by Kelly Johnson
Staff writer

Cyndia Depre's office shelves are filled with books by various authors of different genres, but the most prized book in Depre's collection is the one she spent the past few years writing.

"Amanda's Rib," a mystery and romance novel, is Depre's first attempt in the literary world.

And since it hit books stores in January, the Coon Rapids resident's novel has won accolades from reviewers and readers alike.

The story centers on Amanda Winslow, a woman who is trying to put her life together after her second husband, Michael, is killed.

Winslow, who married Michael after divorcing her violent first husband, is accused of the crime and acquitted.

She leaves town and tries to rebuild her life, but questions of her past plague her and her new friends.

Depre decided to write a novel that combined her two favorite types of books, mystery and romance. She took the best of both genres and combined them to create "Amanda's Rib."

Depre did considerable research to learn about the long-term effects domestic violence has on its victims.

She searched the Internet and talked with victims of domestic violence.

"The research, I knew, would be daunting," she said. "I found that people wanted to talk about it."

While she learned a lot, Depre was careful not to write a violent novel.

"It really isn't about the hits. It's about what the hits do to your heart and soul," Depre said. "I tried to imagine how I'd feel in that situation."

Depre has loved to write for as long as she can remember, but life led her down a different path.

She married and earned a degree in accounting. Depre eventually opened her own accounting business, which she operated for 10 years.

But writing continued to call to her.

"I just always wanted to write," Depre said. "I had to do this."

In the late-1990s, she decided to close her business and write full-time.

Depre started work on "Amanda's Rib." It took her a year to complete.

She started with the ending and worked her way through the novel.

Characters became part of Depre, who would find herself distraught if she was writing a scene that is particularly challenging for a character.

"It never occurred to me that it would obsess me," Depre said about the writing process. "It never leaves your mind."

"I crawl into my characters."

Ideas would come to her in the middle of the night.

Not wanting to wake her husband, Depre would put pen to paper and write seated on the bathroom floor.

The transition from accountant to author was sometimes challenging for Depre, who thought it would be easy to write and get her novel published.

"I made every rookie mistake," Depre said.

Publishers sent her more than 100 rejection letters and criticized a particular plot twist Depre was unwilling to change.

Despite her setbacks, Depre pushed ahead with her dream.

"Instead of quitting, I just decided I'd learn to write," she said.

"I didn't let rejection get to me."

Depre began working with other writers on fine tuning her book, and she eventually cut the first third out of the novel.

"Something told me the front didn't work, but I knew I had a good book," she said.

Depre's instincts were confirmed when Mundania Press agreed to accept her book in March 2004.

"I was just joyous," Depre said about reading the congratulatory letter from her publisher. "That's just the one night I'll never forget."

Depre is currently working on her second novel, with a lighthearted theme, which she started as a way to find relief from the darker themes in "Amanda's Rib."

"Amanda's Rib" is available at Borders and other local bookstores.

For more information on Depre and her book, visit the web site www.cyndiadepre.com.

Kelly Johnson is at kelly.johnson@ecm-inc.com

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