Welcome to Cheryl’s place! I’m thrilled to have you here.
Please tell us a
little about yourself. I am delighted to be here. Well, I am a single
mother of six…that’s five cats and one macaw (large pirate-y parrot) Yes, I
have been called ‘the crazy cat lady’ but I used to be a veterinary technician
and the occupational hazard with that is adopting all the cast-aways and
psycho-kitties no one else wants. I also like to collect necklaces. Sort of an
odd thing, but less troublesome than cats. And other than a watch, I don’t wear
much jewelry beyond a couple necklaces.
What is your
favorite pastime, other than writing? Cooking and/ or baking. I like to
try creating new recipes off old favorites. Since I was born with no sense of
smell, (anosmia) it can be challenging sometimes. However, I find food
preparation with multiple steps can be relaxing. Same for cooking suet for the
wild birds. Beyond that, I like to paint and doodle. I love mind games like
bent & wiggly word find puzzles and Mah Jongg or, when I can find an
opponent, chess. Ultimately, going to the national forest nearby and hanging
out alone by the river. I recently bought a 1920 cottage bungalow, and have
been cutting my teeth on a series of first time homebuyer issues. Thankfully
none have been too hard to deal with, and they have provided me with good
blogging fodder.
Any advice for new
writers just starting out? Be open to constructive criticism from
trusted sources, but not to negativity. Learn quickly to spot the differences.
Not everyone will be a fan of your work, and that’s okay. But your truest fans
want only the best for you. It can be hard but learn not to justify every word
or paragraph or book you write. Some of it needs to be cut away. Scissors/
erasers hurt, but publication is a great healer.
What genre or
genres do you write? Mostly romance. I love mixing them up in subgenres
though. Christian/ time travel/ shape shifting/ paranormal/ mystery/ suspense.
Blender time! I also wrote a YA/NA recently that tip-toes into paranormal and
have a straight up non-fiction inspirational novella I am wondering what to do
with. I write short stories in assorted subgenres and poetry for therapy. This
is in addition to the free-lance articles I do for regional periodicals. And I
keep a journal. So doubtlessly I am writing something for someone at any given
moment in time.
Tell us about your
latest release.
‘Shimmers of Stardust’ is about a Civil War
hero who turns renegade. He is hanged by the law in 1869 and his story should
have ended there. Except is does not. Fast forward to 2014 and anthropologist
Dr. McKenzie Lynne is hired by a team of physicists to find a missing link to their
time travel theories. She accidently
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Now the chase is on. Hired military, armed
to the teeth, pursue Kenzie and Logan. He’s used to hunting and hiding but not
in this strange new world and never with a lovely lady in tow. Kenzie isn’t
buying this whole time travelling nonsense, but there is no denying the
physicists and soldiers are anxious—and determined—to get Logan back.
As the time passes, love blooms between
them like the desert flowers and mountain dew. Kenzie’s strong Christian faith
works on Logan’s bad-boy heart, convicting him of his lawless past. She turns
his heart around, but it might be too late for their love as the ultimate
showdown is about to begin: modern military and obsessed physicists against his
19th century cowboy code of justice and their fledgling love.
Now here is the interesting thing about
‘Shimmers of Stardust’—the manuscript actually took me about 4 months to write.
That is really quick for me. That was starting with a fresh idea and seeing
where it was going. About 2/3 into it, I came across a piece of paper while
cleaning out some boxes. There, on a scrap sheet was a story idea for a future
book. It had no title but the premise was almost word-for-word of what I was
writing. And the date I had the original story plot---about 17 years
before.
Please share an excerpt
of your book!
Again,
he shook his head. She talked a lot. “No sawbones. I'm just thirsty.”
She handed the water bottle over
again, pausing when he stared at the screw lid and back at her.
“Just twist it,” she offered,
waiting. As he gave an experimental twist of his wrist and smiled as the lid
came off, she considered what she had just stumbled onto. Hopefully, Aiden
Conway would be of help after they reached the portable offices. And once[LC1] [RS2]
there, she was going to grab some aspirin for herself, and him if he decided he
wanted some.
