Meet Cindy Sproles | Novelist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy Sproles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, what is the most important factor behind your success?
First and foremost, the credit behind my writing career goes directly to the Father in Heaven. I was always a “wanna-be” writer, never believing it was possible. But when I committed to becoming a writer, I asked God to allow me to be a writer and give me the creativity to do it. The glory will be yours.” And He has blessed me. I was writing Appalachian Historical when no one else in the industry was writing it. Over and over, the work was praised by publishers, but their question was, “Where do we put this on the shelf?” That was purely because no one had written Appalachian historical since the book Christy by Catherine Marshall in 1967. Months after my first novel, Mercy’s Rain, was published (Kregel Publications), Gilead Publishing re-released Christy. I like to think I jump-started an old genre. I believe the success was a gift from God, but I also believe it was several years of hard work to produce my best, learn the craft of writing, and remain true to the genre I know best – Appalachian Historical. Hard work and prayer are the reason for the success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I used to say I was a writer but was recently corrected by an editor who said, “Cindy, we know you’re a writer but the truth is, you are a novelist.” So, I took hold of that and embraced it. I am a novelist. I have written since I was a child. It was always something I loved, and when I reached my senior year in High School, my guidance counselor asked me what I’d like to do when I graduated. “I’d like to be a writer.” I’ll never forget his face and response when he told me I needed to find a paid profession. You could say that my guidance counselor shot down my dream; though I continued to write, it never entered my mind again for years that I could actually be a novelist. So, no. The road was not easy, and it took years to learn the craft of writing once I committed to this as a profession. Once I began to write, I had failures and setbacks – every writer does. I am not a quitter, so I just kept refining, learning, and writing until my skills hit publication-ready. I’ve learned that I need to continue to learn. There’s always more to learn. And I’ve learned that persistence and hard work will pay off.

I want people to read about the hardships of the Appalachian people in the late 1800s. Schools are not teaching about the culture, innovativeness, and work ethic of the mountain people anymore. Children are not learning about the mountain people’s impact on the movement out west to build our country. It was not an easy life, and I don’t want folks to think living in the mountains was Julie Andrews running across a mountain field, singing that the hills are alive with the sound of music… There was hardship and determination just to survive, and I don’t want that culture to be forgotten.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh my, we’d start in Gatlinburg, TN then head into the Smoky Mountains. We’d eat at all the small Mom & Pop cafes and enjoy some real southern mountain food. Our trip would continue through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where we’d visit Cades Cove and make that eleven-mile loop, enjoying the beauty of the mountains, visiting the old buildings and churches, and stopping to watch homemade sorghum being made. We might see a few bears along the way and plenty of deer. Then we side trip into North Carolina making our way into the Pisgah National Forest. We might stop and take a train ride through the mountains and when that’s done, make our way to Boone and Blowing Rock, NC. The Appalachian Mountains consist of a number of ranges, from the Great Smoky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Green Mountains, the White Mountains, the Longfellow Mountains, to the Berkshires. Trust me, you would breathe fresh air, scratch the clouds with your fingers, and fully understand what it means to stand at heaven’s door.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I credit my dear friend, Eddie Jones for mentoring me in learning the craft of writing. He took an underdog and believed in her, guided her, and saw her through to success. As a good friend, Eddie was a tough mentor. When I wanted to whine, he refused to let me. But more so, Eddie and his wife Bennie, have been keen supporters to me. They deserve a pat on the back and credit for their kindness to me on this journey.

Website: www.cindysproles.com

Instagram: CindyKSproles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cksproles or https://www.facebook.com/cindy.sproles/

Image Credits
Headshot – Lynette Eason Photography Cowboy hat shot – personal