Fabulous Author Friday ~ Sheri Fredricks

Please help me welcome Sheri Fredricks to the blog today! I am so excited to have her here.

Without further ado..........

Sheri please tell us a little about yourself.

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Krystal for having me on her blog today!

You are very welcome!

I was born on September 5, which makes me a Virgo, I fit the attributes of that Zodiac sign to a tee. Before I became a writer, I worked in an engineering contractor's office. It was great: 65 men, 3 women, and as close to heaven as a single girl could get. Now I write full-time, work in my husband's home office full-time, and cater to the kids, livestock, and ranch around the clock. 

Sounds very busy.

So beautiful Sheri!

Did I mention I live on the scenic central coast of California, where the weather is always near perfect?

Did you always want to be an author?

No. In second grade, the teacher had us draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I seated my hugely grinning self on a golden throne and drew sacks of money all around me.

The caption beneath read: I want to be RICH!

That's fantastic! LOL

What is your favorite part of being a writer/author?

Here’s two answers to your question.

Personally:  I’ve always been a geek— never athletic enough, uncoordinated, and live with freaky ideas in my head. My husband is the complete opposite, achieving top shelf results in whatever he sets his mind to. When I wrote my first story, it blew him away. That was a glorious moment for me!

Professionally:  It’s a tough tie between creating stories that have never been told, and all the GREAT people I’ve met along the way.

I completely agree! The writing community is unlike any other. It really is a lot of fun and filled with awesome people.

Tell us a little about your book.

Remedy Maker is about Rhycious, an ex-military centaur medic whose battle scars are hidden beneath the surface. Moments of high stress trigger hallucinating flashbacks, a condition he continually fights to overcome. When he meets Patience, a beautiful wood nymph and the race of the late enemy of his people, he learns about unconditional love…and the healing power of a single touch.

Together they must battle human hunters who wish to enslave the mythological beings, rebels taking over the centaur kingdom, and the affection they have for each other in a mythic world filled with prejudice.

When did you start writing and when did you finish your first book?

It was November 2008. A fire was burning in our living room while my husband and our boys were watching The Cowboys, starring John Wayne. I was probably whining about something to do FOR ME that I would be GOOD AT and RECOGNIZED FOR.

My husband suggested I write a story instead of reading them. It was my “ah-ha” moment.

I penned two other books before I started Remedy Maker. It took just over a year to complete, from outline to submission.

Where do you get your inspiration?

From a bottle of gin and a liter of tonic. 

ROFL! Personally, I like tequila and margarita mix.

Do you plot and outline, or do you just write?  Plotter or Pantser?

I plot. As a list-maker, I plot out my day. My kids’ day. My husband’s To-Do list.

I’m a Plot-a-holic!

With Remedy Maker, I wrote an outline, which was a narrative form of the book. It ended at 13,400 words and 33 pages long. Yeah, I plot.

Holy smoke!!!

Can you tell us a little about the process of getting your first book published?

When I was ready to query, I hit all my favorite agents first. When all of them rejected me (lol), I submitted to all my favorite ePublishers. A week would pass without a word. I sent more submissions out. A second week went by.

By the third week, I had my first contract offer. Then another. And yet another!! In total, I had 5 contract offers in just over a week. At that point, it was a matter of feeling them out, reading the fine print, and making a decision.

That's so great! It must have been a good feeling, I know when I got my contract on my novella with Ruby Lioness I was ecstatic! 

What book have you most recently released?

Remedy Maker was released by Ruby Lioness Press on July 27 in both print and eBook formats.  Portals of Oz was released the month prior, on June 29, in an anthology named Love Down Under.

What was your favorite part of the book?

My favorite part is also one of the darker scenes. Where the hero, Rhycious, returns home to find the heroine, Patience, missing from his home. He suspects the worst and suffers an all-out PTSD breakdown. It was an extremely hard scene to write, but the most rewarding.

Rate your story in terms steaminess?

Above sensual, but below erotic.

STEAMY:  Mainstream audience. Heavy sexual tension; graphic details; may contain coarse language; sex scenes contain some adult language. Still suitable for the general audience.

Do you have another book in the works?

Absolutely! I working on the next novel in the series, tentatively titled Trolly Yours. The outline is complete and I'm digging in with all ten fingers to finish the book. The story involves a side character with a huge ego named Aleksander, introduced in Remedy Maker. He meets the only mythic female in the Boronda Forest who isn't fazed by his charms and good looks…and the sparks fly!

There is also a time-travel western romance I dusted off to finish writing. Her Future Past is novel length and is sure to be Yee-Haw good! Trey MacPherson, a marshal from the 1880’s, is tracking a murderer and finds himself sucked through a wormhole with his posse. He meets Holly Laurens, owner of the ranch they appear at, and realizes the murderer has come forward in time as well.

Sounds like fun!

What advice would you give new authors? 

Join a critique group and sign up for classes. Savvy Authors has many low cost workshops, as well as FREE classes. If you’re serious about writing, and your goal is to seek publication, then NEVER GIVE UP!

Good advice!

OMG! I LOVE THIS ONE SHERI!

Boxers or Briefs?

Can I choose commando? 

Of course, you wouldn't be the first! LOL 

Pizza or hamburger?

Pizza— It’s the most perfect food in the world. You’ll notice how a pizza holds all five food groups and keeps our meals balanced.

  

Beer, Wine, or mixed drink?

Hi there. Sapphire and tonic girl here. Add a twist of lime and throw it in a bucket. (that’s a large high-ball glass for you newbies)

I have those in my cabinet, LOL, my hubby drink whiskey out of them.

If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Would you write or read there, or do something else?

If there's one destination to blow my savings on in the name of love, this tiny, pricey South Pacific island is it. Novelist James A. Michener described Bora Bora as, "the most beautiful island in the world" and if I ever reach this romantic getaway's far-flung shores, I doubt I’d disagree.

To answer the second half of your question, I would hope my husband and kids are there with me. I’d soak in the experience and BE THERE in the moment.

If you're looking for a book that will take you away to a mythic world that might exist…

If you love hot guys with insatiable appetites who have a dash of vulnerability…

If you're looking for a sensual read with the power to make you gasp…

This would be the book for you.

Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.

He's the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.

Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.

Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn't push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.

When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.

Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?

Excerpt

“You ever see her before?”

“No, I haven’t.” Rhy ran his hands down both bare legs and a slender exposed arm. He checked for broken bones, noting her supple skin and a clean woodsy scent.

Her blouse had an unusual design, made of homespun fibers. It had a diagonal cut neckline with tiny puff sleeves, pink and soft. Created from the same material, a short skirt flared, and was embroidered with spring-green leaves.

A tickle teased his neck again, but not from annoyance this time. He repeated the examination of her other arm. Tension curled tighter in his gut, suspicion spread like spilled wine.

Tilting her head with care, he pushed her dark brown hair from her smooth décolletage, sucked in a short breath, and froze.

“What is it? Snake bite?” Samuel raised the brass lantern higher and leaned over for a better view.

Rhy tapped his thumb against her neck. Designs a few shades darker than her natural color marred the creamy complexion. The millennia old skin formation carved its way into his painful memories. It started behind her ear, an inch wide at the hairline, and extended to the other side.

The words choked out of him. There was no use trying to hide his revulsion. “Wood Nymph.”

That was fabulous Sheri! 

Thank you so much for being my guest today! 

Thanks for having me! You have a beautiful blogsite, and I really enjoyed being here!

Readers, be sure to leave your email address in your comment for the chance at a great swag pack from Sheri.

Be sure to visit Sheri@

Website:           www.sherifredricks.com

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