Interview For Cheryl St John

Interview For Cheryl St John. Cheryl is an author for HMB and a very good one! I enjoy her books, Anne

Tell us a little about yourself
I’m a native Nebraskan who has written stories since I was a little girl. I received my first rejection from Redbook Magazine at the age of fourteen. I didn’t do much writing while I was raising a family, until my youngest went to school all day. Then I dusted off the old Selectric typewriter and wrote a full-length book beginning to end. It never did get published—and didn’t deserve to be published—but it was a learning experience. I learned I could follow through.

What do you write?
I love to write Americana and Western historical romances with believable characters and emotional depth. I also write contemporaries and have been published in several lines over the years. One of my favorite premises is someone pretending to be someone they’re not. I also love a juicy secret and I adore creating underdog characters for readers to root for.

Why do you write?
I began writing for my own pleasure, and continued to prove something to myself. I write now because it’s the best job I could ever have. I’m not a nine-to-five person or a clock watcher. Hours speed past when I’m lost in a story. It’s a creative outlet and a challenge.

What are you writing now?
I’m contracted for a Western Christmas anthology for ‘08, but before hunkering down to that deadline I’ve been working up a few proposals for new stories. One is a series I’m excited to write.

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?
I love comfort. During the week I’m pretty much a jeans or capris gal, but when going out or going to church I like to dress up. I love shoes and purses and jewelry. Teal is my favourite color for clothing with pink a close second.

Are you in love? Have you ever been?
I’ve been in love with the same man for more years than some of your readers have been alive. We’re often asked the secret to a long and successful marriage. There’s no secret. Marriage is hard work. Anything worth having takes effort and commitment. Staying in love is a choice, and when both people make that choice, you have a solid relationship.

Do you have a dream lover – and what does he look like?
All my heroes are dream lovers and they’re mostly tall, dark and handsome.

What kind of comfort food do you like best?
Without a second thought that would be chocolate in any way, shape or form.

What makes you laugh? Cry?
Kids make me laugh. I adore them. I can’t get enough of their precious faces or sweet voices or innocent reasoning. I even enjoy the endless questions.
Pictures of my children as babies make me cry because those moments are gone forever. I hope I enjoyed them to the fullest.

What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
I love to decorate, redecorate, garden, and shop flea markets and antique malls. I love going to the movies, watching DVDs and reading.

What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
I love an ambitious man. One who knows what he wants, but won’t step on anyone to get it. I admire a man with principles and integrity. I appreciate men who aren’t afraid to show love or admit failings.

What do you hate about life?
I don’t hate anything about my life or life in general. I regret there aren’t more hours in a day, and wish I didn’t need rest because sleep is a waste of time. Life is what we make of it. We can’t change other people, but we can change how we react and how we let them affect us.

What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?
If I make a difference in one person’s life, I will consider that a success.

What are you going to write next?
I’m going to write the ’08 Christmas anthology I’m contracted for and by then some of the stories I’m pitching now will be sold and I can write them. Nothing compares to the satisfaction of a great writing session, of using that last brain cell of the day and sitting back and knowing you accomplished something worthwhile. It’s a thrill to know that my stories bring hope and enjoyment to readers all over the world.

Touch me in the Dark

Touch Me in the Dark by Jacqueline Diamond/Triskelion Publishing/ebook

This is a book that slowly draws the reader into the story. It is a little dark in places but as that is the story it works well. Sharon and Ian’s chemistry is great and the way they fight it also helps the story along and adding in a ghost adds more complications. The way Sharon and Ian try to figure out who the ghost is and why the ghost is there makes for an intriguing read. This was a good suspense story with an ending I did not expect. While reading the book I wanted to reach the end to find out how it ends and yet now that it is done I am wishing to read more. This is definitely a book worth reading.


I would give this book 4-1/2 red roses.

Larena

This is a reader's review and as such is special, because it gives a true picture of the book! Anne

Interview with Hazel Statham

Hazel Statham has a new book coming out soon with Triskelion.

Tell us a little about yourself
I am now officially ‘retired’ although I have not worked for thirteen years due to ill health. I have a beautiful grandson named Daniel and we are great pals. Apart from writing, my other ruling passion is animals and until recently I was the treasurer of a local group who raised money for animal charities. Over the years, we have owned everything from hamsters to horses and at the moment we have a lovely yellow Labrador named Lucy.

