Author Interview with Sandra S. Kerns

 I'm currently reading  and enjoying an ARC of Reconstructing Roman, and I asked the author, Sandra S. Kerns, if she would agree to an interview.

Preorder Links for Reconstructing Roman:

 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1MXZFoP

Smashwords:  http://bit.ly/1FZKgVE

iBooks:  http://apple.co/1PO3UbG

 

 

Here's what she had to say.

 

Jen-Can you tell us a little about yourself?

 

Sandra-​I’m originally from central New York and a diehard Yankees fan. Nope, I won’t apologize for it. Now I make Colorado home with a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains from my back yard. When I’m not writing I enjoy traveling to warm places, reading, quilting, tatting, and playing with my dog since our boys grew up and left home.

 

Jen-What genre do you write and why?

 

Sandra-Everything I have out right now is romantic suspense. I have always loved figuring out the whodunits, so it was a natural slot for me. I also think it gives me a great backdrop for readers to get to know my characters as they deal with intense situations. I currently have a futuristic fantasy series in the works. I’m hoping for a 2016 release with that.

 

Jen- What is different about your writing style?

 

Sandra-I think what makes my writing style different is that my characters tell the story. I can’t tell you how the book ends (other than an HEA) because I don’t know until the characters decide how they want to wrap things up.

 

Jen- When did you start writing?

 

Sandra-There is the standard I’ve been writing forever, and in a way it is true, but not really. I started writing seriously in the early 90swhen we lived in Minnesota and it was too cold to go out much in the winter and too humid (and buggy) in the summer. You laugh, but I’m serious.

 

Jen- I know the list is long, can you tell our readers just how many books you have out?

 

​The Masters Men Series

Her Master Defender

Her Master Detective

Her Master of Hearts

Last Chance for Love - A Masters Men Christmas Novella

Her Master Diver

Her Master Match

 

The Colorado Skies Series

Dream Stalker

Rose of Steele

Callaghan's Conundrum

The Butterfly Connection

Eenie Meanie Minie No!

Harlan’s Haven

Butterfly Bride

 

The Colorado Dreams and Desires Series

A Daring Proposal

Gathering Clouds

Reconstructing Roman

 

Jen- Wow. That is a lot of books. What is a typical day or week like for you? How do you find time to write?

 

Sandra-A typical day has changed since I retired from my day job last year. Now it means waking up between 5:30 & 5:45AM to get the hubby going so he will leave for work sooner than later. While he’s putsing around I get my tea and go up to my office by 6. That time is usually spent checking email and doing some social media.

​After a break for exercise (15-30 minutes), breakfast, and a shower, I’m back in the chair by 8. Many days I have until 3 or 4 to write. There are other days when I have the required errands and appointments that come with everyone considering you retired so you have ALL this free time. I’m still working on getting people to realize I retired from ‘work’ to pursue my true career of writing. Still, I have more writing time than many authors I know, so I can’t complain.

 

Jen- What are you reading right now?

 

Sandra-Right now I’m reading two books because I promised reviews on them soon. The first is Jim Heskett’s: Both Ends Burning - the last book in his Whistleblower series. The second is by Allan J. Lewis: Get out of my Dreams - I believe it is his debut novel.

 

Jen- What are you working on next?

 

Sandra- I recently started the next book in the Masters Men series, Her Master Investigator (temporary title) and the futuristic fantasy series I mentioned earlier.

 

Jen- Are you traditionally published, self-published, or with a vanity press? Why?

 

Sandra-I’m self-published because I got tired of waiting over a year to hear back from editors who requested manuscripts. I had more than a dozen completed books and decided it was time to bite the bullet. Actually, my critique partner and I decided to do so at the same time. It was fun having someone to take the leap with rather all alone.

 

Jen- Do you use experiences from your own life in your writing or does it all come from your imagination?

 

Sandra-I think there’s always a little bit of your own life experiences in your writing though not necessarily exactly what happened. The majority of my writing is pure imagination. I will admit to using my writing as therapy sometimes. If I’m really annoyed or angry with someone when I sit down to write there’s usually someone killed in the first scene that comes up. Hey, at least I’m not really hurting anyone, but I am getting rid of the anger. It’s very cathartic.

