SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Cynthia Terelst

Joining me today in The Loft is Australian author Cynthia Terelst. Cynthia works as a project officer by day. By night she writes young adult and contemporary romance, adding in her own formula of a little bit of history, some Australian scenery, and a whole lot of love. Cynthia currently resides in Queensland with two cats and two foster cats.

Author Cynthia Terelst

S: Good morning, Cynthia! Tell me, what's your favorite thing about writing romance?

C:  Helping people fall in love, whether it’s for the first time or the second time around. I like seeing how they grow and develop their relationship, while navigating the push and pull of love. I like to add real life issues to my writing. My first novel touched on domestic violence and my second deals with loss. I think including these topics makes the writing more powerful and shows there is always hope.

S:  Do you believe in love at first sight? Has it ever happened to you?

C:  I believe in attraction at first sight. You can be attracted to how someone looks and their personality. But I don’t think you can love someone until you know them and what makes them, them. I have never felt it myself, so it's hard for my logical mind to understand. Funny really, that a logical person writes about love.

S: (Smiles.) There is nothing logical about love. It comes in all shapes and sizes!

What’s the best advice you have ever given?

C:  Even if your partner is frustrating you and your relationship is rocky, it is important to show them appreciation. Everyone likes to feel that you notice the good that they do.

S: (Nods.) I think that's missing in some relationships. People do need to know that they are appreciated.

Do you ever have a problem ending a book?

C:  The ending is not the problem. The problem for me is when the bad guy closes in, that last pivot point, when the couple feels there is no point in going on. I just want the couple to end up together. I find it hard to keep them apart for too long. But that time apart is important for their growth and to strengthen what comes next.

S: What are you currently working on?

C: My second novel is a second chance romance called "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie." Tara and Shepherd have been apart for five years but when they join forces in a scavenger hunt, sparks fly. Even though their feelings for each other are genuine, it is hard to put the past behind them. It is about loss, trust, and love.

S: Tell me about your book, "The Cat's out of the Bag."

C: Sure. Here's the blurb--

One van. Two hearts. Thousands of kilometres.

Jesse’s a self-made billionaire who yearns to get away from his empty life and the money-hungry parasites who inhabit it. The plan? Go to Australia, tell no one about his money and find himself. Instead of finding just himself, he finds Evie, who is everything anyone should aspire to be. Now, what he aspires to be, is hers. But to be hers, he needs to tell her everything.

Evie has left her past behind. She has rebuilt herself, and her life, into one of happiness. After she meets Jesse, while volunteering at a cat shelter, memories of her past filter back in. She is stronger now and wants to trust him. But after all she has been through, is trust even possible?

The quest to find a cat a forever home leads them to travel across the country together. Can the close quarters drive them to open up to each other? Or will it drive them apart?