Off The Beaten Path with Cynthia Ellingsen

Here we are again at Off The Beaten Path!  A once-a-month opportunity to get to know a very special romance or women’s fiction author, in a fun and hopefully interactive way.   We all like to get to know our favorite authors a little better, and I want to make that fun for everyone.

This month, I’m so excited to have the fabulous Cynthia Ellingsen here!!

*cue applause*

Cynthia and I met at this past summer’s RWA National Conference, where our mutual editor introduced us at the Berkley cocktail party.  We were fast friends!  What fun we had out on the patio (waiting for the heater) brainstorming promo ideas and people watching.  🙂  Cynthia is hysterically funny, witty, gorgeous, fearless, and one of those rare people that look you in the eye with so much intensity and genuine interest in what you’re saying, that it blows you away.  She’s a gem, this one!  And a very talented author as well!  Her first book, THE WHOLE PACKAGE, came out last year, and it’s a hoot!  If you love stories about best friends and the crazy antics they can get into, this one’s for you!  And she’s got another winner on the way with MARRIAGE MATTERS in March!  (available for preorder!)

But I’m going to let Cynthia talk now…  so…  🙂

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Me:  Hey Cynthia!! *waving from Texas*  First question…Top ingredients on any food product are the primary make up of that food.  What top three words would you use to describe yourself?  And you can’t use “writer”, because that’s too easy.  🙂

Cynthia:  *waves from Kentucky*   1) Funny, 2) friendly, 3) Aries. 

Me:   I love candles and burn them year round, and my family knows my preferences when it comes to scents.  What are yours?  If not candles, maybe lotion or cologne?

Cynthia:   Vanilla! I love the smell of a vanilla candle or a pumpkin spice candle. And I wish they could create a candle called “fireplace”, because I absolutely love that smell.

Me:  Oh…I would love a “fireplace” one too.   Okay, next question… I cry at sad movies…especially animal ones.   What type of movies take you down?

Cynthia:   Dead Poet’s Society. It’s so good, so inspirational. I think I’ve cried every single time I’ve seen it.

 

Me:   If you could go back and tell your younger self one important thing, what would it be?

Cynthia:   To buy stock in Apple! And Starbucks! And Apple! (Oh, dear. Was this answer supposed to be something uplifting? Fail.)

 

Me:  (laughing)  Starbucks is like the mother ship to me, as well as a tall glass of sweet tea. What is your favorite beverage?

Cynthia:   I really love a hearty smoothie with blueberries and whatever else. A café by my house sells one with peanut butter and blueberries. So good – like drinking a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

Me:  Okay now I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…sigh.  🙂   If you could pick a dream vacation where money was no object, what would it be?

Cynthia:   Ooh, a Four Seasons getaway in Maui and Kauai with my husband. Hawaii’s so beautiful – we love it. When are you sending the tickets again? I’ve already got my lei on!

 

Me:   Sure!!!  Tickets are on their way, via carrier pigeon!  LOL!   Okay… If you could go back and revisit another day at any point in your life, what would it be?

Cynthia:   Aww, how fun would that be?! I vote for any holiday with my whole family. Such good memories.

 

Me:   I know you and I already did this together over Karen White, but is there anyone else you would be a total crazy fan girl over if you met them in person?

Cynthia:   Ha! Yes, I’m sure Karen White was like, “Whoa. Who are these two crazy girls?” But she was so awesome.  If given the opportunity to flip out again, I think I’d probably get gaga over any author I read all the time when I was young. Judy Blume, obviously. Beverly Cleary, for sure. Ann M. Martin, no question.   And if we want to stroll away from literary and on over to the favorite band category, I would light up like a Christmas tree if I bumped into Coldplay on the street. And in this scenario, they’d certainly be singing.

 

Me:   What is your favorite curl-up-on-the-couch-and-hibernate comfort food?

Cynthia:   Anything salty. I went through a big Cheetos phase. It’s probably for the best that’s over.

 

Me:   Don’t even get me started on Cheetos.  O.o   So… what is your favorite all time movie that you could watch over and over?

Cynthia:   Since we’re approaching the holiday season, I’m gonna go with a whole series: A Christmas Story, Rudolph and Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation. Snuggled up with the hubs, a big fuzzy blanket and some snacks, this sounds like a perfect scenario.

 

Absolutely amazing to have Cynthia here with us today, and now she’s graciously giving away a signed copy of her book, THE WHOLE PACKAGE!  I’m telling you, you don’t want to miss this!   Leave a comment for Cynthia below, and a random winner will be chosen tonight to win! 

So jump in there and enter!!  Good luck!

Cynthia is an author and screenwriter who lives in Lexington, KY with her husband.  THE WHOLE PACKAGE is her debut novel, and her second novel, MARRIAGE MATTERS, will be out in March 2013.