What is the title of your latest release?
THE EYES OF RIVER
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The convicting eyes of a child drove Lizzy Haney to mail her little brother through the U.S. mail to break him free of his chains and save him. What she didn’t expect was just how deep the chains were buried and how harshly they would cut. When Lizzy finds out children are being taken and sold, she’s determined to bring them home, even at the risk of learning her own identity.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains, and I love to set my stories within a 200-mile radius of home. Even if the town is imaginary, I base it on real cities and towns. In the case of The Eyes of River, the story is set just below Chattanooga on the Tennessee-Georgia border and finishes in Knoxville.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Most definitely. Lizzy has her issues, but she’s genuinely kind, and she longs for friendships she was never allowed to have.
What are three words that describe your hero?
The obvious would be tall, dark, and handsome. But not in Alton’s case. Handsome, yes, as well as awkward, and painfully honest.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I always learn something historical. In this case, folks were allowed to mail a child weighing less than 50 pounds through the U.S. Mail. I think this little tidbit of history actually floored me. But I also look for the life lessons my characters and I can learn. The faith thread is there, but I want readers to see how real people struggle. So, learning the life lessons throughout this story is something I look forward to and cherish.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Oh heavens! I edit a good amount as I move through the story. Editing can become overwhelming quickly for me, so I prefer small bites. I write two chapters, then go back and edit one. Write two, edit one. This is just easiest for me. Plus, writing two chapters allows my head to let go of what I wrote so I can see the needed changes.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Are you ready? Bowl. Big brownie. Two scoops of Chocolate Double Dunk ice cream and Hershey syrup. And it’s the best when the brownie is hot. (You asked!)
Describe your writing space/office!
Very small. Our house was built in 1949-50 at a time when nurseries were built, so I have the nursery. A nursery is large enough for a twin bed and a chest of drawers. Sometimes I wish for more space, but the truth is, small means less distraction and far less to paint when the time comes. I have periwinkle blue walls because I love color and lots of family photos.
Who is an author you admire?
There’s three. DiAnn Mills and Eva Marie Everson on the Christian market side, and on the general market side, a German writer, Carsten Henn.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Short of the obvious – The Bible. A little book called the Door to Door Bookstore, by Carsten Henn. It’s a small book, but the story inside is so endearing. It’s a life lesson in how to love your neighbor. It touched my heart so much that I wrote to Carsten, knowing he probably couldn’t read my letter since I can’t write in German. But he had the letter translated and then responded with the backstory of this little book. I think I made a long-distance friend, or at least in my eyes. But this book tells the story of an elderly man who worked in a bookstore and delivered books to people who wouldn’t leave their homes for one reason or another. It truly is a lesson in how to love others genuinely
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I knew I was called to write as a child. My brother is 12 years older than me, so basically we both grew up as only children. My playmates were my imagination and God. I just knew my heart was drawn to writing as a calling at a very young age. I did not, however, accept the call until my mid-40s. Out of high school, my guidance counselor asked what profession I wanted to pursue, and when I told him I wanted to be an author, he laughed in my face. “That’ll never happen to a country bumpkin. Find a job that pays.” I was naive enough to believe him. I never stopped writing, and once my children were in high school, I began to step out into the call. There has been no looking back. God has blessed the work.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love Appalachian, like stories by Sarah Louden Thomas or Ann Gabhert, but I also enjoy light-hearted books like those by Pepper Basham. I love southern fiction from Eva Marie Everson. That’s more than one. Sorry.
What’s your favorite movie?
Oddly enough, a sci-fi Bruce Willis movie called The Fifth Element. I laugh every time I watch it, and when it’s on, I never miss it. There are just some fun movies that simply make us happy, and The Fifth Element is that for me.
What is your favorite season?
SPRING!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Shhh! Celebrate quietly with the family.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
My television watching is slim pickins, as we say in the mountains but I do love High Potiental and Elsbeth. The writing on both these shows is really good. Drama-wise, (warning bad language) is The Pitt with Noah Wylie. This show, given the language, is so fast-paced and well-written that it’s like a novel you can’t lay down. Deep characters, conflict, friendship and action. It’s got all the elements, minus the language (did I say that already), that make a good well-rounded story.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian. I love pasta.
What do you do when you have free time?
Mind my chickens. I have three hens and a rooster by default. But for me, I enjoy caring for them. I love long walks with the hubs and time with my grands.
What can readers expect from you next?
Well, THE EYES OF RIVER releases June 23, and I am contracted for “Come Hell or High Water,” which is a split time on the hurricane that hits Western North Carolina and East Tennessee 100 years ago, and contrasted by Helene in 2024 that covered the same area with the same devastation. That will release late 2027 or early 2028.
In the shadowed hollers of the early-twentieth-century Appalachian Mountains, Lizzy Haney is on the run.
She’s been falsely accused of murder and is desperate to reunite with her brother, River, whose unforgettable green eyes haunt her. The secret in her past is a stinging wound, but it motivates her toward her goal: freedom.
But nine-year-old River, sent through the US Post Office to his late mother's friend in Knoxville, never arrived. Lizzy’s dream of finding him and starting a new life away from their alcoholic and abusive father is ripped away.
Her hope rekindles as she finds an unexpected confidant to help her dodge the law and save the missing youngin'. As she finds herself trusting him, she discovers the truth of the old adage her momma repeated: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Christian Historical [ Kregel Publications, On Sale: June 23, 2026, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780825453168 / eISBN: 9780825453281 ]
Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for several years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media. Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She co-founded Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett, and Cindy is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy on her website.
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