Interview and Giveaway with Sherri Wilson Johnson

CONGRATULATIONS DIANA

WINNER OF AN EBOOK FROM SHERRI

 

Let's welcome Sherri Wilson Johnson to Sleuths and Suspects. She's going to tell us about her new book "Song of the Meadowlark." She is also offering a free ebook to one person chosen from those who leave a comment and follow steps listed below. Without further ado, here's Sherri!



1.             Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a writer, speaker and former homeschooling mom. I am from Georgia and live with my husband, two kids and two dogs. I love writing about faith, hope, and purity. When I'm not writing, I'm hanging out with my family or church friends, reading or dreaming up new romantic ideas for books. I love to vacation at the beach but I also find the mountains enjoyable.

2.       Tell us about your most recent book/or the book we are focusing on.

Song of the Meadowlark is a Contemporary Romance full of hope, forgiveness, and second chances at life and love set in South Georgia on a ranch with an ornery cowboy.

 

 

Here is the synopsis:

When trusting others only leads to pain and rejection, and loving ends only in loss, what will it take to restore hope again?

Shunned by the uncovered truth about her missing husband’s secret life, Cora Buchanan sets out on a road trip for home to mend her broken relationship with her parents. When her car breaks down, she’s stranded in a small Georgia town.

While staying at the struggling Southern Hope Ranch, she meets little Susie O’Reilly, who unexpectedly fills a void in Cora’s heart. But Rex, Susie’s rugged cowboy father who lost his wife a year earlier, seems to go out of his way to either confront or avoid Cora. It doesn’t help her comfort level that the news continues to report missing and murdered women in the area.

Cora has no idea just how close to home the crimes will hit…or how much the sweet sound of the meadowlark’s song at the ranch will impact her future.

3.       Why did you choose this particular genre?

I had written Historical Romance (To Dance Once More) and wanted to try my hand at Contemporary. The characters I had in mind worked best in a Contemporary romantic setting.

4.       What was your journey to publication like? 

I guess the short version of this story would be that I dreamed, plotted, prayed, researched, wrote, rewrote, edited, submitted, got rejected, cried, gave up writing, prayed some more, took a two-year writing course, and did it all over again until I finally heard the magic words: “We think your story is a good fit for our line.” If you want to read the long version, here’s the link:
http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/about/sherris-road-to-publication/

5.       What is a couple of your favorite books and what are you reading now?

I thoroughly enjoyed Twice Promised by Maggie Brendan, Short-straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer, and For Such a Time as This by Ginny Aiken. Those are at the top of my romance list right now. I also love Pride and Prejudice, The Screwtape Letters, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, and Thr3e by Ted Dekker. Currently I am reading Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof.

6.       What are you working on now and can you give us a little peek inside it? 

My current WIP, After the Raging Storm, is part of my New Hope Series, set in drought-stricken Georgia in 1894. Annabelle is engaged to the son of the town's copper supplier but feels uneasy about the whole thing. She's searching for the meaning of her life apart from this relationship. When she runs into an old friend from school and compares him to her fiancé, she begins to doubt her chosen path in life even more. As the storm rages inside her heart, a storm of a natural kind threatens to destroy her family home and the neighboring farms. What will it take to calm the raging storm inside Annabelle? 

7.       What advice would you give authors who are on their own journey to publication?

Don't ever give up on your dream. Practice your craft. Step through open doors only after much prayer. Be ready for rejection because it’s part of the path to publication. Always write what God puts on your heart and even if you don’t find a publisher for that story, it will honor the Lord.

8.       Do you have any books or websites that have helped you with your writing that you could share with us?

Yes! The Element of Style by William Strunk, Jr., Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King, and Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. I have a list of links to websites that have been helpful here at this link on my website. http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/writers-resources

9.       Is there anything you’d like to tell us we haven’t covered?
I am thankful for readers and also for authors who are willing to be mentors. We’re all in this together and I wouldn’t be where I am if it weren’t for the Lord and my family support but also if it weren’t for readers and mentors.

