Lazy Days of Summer *Spontaneous* Giveaway Hop

Lazy Days of Summer *Spontaneous* Giveaway Hop

July 24th to August 4th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer &Burgandy Ice

The magic in the Fateful Trilogy is centered around a curse that is triggered by night while the moon hangs in the sky. During the day, Ethan is like any other guy. It's only at night that he's a vampire. His fangs won't even come out during the day.

Different authors have come up with different ways the vampire myth works. Here is how it works with Fateful vampires:

The vampire curse only surrounds them when the sun has set and the world is lit with moonlight. At night their hearts stop beating. Like snakes, they have fangs. Their eyes turn magical and hypnotic. Their breath is also dosed with the magic, becoming a potion that will subdue the victim and make them want the death the vampire can bring. With supernatural powers and strength, a cursed being cannot be escaped when moon resides in the sky. During the day, none of this is the case...you would never know you could be facing someone who is a bound by a dark curse by night--and a mortal by day.

As a writer, I was also intrigued by how other authors have handled this myth:

Lynsay Sands created vampires from Atlantis with the use of nano technology, which I found highly fascinating. The only drawback for them--while the nanos make them perfect and help to heal them, the nanos also require extra blood, hence the need for fangs. I wish I'd thought of it!

Kerrelyn Sparks created a world where there are good vampires and bad vampires. The bad love to feed off of people, but the good drink a line of special vampire cuisine created by one of the good vampires who happens to be a scientist. They have chocolood, and a wine version. What a fun idea! Wish I'd thought of this too.

Anyway, those are two of my favorites. After writing my own vampires, I actually realized that mine unintentionally resemble the old (original) vampires, like Varney the Vampire. (1845) This is from Wikipedia on Varney:

"Varney was a major influence on later vampire fiction, particularly Dracula by Bram Stoker. Many of today's standard vampire tropes originated in Varney: Varney has fangs, leaves two puncture wounds on the necks of his victims, has hypnotic powers, and has superhuman strength. Unlike later fictional vampires, he is able to go about in daylight and has no particular fear or loathing of crosses or garlic. He can eat and drink in human fashion as a form of disguise, but he points out that human food and drink do not agree with him. His vampirism seems to be a fit that comes on him when his vital energy begins to run low; he is a regular person between feedings. This is also the first example of the "sympathetic vampire," a vampire who loathes his condition but is nonetheless a slave to it."

You may find this comparison of traits in other vampires interesting:

Fateful vampires: Are not pale, have fangs, good feed on animals, hypnotizing eyes, potion-like breath, and are alluring.

Varney the Vampire (1845): white and bloodless, has fangs, hypnotic eyes, looks ordinary until he is a vampire.

Bram Stoker's vampires (1897): Are pale, have fangs, hypnotic eyes, and are very beautiful.

Anne Rice's vampires: Skin is pale, smooth, marble-like, have fangs, good feed on animals, are alluring and beautiful.

Vampire Diaries: Are not pale, have fangs, good feed on animals or bagged blood, hypnotizing eyes, and are alluring.

Twilight: Are pale, hard as marble, sparkle, no fangs, good feed on animals, and are very alluring.

Vampire Academy: Are pale, have fangs, ordinary looks, but have red-ringed irises.

Dresden Files (White court):Are not pale, no fangs, are extremely attractive.

I've listed very few here. But most vampires have special gifts, many can read minds, most have some sort of change in eye color, and many can turn a person with just one bite.

Let's move on to the prize!:

The Prize:

One winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Fateful. USA only please.

To Enter:
(This giveaway just ended. I will email the winner as soon as I can. Thanks to everyone who entered!)

Simply follow my blog via GFC or email subscription and fill out the form at the bottom of this post so I know who to contact if you win.

Note: Winners are chosen via Virtual Hat. Winner will be contacted via email.

~XOXO~

And for summer I'm having a spontaneous sale on Fateful.
Snatch up the eBook for only .99 Cents!!!!

