Interview with Cynthia Ellingsen about her brand new release Marriage Matters–"Writing Marriage Matters was also a blast,...The relationship between the three generations of women are adorable, as well as their love stories.

Please welcome Cynthia Ellingsen as she talks about her new release Marriage Matters.

Cynthia received the coveted 4.5 Gold Star review for Marriage Matters from

RT reviews magazine-“At times, this novel is so overwhelmingly romantic that it will bring genuine tears to readers' eyes, while numerous other parts will have them chuckling out loud. Lastly, the messages conveyed in regards to family intervention are tasteful and wholly familiar. Readers will enjoy every minute of their time with this very memorable and sweet novel.”
Publisher’s Weekly says–“readers will enjoy the comical wedding-planning journey and relate to characters who talk like actual people and deal with realistic relationship ups and downs.”
Booklist–“Ellingsen creates dynamic characters who are lovable, resilient, compassionate, and embroiled in a whole lot of family drama that readers will find themselves completely wrapped up in.”

Cynthia first, welcome to my blog

Tell us about Marriage Matters, great cover by the way.
Berkley did such a great job with this cover! The dried roses and snazzy Manolo Blahniks really set the tone for a fun, romantic story about love and family.

Marriage Matters is about three generations of women– mother, daughter, grandmother – who get engaged at the same time and decide to share the wedding. Part of the fun of writing Marriage Matters was exploring the relationships between the three women, their love interests and, of course, the ridiculous fun of planning a wedding with three brides.

Your road to “authordom” is fabulous. Can you tell us about it?
I always wanted to be a writer, but didn’t even know where to begin. When I was living in Hollywood, trying to break into the entertainment industry, my roommate convinced me to write a screenplay with her. It ended up getting optioned by a production company, along with our next script.

Around this time, my future husband moved across the country for a job. I had a huge decision to make: chase the dream in Hollywood or follow true love. I opted for the love, which was the best decision I ever made.

Since I didn’t know anyone in my new city, I spent my time writing The Whole Package. From there, I found my awesome agent and after submitting, submitting, submitting, ta-dum! I was so happy, I cried. Then, told my agent never to tell anyone that I cried.

You have great things to say about your literary agent. Why do you think an agent is important?
I love working with Daniel Lazar at Writer’s House. He has a wealth of industry knowledge, a great sense of humor and a keen sense of what sells. He helps on all of the business aspects that I’m clueless about, as well as serving as a tour guide for a long-term career.

This is your second published novel. Was this one easier to write than the first?
Writing my first novel, The Whole Package – a story about three best friends who open a hilarious, scandalous business together – was so much fun! I would laugh so hard, writing some of the scenes, that my husband would poke his head in the office and be like, “Uh… are you alright?”

Writing Marriage Matters was also a blast, but in a completely different way. The relationship between the three generations of women are adorable, as well as their love stories.

Honestly, most days I walked out of my office feeling like I’d just watched a Meg Ryan movie marathon or something.

Are you or anyone you know in any of your characters?
No, not at all. In Marriage Matters, my favorite character is June and I don’t know anyone like her. She’s a seventy-two year old, sassy grandmother who rocks stilettos and spies on her widowed neighbor, Charley. If you know her, I’d love to meet her!

In general, when writing characters, I just try to include the universal values that we, as women, share: A passion for family, friendship, family and chocolate.

If there is one thing you want your readers to get out of this novel, what would it be?
A fabulous vacation read to share with your daughter, mother or grandmother!

 What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m working on my third novel, with a goal of getting it out next year.

Is writing your only profession?
Yes, which is a dream come true! It’s definitely a full-time job and I love every second of it.

What’s the worst thing about being an author?
That I can no longer go to Barnes & Noble without rushing over to my books and snapping as many photos as possible. Sometimes, I even try to do the self-photo thing, which is never good. 

Cynthia thank you so much for visiting with us and good luck with the novel.
Do you have any signings or events planned?
Yes! I will be at the Southern Kentucky Bookfest in May, which is a Barnes & Noble event, as well as doing a signing in my hometown. Hopefully, we’ll be adding more events soon.

Visit my website at www.cynthiaellingsen.com to get the latest tour dates or come friend me at http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaellingsen

Thank you so much for chatting with me and I hope you enjoy Marriage Matters!

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