Interview With Children’s Book Author Cindy Freland

 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? My daughter was stung by a jellyfish at Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, MD, when she was six.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? The story is about Jordan the Jellyfish and how she stung a little girl and got lost. She gets help from friends to find her way home. Along the way she realizes she is sorry for stinging the girl and for arguing with her brother. 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? With all of my stories, I would love children and parents to spend wonderful time learning about the animals of the Chesapeake Bay, the Bay, and the bridge. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? I love alliteration. So I found names online that begin with J for jellyfish. Jordan was the one that was different to me. The cover design and the illustrations were created by my friend, Jon Munson. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? No, not run! Learn with each step of the experience. Some will be very tough and some will be awesome! 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I am not sure as I cannot see into the future. But I am hoping paper books, real books, will stay around a long time. Afterall, I have written and self-published 15 books for children. 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? I am grateful to know how to type, use Microsoft Office, have a good imagination, and have a good grasp of the English language. 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I am not sure about all that. I just write what's in my heart. 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? I not only wrote and self-published all of these books, but I also formatted and edited them. One of the worst challenges I ran into was how to expand images to cover the entire page. I learned by watching online videos.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Children will learn about the wonders of the Chesapeake Bay. It could be about jellyfish, osprey, chipmunks, deer, a mermaid, oysters, oriole, crabs, manatee, honeybee, a purple ladybug at Deep Creek Lake, and the wild ponies of Assateague Island. They will also learn to be kind, resourceful, brave, and forgiving. 

About The Author: Cindy's passion is teaching children about the animals of the Chesapeake Bay. She worked for Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield in Washington, DC, for 25 years. She started writing children's books in 2013. Bowie, MD, is where she enjoys baking, cooking, painting, and gardening. See for more information: cbaykidsbooks.com.

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,850,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum