Cynthia Varady
Bio
Award-winning writer and creator of the Pandemonium Mystery series. Lover of fairy tales and mythology. Short stories; book chapters; true crime. She/Her.
Stories (43)
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10 Ways to Awaken the Bibliophile in Your Child
Get Kids Reading There's no arguing that reading is good for us. Reading can transport us to faraway places, help us understand complex social hierarchies, and give us cues on how to act appropriately when faced with unfamiliar situations. Fiction can help us see the world through a different set of eyes, making us more empathetic (Oatley, 2008; Paul, 2012).
By Cynthia Varady3 years ago in Families
5 Poems You'll Fall in Love With
When I was a kid, I loved Dr. Seuss's and Shel Silverstein's poems and loved the playfulness of their words and, invariably, the beautiful life message waiting at the end. For many, children’s poems like Seuss and Silverstein are our first introduction to the world of rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter; we just didn’t know what to call them until high school. And if your teen schooling years were anything like mine, you were introduced to some of the world’s greatest poets, but you were just too damn young and dumb to realize how amazing these verses were. At least I was. I knew I liked the works of Silvia Plath and Shakespeare, but I couldn’t fathom the deeper inner meaning until college, and I had some time under my belt as an adult.
By Cynthia Varady3 years ago in Poets
The True Origins of Easter
The origins of Easter aren't as cut and dry as I had initially thought. For decades I was running under the assumption that Easter was named for a Pagan fertility goddess, but that seems to be untrue. However, I soon discovered that my research had been misled by the 8th-century historian Bede who fabricated a few key points that have bred like rabbits ever since. So, what are the true origins of Easter?
By Cynthia Varady3 years ago in FYI
10 Tips for Writing an Autho's Bio
There are literally hundreds of blogs and sites out there instructing aspiring authors on how to craft a well-received author's bio, so the information here may not be new to you. Coming from a place of unemployment, where I spend a margin of my "spare time" (if there really is such a thing with an infant/toddler crawling/running around) writing cover letters and resumes hoping to land a job, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to talk about one's self. In the US, confidence is at a premium these days. However, I didn't grow up that way. An introvert by nature, boasting about myself not only makes me uncomfortable, but my mother also discouraged it throughout my youth, giving me a significant handicap compared to the next up-and-coming generation. I come from a long line of self-deprecating humorists, and I enjoy that type of deflection, as harmful as it can be to one's self-esteem. However, I realize how important is it to be proud of one's achievements. They may not be as grand as what others have wracked up, but they're yours and worth closer examination.
By Cynthia Varady3 years ago in FYI
Interview with Author Susan McDonough-Watchman
I recently interviewed awarding winning indie author Susan McDonough-Watchman about writing and her decision to go indie. I met Susan several years ago on Wattpad when we both entered a writing contest hosted by the television network TNT. We started reading each other’s work, and a long-distance friendship evolved. I’d like to give Susan a heartfelt thank you for doing this interview and for all her help and mentoring over the years.
By Cynthia Varady3 years ago in Interview
The Supreme Master, Ching Hai & Her Cult of Quan Yin
The Supreme Master, Ching Hai & Her Cult of Quan Yin Ching Hai, aka the Supreme Master, is a millionaire businesswoman behind a global chain of vegan restaurants called Loving Hut. According to the University of Oxford political science professor Patricia Thornton, the origin of Ching Hai's fortune is unknown, but I have an idea. More about that later.
By Cynthia Varady4 years ago in FYI
The Unsolved Murder of Miami-Dade County Jane Doe
On a balmy morning in September 1979, the residents of the Biscayne Gardens Apartments in Miami-Dade County, Florida, discovered a woman's body. The unidentified female lay in the apartment complex's parking lot near a dumpster at the edge of a wooded area bordering the site. For over forty years, the woman's identity has remained a mystery, and she is now known as the Miami-Dade County Jane Doe.
By Cynthia Varady4 years ago in Criminal
The Fifth Season Book Review
Where to even begin? I started this review many different ways, and none of them seemed to do The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin justice. How do I speak to something that is so far beyond my abilities as a writer? The world-building alone had me scraping my jaw off the floor from page one, not to mention the character development. That on its own is worthy of an essay on innovative thinking. Let's keep it simple, shall we?
By Cynthia Varady4 years ago in Education
The Killer Upstairs and other Babysitting Urban Legends
Urban legends inform our social beliefs. They convey how to act in public and help align our moral compasses. For teens, the message is clear: stay close to home, cars are a gateway to death and destruction, and girls are always a target, even while babysitting. Here are a few babysitting urban legends retold and unpacked for their hidden meanings.
By Cynthia Varady4 years ago in Horror
Poisoned Halloween Candy Urban Legend: Fact or Fiction?
Every Halloween, parents fret and search their children's candy haul for signs of tampering. The idea that some deranged neighbor has laced their little one's sweet treats with poison, razor blades, or needles frightens parents across the U.S. every Halloween. But has anyone ever handed out poisoned Halloween candy to random children?
By Cynthia Varady4 years ago in Criminal
