AUTHOR INTERVIEW: CHERYL ANN SMITH

A fan of romance fiction since the dark ages, author Cheryl Ann Smith loves to throw her heroines into danger, just to see what they’ll do.

Cheryl lives in Michigan with her family, two cats and a very hairy dog. She enjoys outdoor adventures and traveling, when she has the time, and hopes to make her first visits to Europe and Australia in the very near future.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? Was writing just a hobby that unexpectedly turned into more, or was it always a career goal?

This may sound clichéd but I couldn’t find a book to read and decided to write my own. I’ll be dating myself but those first chapters were written on a typewriter! I think at first I just wanted to see if I could write an entire book. Then I fell in love with writing and decided to make it a career.

Do you have a special process you go through when starting a new book?

As I’m writing one book, I start thinking about the next and take some preliminary notes. By the time I’m ready to begin, I have a very general idea about the opening and the end, with maybe a few plot points for the middle. This may sound strange, but I don’t know where the story will lead until the instant it pops into my head as I’m writing. Then I tell my kids that I have to keep writing so I can find out what happens!

How did you come up with the premise?

Movies, TV shows, anything really. Sometimes an idea shows up in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.

Did you spend a lot of time researching?

I do research if I have a character with a job, like the FBI, or a setting that I’m not 100% familiar with. I want to get those things right.

How did you select names for your characters?

I named the heroine in my current work-in-progress after my agent’s assistant. I love her name! Last names come from internet searches and phone directories.

Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, who do you get over it?

I do get blocked, usually after I’ve been writing since 4 a.m. and at it for several hours. Rather than push through and make it worse, I step away. When I return, the words tend to flow again.

Which of your books is your favorite?

I have two. The School for Brides, my first Regency, because it made me a published author. And I love Leading Her Witness because I just adore Andie and Colin and their dynamic. LHW is one crazy-fun book!

Do you have a set schedule for writing?

Nope. Although, I do write by best stuff early in the morning when the house is quiet.

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

I’ve evolved so, so, much. When I started, I didn’t know about 1 inch margins and my books were wordy and laden with clichés! Romance Writers of America and devouring anything writing related made me a much better writer.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently finishing up book two of this series and working up a new series. No rest for me from the characters bouncing around in my head!

Thank you for letting me visit! I’ve had fun!

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