Cynthia Varady
Bio
Aspiring novelist and award-winning short story writer. Hangs at Twtich & Patreon with AllThatGlittersIsProse. Cynthia resides in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, son, & kitties. She/Her
Stories (38/0)
Solved: Joy Hibbs 31-Year-Old Murder
A Horrible Surprise At one in the afternoon of April 19, 1991, David Hibbs arrived home, excited to hand his report card over to his mom, Joy Hibbs, with the good news that he'd made the honor roll. However, instead of finding his home in its normal state, plumes of smoke billowed from his home in Corydon, Pennsylvania, in the Bristol Township. Noting that his mom's car was in the driveway, David hurried to the back kitchen door, but thick smoke pushed him back.
By Cynthia Varady10 months ago in Criminal
The Pink Panthers International
While not related to the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, this organized crime team derived its moniker from the comedy film series. Composed of Siberian, Montenegrin, and Yugoslavian ex-military left over from the Bosnian War, The Pink Panthers have around 200 to 300 active members with elite skills.
By Cynthia Varady11 months ago in Criminal
I'm So Sorry:
Dear Pro Wrestling, I owe you a huge apology. For much of my life, I have disliked you. I used to scoff and scold people who admitted to enjoying you. "You know it's fake?" I'd say with a spiteful roll of my eye, docking them IQ points for having owned up to indulging in such trash. That is until Wrestling Isn't Wrestling by Max Landis entered my life.
By Cynthia Varadyabout a year ago in Unbalanced
9 Ways to Ignite Your Creative Spark
For some, creativity is as natural as breathing. It seems as though their mug of creative juices sloshes over with great ideas. This group of people always seem able to come up with fresh ways of expressing themselves, and they finish projects like they’re on an assembly line. And then there’s the rest of us, the lowly prole slogging away at our first attempt at writing in over a decade or trying desperately to finish that first draft of our Great American Novel. Well, I have news for the second half of this grouping: creativity must be nurtured.
By Cynthia Varadyabout a year ago in Lifehack
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 Varadyabout a year 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 Varadyabout a year 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 Varadyabout a year 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 Varadyabout a year 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 Varadyabout a year ago in Interview
