Author Cindy C Bennett drops in with book Geek Girl!

Author Bio 

Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She and her husband raised two daughters, two sons, and a plethora of pets without wandering far from the fold. They’ve now added two beautiful daughters-in-law to their family. In addition to writing YA fiction, she volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures that constantly inspire her stories. She developed a love of writing in high-school English, when a teacher introduced her to the joys of escaping reality for ten minutes each day in writing. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails (notice there is no mention of cleaning, cooking, or anything vaguely domestic) she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home. Learn more at www.cindycbennett.com.

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Geek Girl:

Jen’s teenage life of rebelling and sneaking out is growing stale. In an effort to combat her boredom, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a nice geek, into a “bad boy.” Unexpectedly, she is pulled into Trevor’s world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even--ugh!--bowling. Jen discovers that hanging out with Trevor isn't so bad after all.

But when Trevor finds out about the wager, all bets are off.

Heart on a Chain:

17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns.

Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him.

Kate can't figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely his attempts at friendship are a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her?

Immortal Mine:

Niahm (pronounced Neeve) Parker is thoroughly content with her life in the small town of Goshen. When Shane Coleman and his nephew Sam move into town, it's the biggest event to happen in as long as anyone can remember.

Sam is drawn to Niahm against his will. He'd prefer to not be bound to this angry, stubborn, unlikeable girl. For Immortals, love is not only forbidden, but dangerous for her.

Niahm finds herself attracted to the tall, copper-headed boy, who becomes her friend and then her support when tragedy strikes. Soon, she begins to realize that there may be more to Sam than she ever suspected... much more. But what he truly is, she can't begin to imagine.

Rapunzel Untangled:

Rapunzel is not your average teenager. For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction.

But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.

Enchanted Fairytales: (Anthology)

Enchanted Fairytales is a retelling of five different fairytales from the imagination of Cindy C Bennett.

Beautiful Beast: Though she knows it's cruel, Calli agrees to accompany her friends to Monster House where it is rumored the beast howls at the moon each sunset. Alex believes Calli has bribed her way into his home in order to get a look at the beast of Monster House, and is determined to hate her. He isn't prepared as she batters down the hard walls of his soul with her kindness and humor.

Red and the Wolf: Three years ago, Rafe Wolfe left their tiny mountain burg of Piera, leaving Ruby Hood behind to mend her shattered heart. Now, Rafe has come home to compete with his brother Lowell for Ruby's heart. But Rafe and Lowell have intimate knowledge of the wolf attacks that threaten their home. Can Ruby live with the same knowledge, or will it forever destroy her?

Snow White: Left at the mercy of her stepmother Katarina, Snow White is sent into the forest to be killed. Escaping, she stumbles upon an enchanted village created by Katarina to entrap Prince Philip after he spurned her. Philip believes Snow White is the one spoken of who can break the curse that holds Fableton. Snow's only hope of winning freedom for herself and Fableton is to defeat the evil and powerful Katarina.

The Unmasking of Cinderella: Amella Augustus has lived under her stepmother's cruel reign since her father's death. Then she runs into Char - literally. Just when Amella begins to believe she's found her happily ever after, Iona pounces in threatening to take away Amella’s dreams of happiness. Now Amella must take charge of her own destiny, and make a decision that can either give her the peace she’s longed for . . . or return her to the misery she’s lived in for so long.

The White Swan: Benno von Rothbart, a powereful sorcerer, is jealous of Odette's love for Victor. Victor and Odette are unaware of Benno's powers and manipulations to come between them and win Odette for himself. When Benno uses his powers to transform Odette into a swan, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom and for Victor in this retelling of the classic Swan Lake fairytale.

In the Beginning: (Short Story from It’s a Love Thing)

Before coming to Earth Alashon and Vindar vow to find one another. The vow is not made lightly: if they fail, they will spend their eternity’s alone.

Drake has lived a hard life. In and out of trouble with the law, sentenced to juvenile corrections and finally released to the custody of his parole officer, the strange, surfer-dude Tom, Drake is forced to move to the tiny beach town of Seaside. There, he meets Megan, Tom’s off-limits daughter. Though he tries to avoid her, it seems she turns up constantly in his life. It isn’t long before he finds himself looking forward to visits from the ultra-optimistic Megan. But does she really care for Drake, or is he just another charity case? And why does she seem so very familiar to him?

Reluctance: (Short Story)

Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She's set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.

Watched: (Short Story from Screams in the Night)

Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Beasley has it all. She's a top student, head cheerleader, popular, with a great boyfriend. But she also has it.

It stands in the corner of her bedroom in the dark of night, watching, waiting. Always waiting. Until it follows her out of her room for the first time ever, bringing her terror to a new level.

Soon, Steph is losing sleep, unable to function, stressed about when it will make its move. And when it does, she'll be forced to do anything she must to protect those she loves. 

