Interview: All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.
Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?

See my review HERE

About Cindi:

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children.

Cindi’s Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cindimadsen

Website: http://cindimadsen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindiMadsenBooks

Blog: http://cindimadsen.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425135-all-the-broken-pieces

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

All the Broken Pieces is a gothic mystery where a girl with warring voices in her head tries to piece together her broken past.

--How did you get the idea for the story?  It would be spoilery to say exactly how, but when I thought of it, I was crazy excited to write it. I went about creating a character with sort of two sides pulling her, a mix of two personalities that would clash, and built the mystery on why she was that way. And of course I wanted a cute boy to help her out, a broken boy, who when they get together, they sort of fix each other. 

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

--Do you have any other works in progress? Yes, I’ve got another YA book in the works and until then I’ll be releasing some adult contemporary romance. Falling for My Fiancé early 2013 and Cinderella Screwed Me Over in October 2013

--What book(s) is your book’s “cousin”? (Similar set-up or style)

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read? I have so many favorites I’m almost scared to list them because I know I’ll forget. Witch of Blackbird Pond By Elizabeth George Speare is the first book I fell in love with, both the story and Nat, the guy. The Shade Series by Jeri Smith-Ready is great, Hourglass series by Myra McEntire. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (I’m pretty obsessed with Tucker), Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is amazing! Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins—OMG, Kaiden! Something Like Normal by Trish Dollar blew me away, and Gayle Forman’s books are amazing. Unmaking Hunter Kennedy by Anne Eliot made me really happy. See, a lot, and I know I left some out. I try to still take time to read because I do love to get lost in a story, but I’ve gotten busier and busier this year, so it’s not always easy.

--If a fairy godmother told you could be put into the world of your favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why? I think I’d pick the Scorpio Races. I loved that book and it reminded me of home a bit, because I grew up on a farm and I swear my sister is EXACTLY like Puck. I’d like to see that race. I wouldn’t be brave enough to ride in it, but it’d be fascinating to watch.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote? Music and Mountain Dew. When it comes to editing, I usually also throw in sour gummi worms & peanut M&Ms. I consider 30 Seconds To Mars “Hurricane” kind of the theme song for this book. Some of the lyrics just fit perfectly. Angels & Airwaves “Breathe” is another one, and I listened to a lot of Flyleaf & Green Day and pretty much anything with the word “Broken” in it, even though my original title didn’t have it in there. I guess that means that it was meant to be *grin*

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Probably flying. It’d be cool and then I could visit all my friends and family that live too far away without having to board a plane and deal with all the delays.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time? Play with my kids, dance as much as possible, and watch movies & TV. And of course read.

--What is one thing you would tell your 15 year old self? Keep on rocking the fashion you like, even though no one else seems to get it. Someday it’ll be part of who you are, and you’ll be proud of it.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers? Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! When I write my books, what I want to accomplish is a couple of laughs, some good banter between the hero & heroine, and to make people fall in love with my characters.

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate? chocolate

Edward or Jacob? Edward

Hockey or soccer? Soccer

Ebook or paper? Paper, though I love my ebooks too.

Salty or sweet? Sweet

Beach or mountains? Super tough, but beach wins out because of the warmth factor

Phone call or email? Phone call for family & my best friends, email for everyone else

Early bird or night owl? Night owl all the way

Dog or cat? Cat

Messy or neat? Messy

Ninjas or pirates? ninjas

Praise for All the Broken Pieces:

"Kept me guessing and frantically flipping the pages. A unique story I couldn't help but fall in love with." -- Nyrae Dawn, author of Charade

"[An] interesting story of a girl who can't remember her early life…Liv's high school relationships, especially her conflicts with the popular girls and her first dealings with romance, ring nicely true. Intriguing."  – Kirkus Reviews

Buy Links:

Amazon (paperback): http://www.amazon.com/All-Broken-Pieces-Cindi-Madsen/dp/1620611295/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353947263&sr=8-2&keywords=all+the+broken+pieces

Barnes & Noble (paperback): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-broken-pieces-cindi-madsen/1110678798?ean=9781620611296

BAM! (paperback): http://www.booksamillion.com/p/All-Broken-Pieces/Cindi-Madsen/9781620611296?id=5539474169913

Book Depository (paperback, released January 3, 2013): http://www.bookdepository.com/All-Broken-Pieces-Cindi-Madsen/9781620611296