 
Synopsis for Fateful:
A huge fan of Jane Austen, Danielle hopes to find her own Mr. Darcy when she leaves Colorado to attend art school in London. Of course she knows it's silly to wish for that, naive even. But she's met enough males who lacked respect for women, a growing trend it seemed. And at nineteen...well.... However, on only her second night there she gets lost and is threatened by a stalker who proves to be immune to her martial arts training. Before she is completely overpowered, she is then saved by Ethan Deveroux.

While Danielle does find the romance she seeks in Ethan, he's no Mr. Darcy. Her hero is held by a spell which fractures their chance at a happy ending. During the day Ethan is closer to mortal than immortal and can date her like any other man. Yet, as the sun sets, the powerful magic of an ancient curse returns and the evil of that spell is revealed. When that magic begins, Danielle's fairytale romance ends because Ethan Deveroux is a vampire.

I love comments as much as I love reviews.... Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post either for me. I'm very grateful.

Lunar Love Giveaway Hop ~Vampires...

2nd Annual

Lunar Love Giveaway Hop

March 8th to 13th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Bookworm Lisa

This hop features books with paranormal, supernatural, science fiction or space travel elements, or books that have something to do with the moon or have a moon on their cover.

The magic in the Fateful Trilogy is centered around a curse that is triggered by night while the moon hangs in the sky. During the day, Ethan is like any other guy. It's only at night that he's a vampire. His fangs won't even come out during the day. In the Fateful cover designs it was important to me that the moon be visible. In the test cover to the right, you can actually see the sun and the moon at the same time because of the story line.

Here is how it works with Fateful vampires:

The vampire curse only surrounds them when the sun has set and the world is lit with moonlight. At night their hearts stop beating. Like snakes, they have fangs. Their eyes turn magical and hypnotic. Their breath is also dosed with the magic, becoming a potion that will subdue the victim and make them want the death the vampire can bring. With supernatural powers and strength, a cursed being cannot be escaped when moon resides in the sky. During the day, none of this is the case...you would never know you could be facing someone who is a bound by a dark curse by night--and a mortal by day.

I'll let Ethan explain how the curse came about:

Ethan exhaled, his golden brows wrinkled, and then he began. “Once upon a time there was a sorceress who fell in love with a mortal man named Benjamin. He didn’t know she was a sorceress, but when she confessed this to him, wanting him to know the truth, he was disgusted. When he tried to leave her, he told her that she was a curse to humanity. Lilith, that was her name, was so hurt and so angry that she cast a spell on him before he could leave. She said, ‘Now you will forever be the curse to humanity!’ Her spell turned him into a demon, a predator of humanity. She gave him immortality like herself, so he would be forced to wander this earth, forever lonely. And she made him beautiful so women would want to love him, but he wouldn’t be able to love them back without killing them. She also took his heart away from him, by causing it to stop beating, because he had broken hers. She made him into a demonic human to curse humanity … she turned him into a vampire.”

Lilith made them need blood, but it's not just about the blood. It's also about the life-force that is taken when a vampire feeds on someone. As I wrote my version of this myth, I realized I needed the vampire to feed on someone or something living, not bagged blood, because I really think that is how Lilith would have planned it. She wanted Benjamin to become a killer and to be miserable. She wanted him to be a monster that took more than just blood from the victim. She wasn't pleased when she realized that she'd mistakenly left a few loopholes in her curse, and that Benjamin actually liked being a vampire. After I'd made my decisions about the way I wanted my myth to work, I further researched how other writers had done vampires...

Lynsay Sands created vampires from Atlantis with the use of nano technology, which I found highly fascinating. The only drawback for them--while the nanos make them perfect and help to heal them, the nanos also require extra blood, hence the need for fangs. I wish I'd thought of it!

Kerrelyn Sparks created a world where there are good vampires and bad vampires. The bad love to feed off of people, but the good drink a line of special vampire cuisine created by one of the good vampires who happens to be a scientist. They have chocolood, and a wine version. What a fun idea! Wish I'd thought of this too.

