Cherry: We recently moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest. Right now we're in an apartment while we wait for our new house to be built. Hopefully sometime in this century. (If anyone wants to see me look like Sylvester the Cat with his tail in an electrical outlet, say the words "SEPTIC TANK"!)

I'm originally from South Africa, and apparently still have the English accent, even though I've been here for 26 years. *g* We have two adult daughters, and one daughter of our heart, and six grandchildren (3 ours, and 3 'heart' *g*), all of whom we adore.

I used to be an interior designer, and had a couple of stores and too many employees. Now I only have myself and my cat to boss around, and I like it much better. Our Schnauzer puppy, Max, is almost a year old now. And although I am definitely a cat person (love that independence), I must admit I've fallen in love with him. Unfortunately, in Max's pecking order I'm #3. Luckily he considers T.C. (Temporary Cat) way down at #4, so I do have a little status.

Donna: When did you decide to become an author and why did you chose to write romance?

Cherry: I started writing before I even knew how to write. Literally. I was making chicken scratches on paper before I started kindergarten. (Unfortunately my handwriting hasn't improved much since then. *g*) Then I'd "read" my story out loud to my mother, making it up as I went along. Things haven't changed much.

Donna: How does your family feel about you writing romance - are they supportive?

Cherry: I'm terrifically lucky. David is not only extremely supportive, he's very proud of me. Max thinks my pages are delicious, and T.C. finds them suitable for taking a nap on.

Donna: How did you go about selling your first book? How long did it take?

Cherry: I've been writing for years, off and on. But time was a crunch, since I had two young daughters who were ... let me put it this way ... high maintenance. I also had the interior design business. Then our oldest daughter brought a friend home for the weekend, and she ended up living with us for the next 6 years. *g* At the same time, David's wonderfully cantankerous grandfather moved in with us. He died when he was 99. I didn't kill him, and I can prove it, but boy was it close. LOL

Feeling like bits of scattered confetti, I finally sold my businesses to concentrate on the circus at home, writing here and there when I had not only the time, but the emotional fortitude to do so. Reading saved my sanity. (I'm sure most of you can relate. *vbg*) I'd written a dozen books, and twice that in bits and pieces, before I sold THE MERCENARY. (Don't be discouraged fellow writers - I'm a sloooow learner. *g*) One day I decided if I ever wanted to become published, I needed to focus and make goals. I'd successfully run my interior design businesses, I could manage my own writing "business." Once I approached my writing from a business standpoint - made goals and stuck to them - I sold THE MERCENARY and thought I'd finally "made it" ... ha!

Donna: Your first book, THE MERCENARY, was published in 1994, and then KISS AND TELL in 2000. Were you writing during the six years between books?

Cherry: I was writing. But there were a lot of family fires to put out, and I lost momentum. And as most women know, as good as we think we are, we can't do it all. That darn commercial lied. We can't bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan while dressed in a sheer negligee!

Donna: Where do you get ideas for your stories?

Cherry: Everywhere. A snippet of conversation overheard while waiting in line at the grocery store, a news story, anything, everything is fodder for an idea. I have folders bulging with bits of paper from newspapers and magazines, and sometimes all it takes is a picture.

I came up with the idea for KISS AND TELL after David dragged me off to a dog show when I wanted to start a new book. I saw a Great Dane and immediately grabbed my note book. *g*

Donna: Do you ever use personal experiences when writing your stories?

Cherry: Let me put it this way - names and places have been changed to protect the guil-innocent. *g* It's inevitable that a writer use what they know. I wasn't surprised when I read HIDE AND SEEK (Dr. Kyle Wright's story coming out this October) from start to finish before I mailed it off to my editor. The heroine loves her family, but she also enables them. And while my circumstances are nothing at all like Delanie's, I can certainly relate. I'm a recovering enabler. *G* And I bet there are quite a few people on this loop who will relate, too.

Donna: Do you work from an outline? Do your characters ever try to take over the story?

Cherry: Yes, I do work from an outline. I consider it my road map. My characters frequently take an alternate route, but I know where they're headed before they start their journey.

Donna: Do you ever find your characters in situations that are hard to write them out of?

Cherry: Always! I don't just find them there - I put them there. *g*

Donna: How long does it take you to write a story?

Cherry: It depends on the story, and on the characters, but anywhere from six months to a year.

Donna: Do you ever find yourself with a case of "writer's block" while in the middle of a story? If so, how do you handle this - what helps you get beyond this problem?

