✨ The Weekly MAsh: Written Interview with Cynthia Ann ✨

1. Let’s talk tropes!
Fake dating + stalker danger + a blackbelt model? That sounds like a recipe for pure chaos. What inspired you to throw Zack and Brianna together in such a high-stakes setup?

I wanted to put a twist to the fake dating - something other than making an ex jealous or keeping meddling family members off their back. I also love the bodyguard trope so I decided to mesh them together. What better way to force a bodyguard to fake date the pop star princess than some threatening letters? Zack’s hired to be in Brianna’s music video and because of his blackbelt skills, they ask him to morph from video love interest to fake boyfriend/bodyguard.

2. Behind the characters:
Zack is both a model and a blackbelt (hello, multitasking hero!). If you could add one more unexpected skill to his résumé, what would it be?

Cowboy! The man grew up on a ranch with five older sisters. One of the connections he has with Brianna is horse riding (and yes they take a road trip to his family ranch where he can put his cowboy skills to good use - swoon!) 

3. Pop stars and stalkers:
Brianna’s world is full of flashing lights and hidden dangers. If you were suddenly a superstar for a day, what would be your diva demand backstage?

Well, lots of lattes! I’m absolutely a coffee addict and not ashamed to admit it. I’m probably the diva that would end up making the lattes for all of my back up dancers and the back stage people though, haha! Which is very “Brianna Coded” as well!

4. Spice levels check!
You write mostly low spice/fade to black. What do you love most about building tension and intimacy without going full on-page spicy?

I have a lot of reasons for keeping things on the low spice end, but the biggest is: I think the sexiness of restraint is way underrated (and I don’t mean fuzzy cuffs, lol). Holding back when many stories would hit the sheets is more challenging than it sounds! I can’t rely on the spice to move the plot or the relationship forward when it’s kept to a minimum. Longing and flirting play a huge part. And I love a little secretly coded innuendo. Here’s an example from the next book,  Not Another Player:

“I have about 30 minutes, which isn’t enough time to do what I want to do to you properly.”

“It’s enough time to make a dent,” she smirks.

I smirk back. “You have no idea how badly I want to make a dent with you.”

“Glad we’re finally on the same page.”

“You have no idea how glad, baby.”

“I might.”

Enough talking. I have twenty-nine minutes left to make that dent and I intend to use every second to my advantage, and hers.

At the start of the next chapter:

We made a dent.

Lots of them.

I made dents with my fingers all over Char’s body. Some of those dents made her moan. A few of them made her scream my name.

They talk about “dents” throughout the book. Some scenes have more description than this one, but you get the idea…

5. Musical mash-up:
Since Brianna is a pop star, if Not Another Diva had a soundtrack, what three songs would absolutely make the playlist?

It does have a soundtrack! I consider my playlists more like movie soundtracks because I curate the songs to fit the character, mood and aesthetics of the story. If the character wouldn’t listen to a certain song, it wouldn’t be on my playlist. This book was highly influenced by Niall Horan’s Flicker tour with Maren Morris. Most of that album made it to the playlist, specifically “Seeing Blind” and “Since We’re Alone, but my favorite is “The Tide.”

6. Life imitates art?
Do you have a favorite “fake dating” moment from books, movies, or real life that inspired you while writing?

Not sure it’s officially “Fake dating” but the spectacle of Pete Davidson dating Ariana Grande was a spark that got me thinking about cringy celebrity relationships and how they might be used to divert the public’s focus from something the powers that be want hidden. Zack is persuaded to fake date Brianna with that motivation in mind.

7. Looking ahead:
You’ve got an MC series launching in October (so exciting!). What can readers expect from the vibe of this new series compared to Not Another Diva?

This series is much darker. While the Hollywood series is kind of fluffy even with the light suspense, this new series has heavy subject matter and tragic backstories. The spice remains fade to black with similar styles of building tension using restraint. And these characters live in the same universe (some side character crossovers occur later in the series) which I always love! 

8. Dual POV power:
You mentioned your upcoming book has dual POV. Do you have more fun writing the heroine’s inner thoughts, or do you secretly love diving into the hero’s perspective?

I think it depends on the plot. I love writing from both, but with Diva it had to be in Zack’s POV because we couldn’t know how Brianna felt about him until the end. When I decided to build Diva into a series, I ended up keeping that single MMC POV with all 4 books. My husband is a fantastic resource! Would you believe he gives me full access to his guy chat? I’ve learned so much about male banter, haha!

With this new series, both POV’s work together while still keeping some secrets until the time to reveal them is right. I still love writing from the MMC’s perspective and I realize I spend more time building their background and character traits because it doesn’t come naturally to me. In some ways, my male characters get more of my attention, whoops!

9. Rapid-fire round:

• Go-to comfort read? The Hating Game

• Writing snack of choice?- coffee or coke (regular, not diet. Zack would not approve). I can’t eat while I’m writing! 

• Dream celebrity to cast as Zack and Brianna? Jacob Elordi and Candice Accola

• Favorite romance trope to read (not just write)? Brother’s Best Friend (Gah!! I’m a such a sucker)
  
  

10. Last but not least—
If Zack and Brianna were to crash The Weekly MAsh podcast, what kind of chaotic energy would they bring to the interview? 

Haha! Zack is Mr. Serious and a massive health food addict. He’d bring his famous protein shake recipe and extol the benefits of kale. But he’d have his eye on every exit and make sure Brianna was comfortable (and safe). Brianna would bring her acoustic guitar and shock the world with her hidden folksy side (not very DIVA of her, *wink).