Anyway, those are two of my favorites. After writing my own vampires, I actually realized that mine unintentionally resemble the old (original) vampires, like Varney the Vampire. (1845) This is from Wikipedia on Varney:

"Varney was a major influence on later vampire fiction, particularly Dracula by Bram Stoker. Many of today's standard vampire tropes originated in Varney: Varney has fangs, leaves two puncture wounds on the necks of his victims, has hypnotic powers, and has superhuman strength. Unlike later fictional vampires, he is able to go about in daylight and has no particular fear or loathing of crosses or garlic. He can eat and drink in human fashion as a form of disguise, but he points out that human food and drink do not agree with him. His vampirism seems to be a fit that comes on him when his vital energy begins to run low; he is a regular person between feedings. This is also the first example of the "sympathetic vampire," a vampire who loathes his condition but is nonetheless a slave to it."

You may find this comparison of traits in other vampires interesting:

Fateful vampires: Are not pale, have fangs, good feed on animals, hypnotizing eyes, potion-like breath, and are alluring.

Varney the Vampire (1845): white and bloodless, has fangs, hypnotic eyes, looks ordinary until he is a vampire.

Bram Stoker's vampires (1897): Are pale, have fangs, hypnotic eyes, and are very beautiful.

Anne Rice's vampires: Skin is pale, smooth, marble-like, have fangs, good feed on animals, are alluring and beautiful.

Vampire Diaries: Are not pale, have fangs, good feed on animals or bagged blood, hypnotizing eyes, and are alluring.

Twilight: Are pale, hard as marble, sparkle, no fangs, good feed on animals, and are very alluring.

Vampire Academy: Are pale, have fangs, ordinary looks, but have red-ringed irises.

Dresden Files (White court):Are not pale, no fangs, are extremely attractive.

I've listed very few here. But most vampires have special gifts, many can read minds, most have some sort of change in eye color, and many can turn a person with just one bite.

On to the next creature of the moon. Werewolves...I've got those in my stories too...But I won't bore you with that. Let's move on to the prize!:

The Prize:

One winner will receive a Kindle eBook copy of Fateful. USA only please.

To Enter:
Simply follow my blog via GFC or email subscription and fill out the form at the bottom of this post so I know who to contact if you win.

Note: Winners are chosen via Virtual Hat. Winner will be contacted via email.

~XOXO~

Would you like to get Fateful for free if you don't win? Simply buy the Complete Fateful Trilogy instead of getting each book separately.

Synopsis for Fateful:
A huge fan of Jane Austen, Danielle hopes to find her own Mr. Darcy when she leaves Colorado to attend art school in London. Of course she knows it's silly to wish for that, naive even. But she's met enough males who lacked respect for women, a growing trend it seemed. And at nineteen...well.... However, on only her second night there she gets lost and is threatened by a stalker who proves to be immune to her martial arts training. Before she is completely overpowered, she is then saved by Ethan Deveroux.

While Danielle does find the romance she seeks in Ethan, he's no Mr. Darcy. Her hero is held by a spell which fractures their chance at a happy ending. During the day Ethan is closer to mortal than immortal and can date her like any other man. Yet, as the sun sets, the powerful magic of an ancient curse returns and the evil of that spell is revealed. When that magic begins, Danielle's fairytale romance ends because Ethan Deveroux is a vampire.

I love comments as much as I love reviews.... Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post either for me. I'm very grateful.

LDS Authors Giveaway Hop

Welcome to another giveaway hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Book Bug. This giveaway runs from May 11th to the 17th and features books written by LDS Authors. For those who don't know, LDS simply means members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. The are many very successful and talented writers who belong to this faith. I'll just list a few of my favorites.... In no particular order:

S. B. Niccum, Keary Taylor, Sherry Gammon, Cindy Bennett, S. R. Ford, Amber Argyle, Colleen Houck, Heather Dixon. Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, Obert Skye, Lisa Mangum, Misty Mancur, Jessica Day George, Kiersten White, Bree Despain, Brodi Ashton, Becca Fitzpatrick, Joyce DiPastena, Lynn Kurland, and Sarah M. Eden.

