In the weeks and months to come, I plan to post interviews from authors at all stages of their career. For my first interview, it’s my absolute pleasure to welcome Cindy Van Wilder – an author with numerous published French-language fantasy and contemporary books.
I met Cindy when I joined Twitter in August 2018 – in fact, she responded to my very first tweet asking for a critique partner for the first draft of A Child’s Awakening (then called simply The Commune). Cindy very kindly agreed to be my CP and has supported me ever since. I’ve also had the honour of beta reading some of Cindy’s projects which has been a fantastic experience. They’re not only an amazing writer, but a wonderful and kind person too. We have become firm friends and I would not be where I am without their ongoing support and belief in my books. (They also hosted an interview with me on their website which can be found here.)
So, without further ado, over to the interview:
Hello Cindy! Thank you for agreeing to be my *first* author interview. So, first of all – tell me a little bit about yourself!
Hello Lucy and thank you for this interview – first English-speaking one, that’s a première! So I’m Cindy, well in my thirties, born in Belgium, still living there. I’m a technical translator and a writer, I’ve published 8 books (all in French, no translation available yet unfortunately!) so far, mainly fantasy and YA novels.
What’s the name of your current book? Can you give a brief outline of the plot (spoiler-free, of course)?
The one I’m currently working on a project called the Last Shadow – temporary title. It’s a fantasy one-shot. Think of V for Vendetta meets Dracula and you’d have a tiny hint at what it is about!
(Sidenote from Lucy: I can confirm The Last Shadow is going to be FANTASTIC – this is one to look out for).
When is your book available? Where can we get our hands on it?
Very good question! This project isn’t under any contract, and besides, I’m going to take my time working on it, which is, if I’m honest, one of the many pleasures when writing!
Why do you write in your chosen genre? What’s your favourite thing about it?
For me, fantasy first represents escapism. It’s a wide-open door to another world, where you can give free rein to your creative capacity.
In my opinion, this does not prevent from giving some food for thought about our society. On the contrary: it allows us to look at it through a different prism.
We still too often confuse fantasy with relaxed reading, only talking about combat and adventure. To do so is to ignore the diversity of this literature, its philosophical scope as well.
What got you into writing? What do you enjoy most about it?
For as long as I remember, I’ve always loved writing. I think it’s written in my DNA! I often said I’ve got a Muse in my head and it almost never stops whispering ideas and giving me plot bunnies, that’s for sure!
The thing I love most about writing is being able to get lost in it. I don’t like making plans beforehand, I’m definitely not what you call a plotter. I prefer to let myself be carried along by the imagination, to see where it takes me. Let myself be surprised by the characters, see what happens when they take over.
Last but not least, it has given me many opportunities to meet wonderful people, many of them have become friends (that’s including you!).
What do you do when you’re not writing? What are your favourite things to do?
I’m not going to be very original on this point – I like to read, spend time with family and friends, travelling, etc.
I think we have to get two big clichés about writers out of our heads: one, that they are people who were born with something different, as if they had been touched by divine grace, when in truth they are people like anyone else, who just have this passion, this driving force to create and draw stories.
Secondly, we must also put an end to the myth of the misanthropic writer hiding in his ivory tower and observing the world around him from a great distance. Because of our passion which has become a full-time occupation for some, we are connected to the world, we have our finger on its pulse. We examine our society, we question it, we highlight its flaws and we challenge the people reading us – what can we do to make it better? How can we improve it?
Where can we learn more about you and your books?
I have a website with all kinds of useful information here: both in French & English (although I must put some effort in updating this version, sorry!).
Thank you for your time!
Thanks Lucy!
Thank you again to Cindy for taking the time to answer these questions! Do check out their website – you can also find them on Twitter.
Lucy A. McLaren 
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