Rax, Cydney

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Rax, Cydney

PERSONAL:

Born in Detroit, MI; daughter of Oscar J., Jr. (an electrician for an automotive manufacturer) and Margaret A. (a public school secretary) Collins; children: Brandon. Ethnicity: "African-American." Education: Eastern Michigan University, B.S., 1991. Religion: Nondenominational.

ADDRESSES:

Office—P.O. Box 710512, Houston, TX 77271-0512. Agent—Claudia Menza, Menza/Barron Literary Agency, 1170 Broadway, Ste. 807, New York, NY 10001. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

University of Houston, Houston, TX, secretary, 1989-99, administrative assistant, 1999—. Book-Remarks.com (Internet Web site for African-American writers), founder and manager.

WRITINGS:

My Daughter's Boyfriend (fiction), Crown Publishing Group (New York, NY), 2004.

My Husband's Girlfriend (novel), Three Rivers Press (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Cydney Rax told CA: "When you grow up quiet and shy, you become an observer. I was bashful, afraid, and writing helps me to explore the things that make me afraid and hopefully to understand things that are puzzling yet captivating.

"I enjoy listening to other people talk, seeing how they dress, learning what brings them joy, and what they despise. So every person, place, or experience I have influences the stories, characters, all of that. "I must confess: I do not write everyday, but I think about writing every day. I write enough to get the job done—haven't missed a deadline (so far). But I write after thinking long and hard about characters. I want to know who they are, how they got that way, where they are hoping to go. It's a series of asking questions and discovering the answers. Once I feel peace inside, it seems like the work is complete. Everything that needs to be said is said.

"Writing on the subjects I've chosen is easy. If a topic scares me, I want to write about it. If it's controversial, that gets my attention. If it's an emotional story, I'm in. For some reason the fear motivates and challenges. I also have a goal to write about topics that can generate conversations between men and women. I am fascinated by the differences between the genders and would love to see us come together to discuss why we still need each other even if we aren't exactly alike.

"I began my writing career after reading Disappearing Acts by Terry McMillan. I wanted to be like her, but found out I can only be myself. Every writer wants to be loved and appreciated for her own unique talent.

"My advice for aspiring writers is: realize that the publishing industry is far tougher than it appears to be. Take your time. Write the best story you can possibly write. Don't write to be rich and famous. And learn the wonderful things, plus the not-so-wonderful things about the industry. If you have a determined attitude to make it no matter what obstacles you might face (rejection, harsh criticism), you may have what it takes to be an author."