Cherry: When I have writers blank I know I've zigged where I should've zagged. I immediately go back to my 'map' to see where I went off course.

Donna: What type of research did you do for your books?

Cherry: As much as possible. I have several people who have proven invaluable. Sometimes I'll ask questions they won't answer (unless they kill me afterwards - which would rather defeat the purpose *g*). I frequently use the internet, and have made some very interesting contacts there (which is a story in itself *vbg*).

Donna: What is the hardest part of writing a story?

Cherry: Sitting my butt in the chair.

Donna: What is the funniest thing that has happened related to your writing?

Cherry: I was on a trip to Boston right after THE MERCENARY came out, and went on a bus tour to see the leaves. Although there were at least 12 of us on the bus, everyone sat by themselves. So when we stopped for lunch I made everyone sit together. (I'd prefer 'social' to 'bossy', thank you. *g*) We went around the table introducing ourselves by just our first names. When I said my name was Cherry, one woman said what an unusual name it was, and how coincidental, because she happened to be reading a book by Cherry Someone-or-Other. She pulled the book out of her purse. I was tickled pink and said, "That's mine!" She glared at me, clutched it to her bosom, and said "No, it's not! I just bought it!"

Donna: Is that difficult to write the sex scenes for your books? Is it made any easier knowing that the majority of romance readers are female?

Cherry: No, it's not difficult at all. When I write them, I am the character. However, I purposely don't try to imagine anyone I know reading my books. *g*

Donna: What kind of books do you read for pleasure? Who are some of your favorite authors?

Cherry: I love romance, any and all genres. Some of my favorites are: Anne Stuart, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Karen Robards, Elizabeth Lowell, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Donna: What has been your favorite question or comment by your fans?

Cherry: "For a professional writer you sure were stupid to kill off your heroine before the end of the book! Don't you know romances are supposed to have happy endings? I threw the stupid book away, and will never read anything you wrote ever again!" LOL

Donna: What is your least favorite question from fans?

Cherry: How's it going with your septic tank?

Donna: The male cover model for THE MERCENARY is gorgeous and fits the description in the book. Do you know who the model was?

Cherry: No, I wish I did. (And I'm so grateful he was gorgeous - nobody noticed the picture of the "dead" woman behind him. LOL)

Donna: The cover for KISS AND TELL is very intriguing. Are you happy with the covers for your books so far?

Cherry: I'm so darn happy to HAVE covers, so yes. I love my covers. *g*

Donna: KISS AND TELL has caused a lot of readers to search for your out-of-print THE MERCENARY. Are there any plans to reprint it in the future?

Cherry: I'd love Harlequin to re-release THE MERCENARY. I'd like it even more if I could put back the 100 pages I took out for the shorter format.

Donna: Do you have any plans to write a story about the heroine's brother, Alex Stone?

Cherry: Yes, but no. *g* Since Alex was a character in a Harlequin book, I'd have to write his story for them. Temptations have gone in a slightly different direction since I wrote THE MERCENARY, and I don't think Alex's story would fit there any more. However *g* I DO have a story for Alex in mind. Hmmm. I think if I just dedicated a book to Alex (to give the readers the heads up), and called him something else in the story ... that might work ...

Stay tuned. *vbg*

Donna: In both of your books, the male characters belong to T-FLAC, a secret anti-terrorist organization. Where did you get the idea for this?

Cherry: I made it up, but based it on various real organizations.

Donna: At one point in KISS AND TELL, it appeared that you had killed off the heroine. Would you ever write an ending that didn't have the hero and heroine living happily-ever-after?

Cherry: Never ever in a zillion, trillion years (despite what that woman thought). LOL

Donna: Jake is such a strong and sensual hero - is he based on anyone real?

Cherry: I hope so. *g* And I hope one of my readers finds him.

Donna: It is interesting and fun to watch Marnie's character develop and grow as she learns to be much stronger than she ever believed she could be. Is there some of you in her?

Cherry: There's a bit of me in every character I write. Although I would probably have taken Jake's gun and bopped him over the head with it a time or two.

Donna: We love books with animals as significant characters. Did you base Marnie's Great Dane, Duchess, on a pet of your own?

Cherry: When our daughters were at home we had every animal imaginable. When they left, I took a "poop" break (frankly hoping that it would be a no-poop-forevermore break).