10.   Please let us know where we can find you on the web.

http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com  

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Author-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/138396456193536 
https://twitter.com/#!/swj_thewriter  
http://nicoleodell.com/sherri-wilson-johnson-on-inspiring-purity  
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5233294.Sherri_Wilson_Johnson  
http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com

To qualify for Sherri's free e-book please.

1) Leave a comment

2) Sign up to follow and to receive posts by email

3) Leave your email address

HAPPY READING!



Interview with Barbara Early

PLEASE TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF

I have a degree in Engineering--which I never really used. After college, I was attracted to Christian service. I worked in a Christian school office for a while. Later, I taught at another fledgling school. At first I taught English because that was what was needed. I was fairly literate, so I figured, “How hard can it be?” Well, the program was pretty advanced and it was a stretch for me. I was learning advanced grammar the night before I had to teach it. (Now I see that God had a plan in that.) But when they needed someone for science, I stepped into that a little more comfortably. Later I homeschooled my daughter through high school. When I'm not writing, I’m on Facebook way too much. I also like to play Scrabble and other games--both online and in person. I enjoy old movie musicals. I enjoy cooking and baking. Cleaning, not so much. But I do it anyway.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER?

I was a late bloomer. I'm awed by writers who say they wanted to be a writer ever since they could read. For me, when my daughter went to college and I was done homeschooling, it left a time void. I began to play with fiction. And I do mean "play." I wrote some fan fiction, and fell in love with writing. From there, I worked on craft, and after a few hundred thousand words of practice fiction, worked on something original. Perhaps because it began with play, it took me such a long time to call myself a writer.

WHAT AUTHORS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?

I think any book you read influences your style in some way--which is why it's important to read good books and to read critically. The authors who have probably had the most influence on my style are Donna Andrews, Rhys Bowen, and Anne Perry.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RECENT RELEASE.

Gold, Frankincense, and Murder is a holiday novella--or novelette, I guess they're calling it. It's a pairing of a cozy mystery and a romance. Donna Russell, the protagonist, is a smart, slightly older heroine. Romance has passed her by as she's pursued her career as geometry teacher. She meets a nice guy volunteering at the local food bank. They become friends, and just when Donna is wondering if they could be more than friends, he disappears. When she starts looking for him, she meets his neighbor, Sam. Sam is a muscle-bound EMT and a friend of the missing man, and he tries to help her look--not that Donna wants his help. At least at first.

AS A CHRISTIAN AUTHOR, HOW DO YOU VIEW WRITING AS A MINISTRY?

I believe all writing is teaching. Whether it's a parable, an allegory, a highly thematic novel, or just pure entertainment, everything we read teaches us something--and stays with us to some degree. That's a huge responsibility for all writers.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU WRITE A STORY?

Research for a mystery writer is a little different. While many of my friends who write historical fiction really immerse themselves into their respective time periods, I try to learn as much as possible about police procedure, forensics, and crime. I've been to a writers police academy, toured a morgue and jails, and attended a number of workshops about how detectives really work. And I have a retired police investigator in my critique group. I really think it's good to get those details right, as much as possible. Other than that, I tend to research as I go along. A scene I wrote last week involved a circuit court judge, so my research involved lots of Googling, and then reading transcripts and even streaming some proceedings. With all the tools available to us these days, there's really not much excuse for not doing the research.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS?

Study craft, and then get feedback. Join (or start) a critique group. Go to conferences. Enter contests, especially when you get a detailed critique in the process. And when you get the coveted feedback, learn how to evaluate it. Writing is subjective. You will get some advice that just doesn't work for you. And you will get advice that does work, but it may not be what you want to hear. Learn how to accept it all graciously and glean from the criticism of others. It takes humility and wisdom, but yields fantastic results. Oh, and that doesn't stop once you've been published.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR RESEARCH?

How to kill someone with a large, inflatable advertising balloon. Enough said.

HOW CAN READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?

Probably the best way is through my web site: www.barbaraearly.com.

Thanks so much for having me!

Barbara's novelette is available from Pelican Book Group on December 1st.