Theresa B. Cyr - Author Page

"Change begins at the end of  your comfort zone."  ~ Roy T. Bennett There have been many changes this past year and a half. Life has been a whirlwind between relocating to Western Maine, starting a new job, and adjusting to my new life. Now that I'm on summer break, the dust is settling and I can reflect on the past year and on all that I've managed to accomplish as well as plan what the next steps can be. I began the year publishing my last book in the series called, Unintended Travelers: Pete .  It took longer than the first two books primarily because of the moving, but also because I wanted the book to end the series a certain way.  Pete ties together the first two books, provides a continued story about the time portal, and gives some closure to what happens in the second book, Henry , and the series as a whole. Book Signing After I announced its release, I ended up doing my first book signing at the Fort Kent Public Library at the end of March. This was defini...

  We have a winner! Congratulations, Cecile Roy who won a signed copy of my second book, Unintended Travelers: Henry's Decision .  I hope you enjoy your copy!

Whether or not to write a sequel to a book was something I didn't take lightly. I knew it was going to be a commitment if I decided to do it, and I worried whether I'd follow through with it or not, but apparently, I did. To begin with, I like reading books about alternative universes or being able to go back in time. I've always been intrigued by the concepts of these stories and the many possibilities that can result from them. When I started Unintended Travelers , Brooke and Bently weren't going back in time but went through some portal that brought them to an alternative universe instead. I got pretty far into the book, about 2 chapters deep when I decided that I didn't like where it was going and switched gears.  I didn't like where the story was going. It wasn't flowing as well as I had hoped, and I wasn't enjoying writing it at all. So, when I switched to them going back in time instead, it felt like it took on a life of its own. It just flowed so...

Writer's Block Like anyone else out there who writes, I get writer's block, but fortunately, I do have strategies that help me work through it. Sometimes my strategies work and sometimes they don't, which is why I need several in my tool kit to choose from. There are times when I can write for several hours straight without interruption, and end up with 3 to 4,000 words in one sitting. Other times I can write and meet my 1,500-word goal for each session. Then there are the times that I can only get a paragraph or two done, or tweak what I've already written and call it a day. I'm not always able to write every day. I work all week as a teacher, so when the end of the day arrives, sometimes the last thing I want to do is think or plan, or write. Some evenings I don't have the frame of mind to do anything other than watch mindless TV and veg for the night. This means that I could go a whole week before working on my book again. Before I can get started writing I o...

By, Natalie Goldberg Writer's Notebook In an earlier post , I talked briefly about using a writer's notebook. The book that inspired me to begin using one was Writing Down the Bones , by Natalie Goldberg. One of my English professors in college had recommended the book to me knowing that I was interested in writing. What's great about using a writer's notebook is that you can write whatever is on your mind without commitment. It's an exercise in brainstorming and getting any and all of your ideas down in one place. I liked the idea so much that I've even used it in my middle school classroom with great results. In The Classroom In my classroom, I would provide a prompt.  It would either be a word, a photo, a color, or even music. Then they are instructed to write whatever comes to mind. Here's an example. One of the first times I did this with my students, I wrote the word "blue" on the board. Of course, they were filled with questions. They've...

  It's time for another giveaway!   RULES! Go to my Facebook group page and like and share. For every like and share you get one entry in the contest.  WHAT CAN YOU WIN? The winner will receive a free signed copy of my second book in the series, Unintended Travelers: Henry's Decision . WHEN? The winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 28th . Stay tuned!

For most of my adult life, I've wanted to write, but my largest hurdles were  what to write about, how to go about it, and what to do with it afterward. Before going to college, which is a period of my life that I like to refer to as my "former life", I would write randomly but never seriously. I'd start stories that would be left hanging forever, never touching them again. But writing wasn't something that I took seriously back then, not like I eventually did. While I was going to college, I majored in English, along with elementary education, and became more inspired to write with all of the reading and writing I had to do for my classes. But anything I'd start would again continue to be left abandoned and unfinished. The pressure of staying on top of my classes and making it through each semester took priority instead. After I graduated from college, I started working. I juggled three jobs as an ed tech, waitress, and part-time legal secretary for nearly t...