Okay, people, here it is. I absolutely adore this young woman (she is the founder of IWU: Indie Writers Unite, a group on Facebook). In case you don't realize, this group is my virtual family. I love these people and we are all so supportive of one another. It was such a joy to interview her and I hope you all enjoy! Cheryl's novel is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Without further ado, here it is...
1) When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
The first time I thought about writing a book was in college and I had it in my mind that I wanted to write non-fiction. This probably stemmed from my love of history. In time, that blossomed into a desire to write mysteries. Writing has always been an outlet for me, and in many ways I communicate better through the written word than I do verbally. It's true! Writing gives me a certain kind of satisfaction that I can't get anywhere else and is one of the most fulfilling parts of my life. I can't think of anything I would rather do.
2) How long does it usually take you to write a book?
My first book took a year, but now, as long as I have a solid idea in mind, it takes six months.
3) What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night with ideas and whip out my flashlight and write them down on whatever scrap of paper I can find because I know I won’t be able to remember them in the morning.
4) What do you like to do when you aren't writing?
I like to travel most of all and to visit places I have never been.
5) When did you write your first book and how old were you?
I’ve been writing since I was about 14, but back then it was short stories and poems. My first completed novel was finished in 2010.
6) What do you think is the most important part of a book? The story itself or the plot?
The plot and the story a lot of times go hand in hand with each other. I love to tell a story that has never been told before in the way that I tell it, and I believe if it’s done well, it goes a long way and will hook readers.
7) Do you have any favorite authors? Who are they and why do you love their work?
I like Agatha Christie for many reasons. She traveled a lot and used those experiences in her writing. It was what first drew me to writing: her settings and the way she could bring them out. It made me feel like I was right there with her in Egypt and on the Orient Express.
I also have a fondness for Robert B. Parker. I never thought any other writer wrote quite like me, and then a couple years ago I bought one of his books and from the first page I was shocked to see how similar my writing style was to his. I always thought I wrote more like a boy, and that confirmed it.
8) If you could replicate any blockbuster author's success story, who would it be?
Agatha Christie-I would love to have a series that resonates with readers like Poirot does.
9) How often do you travel and do you think it is an important part of being a writer?
I travel as much as possible, but it’s never as much as I would like to. It’s great for me because it offers inspiration and ideas for future novels. There’s something about stepping back from your life and into another time and another place where others lived before you that’s so amazing. I’ve toured castles, been to places like Notre Dame and to Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace and childhood home and those experiences are among the best of my life.
10) What are you working on now? Can you divulge or is it a secret?
I am working on the second novel in my Sloane Monroe series, Sinnerman, which will be out in October of this year. In Sunnerman, my protagonist Sloane Monroe is on a quest to catch the man who killed her sister’s a few years earlier.