What do you write?
I write Georgian and Regency romance but have also been known to stray into the Medieval era.

Why do you write?
It’s a compulsion and I have written on and off since I was sixteen. Originally, I wrote solely for my own amusement, but when I joined a writers’ group at the local college, the lecturer who headed the group persuaded me to try for publication. My first two books were published in 2005 but due to my editor’s demise the company was closed. I then sought publication in 2006 and was delighted when I had four books accepted.

What are you writing now?
I have just started a new Regency and its temporary title is ‘Sarah’, which no doubt will change as the book evolves.

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?
Usually trousers with either a shirt or blouse.

Are you in love? Have you ever been?
I have been married to my husband for thirty-eight years, so I guess we must have something going for us

Do you have a dream lover – and what does he look like?
I think you have to be a little bit in love with all the heroes you create and you create what attracts you the most. Mine are usually tall, dark and athletic.

What kind of comfort food do you like best?
I suppose it has to be chocolate – but not any old chocolate. Thornton’s Fruit Creams are the top of my list. There are several other substitutes, but nothing can really compare.

What makes you laugh? Cry?
Animals and children in equal measure. I am a very sentimental person and am easily moved to tears. I like witty dialogue rather than slap-stick comedy.

What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
Read. It’s a standing joke amongst the family that you can leave me anywhere as long as I have a book to read. I like a good drama or film but much prefer it to be a period piece. My mobility is somewhat restricted now but I used to love riding, dancing and walking.

What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
Eyes and the shape of the mouth, plus a good sense of humour. I like athletic, tall, dark men. A man with a lively mind who is capable of almost anything,
What do you hate about life?
Cruelty or injustice in any shape or form, be it to people or animals.

What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?
When I see one of my books for sale in Webberley’s (our local independent book shop) I will know I have arrived as an author. On a more personal level, if I can contribute to my family’s happiness, I will be content.

What are you going to write next?
I have a prequel to ‘Dominic’ that I wrote twenty-five years ago that I would like to work on. After that, I will continue to write in the periods I know and love.

www.triskelionpublishing.com

Long Distance Love

Anne Whitfield/Long Distance Love/ Samhain Publishing/ISBN 1-59999-571-3/print
Fleur's plan was to spend the summer in Whitby running a book shop/café. Having just recovered from breast cancer, she wanted to get away from her home and the sadness of the past couple of years. What she didn't want or need was a love affair, but when Patrick walked into her life her senses did a somersault. It was a case of instant attraction, but was it only physical – and could she afford to get involved?

Between running her business, which took off beyond her dreams and falling in love, the weeks flew by but then disaster struck. Fleur was needed back home because of a death in the family. She had to go and what she discovered there made her see that her family needed her. But she was in love with Patrick – how could she live in Australia when her heart was with him in England?

This is a delightful love story that kept me reading happily throughout a wet afternoon in England. I found Fleur a captivating character and I liked her friends and Patrick. It was a book that made you care about the people, and sensual enough to appeal to young readers without alienating the older generation. I recommend this book and give if five red roses, Anne

The Reluctant Cinderella

Christine Rimmer/ The Reluctant Cinderella/HMB Special Edition/ISBN 978-0-263-85636-1/ £3.10 248pgs
This is a part of the Talk of the Neighbourhood series. Megan Schumacher has always been known as the nice girl who lives in her sister's apartment and helps out with the children. She runs a design business and the good people give her little jobs to do and pay her a few dollars thinking they are being kind, but Megan is a successful business woman and when her friend Carly offers to put her in touch with her ex husband Greg Banning, who runs a huge firm, she jumps at the chance. What she doesn't bargain for is that they will feel an instant attraction.

The feeling between them is too strong to be ignored and they fall into love and into a passionate affair, which leaves Megan feeling guilty. Carly is both hurt and angry, and Megan feels as if everyone has turned against her. But she had nothing to do with the break up of their marriage. Can she and Greg find happiness together?

This is a lovely romance, sensual and tender as it explores Megan's journey from shy mouse to confident woman. Ms Rimmer is the best selling author of thirty-five novels and has won awards for her work. I recommend this for anyone who loves romance. Award five red roses, Anne

Interview for Mary Eason

Mary's book thirty Lessons is available from Samhain Press now. Don't Close your Eyes is coming from Cerridwen Press in August.

