Cynthia Swanson, Colorado Best-Selling Author

Mama Jill sat down with New York Times bestselling author and longtime Colorado resident, Cynthia Swanson, whose novels are known for their thought-provoking storytelling. Readers may already know Cynthia from her acclaimed debut, The Bookseller, her follow-up suspense novel, Anyone But Her and now her latest work, debuting May 21st, a collection of short stories showcasing the struggles of women through history, This Isn’t New. Cynthia is launching this new book at the Northwest Denver bookstore and podcast partner, West Side Books on the evening of May 28th at 7pm. During this discussion, Cynthia recognizes that her previous novels have featured complex female characters navigating challenges and "containment" that, may be slightly disguised through different time periods, but are indeed, nothing new. This realization and the results of the last election urged Cynthia to explore this subject further, resulting in a collection of stories that showcase women acting within the challenges of job discrimination, sexism, body image and overall misogyny. A read that any woman might find validating and that every person should read to gain perspective. Cynthia shares her origins in the writing profession and how she got the idea for her first novel while navigating motherhood with three young children. She advises on the publishing process as well, having worked with both the big national publishing houses and, more recently, forging her own path with self-publishing. After discussing her tendency to include Denver as the backdrop for many of her books, she shares her journey of arriving in Colorado from Boston after college, commenting that there is no other place where she has felt more grounded. Enjoy this insightful conversation with this soulful, Colorado writer!