit them, and they came from the heart of my readers. However, I wondered if anyone saw the main point of my writing or the reason people told me to write the miracle experiences down before I forgot those revelations of God. Then, along came this next review; it blew me away because someone directly mentioned the main thesis. The book takes you to and from Heaven without the reader having to die or experience a PERSONAL near death experience or incident.
On February 6, 2012, Kathleen Hagburg (Bayville, NJ) wrote, “Jean (my mom) is very proud!”
Her review stated, “If you're a skeptic wondering if Heaven exists, take this wonderful journey to the "Other Side" and back with Cynthia Meyers-Hanson. If you have ever lost a loved one you will find faith and comfort between the pages. A true story ~ yet reads like a novel. A must read for all Seekers.”
Do you opt for Digital Rights Management on your eBooks and would you recommend it to other authors?
I do DRM. People don’t move their dental fillings from their teeth to a friend or neighbor’s mouth. They don’t share their doctor prescribed drugs such as antibiotics with a friend. They don’t give away their cars to friends except through charitable donations such as to non-profit agencies. So, why do people think the hard work of an author is expendable? Why do they think RE-selling any book- even the paperback version- is fair and evenhanded? I recommend DRM. Authors work hard to write their master pieces! Why should their work be debased by giving it away without their say in that matter? Being a generous soul, I can and do give my tales away but you can’t and shouldn’t.
Is there a book out there which you feel is underrated and deserves a bigger audience?
I’m going to be bold and brazen. I say my nonfiction books are underrated especially mom’s miracle tale, which is full of prophecy that is coming true. That book in particular is proving itself to be authentic. What God shows me- and my co-authors in some cases- will blow your mind. You’ll wonder why you waited to read my stuff. People spend too much on psychic and other nonsense trying to locate their deceased, loved ones; my books tell you where they are and what it’s like in the afterlife for less than $20 per communication and less than $200 total if you bought the paper copies; my eBooks are even cheaper.
What would you say is your biggest strength as a writer?
My honesty is my strength and my weakness. Whether in my stories or a live conversation, you feel the genuineness of my tales. When I went into fiction, I had to keep telling people that I can fib, too. I write clearly and down to earth even as I discuss God and Heaven. Even my fictions seem to honest to goodness or true stories leaving me correcting my readers guessing about who, what, when, where, why, and how a scene happened in my real life.
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Thanks for your comments, Sydney, and good luck with your writing.
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Here's a short excerpt from Works Out:
In Works Out, Bonnie worked predominately with men during the dawn of Apple, Microsoft and the Internet, and she is retelling her story to a good friend.
“I asked about the office manual.” My eyes diverted down, “Ali told me that book was key to our department because our manager wrote it; that boss required that his group update and maintain it for prosperity as well as posterity.”
“Who was your manager?”
“One of the guys I trained back in the ‘good ole boys’ era. He got to go to the lab being promoted ahead of me. That man obviously appreciated my work but claimed it as his own.”
“Men! Can’t live with them or without them!” Ruthie attempted to break the tension.
“I could live without some of them!”
“Was he a ‘good ole boy'?”
“No, he was no good at all!” Chuckling, I added.
“What did you think about working for him and your new supervisor? Obviously, the cards were stacked against you.”
“The situation disappointed me but I figured that with a good attitude and some of the changes around me, I might survive.”
“You adopted a positive outlook. You do seem to chase the light at the end of dark tunnels.”
“As long as it isn’t a train in the night trying to derail me!” My wink reminded us that I was human with my own self-doubts and other challenges. “What happened next might amaze you!”
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Discover more about Sydney S. Song/Cynthia Meyers-Hanson and her writing at the following links:
mchanson714.blogspot.com
mchanson714.weebly.com
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| Sydney S. Song, author of Works Out |
Facebook: Cynthia Meyers-Hanson
Twitter: @Hanson8046
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Works Out by Sydney S. Song is available for Kindle from Amazon:
US: Works Out (Life's Crazy)
UK: Works Out (Life's Crazy)
Other books by Sydney S. Song on Amazon:
Amazon.com:
Mom's on the Roof and I Can't Get Her Down
The Vision
The S.H.E. Anthology
Amazon.co.uk:
Mom's on the Roof and I Can't Get Her Down
The Vision
The S.H.E. Anthology
You can also purchase Sydney S. Song's books from Smashwords:
Sydney S. Song's books on Smashwords
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