Louise Cypress
I recently found this indie author, Louise Cypress, via a blog my mom signed up for called The YA Gal. Although, I have only read one of her books I absolutely loved her writing style and the topics that she chooses to write about. Slay Me, the third book in her Puritan Coven Series will be released later this month. So, I was able to ask her some questions on lots of different topics and about her Puritan Coven Series.
I would like to thank Louise for taking the time to answer my questions and to celebrat my blog’s 4th Blogoversary. You are great and I really appreciate it.
Personal
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
I grew up in San Diego but went to public school in La Jolla, which is an elite beach community in Southern California. The public schools in La Jolla had so much more money than my neighborhood schools, that they were able to offer programs like Latin, archery, and Junior Model United Nations. My parents sacrificed a lot of time and energy to drive me to La Jolla each day. Some years I was in a carpool, which provided fodder for BOOKS, BOYS, AND REVENGE, but usually, the burden of commuting was on my mom and dad.
What made you want to become a writer?
I started writing in sixth grade by journaling in my diary every day. I was in a split 5th/6th-grade class and there were only four girls in my grade. That led to a lot of girl drama that I chronicled in my diaries. Later in life, when I was in my twenties, I used those diaries to write BOOKS, BOYS, AND REVENGE. But I didn’t publish BOOKS, BOYS, AND REVENGE until 2017. By then I already had lots of books in my head that I wanted to write down.
What book that you have read has most influenced your life?
My three favorite books growing up were ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, LITTLE WOMEN, and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE. I love books about smart, creative women who are resourceful problem solvers. I read all three of those books so much that I had parts of them memorized.
Who is your favorite author?
L.M. Montgomery is my favorite author. I own every book she wrote and have read them all many times. As an adult, I learned something about the creator of Anne Gables that I never knew. She took her own life at age 67. Her family finally revealed this information so they could help other people with depression. Now, looking back at the body of L.M. Montgomery’s work, it’s clear that a lot of her characters showed symptoms of depression. Even Anne Shirley feels emotions deeper, and more intensely than what society would consider “normal.” Most people don’t have “white nights” or fall into “the depths despair.” It saddens me that one of my favorite authors lived in a time when there weren’t yet therapeutic methods or medicines to help her.
What is the first book that made you cry?
LITTLE WOMEN made me cry rivers. You can whisper the words “Beth March” to me and the waterworks start.
What do you want your tombstone to say?
Nothing! I want to be cremated. It’s better for the environment.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to lay my hands on the faces of a person with Alzheimer’s disease and help them regain their memories.
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before (real or imaginary)?
I would love to go to Australia. My grandma took me to Tahiti and Bora Bora once, and I fell in love with the Southern Hemisphere.
Writing Style
What do you love most about your writing process?
I’m a big believer in outlines. For The Puritan Coven series, I created a fifty-five-page encyclopedia of all the characters. Then I outlined the entire plot of BITE ME before I wrote one word. Now, I use that encyclopedia as I write the rest of the series. BITE ME, HUNT ME, and SLAY ME are already finished, but I want to write a fourth book called FIGHT ME that is based on Gwen. Outlines keep me on track and make the writing process fast.
Do you like music or silence?
I love writing with music in the background. When I write vampire battle scenes, I always listen to the soundtrack from Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Do you have goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes?
When I write a book from The Puritan Coven series, I commit to 3,000 words a day.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
Since I’m a fan of outlining, my characters do what I tell them to do—or rather, what the outline tells them to do.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Social media interferes with creative writing faster than I can say “Let me go check Instagram.”
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’m in a writing group with Laura Moe, Penelope Wright, and Sharman Badgett-Young. All three of them are published authors. We exchange thirty pages each time we meet and provide invaluable critiques on works in progress.
How important are character names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
In BITE ME, I named Van after Professor Abraham Van Helsing, the famous vampire slayer. But the rest of the names are chosen based on current trends.
Book/Series
What is your favorite part of The Puritan Coven Series?
I don’t want to give away spoilers, but my favorite part of The Puritan Coven Series is the epic taxidermy battle scene at the end of SLAY ME. When I was in college I worked at a Girl Scout camp that had a huge taxidermy collection. Taxidermy has amused/terrified me ever since.
Is anything in your series based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
I based the character of Daisy, Morgan’s step-mom, on a step-mom in my Girl Scout troop. Daisy is the best, most enthusiastic step-mom ever, just like the woman in my troop. All the other moms would do a good job volunteering, but the step-mom took things to a different level. She was 100% love and devotion, with a bottomless well of patience. Daisy is like that too.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) of the series to write and why?
My favorite parts to write in The Puritan Coven were the tent trailer scenes that happen in HUNT ME. I love camping, but like Esma, don’t like sleeping on the ground. I spent a lot of summers at Girl Scout camp sleeping on cots and bunk beds, and so a tent trailer seems like a big luxury. Again, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but when the Bridge Babes roll up in their pink Winnebago, I’m kind of jealous. Someday when I’m eighty years old, I’d love to be just like them—except human.
How did you come up with the titles?
Not very carefully. I think it would have been better if I had fit the word “Vampire” into my title or series title, but I realized that too late.
If you could spend time with a character from your Puritan Coven Series whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13, please 🙂 )
All of The Puritan Coven Series is PG, so no problem on that accord! I think it would be fun to go on an all-girls vampire camping trip with Morgan, Esma, and Cassandra. But it would also be fun to join the Puritans on a trip to the Sisters of Purity motherhouse for Christmas. That’s what book four would/will be about. On the plane ride over Morgan will finally tell Gwen the devastating truth about what happened to Greg, Gwen devoured him at prom.
Do you have any other books coming out this year?
My next book is really different, and if my YA readers don’t stick with me that’s okay. It’s called THE GIFT OF GOODBYE, and it’s a middle-grade book for kids who have a grandma or grandpa with Alzheimer’s disease. This is a book that will make you laugh, make you cry, and also (hopefully) foster important conversations about what happens when a loved one has dementia.
If you would like to check out more about Louise Cypress please see the links below:
These are the books she currently has out:
These books will be realeased soon:
Thank you again, Louise for making time and celebrating my 4th Blogoversary with me.
Until the next time, happy reading!
Baroness’ Book Trove
Leave a Reply