Be My Guest! ~ Author Interview with Sheri Fredricks

 

Hello, and welcome to my new feature for 2017.

I’ve begun a Wednesday weekly post to present interviews with authors across all romance genres. Although I’m primarily an historical romance writer, I do read outside my genre and suspect a lot of you do as well. And what’s more fascinating than finding out more about either your favorite authors or new ones? I plan to change up my questions (most of them at least) every three months or so, just to keep the interviews lively.

So now gather round the tea table, grab a scone or cookies, and a cup of tea or coffee and discover a new friend in the writing world.

Last week there was a last minute snafu. I was in production and didn’t get Gina Danna’s post up in time. She’ll be my guest in May instead.

So, this week on Be My Guest, I am really jumping up and down to have Sheri Fredricks as my guest! She and I met through a shared loop and I’ve admired her work for a very long time, so I’m truly tickled pink to have her here with me today.

Author Bio:

Always on the hunt for the uncommon things in life, award-winning author Sheri Fredricks thrives on creating romantic adventures.

A former engineering secretary, she lives on California’s beautiful central coast. “I wanted to move away from a profession of inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.” A voracious reader since her early years, Sheri found her brain crowded with stories of her own. “Ultimately,” she says, “my husband encouraged me to write them all down.”

Winner of the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award, and a Finalist multiple times for InD’Tale eMagazine’s Reward Of Novel Excellence award (RONE), she has numerous five-star reviews everywhere eBooks are sold.

Sheri loves to spend time at home and connecting with readers. A computer hutch keeps her focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch will call her outside to play in the sun.

Where to find Sheri:

Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bFicIb

Website:          www.sherifredricks.com

Twitter:           http://twitter.com/Sheri_Fredricks

Facebook:        http://www.Facebook.com/SheriFredricks

 

So without further ado, please meet Sheri Fredricks!

Who has been the greatest influence on your writing?

Different people have influenced my writing in different ways, it’d be impossible to name just one. So I’ll go with the one who prodded me to start writing in the first place: My husband. From the beginning, he absolutely cheered me on and has continued to do so.

Support at home is a major factor in a writing life.

Who or what inspires your writing?

The “What” inspires me. Rather, the what-if. For instance: What if Tarzan was a lonely, sexually frustrated man alone on an island of gorillas, and a woman suddenly shows up? Or this one: What if centaurs could shapeshift into humans? The ideas are endless!

Like Stanislavski’s Magic If!

Which of your own books is your favorite and why?

The first book I published holds a special place in my heart. Remedy Maker taught me many things, the first being perseverance.

If you could have one wish granted just for you (not world peace, LOL), what would you wish for?

Excellent health for my family until the day we leave this earth. What more could anyone wish for?

Indeed.

What is the most exciting/daredevil thing you’ve ever done?

Why do I feel like I’m in junior high playing Truth or Dare? Ha! I’ll combine the two.

A bazillion years ago I took a SCUBA class and in order to pass to the next level, we had to make a shallow dive of forty feet in open water (aka the ocean). To that point, my deepest dive had been ten feet—in a swimming pool.

The ocean’s surge to swim past the breakpoint was scary enough, and there were tons of seals due to a slow moving bait ball offshore. But I swam straight out about five feet underwater to the marker, then tipped my fins to the sky and swam down. When I touched sand, I glanced up and saw the lighter colored water at the surface. In between, fish and seals swam.

Mesmerized, I ended up laying on the bottom of the ocean, holding onto a stalk of bull kelp to keep me from being dragged away by the constant surge. Every once in a while I’d take the regulator out of my mouth and blow air rings, then watch seals chase the rising bubbles to the surface.

WOW! That sounds absolutely awesome! I used to SCUBA dive way back in the day and loved it. Never got to play with seals, though. This sounds way cool.

What is your biggest regret?

Not listening to my heart as a teenager. That’s really when I wanted to start writing.

Do you have any hobbies/passions outside of writing?

If I had time to peruse other hobbies, I would. My husband, a landscape contractor, has a home office which I run full-time. We have also have two teenage boys who are active in high school varsity sports. On top of it all, we’re partners in a sheep ranch. Obviously we needed “one more thing to do”, so my husband raises and trains border collies for livestock herding and competition. He’s a nine-time national qualifying competitor himself. Me…I just like to pet the pretty dogs and feed them! Currently, we have nine dogs in our kennels.

Good Grief! And I think I’m busy!

Now, tell us a little bit about one of your books.

You’ve heard of twisted fairytales, Lord of the Jungle is a little like that. I’ve taken a character we all know and put an unconventional spin on him.

Tarzan is the only hairless gorilla on the island. Regardless, he’s pushed his way to the top and became Alpha of his family’s band. When a female washes up on shore and her features are hairless like him, his curiosity is peaked to find out if she’s hairless all over.

Do you have plans for a sequel to this book?

I do! Forever My Jane, Book 2 of the Jungle Island series, is available at Amazon.

I loved Lord of the Jungle and Forever My Jane sounds just as delicious!

Now, the Infamous Lightning Round:

What is your favorite amusement park ride? The roller-coaster!

Tea or coffee? Half-caff coffee in the morning and herbal tea after 2PM.

French manicure or color (and if color, what color)? Lately, I’ve been going for anything with sparkles. Right now that color is Candy Apple Red.

Would you rather skydive or scuba dive? I think SCUBA, but won’t rule out skydiving.

Would you rather vacation in Hawaii, Vegas or London? I’ve been to Hawaii and Vegas, so London it is!

What’s the one thing you would never do? Work on a marine engine in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. (I know nothing about mechanics)

 

 

BLURB:

A shipwrecked woman.

The uncharted island.

Jane Porter craves a thrill but when marauders scuttle her ship and she washes ashore onto an island inhabited by animals and one sexy wildman, that’s when the real adventure begins. Dependent upon her vine-swinging rescuer who acts more ape than musclebound man, she places her survival in his rugged hands and relinquishes her desire to his raw sensuality.

For more seasons than he can remember, Tarzan has lived among the tiny island’s gorilla band. Instinct propels him to save the female he finds half-dead in the surf, but gazing into her eyes, his mating tool dances an ancient tribal beat.
While the pirates search for their bounty, Tarzan and Jane are in danger. To survive, they’ll have to hang onto each other as they swing for dear life. Their adrenaline-rush of passion among the canopy of the jungle threatens not only a dizzying fall from a great height, but also into love.

 

Lord of the Jungle is available at Amazon and  Books 2 Read.

 

Next Wednesday will be a bit out of the ordinary. My guest for the day will be…me. My third House of Pleasure book, Only A Mistress Will Do, releases next Tuesday, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to give you a bit more information about me as an author. I’ve changed up the questions for the next few months, to give you all a little different look at my guests and in this case, me. Hope you’ll come by on Tuesday for the Release Party as well!