Here are a few links to books by some of these authors, so you can check them out:
                

The Prize:
Winner's choice of books from another LDS writer, me.... One winner may choose a signed copy of any one of my books. The book will come with a matching beaded bookmark. (USA only) Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and good luck!!!


              

To enter:

1 mandatory entry:

Follow my blog via Google Friends Connect or email subscription and fill out the form below so I can contact you if you win.

For two optional extra entries:

+1 Pin my new book cover design on Pinterest. (Note: If the hot link doesn't work for you, then just copy this into your browser: http://pinterest.com/pin/67905906851719708/ )

+1 Like my Facebook Fan Page.

~Please note that this giveaway overlaps the Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop. So you really have more than one chance to win free stuff on my blog! :D

YA Indie Carnival ~ Friday the 13th ~ Or Not...

Actually, I forgot it was Friday the 13th! It’s not something I think about much, mainly because I’m not a fan of horror. At all... So if you came here for horror, then you came to the wrong place! :D

I write YA Paranormal Romance without much in way of horror... Of course my villains are scary, but my stories are not the kind of stuff that will disturb your dreams. At least I don’t think so. Well, I suppose many people did find the spiders in Forever a bit horrifying...what did you expect from witches?

Anyway! Besides the spiders, probably the scariest I get is in my villains. So maybe you’ll enjoy this interview of Lucas that Max did for me. (Note: If you want an excerpt of Max’s story, which I’m working on at the moment, simply scroll down.)

Here is an interview of a vampire, oh wait, I mean an interview of a villain, oh wait, I mean an interview of a werewolf... ENJOY! (told from max's point of view)

“Welcome to Cheri’s blog, my lovely ladies...and dashing gents, whatever the case may be.” Max winks as he sketches a bow, his waves of brown hair tumbling down over his forehead. The knight shoves fingers through his hair to push it back into place as he settles into his chair. “Today, I have Lucas from the Fateful Trilogy here for an interview.” Max twists in his seat to face Lucas who is sitting in a comfortable chair in Beon’s drawing room at Order headquarters. “Welcome, villain.”

Lucas stares, or rather, scowls at Max before he says with a heavy note of annoyance in his tone, “Were you expecting me to cackle evilly, or something? Because it’s just not going to happen.”

Max shrugs his big shoulders and props one booted foot on his opposite knee, the picture of ease. Apparently the knight isn’t intimidated by murdering rogues. Although, it might have something to with the burly vampire body guards posted at the doors during this interview, but only a little bit.  Max is dangerous in his own right. “Shall we begin?” Max drops his gaze for a moment to peek at his notes.

“If you would get on with it, I’d appreciate it. I do have better things to do than sit here with you answering stupid questions.”

“Like what, exactly?” asks Max.

Muscles jump along Lucas’ jaw. His dark eyes narrow on the knight. His nostrils flare. “Are you talking about stupid questions you’d like to ask me, or what I’d rather be doing?”

“The latter, obviously,” mentions Max.

“Mischief and mayhem...obviously,” answers Lucas smugly.

“What sort of mischief and mayhem? Be specific. Our audience is curious to know,” Max queries with an annoyed lift of one eyebrow.

Smirking evilly, Lucas locks his dark gaze onto Max’s in a threatening way. “I could be seeking time alone with Nadia so that I may get to know her better. She and I haven’t...chatted much.” The smirk turns to a leer as it seems Lucas imagines what he’d like to be doing to Nadia.

Max comes back with a threat of his own. His lips thin, his fingers slip into his boot, and in the blink of any eye, he sends a knife at Lucas. The six-inch blade sinks into the back cushion of the chair Lucas is seated in.

The villain didn't even flinch. “No bad for an old rusty knight,” Lucas says in a silky voice.

“I’ve spent most of my life dispatching miscreants like you.”

“We've digressed,” comments Lucas.

Max draws a measured breath and releases it slowly, apparently in agreement. “Do you have any hobbies the readers might not know about?”

“Crossword puzzles,” says Lucas.

