Friday 26 August 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - CHERI SCHMIDT





What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?

I’m Cheri Schmidt. I was born in Mapleton, Utah. For now, I live in Virginia.


What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My latest book if Forever. It’s the conclusion to the Fateful Trilogy. This story blends fantasy and paranormal with a heavy dose of romance and suspense. (It will be released in September 2011, but you can read samples of it on my blog.)

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
The Fateful Trilogy is made up of Fateful, Fractured and Forever but there will be 3-4 novellas and a cookbook to compliment the series. I have plans for many more books with many in different series. Wish I could type faster...

How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I’ve only been writing for 5 or 6 years. I was inspired to write by the stories that kept haunting my thoughts.

Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Of course! That’s one of my favourite things to do.

How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books?
I come up with a concept based on the storyline and then use volunteer models and Photoshop to create the designs. I do all of the work including taking the photos.

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
I wouldn’t say characters are based on just one person. There might be a little bit of a couple of people blended into a character. I do include things that have happened to me, but I twist them to fit the fictional story.

Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?
I read a lot. Many authors may influence me a little. One of my favorite authors is Lynn Kurland.

Which format of book do you prefer, ebook, hardback, or paperback?
I can’t say I prefer just one. I like having paperbacks on the bookshelf, but I like how I can carry several ebooks at a time on one ereader. With ebooks, I also like how it’s not easy for your bookmark to slip out.

What is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
I don’t have one favorite and there are a few that I’ve read more than once. I pretty much like just about anything with romance in it.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
I do if they’re produced well. I really liked how Harry Potter was done as a film, but I wasn’t impressed with how Eragon was done.

What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
I frequently read more than one book at a time. Currently I’m reading The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands in paperback. In ebook I'm reading Cotillion by Georgette Heyer and Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren. I am enjoying them.

Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?
I won’t read anything with extreme amounts of crude language, horror and graphic violence in it. I do hate it when I don’t know that’s in a book and get surprised by it. I’ll frequently skip past it.

Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
Courtney Cole and Addison Moore. Their books are in my “to read” pile. They’ve been very successful so far, so that interests me.

Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
I would guess just about every author would love to just keep tweaking and improving their books, but there comes a time when you just have to let it go before you actually overwork it. As of now, there isn’t anything I want to change.

What do you think about book trailers?
I like them and plan to make some for my books. But I do think that if they’re not done right they tend to be kind of tacky. A good trailer is difficult to make.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Write the best story you can, then pass it around to friends and family. Then if they start sharing it with their friends and family and so on and so on, then you know you have a good story. If it comes back too fast, even if they say they like it, you may have some more polishing to do. Also ask for input from those first readers. If more than one person suggests the same changes, it’s probably something you should change.

Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
I don’t, but I have thought about it and might in the future.

Where can readers follow you?

Your blog details?

Your web site ?

Your facebook page?

Your Goodreads author page?

Your Twitter details?
https://twitter.com/#!/cheriaschmidt


Thank you for taking time from your busy writing schedule to do this interview to allow us an insight into your world of writing.

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