He handed it back again, lid still
off. Screwing it back on, she took a step toward the cave entrance. “Can you
make it on your own or do you need some help?” she asked, watching how he still
leaned heavily along the rock wall, just a little out of breath. She could
leave him long enough to get some help. “Are you in any pain?”
“I'll be fine,” he assured. “Where
are we heading for?”
“To see my boss. He is set up in the
offices a little way from here. Not far, we can walk it. He's in charge of this
dig.”
“Dig?”
“Sorry, yes, archeological dig. I am
head anthropologist on site and just came in this cave for a short break,” she
gave a little laugh as they entered the sunlight and heat outside. Turning back
at him, her laugh died off as she stared at the red slashes across his neck.
Instinctively she wanted to reach up and touch them, but held her hand back.
“Are you sure you don't need to see
a doctor about that?” she asked, pointing to his neck.
Gingerly he reached up, touching his
fingertips to the marks. “Figures,” he muttered in disgust. “Lost the guns but
kept this,” he added cryptically. Reaching around, he loosened his bandana and
adjusted it, knotting it loosely over the slashes.
“Better?” he asked, looking down at
her. The sunlight glinted off a silver disc and chain she wore around her neck.
He could make out lines of words and he found himself wondering what it read.
Now that he was upright again, he found her small build fascinating. She
stopped just short of reaching his shoulders, and freckles played over her
pretty face. She couldn't weigh more than two sacks of grain.
“Uh, I guess so. Camp is that way, come on.” Striking out for the camp, she wondered if she dared ask where he got those angry red slashes on his neck. His cryptic response made her wonder all the more. What if he had some serious injury? But how could he explain being buried in a long cave? Finally, as the buildings came into view, she just had to know. Stopping, she turned to face him, lifting her face up to meet his intense blue eyes, now shaded by the brim of his hat.
“Uh, I guess so. Camp is that way, come on.” Striking out for the camp, she wondered if she dared ask where he got those angry red slashes on his neck. His cryptic response made her wonder all the more. What if he had some serious injury? But how could he explain being buried in a long cave? Finally, as the buildings came into view, she just had to know. Stopping, she turned to face him, lifting her face up to meet his intense blue eyes, now shaded by the brim of his hat.
“Uh, Mr. Logan, I need to ask you
some questions. We'll start with how exactly did you get those red marks on your
neck?”
A ghost of a smile played on his
lips for a fleeting second, vanishing quickly.
“Well, darlin’, reckon I got ‘em
when I was hanged.”
What’s your current
WIP? I have two of them going on
plus two older drafts I want to rewrite as time allows. About a year and a half
ago, I started three stories in one volume. It began as more therapy, taking my
mental happy place and making it ‘real’. I gave it a name, filled it with
streets, people, businesses, etc… I found three sisters, all spirited and
strong, who end up finding love in that quaint little seaside community. The stories,
each onto their own, are told individually through each sister with cameos of
the other two. I am now just a touch over 2/3 finished.
Another one I have been working on for the
past year is romance, women’s lit, or maybe commercial fiction. It’s my problem
child. Succinctly, it is the story of a woman who is told her soldier husband
died in action overseas. She buries him and moves on, grieving the loss and
raising their son by herself. Then one day, she learns of a soldier who escaped
from a secret belowground military hospital. She meets up with him, and he’s a
dead ringer for her deceased husband. The problem is he has no memories of
himself, her or anything. All he knows is he has this uncanny sensory ability
and he feels emotions whenever he is around the woman claiming to be his wife.
The two older drafts I want to rewrite are, respectively, another time travel
story and a sweet contemporary Christian love story, not mish-mashed like
Shimmers of Stardust was.
And finally, where
can we stalk you?
Website: www.ryanjosummers.com
Blog: https://summersrye.wordpress.com/about/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ACOBJ90
Book trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX23L7xdumI
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