 

Jen- What is your favorite curse word?

 

Sandra-Damn, probably. In reality I don’t curse a lot. In fact, if my youngest son (26) is around and I do he calls me on it, that’s because it’s just something we didn’t do much in our house.

Jen- What is your favorite word to use in writing?

 

Sandra-It changes with each book. My editor can always tell you what the “Word of the Book” is that I just finished. It’s become quite the joke with us.

 

Jen- Do you Plot or outline when writing?

 

Sandra-I’ve tried, but it doesn’t work. Once I have the whole story plotted I don’t care about it anymore. I know the ending so why bother writing it? See, as much as my readers buy the book to learn what happens, that’s why I write it.

 

Jen- Are you a cat or dog person?

 

Sandra-I’m a dog person, definitely dog although I don’t dislike cats as much as I used to since my editor has two and they’re pretty cool. Dogs are found in a number of my books where they play important roles - well, the characters think so anyway. Copernicus is the name of the one in Reconstructing Roman and he’s very important though he’s only a tiny thing.

 

Jen- I love Copernicus. He is so cute. If you had your choice of writing retreat would you choose, a. Villa in Italy, b. Cabin in the woods, c. English estate in Derbyshire (think Pemberly) d. Beach house in the Virgin Islands

 

Sandra-Can I do e) Beach house on Cocoa Beach, FL? That’s my favorite place. 

 

Jen- Tell us a funny story about you that we can’t find on your bio.

 

Sandra-I’m from NY, my husband is from Ohio, and we met in Mississippi at the pool at the apartments we both lived in. The joke in our house when he makes a really bad joke or something is - you should have let him go down the pool drain, mom.

Sandra is the author of three series, totaling more than 15 books. She writes contemporary romantic-suspense. The majority of her stories are located in Colorado because it possesses such a diverse selection of heroes and heroines. In less than a minute you can see a cowboy, an engineer, a lawyer, or a stay-at-home mom/dad. The combinations of characters keeps her very busy. You can also find her characters visiting New York or finding trouble in Florida. These two locations pop up because she grew up in central New York and enjoys vacations at Cocoa Beach.

When she’s not writing you might find her at a sewing machine. Learning to sew at age seven, she enjoyed making clothes for herself and family for years. Now she prefers making quilts for family and friends, though occasionally she will whip out a skirt or two.

Before writing full time she had various jobs. Her employment started as a substitute church secretary when she was in high school and ended as a faculty assistant (aka Copy Lady) in a high school in Colorado with stints as bank secretary, fabric store clerk, and temp secretary in between.

She lives in northern Colorado with her husband and Rudy, their rescue dog from Japan. Her sons are grown and move around the country, but still provide endless inspiration and support for her writing.

 

 

Author links:

 

Website: http://sandrakerns.com

Facebook: Sandra S Kerns Facebook

Twitter: @SandraSKerns

Blog: Ramblings & Reviews

LinkedIn:  Sandra on LinkedIn

Pinterest:  Sandra S. Kerns on Pinterest

Goodreads: Author Sandra S Kerns

Amazon: Sandra's Amazon Author Page

Smashwords: Sandra's Smashwords Author Page

 

 

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 You can find me and all my books and social media links on my website.

www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

 

 

 

Interview with Sheri Williams, author of Mad Magic

I loved this book so much I knew I had to blog about it.
Here is the blurb:

This is not your mother’s Wonderland.

What happens when you take a beloved children’s book character, give him a back story and a provocative demeanor, and update him to the 21st century? You get a thoroughly charismatic Mad Hatter that goes well beyond what Lewis Carroll ever imagined.

When Addy meets a mysterious man, literally from her dreams, she thinks she is doing a good deed by taking care of him, but, in the end, who is saving whom? In the fight to save Wonderland, Addy not only discovers a world that exists beneath her own, but the secrets within her as well.

Author Sheri Williams’ debut novel is sexy, fun, and adventurous. She artfully weaves a tale full of romance and action to set the stage for the beloved characters to come to life in a new and exciting way.

