The Time is Now (AKA Book News)
A long awaited announcement, and what brings me to making it.
What if We Define Our Limits?
Recently I read the most inspirational Substack I’ve seen in a long time. In it, Dan Blank of The Creative Shift focuses on artists in their 90s. These nonagenarians are still making art, still creating.
Everything they say inspires me. Like this:
Or this:
But you know what really gets to me? It’s when one of the artists gazes at a photo of himself in middle age and says he wishes he could be that age again.
Think about that. He doesn’t want to be young. He wants what many of us have right now. Why? Because when he was our age, he was being his most authentic, creative self.
Here’s what I take from that: At 90, I don’t want to look back at now and wish I’d had more faith—in myself and my art.
What if Now is the Time?
As a creative, you answer only to your art. No one else gets to decide. If you have breath in your body and a mind that functions, you can create when, if, and for as long as you like.
I’ve been a storyteller my whole life. I’ve been asked which of my stories is my favorite, and I say that’s like asking which child is your favorite.
Like children, our art tell us when it’s ready to be in the world. No one knows a creator’s work as well as the creation itself.
Trust it, friends.
What if a New Novel is Coming Your Way?
All this leads me an announcement: I have a new novel coming out in Fall 2024!
I’m thrilled to announce that Anyone But Her, a psychological thriller and mother-daughter ghost story, will soon be available locally in Denver and everywhere online.
Anyone But Her will be published under my own imprint. Yes, folks—I’m now in the indie publishing business. It’s not a decision I take lightly. In addition to working on this book for years, I’ve been poring over research, asking industry experts and my insightful fellow authors to weigh in, and talking with my agent about it. Through it all, my reasons remain clear: Traditional publishing moves at a glacial pace and gives authors little control, while the timeline for indie publishing is decided by the indie publisher herself.
The time is now. This book is ready for you, readers—and I hope you’re ready for it!
Anyone But Her: A Novel by Cynthia Swanson
Knowledge has a price…
In 1979, when clairvoyant Suzanne Parry is 14, her mother, Alex, is killed during a robbery at Alex’s store, Zoe’s Records in Denver. After Alex’s ghost raises alarm bells about Suzanne’s father’s new girlfriend, what Suzanne can’t foresee is the lifelong consequences as she heeds Alex’s warnings.
Twenty-five years later, returning to Denver with her family, Suzanne must reckon with the ghosts—and repercussions—of the past. While struggling to untangle all that has occurred, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched, and that she—and her children—are in danger.
What if she knows too little? What if she discovers too much?
Coming Fall 2024! Cover reveal and more info coming soon.
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What If We Connect?
Along with Dan Blank’s The Creative Shift, I’m inspired by self-described “content writer, marketing consultant, and ‘word nerd’” Beth Hayden, who writes about vulnerability hangovers in The Roller Coaster. Beth, who has ADHD and bipolar disorder, bravely brings these issues to the forefront—and then immediately questions whether she made the right decision.
Haven’t we all been there? I’m a bit “there” at the moment, having just announced Anyone But Her. Will I have a vulnerability hangover? Time will tell—but right now, I’m thrilled to be sipping this drink.
What about you? Have you experienced a vulnerability hangover? If you’d like to share, please comment. Or drop me a line—I’m happy to chat one-on-one.
What If We Create—Together?
I’m excited to teach the class “Setting as Character” at Douglas County Libraries on Wednesday, April 17. This class is full—but registration is open for my two craft seminars at Lighthouse Writers’ Lit Fest in June:
If you’re registered for my DCL class next week, I’ll see you there. And I hope to see you at Lit Fest!
What If We Step Out?
This weekend, I’m off to Seattle for Left Coast Crime: Seattle Shakedown. The last time I was in Seattle was in 2016 on a family visit. Above are my twins, such littles back then, checking out salmon swimming upstream at the Ballard Locks.
Besides the conference, I’m visiting my cousin, bookseller extraordinaire Mary of Secret Garden Books. Follow their Instagram @secretgardenbks, where Mary posts a pic of every dog that comes into the bookstore.
If you’ll be at LCC, look for me at Author Speed Dating on Thursday morning and on a Sunday morning panel about editing. Or just find me hanging around!
Can’t make it this year? If you’re in Denver, registration is open for Left Coast Crime 2025: Rocky Mountain Hijinks. Will I be there? Um…that’s a yes!
So very familiar with the vulnerability hangover! Every time I publish something online and someone else comments on it, I remember, "Oh yeah. I just shared this all publicly," and there's always some level of discomfort I have to sit with. I then have to remind myself that it is worth it because often the person who commented (or perhaps reached out privately) read something that made them feel seen or validated in some way. And that connection makes the risk I took to share feel worthwhile.