A mocking laugh blasts from Max. “Do you also knit?”

Lucas frowns. “You insult me.”

“Every chance I can get.”

“You’re digressing again,” Lucas says. “Did you have any other questions for me? Perhaps something more relevant than what I do with my spare time, like what I do with my victims instead? I can promise you, the readers would be much more interested in what I could be, or rather, will be doing to Nadia.”

“Threaten my wife again, and next time I won’t intentionally miss.” Lucas didn’t seem to have an answer to that, so Max went on, “What made you like this, Lucas? What event in your life darkened your soul so much?”

“I think I was always like this, to be honest,” Lucas says with a note of pride.

“Always evil? Surely as a child—”

“I don’t remember much from my childhood. But what I do recall, it wasn't exactly pleasant.”

“Your father—”

“Wasn't the nicest chap there ever was.”

“So you’re blaming your evilness on him, then?”

Lucas shrugs his shoulders. “I wouldn't be the first.”

“Now you’ve made me curious. Tell me more about your father, would you? What was it about him that turned you to a life of disruptive and violent behavior?”

“This is an insipid line of questioning. Next please,” Lucas says with an air of superiority.

Max rolls his jaw in an apparent effort to keep his anger tamped down. “Fine. Let’s just cut to the chase, hmm? What is it about being a monster that appeals to you so much?”

“It’s a bit cliché, but there is power in fear.”

“So this is all about power?”

Lucas sighs. “Actually, no. It’s all about revenge.”

“Against Ethan,” says Max.

“Precisely.”

“Did I just hear my name?” Ethan asks as he enters with service for tea.

Max draws in a breath of air, and his eyes land on the hot scones on a plate next to the teapot. Despite the fact that he was hungry, he eyes Ethan with unmasked curiosity. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Then I’m simply here to offer refreshment.” Ethan’s gaze touches on Lucas and it was easy for Max to mark the lie.

“Really?” Max asks doubtfully.

“Of course.” Ethan starts pouring out. He has three teacups so Max knows he intends to serve Lucas as well. Intrigued, Max leans back into the cushion and watches to see how this is going to play out. “Would you like a spot of tea?” Ethan asks Lucas.

Lucas eyes the cup wearily. “Is it poisoned?”

A chuckle rumbles out of Ethan. “Would I poison you?”

“Yes. I believe you would.”

“What reason exactly would I have to poison you?” When Lucas doesn’t answer right away, Ethan asks, “One lump or two?”

Lucas folds his arms. The corners of his mouth slid downward. “Where’s Danielle? Isn’t she going to join our quaint little tea party too?”

“No,” Ethan practically growls, straightening, the food forgotten...apparently. Ethan removes his glasses and sets them carefully on the coffee table next to the tea tray.

The action was clearly not lost on Lucas as he also rises to his feet and pushes up his sleeves.

“Ethan, what are you doing now?” Max asks.

“Nothing,” Ethan shoves up his sleeves as well.

“Why did you take off your glasses then?”

“No reason.”

Max rolls his eyes when Ethan throws the first punch, and the two men brawl, spilling the tea, smashing the teacups, and breaking the table.

Max hadn’t noticed at first, but Ethan had ropes and a gag in his back pocket.  As a bruise develops around Ethan’s left eye, and a trickle of blood oozes from his bottom lip, Ethan tightens the knot on the ropes now securing Lucas to the floral-patterned wingback chair.

Clearing his throat, Max folds his arms over his chest and shoots a curious gaze at Ethan. “Exactly how am I supposed to interview the villain with him bound and gagged like that?”

Ethan shrugs his shoulders. “Scone?”

Casting his gaze to the ruined food on the floor he lifts an eyebrow.

Ethan’s face splits into a smile. “I’ve got fresh ones in the kitchen, this was poisoned.”

“And you need a new pair of spectacles,” Max points out.

“Oops,” says Ethan spying his crunched eyewear in the mess littering the decorative rug.