At the time I wrote KISS AND TELL, David was looking for just the "right" dog. I have a 12 pound cat who was not looking forward to sharing us with a puppy. And since I'm a "cat" person, I wasn't the least bit enthusiastic either. Enter Max. THE most perfect, wonderful, beautiful, clever, talented ... dog. Get the picture? *g*

Donna: Your next book will feature Huntington St. John, one of the T-FLAC operatives who was in KISS AND TELL. Will you be writing a story for each of Marnie's brothers?

Cherry: Hunt's story has been put on a back burner (and boy, is he p--- ticked off!). So many people wrote to the publisher, and myself, begging for Marnie's brothers, that their books will come next.

Donna: Can you give us any hints about their stories?

Cherry: HIDE AND SEEK is Dr. Kyle Wright's story. Hang on a sec - I'll show you the back cover blurb ... I have to find it ... Okay - here it is -

A steamy, heart-stopping thrill ride through the jungle as a woman living a lie is forced to trust the one man who can expose her secrets ...

Posing as the spoiled girlfriend of an international crimelord, Delanie Eastman braves a remote mountain in South America to find her missing sister. The last person she expects to see is Kyle Wright, the man she had a torrid affair with four years ago. What is he doing so far from home?

Though frightened and suspicious of this man who is not what he seems, Delanie cannot resist the dangerous attraction that draws her ever closer to him like a moth to flame.

Kyle is in the middle of his own secret mission and he's not about to let the gorgeous, unpredictable Delanie ruin his carefully laid plans. He will guide Delanie out of the jungle by any means necessary - including seduction. But just one touch is all it takes to rekindle the intoxicating flame that still burns between them, igniting an arsenal of desire that could cost them their lives. For soon both are on the run, playing a lethal game of ... HIDE AND SEEK.

Donna: How far apart will your books be released?

Cherry: I'd like to do one Single Title (like KISS AND TELL) and one Harlequin Temptation a year.

Donna: Will you ever write other types of romance?

Cherry: I'll never say never. *g*

Donna: How does the internet affect you as an author?

Cherry: Unfortunately I love it! But I have to be very disciplined and only allow myself so much time. I could spend my entire day and night on line and be quite happy. I give myself one hour a day. That's it! Waaa.

Donna: What are some of your favorite websites and discussion boards?

Cherry: I'm ashamed to say I've never been on a discussion board. Wait, wait - don't all yell at the same time! *g* When KISS AND TELL came out, I wanted to - but I thought it would be damn rude tto go where I'd never been before - just to say Hey! Buy my book! VERY tacky! Also I talk a LOT! Yes, surprising isn't it? *g* And I know if I went on the discussion boards (especially THIS one!), I'd never get any writing done.

Donna: What is the best way that we as readers can help to promote new authors such as yourself?

Cherry: If you love someone's book, talk about it - both to friends and on line. And write a short review on Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble. Even if people don't order their books online, they do go up to those sites to see what a book is all about.

But please don't write a nasty review. I know we all read flingers now and then - but those 'regular people' reviews stay there forever. I've read some of the "I hated this piece of cr-" reviews people put up, and wonder why anyone has to be so nasty. The writer did the best they could, and put their heart and soul into that book. So while we may hate the darn thing, I don't feel comfortable telling the world about it. (I feel quite comfortable giving my opinion on everything else, however. *G*) So far I've been really fortunate on Amazon. No one has put an icky review there (no, thank you, that was NOT a suggestion!!) - and I know not everyone liked KISS AND TELL. Which is fine. There are gazzilions of choices out there, and I never expected everyone to love what I write. There were people who loved it, and people who hated it, and everything in between. Which is the way it should be.

Donna: Do you have any advice for the aspiring authors here at RBL?

Cherry: Oh, boy. My favorite subject *g*

SIT YOU BUTT IN THAT CHAIR AND WRITE.

Decide if you really want to write, or if you just like the idea of being a writer. Writing is hard work - it's not for sissies. Sit down and write out your writing goals. Of course you want to sell that book - but who do you want to sell it to? Who are the editors at that publishing house? What did they buy last year? (Always read new authors if you are serious about selling. New authors show you what that publisher bought recently.) How many pages do you need to write this year to finish that book? How many hours are you going to devote to your craft? Figure out how many pages you can do a week, and then do them. No matter what.

Donna: Do you have anything you would like to say or questions you would like ask the readers here at RBL?

Cherry: *Sigh* I can see I'm going to have to break 'Cherry's Law of The Internet' and come and see what it is that makes RBL so infamous. *g* I've met some of you in person over the last few months, so I already know you're fun. *g*

Thanks for inviting me.