Interview with Cheri Schmidt

Cheri, thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to answer some questions. 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Yes, it was when a couple of stories began to haunt me to the point I HAD to write them down. They just wouldn’t leave me alone. I’ve always had stories playing in my mind, but I was slow in realizing that maybe I should be writing them down until they started niggling at my thoughts persistently.

Tell us your latest news?

I’m finishing up Forever, which is book 3 in the Fateful trilogy.

What is your favorite part of the writing process and also your least favorite?

My favorite part is when I finish writing a book, and my least favorite would be finding typos that I missed.

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?

Hmm, good question. Maybe Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, or maybe Hermione in Harry Potter, or maybe Arwen in Lord of the Rings....

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

I would definitely need to be able to fly and walk through walls and go invisible.

What is your favorite writing snack?

 I don’t snack much when I’m writing. Weird, I know. But sometimes I crave something sweet and I will usually need to chase that with something salty.

What is the last book you read?

A Time for Love by Lynn Kurland.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write for a wide audience and never give up.

Could you share a marketing tip?

The more books you have out, the more books you will sell.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thanks for taking a chance on me and reading my books!

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cheri-Schmidt/170239616364397

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/cheriaschmidt

Blog:

http://cherischmidt.blogspot.com/

Website:

http://www.cherischmidt.net/
Amazon:

Interview with Sarah Woodbury

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Before the age of 11, my parents tell me they thought I was going to be a "hippy" because I spent my time wandering the woods singing to myself and writing poetry. Then I got serious about school and - I'm not sure.....suppressed it? I don't remember. I rediscovered the creative side of myself in my thirties, and began writing fiction seriously five years ago at 37.

Tell us your latest news?

I have a new book!  It’s called The Good Knight: A Medieval Mystery, and it is about two friends/lovers/detectives who get caught up in the murder of one of the kings of Wales.  Here’s the pitch:  Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales . . . When a royal groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride’s brother tasks his two best detectives—Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard—with bringing the killer to justice . . . only to uncover a conspiracy that will shake the foundations of Wales.

What is the last book you read?

Ghost Story, by Jim Butcher—a novel of the Dresden Files.

If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?

The hard thing about this question is that as a writer, my job is to make life tough for my characters, otherwise there’s no story.  And really, any character who is compelling has bad things happen to her all the time, so . . . however, that said, sign me up for a bit part in one of Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries (provided I’m not the one who ends up dead J)

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

I want to fly.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

My advice is simple: just write.
Sit down every day and plow ahead, with whatever word count goal you choose. And as you write, don’t think about the fact that you’ve never written anything longer than a twenty page paper and that was for a class you hated in college. Today, even if what you put on the page is terrible, no-good, the worst chapter ever inflicted on a word processing program, believe that through editing, educating yourself, and reading what other people write and say about writing, you can learn and improve. You can get better day by day—until one day you read over the two pages you managed to write the day before and think to yourself, ‘hey, that’s pretty good!’

Could you share a marketing tip?

Join communities, don’t market.  And this is what is so time consuming because joining a community means investing something of yourself in it.  That’s what takes time, but it pays off in the end—either with books sold, or maybe even better, with friends made.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Although my beta readers have loved all my books (of course), the consensus among them is that The Good Knight is the best book I’ve written.  I really hope that my historical fantasy readers follow me into this foray into more straight-forward historical fiction, and I’d love to hear what they think!

Links:

My web page:  http://www.sarahwoodbury.com/

My Twitter code is:  http://twitter.com/#!/SarahWoodbury

On Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/sarahwoodburybooks

Links to my books:  Amazon and Amazon UK
Smashwords

Follow for Chance to Win

Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans.

In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen.  Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known.

An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?


                                                                                      ***

In the Elfin world, magic and destiny determine who will be together. "Chosen" pairs are fated to meet at the age of 18.

Keegan, however, is an anomaly. Having fallen in the battle between the Light and the Dark, she is only alive now due to Black Magic, and her bond with her Chosen is broken. She cannot remember Rourk at all.

For the first time, she feels like a normal teenager. She is dating Donald, her long-time crush, and everything seems perfect. But Rourk still feels their bond, and despairs for the woman he was always meant to love.

Keegan’s best friend Anna is determined to find a way to use her powers to return Keegan’s bond, no matter what it takes. The question is does Keegan even want it?

New Blog

I recently had my blog moved over to my website juliacraneauthor.com. I decided I wanted to keep that blog focused on YA subjects. Which lead to starting this new blog to post author interviews, and information dealing with writing. I'm not the best at keeping blogs updated, but I will try to be better this time around. I've been working on book three in Keegan's Chronicles, and it's actually moving along quite well so far. (knock on wood) I would be thrilled to have it released before Christmas. I'm itching to work on my next project which will be called Anna she is a character from Keegan's Chronicles that I want to expand on. I'm also in the process of co-writing a YA novel with a new author Nolia McCarty. We are writing a YA witch series. I'm excited about this project because our writing styles compliment each other so well. We actually have the cover ready Anthanasios did a excellent job on it.