PS: For perhaps some good Friday the 13th reading, check out the Vampire Diaries. A series my daughter loves! It was written long before Twilight was out, and, even though we love the show at our house, the books are nothing like it. They're better, in a different sort of way...

~0R~

Some of my fellow carnis can better take care of you in terms of horror than me, so please take a minute to check out their blogs too. (But before you leave, view the post before this one, leave a comment about what recipes you’d like to see in Sophia’s cookbook, and be entered into a giveaway for a signed book!)

YA Indie Carnival:
New!!! Liz Long, Just another writer on the loose.
1.Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween
2.Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.Heather Self
4.T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6.Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
8.K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
10.Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
12. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
14.Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
16.Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
18.TG Ayer
19.Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
20.Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover
22.Courtney Cole Writes

Writer Interview & Book Giveaway!!!

Cheri’s publicist (AKA Hubby, Drew) did an interview of her:
(Scroll down if you have no patience and just want to know how to win the free book.)

Drew: So how long have you been writing?
Cheri: About 6 years.

Drew: How long have you known you wanted to be a writer?
Cheri: I only figured that out 6 years ago too. I’ve always had stories playing in my mind. And I always thought they were for my own personal entertainment. Then I dreamed about a story called The Fairy Ring Enchantment which I have a lot of handwritten notes for. Anyway after that dream, I started typing it thinking it was a picture book and was really confused when it started to come out like a novel. I was so confused in fact that I stopped typing in my notes to figure out what was going on in my head.

As I set that story a side for a while (I will finish it very soon though) Fateful started to come to me. And Fateful was coming at me so hard and fast that I was forced to start typing. I finished Fateful and half of Fractured in about two months. And I was shocked. I never knew I had more than 200 thousand words of text and dialogue in my head. Part of that might be because I’ve always been very creative in other ways, painting and photography and crafting...so I think those things sort of overshadowed my skill for writing. I like to say it was a hidden talent that I’ve only just discovered I had.

Drew: When does inspiration come to you?
Cheri: Sometimes while’ I’m driving, sometimes while I’m showering....

Uh, Drew, are you still there?

Drew: Huh? Oh, sorry, I was picturing you showering.
Cheri: ~rolls eyes~ As I was saying, most of my ideas usually come when I’m tucked in bed, comfortable and just on the verge of falling asleep.

Drew: This is why I bought you those little light-up pens...so you’d stop getting up with pen and paper, sneak off to the bathroom, shut the door, flip on the light and write. You always still woke me up...hence the light-up pens.
Cheri: Do I wake you up now?

Drew: Nope.
Cheri: You sure toss and turn a lot. It makes it kind of hard to write...I’m just saying...

Drew: Hmm...On to the next question! When did you write Fateful?
Cheri: Sometime between 2005-2006. Yes, before Twilight was popular. Only my first beta readers know that.

Drew: So did it hurt you when Twilight did become popular because you also wrote about vampires?
Cheri: Sort of but not really. I was editing when Twilight became popular so when it was time to find an agent or a publisher it was like swimming in a sea of vampires. That makes it really hard to get noticed. So I set the Fateful series on the shelf while I wrote Fair Maiden which doesn’t have any vampires in it. I mean I knew vampires would always be popular; at least they always have been for me. I’ve loved vampires since movies like “Love at First Bite.”

Anyway, I knew I could come back to my vampires and then this e-book revolution happened... Now I’m incredibly glad I couldn’t get an agent or a publisher. So in truth the best thing to happen to me was the explosion in vampire popularity. I love having this sort of control.

Drew: This brings me to the indie question. Are you glad you did it?
Cheri: I am sooo glad I did it. The publishing industry is really struggling right now and authors are getting cheated in the process. I feel so free doing it this way. I’d always wanted to design my own covers because I know my way around Photoshop. But every time I asked agents and publishers if they’d let me do that I’d get the explanation that I could put in a submission for the cover. Then the marketing department would make the final decision.

Drew: Okay, since you brought it up, explain what the covers mean to you....
Cheri: With Fateful I wanted a sense of wonder and curiosity. The two characters recognize each other from a time in their past neither of them remembers. I think my models captured that very well.