Interview: 

1) What is your all-time favorite book and why? 

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, which is odd since it's completely outside of the genre I write and generally read (YA). It's a historical romance so it's strange that it's my all-time fave, but I love the language used in the writing and descriptions, the flawed hero, the unusual heroine, the intensely romantic love story. 

2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why? 

I don't compare myself to anyone because I feel authors are unique with their own voice, and I don’t think it’s fair to try to say my writing is as good as someone elses. My characters are mostly teens or young adults, living in a contemporary world, so I suppose they'd relate to other characters in the same situation. 

3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it? 

“You, Kate, I fell in love with you! With your strength and courage, with your naiveté and innocence, your unschooled sense of humor. With your loyalty and how willingly you gave your love and trust.” 

This quote is from Henry to Kate in Heart on a Chain when he’s trying to convince her to take him back. I like it because he’s taking about her qualities without mentioning anything about her physical self. It’s important to me for my characters to fall in love with someone not because of how they look but because of how they are. 

4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing? 

Almost everything in the world can be an inspiration if you just open your mind. Romantic stories, lyrics, movies probably inspire me more than anything, but honestly, just the world in general. My husband and I recently returned from a trip and I have oodles of characters in my head bursting to be released simply from observing others around me. Sometimes something as simple as a thunderstorm inspires me, or the way the sun slants through a tree. 

5) Describe your typical writing day or week. 

I write best in the middle of the night. I begin writing heavily around 10 pm and write usually until around 4 or 5 am. I sleep until noon, then get up, get ready, and work on marketing. Marketing is something I can fairly easily stop in the middle of to take care of family, life, whatever. I hate stopping in the middle of writing, so that's why nighttime writing works best for me - no one to interrupt me. 

6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

Water always to drink, because I don't want to have to get up if I'm thirsty. And usually I have chocolate of some kind nearby. 

7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)? 

I'm nearly finished with a book I'm writing with Jeffery Moore, a YA sci-fi, again outside my usual genre. I don't have a cover yet, nor an official blurb, but it's about a creature who wakes up on earth inside of a human teen with no memory of who she is or where she came from. It's a novel of self-discovery, and finding the person she’s meant to be with. I'm also writing a book (I'm about 1/2 way through) that's a contemporary YA romance with a hero who feels no emotion, and a heroine who has extremely unusual home circumstances (not abuse), making them both a bit broken. (I may have the one book finished before 6/21 so if I do I'll send the info at that time and change this answer) 

Excerpt: Rapunzel Untangled 

RG: If I can discover my address, then I'll tell you where to find the correct trellis. There might be more.

Fab Fane Flannigan: You genuinely don't know your address? Huh. Weird. Okay. Maybe I can find you by your last name if it's not common.

RG: I know the name of my house. Does that help? It's actually my own last name.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Your house has a name? Can't be too many of those, so maybe that will help. Especially if it's also your last name and your last name isn't Smith or Lee.

Rapunzel took a deep breath, then plunged.

RG: My last name is Gothel. I live at Gothel Manor. Do you know where it is?

The cursor flashed for so long without response Rapunzel thought he'd signed off. It showed him as still online, though. Maybe he was Googling the information. She smacked her forehead. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that all this time? She probably could have discovered her own address in that same manner and not had to let him know that she didn't know where she lived. She moved her mouse to open a new tab for that very purpose when his message came.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Sorry. Just a bit stunned, here. Are you saying you live at GOTHEL MANSION??? The Gothel Mansion? I'm having a hard time believing that. You’ve been playing me this whole time? Is that the reason for all the secrecy? I'm just kind of feeling . . . disbelieving, I guess.

Rapunzel stared at his words. Was her home well known? Why did he call it Gothel Mansion instead of Gothel Manor? And why did he think she was kidding about living here?

RG: My mother calls it Gothel Manor, so maybe that's different?

Fab Fane Flannigan: No, Rapunzel, there's only one that I know of. It has to be the same. Are you telling me the truth here?

RG: Yes, of course.

She made a decision.

RG: Okay, time for me to stop being so "secretive" as you say. But I have good reasons for being so. I have a disease

She stopped and deleted the last four words.

RG: I can't go outside because if I do I will get very sick. I live in a specific area of the house. It's the southeast corner. I only know that because I have a compass. I don't know my address because I've never had any reason to need to know it. I suppose I could have Googled it, but honestly the thought never crossed my mind. Is it weird that I live here?

There was no response again for a few long minutes before he answered.

Fab Fane Flannigan: No, not weird, just . . . never mind. So you live in the tower?

RG: Uh, the tower? I don't know. Is it a tower?

Fab Fane Flannigan: Yes, it is. I know where it is. I'll be there Friday at 8.

Rapunzel sensed the difference in his tone. Something wasn't right.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Rapunzel, promise me one thing.

RG: Okay.

Fab Fane Flannigan: Don't Google your house.