And here is my review from Amazon:

5 Stars-I loved this book. I was hooked from the beginning, when we meet Hatter who has lost his color. Hatter is an adorable and sweet gentleman, who has lost his memory. Addy is a strong and caring young woman who becomes the hero of our story, discovering a secret about herself and family that is the key to saving Hatter and Wonderland.

The author does a wonderful job blending elements from the original story into an entirely new romantic adventure. This book, however, in my opinion is not a re-telling, but an absolutely original work loosly based on the characters found in the classic.

Her strong female lead, wonderful writing, and loveable Hatter, have turned me into a fan. I will definitely continue to read other works by this author.

I was so thrilled when Sheri agreed to talk to me about this book, I jumped at the chance to interview her.

JS-Sheri, thank you for talking about Mad Magic, The Untold Story of the Mad Hatter. Let's get to it.
How did you come up with the idea to write a Hatter who had lost his color and his way?
 
SW-Um...I knew I wanted to write about the Mad Hatter, he’s my favorite literary character of all time. Him losing his color came from looking at some old photographs with my mother in law. It made me think about what my life would have been like if it had been lived in black and white.
 
JS-I love that, what a great way to use a thought like that and develop it into a story. Addy is a strong heroine. What do you like best about her?
 
SW-I have use for weak willed women. I don’t want my girls growing up like that. So you’ll never see me write about a woman who needs saving. I like that once she makes up her mind, she sticks to it. She might waver but she will never give up. That will probably be a theme through all of my books. Never give up, Never surrender (doctor who nerd)
 
JS-Yes, I love that. How did you pick and choose what elements to use from the original work into your story?

SW-I walked a fine line here. I wanted people to recognize the world and the characters but I didn’t want to rip it off completely. I have a huge respect for the original story, I hope I did it justice with the characters I came up with.

JS-Absolutely, I felt the connection to the original Alice in Wonderland, but this story also felt completely original to me. Is this a love story, a fantasy or both? Why?

SW-It’s both. A love story set in a fantastical world. Because both are important in our world. The earth would be a dreary place if people gave up on either.

JS-Nice. If Mad Magic was ever made into a film, who would you cast as Hatter? Addy?

SW-Um, Tom Hiddleston definitely for the Hatter. le sigh. Maybe Kat Dennings for Addy, smart and sassy. My kind of girl.

JS-Oh yes, I can definitely see Tom as Hatter. How long did it take you to write?

SW-It took me almost a full year. I worked on it off and on just for myself for a long time, but then I stumbled upon a publisher and I had to finish it, so I threw myself into it and finished it quickly.

JS-I am so happy you did. Which movie version of Alice in Wonderland is your favorite?

SW-Totally the cartoon Disney Version. I still watch it regularly with my girls. Although, I really enjoyed the SyFy channel's take on it with Alice. I think they did the best Mad Hatter.

JS-Oh, I love the Disney cartoon version as well. This is a standalone book, but would you consider continuing the story? Making it a series?

SW-I think I am going to keep it a standalone, in one aspect, but I do plan a trilogy of fairy tale retellings.  Started with Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman is up next and then I have the first kernels of an idea for a Peter Pan story. Because, mermaids :)

JS-I didn't know that. That is awesome, so exciting, I can't wait. Er...sorry for the fangirl moment. Back to business. What do you want readers to take away from the book? Is there an underlying message?

SW-Sappy, romantic me here, I really hope people take from it that you should never give up, specifically not on love. It’s too important. Also, I hope it’s just a good read.

 
JS- It is such a good read. And finally, where can everyone buy it?

SW- Thank you for asking. Here are the links:


Amazon for Kindle and Print
and on  Word Branch Publishing Book Shop

Thank you, Sheri. Love the hair. 

For more about Sheri, check out my Author Interview with Sheri on Writing Wenches, where she discusses all three books she has published in the last month as well as her writing style and other tidbits.

Check out Sheri's Amazon Author Page for all her current books.

You can find Sheri on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Williams.Sheri.Author and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mygirljuju

Happy Reading.

Jennifer Senhaji, Your Sweet & Spicy Romance Author

Find me online at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com