With Fractured the characters deal with a lot more danger to their lives and I wanted that to show in their faces. Again the models did a brilliant job and I’m extremely pleased. Funny thing, myself and the models like this even better than the first one.

For Fair Maiden, I wanted her to sort of look like she could either be dead or sleeping, but deeply like Sleeping Beauty. This model was also delightful to work with and I got exactly what I wanted for the cover.

Drew: Okay, again....since you mentioned your models, who are they?
Cheri: I’m not going to say who they are.

Drew: But I can...
Cheri: Jerkface

Drew: You used that word in Fateful, where did “jerkface” come from?
Cheri: Well our teens use it a lot, as you well know. Urban Dictionary has two definitions that fit: “The action of being a jerkface. Being a complete jerk in every sense,” and “a term of endearment between siblings; often meaning I Love You.” I put it in the story mainly for my kids and I think the character would use it too.

Drew: How does the story come to you? Besides when you’re trying to sleep and naked in the—?
Cheri: Do we really need to go back to that?

Drew: I suppose not.
Cheri: Great...anyway, the stories come as ideas in my head. Sometimes, or rather, many times I even hear the characters talking to each other in my head.

Drew: I see... ~Drew raises eyebrows~
Cheri: I told this to a girlfriend once and she said, “That’s not normal. It’s a sign that you really are a writer. Most people don’t hear characters talking to each other in their head.” I wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that, but it felt like a compliment so that’s how I took it.

Drew: Who is your favorite author?
Cheri: I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one. So some of my favorites are: Catherine Anderson, Lynsay Sands, Lisa Kleypas, Leslie Charteris, Brandon Sanderson, and Lynn Kurland, just to name a few.

Drew: You have a knack for drawing emotion out of the reader. How do you do that?
Cheri: I really have no clue...

Drew: Why did you go indie?
Cheri: Because YOU introduced me to Joe Konrath AND because of him, I realized books are something people consume like ice cream, or chocolate or French fries. When it comes to something people consume then they want it cheep and they want it now. I think that’s why e-books are exploding. You can buy a novel with one click and devour it in a day. Much to my vexation.

Drew: Why do you say that? But first would you define vexation for me?
Cheri: Eh, sure. Vexation means the sate of being provoked to slight annoyance, anxiety, or distress. (according to dictionary.com)

And to answer the first question: Because it took me months or perhaps even a year to write and edit the book and then readers just scream through it in a few hours...oh well. May aim is to entertain, so I guess if I accomplish that then I don’t really care if my readers take time to savor it. People are really fast readers. It’s amazing really. I can’t read that fast!

Drew: Did you try to publish the old fashioned way first?
Cheri: You know I did.

Drew: ~clears throat~ I mean, for the kind folks reading this did you try to publish the old fashioned way first?
Cheri: Oh, sorry. Of course I did. I even started off the year with 160 quires sent to agents and a few copies of Fair Maiden in the hands of small publishers. I got a very positive response in terms of my writing, however I frequently heard, “Due to the market right now...” or “Could you make it 30 pages shorter because we can’t afford to print anything over 300 pages...” or “This looks great but it just doesn't fit into our list right now...” Then Joe Konrath showed me the light.
Drew: And me.
Cheri: Right, and you. xoxo Thanks for the support.

Drew: So how do you keep up with everything else? Your Blog? Your Website? Twitter? Facebook? Kindle Boards? Converting your books? Computer backups..the list must be endless!
Cheri: That is why I hired you, my handsome geek you.

Drew: Um....where is my paycheck?
Cheri: You know, hugs, kisses, and don’t forget the Wegman’s cannolis in the fridge!

Drew: Oh and you folks out there in internet-land reading this....if you like it....let us know by leaving a comment and following the blog. Then perhaps I’ll con Cheri into doing another one of these interviews soon

Plus, for everyone who comments, she’ll put your names in a hat and draw a winner to send a fee e-copy of Fractured to. For an extra chance to win, comment AND follow this blog. Deadline is June 7th.