Tell us a little about yourself:
My Bio: I'm a Texan through and through. I was born in a small Central Texas town where I was the youngest of four kids. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than my brothers and sister, gave me plenty of time to entertain myself. Making up stories seem to come natural to me. I could keep myself happy for hours with all the possibilities.
As a pre-teen, I discovered romance novels and knew instinctively that was what I wanted to do with my over-active imagination.
I wrote my first novel as a teen, (it's tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued my writing seriously until later, after the kids were out of the house when I wrote my first romantic comedy and was hooked.

I still live in Texas, and I still write romance. In fact, I can't think of anything I'd rather do.
What do you write?

I grew up a huge fan of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. They formed my love for romantic suspense very early on. Although I write several different genres of romance, my one true love remains romantic suspense.

Why do you write? I know it sounds clichéd, but I believe you are truly born to be a writer or your not. Whether you are the next Nora Roberts or you simply write for your own enjoyment, some things cannot be faked. The desire to writing is one of them. If you are truly a writer, you cannot do anything else. For better or worse and believe me there’s both.


What are you writing now? LONGBOAT KEY. A romantic suspense that is about a woman who discovers she doesn’t know her fiancé quite as well as she thought.
What kind of clothes do you like to wear? I’m a jeans kinda gal. The more casual the clothing, the better. I think it comes for years of working in corporate America where I was forced to dress accordingly.

Are you in love? Have you ever been? Absolutely. Yes to both of those questions. I love my husband of twenty-plus years. I’ve loved him from the beginning and he is still my first love along with my best friend. He understands me better than I do myself at times and the poor buy still sticks around anyway. Go figure.

Do you have a dream lover – and what does he look like?
Subconsciously, I believe I pattern most of my heroes after my hubby. But when I chose a book to read for myself, I prefer that my hero be a little bit of a mystery with lots of baggage attached. Makes for a more interesting story in my opinion. In addition, I can form my own vision of him.

What kind of comfort food do you like best? I’ve been a huge fan of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups since they were invented. I should probably buy stock.


What makes you laugh? My nine-month-old granddaughter. She is the cutest thing. But I laugh a lot because I’m generally a happy person. Life is good but short. Enjoy it while you can. Cry? A sad movie or book. GOOD GRIEF by Lolly Winston s a prime example. It invoked both laughter and tears for me. Now that’s a good book.


What do you do to amuse yourself when not working? Grandbaby --- need I say more? Also, my hubby and I have a little cabin in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. It’s lovely and so peaceful.
What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
When I was younger, I guess my answer would be his looks. Now that I’m forty-something, well, I find the things that turn me on about a man is his kindness. His gentleness. Watching my husband with our granddaughter.


What do you hate about life? The fact that people sometimes fall for the craziest of things. I wish that we as a people would stop following trends and worrying about looks so much. It’s okay to be different and getting older is a GOOD thing. Wrinkles and all.

What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success? I’d like to hope people will look back on my life and say that I cared about my fellow man. As far as knowing when I achieved it, well that will be for those around me to say.
What are you going to write next? I’m starting a new romantic suspense series entitled THE BEHOLDER SERIES. It’s about some women with the gift of physic insight and how it affects their lives.

Also, I’m working on a romantic comedy called BINDS THAT TIE about a family that suffers a tragedy and how the three daughters must come together to overcome it.

Teddie Turns On

Sloane Taylor/Teddi Turns On/Triskelion Publishing/ISBN 1-933874-45-7/ebook/100pgs/$5.99
Teddi has been a widow for several years, and has devoted herself to her business in an effort to fight the loneliness and grief. Her friends and younger sister are constantly telling her to move on, and they have packed her cases with a lot of sexy fun clothing, which she wouldn't have bought for herself.

Now Teddi's business is in trouble because someone reneged on a big deal and she is on her way to Munich to try and sort out the mess. At the airport she notices a particular man watching her, and despite her feelings of betrayed loyalty to her lost husband, she starts to have sensual dreams about him. Unknown to Teddi she is featuring largely in David Stiefel's dreams, and David is a successful man who goes after what he wants – which all leads to fun and games in Munich!

This is a highly sensual book with a lot of strong sex scenes, but it is also very much a romance. David is the arrogant, commanding hero we all love and Teddi's need for love touches the heart. If you enjoy strong sexual scenes you will love this and I recommend it to you for a very enjoyable read. Award five red roses. Morna

I read this too, Sloane and loved it, Anne!