Skip to main content

Interview with Heather Cumiskey | An Award-winning Author

Heather Cumiskey is an award-winning author. Her book series, I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS and I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT is a poignant Young Adult duology about addiction, sexuality, peer pressure, and first love. Catch up with her at HeatherCumiskey.com.

Meet the beautiful award-winning author, Heather Cumiskey, who talks about her books “I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS & I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT ”, and her upcoming novels in this candid interview.. 

 

Q: How would you describe yourself in one word? 

Spontaneous. I’m not a planner and I don’t like restrictions when it comes to possibility. When I write, I show up to play and love being surprised, often stepping away from a day of writing thinking, I didn’t know that was going to happen! 

 

Q : Do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing  I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS? Can you please tell us a bit about the book? 

The first book grew out of a writing prompt a teacher gave: I regret the wisdom of this trip . . . While the class wrote travel stories, I wrote about a 16-year-old girl who takes LSD alone in her family’s basement. Her recklessness piqued my interest and sent me down a path to figure out what had happened to this girl. She later became Hannah Zandana, a teen misfit from a dysfunctional family with secrets who desperately longs to change her life.


Q: Can you please share with us your experience to writing this book?

I didn’t know if anyone would ever read the story. I was enjoying the process so much that I kept writing. There also wasn’t any pressure since barely anyone knew that I was writing a book. There was more pressure around the sequel, I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT because I wanted to get it right especially for the readers who reached out and expressed how much they enjoyed the first one. It was their emails that kept me going.

 

Q: Who’s the most important character of I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT?

Deacon goes through the biggest transformation. He almost didn’t make it after book one, but I felt there was more to his story. That’s how the sequel happened. I needed him to get his ass kicked so he’d change his ways. So I purposefully placed him in the scariest city during the height of the drug war in America in the mid 80s.

 


Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your novel?

I think the readers will find the answers they’re looking for along with some unexpected twists. I hope they love Hannah and Deacon’s journey as much as I do. It’s also a sibling story for Hannah and Kerry, Deacon and Toby. I love their arcs.

 

Q: Any upcoming book?

I’m working on a third book based in present-day NYC. I’m very excited to share it. It’s very different than my first two. I’m also turning I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS and I LOVE YOU LIKE THAT into screenplays.

 

Q: What do you do when not working?

I love to sweat every day. I’m an avid runner, yogi and workout person. I get my best ideas when I get out of my head and just move.

 

Q: Where do you see yourself in three years from now, or where you would like to be?

Writing my fifth book of course! And hopefully seeing I LIKE YOU LIKE THIS become a movie.

 

Q: What is your favourite quote?

Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

 

Q: Finally, if you could pass on a single piece of advice to authors out there reading this interview, what would it be? 

Write the book you want to read and only you can tell. Just start. Don’t worry about who will read it. Your tribe will find you.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Unique Creatures - Book Series by Willow Foster-Thorpe

Willow Foster Book series is Unique Creatures  Understanding deafness with Felix the Frog  Come along on an exciting adventure with Felix the Frog, who is deaf and uses Makaton, which is a type of sign language.  Together, with his friend Rupert the Snail, they explore the library and meet a very serious and strict librarian who is a Ladybird, who likes everyone to be quite in the library, the trouble is that Felix cannot help but shout! www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Deafness-Felix-Frog-Creatures/dp/1802276513 Understanding autism with Rupert the snail  Come along on an exciting adventure with Rupert the snail, who has autism, and see him take a thrilling train ride to visit his cousins.  Together with his cousins, Betty and Stanley, they enjoy spending time at the park, but not everyone understands autism and some creatures get upset when Stanley does not wait for his turn on the slide. Learn about autism with Rupert the snail. www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-autism-Rupert-Snail-Creat

DASH & VI by Kaytee Cahill

Embark on an enchanting journey with sugar gliders Dash and Vi, the most adorable duo you'll ever meet! Get ready to dive into a world of excitement, exploration and friendship with search-to-find rhyming riddles in "DASH & VI" by Kaytee Cahill. In this charming children's book, Dash and Vi, two curious sugar gliders take readers on thrilling adventures with vibrant illustrations that breathe life into every scene. "DASH & VI" invites children to immerse themselves in a world of captivating imagery. Every page is a gateway to a new destination, where imagination knows no bounds and Dash and Vi await to be found. Perfect for children of all ages, "DASH & VI" is not only an entertaining read but also an educational journey. It fosters cognitive development, boosts problem-solving abilities, nurtures a love for exploration and introduces children to the world of sugar gliders. Let Dash and Vi be your child's guide to an unforgettable a

Complex Mental Health: The Benefits Of Social Prescribing by Dr. Nàdia Correia

Mental health is like a journey with many winding roads. Like any voyage, its terrain can be difficult to navigate, and it’s full of unexpected turns, bumps along the way, and moments of clarity. Despite the abundance of research and resources devoted to mental health, it is often still ignored or even stigmatized. This is especially true in more traditional or conservative communities and societies where mental health issues are not openly discussed. Unfortunately, these attitudes can lead to a lack of understanding and perpetuation of stigma surrounding mental illness. This can cause individuals to suffer in silence, believing that it is not acceptable to talk about their struggles. This book seeks to change this outlook by giving readers a comprehensive overview of the complexities of mental health and why discussing it openly is essential for making progress. Through the lens of social prescribing, readers will learn how evidence-based strategies are being used to better support