Dear friends and fans, readers and critics welcome back. We are coming up very fast on the release of An Honest Lie Volume 2: Delusions of Insignificance. 6 weeks until the release, maybe less now, and we have 4 authors and two staff yet to get interviewed. So, if you will, follow me down the cracked and tarnished yellow brick road of old and join me in the Emerald City of our minds.

This week we are speaking with Cynthia Witherspoon who sent us a sobering tale called My Own Making. Spunky and straight forward in her answers here she has a depth in her writing that I think is fabulous. Prolific in her local area she is working closely with another writer and mentor and I have to say I believe she has a bright future ahead. Don’t miss My Own Making in An Honest Lie Volume 2 and don’t miss Cynthia Witherspoon.

Open Heart Publishing: What do you feel is a delusion of insignificance?

Cynthia Witherspoon: [A delusion of insignificance is] the self-consciousness that writers are known for. So many great writers delude themselves into thinking their work is not good enough because they don’t have a celebrity name. Its more, sad than anything.

OHP: What is An Honest Lie?

C.W.: An Honest Lie, in my humble opinion, is any lie that we tell ourselves enough that it becomes truth.

OHP: Why do you feel the need to write?

C.W.: My characters are all extensions of myself and thus, the need to write is who I am. No day is complete unless I have something on the page. And no outfit is complete without a notebook and pen.

OHP: I like that, accessorize with your writing tools. Have you ever contemplated becoming involved in a revolution?

C.W.: No. But I do think that if someone believes an injustice is occurring, they should act to ensure that injustice is stopped; not just stand by and complain about their own unhappiness.

OHP: Do you think writers should call Ernest Hemmingway, Papa?

C.W.: Papa…? More like Grand Poobah or Master; Now Edgar Allen Poe? Definitely Papa Poe….

OHP: Papa Poe, now that’s priceless. Why did you decide to submit your work to An Honest Lie?

C.W.: Because I was extremely impressed with Open Heart Publishing and the quality of works they’ve released. But more importantly, the concept of this anthology inspired me to write My Own Making.

OHP: Thanks for that glowing review. Besides writing, what other sorts of deviant behavior do you happen to enjoy?

C.W.: Sitting back with a cup of coffee and just listening to the world around me. Of course, I’m partial to World of Warcraft too….

OHP: Besides short stories what other writing endeavors are you currently engaged in?

C.W.: I’m currently working on a steampunk trilogy with the fabulous K.G. McAbee who I’ve also written a paranormal romance series with.

OHP: That sounds like a couple of great concepts. Are there any authors, besides yourself, that you enjoy reading?

C.W.: I’d be facetious if I didn’t say K.G. McAbee, but I love the classics too: Papa Poe, anything written by Isabel Allende…there are just too many to list here.

OHP: Who would you say is your writing mentor/ hero?

C.W.: My writing hero and mentor is K.G. McAbee. She’s been kind enough to take me under her wing and let me write with her. There’s so much to say about having someone who kicks you in the butt to teach you what you need to become great at your craft.

OHP: Do you have a writing nemesis?

C.W: Not that I know of…but I’ll let you know if I get one!

OHP: What do you feel about the following quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge?”

C.W.: I think that imagination is born from knowledge, so they go hand in hand. Without knowledge, especially the knowledge that comes from the past, our imaginations become stifled and stale.

OHP: Where do you believe humanity is headed as a whole?

C.W.: Humans are fickle and fragile. We’ll either end up in a utopian society or a zombie apocalypse. I’m betting on the zombies.

OHP: I am betting on the zombies too, if only for the fun factor. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

C.W.: My inspiration comes from anywhere at any time. I could be reading a news article, and have an idea hit me; or grocery shopping. Wal-Mart is definitely a breeding ground for characters….

OHP: Agreed! In your opinion, which is the more important discovery of humankind… plumbing or the written word?

C.W.: Oh the written word for sure! Not just because I’m biased and know nothing about plumbing! Seriously, man couldn’t have created plumbing without being able to write the idea down on parchment first.

OHP: According to Anatole France “To die for an idea is to set a rather high price on conjecture,” in your opinion what do you believe is worth dying for? What do you believe is worth living for?

C.W.: Art and love are the only things really worth dying for, but they are also the only things worth living for.

OHP: Mark Twain once said that “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” What do you believe he meant by that?

C.W.: That perception is everything, but for a writer, it’s so much more. Our creativity, our imagination, is based on our perceptions of this world that make our worlds on the page a reality for our readers to enjoy.

OHP: Most people have two stories for doing anything… a plausible excuse and the real reason, why do you really write?

C.W.: …Because I have to. I know that it’s a cliché response, but my characters take over when I am writing. They don’t let me go until I get them on the page.

Cynthia D. Witherspoon’s publication experience includes Something’s Got to Give, 2004-2005 by The Concept, as well as Chorus of the Dead in Whortleberry Press’ short story collection entitled It Was a Dark and Stormy Halloween. Her short story Rest My Brothers was most recently published in Christmas in Space also by Whortleberry Press. Her awards include an Honorable Mention in The Writer’s Workshop of Asheville’s Words of Love Contest (2009) as well as second place in the Eleventh Annual Hub City Writer’s Project Fiction Contest (2009). Most recently, her short story Chorus of the Dead won second place within Whortleberry Press’ It Was a Dark and Stormy Halloween contest. Her short story, My Own Making will be published in An Honest Lie, Volume 2: Delusions of Insignificance, which will be available fall 2010.