Today we talk about The Hungry Student’s Companion, a book by Cynthia Zayn published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Cynthia Zayn, to get to know her better, what characteristics her audience should have to appreciate her book The Hungry Student’s Companion, as well as if she has experimented, herself, the techniques she described in her book and on which occasions.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Is there a particular moment in your life that led you to the writing of your book? What was that?
Yes. I was a teacher in the public and private sectors, inside and outside the United States for 20 years. During my years as an educator, I devised techniques to help my students obtain and retain new information. Over the years, when my former students came back to visit, they would tell me how much those techniques had helped them throughout their high school and college years. I also tutored college students that were having trouble writing essays and research papers. Those students constantly encouraged me to create a study guide book so more people could benefit from the techniques and explanations I had taught them. Eventually, I listened, and created this book as a study guide for those with a weak language arts foundation. When we miss the basic skills, it becomes difficult to build upon those skills toward higher learning. Many multiple-choice questions on standardized tests become “multiple-guess” questions, and our scores are not as high as they could be. When college professors assign writing assignments with specific formats, we flounder if we never learned or retained the techniques necessary to compose proper essays. Because writing assignments are required in most college classes, students without a strong foundation in composition often struggle to succeed. Having this study guide is like getting a second chance to gain a strong language arts foundation. The writing assignment examples and essay checklist make composing essays much easier, and readers are even taught how to create their own mnemonic devices to help them become successful in all subjects.
- What characteristics should your audience have to appreciate your book?
This book is perfect for:
- Those desiring a second chance to obtain basic language arts skills.
- High school and college students of any age that feel they did not completely grasp the formats for various types of writing.
- Those that feel they were never taught proper writing techniques or given the chance to effectively learn them.
- Students desiring higher standardized test scores, especially in English/Language Arts and writing.
- Have you experimented, yourself, with the techniques you describe in your book, and if so, on which occasions?
My 20-year career as an English teacher provided ample opportunity for experimentation with the techniques discussed in the book. Over the years, I also taught them to students in my classroom, and those students appreciated learning specific techniques that not only helped them obtain new concepts, but retain them, as well. Many of those students remarked that the techniques were instrumental in raising their standardized test scores, and very useful when they were writing essays and other such compositions.
- How would you describe your writing style?
My writing style has been described as “an easy-to-read narrative style of writing that seems to speak directly to the readers.” This style was influenced by years of teaching and my desire to make learning new concepts less complicated for my students. Whether I am writing a psychology book or a book on wedding planning, I try to connect with my readers in a way that clarifies the subject matter for them and helps them gain new understanding.
- Are you working on a new writing project?
Always! My book Narcissistic Lovers was recently published as a second edition. I have many short stories in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. My wedding planning book To Have and to Hold’; ‘til Rest Do You Part couples as a stress-relieving activity book, and I have a book entitled, Finding the Rest, which is a book on grieving that connects with those suffering the loss of a loved one. Currently, I am working on two novelty cookbooks, and a collection of short stories.
Europe Books thanks the author Cynthia Zayn once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book The Hungry Student’s Companion. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my dear reader, I wish that the techniques discussed in the book and created by the author, thanks to her long career as a teacher, will be of your interest and useful both in learning new concepts and in maintaining them as a long-term knowledge.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy this very interesting and useful reading!
Your editor!