Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Fire Eyes: An Interview with Author Cheryl Pierson and a Giveaway!


We welcome a multi-genre author from Petticoats and Pistols and Sweethearts of the West with us today. Author Cheryl Pierson talks publishing, her favorites, and what's coming up!

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Cheryl Pierson, a born-and-raised Oklahoma girl, so I naturally write westerns. I have two grown children and a “granddog” that lives with us now since my daughter moved to an apartment. I’ve been married for 33 years and have pretty much converted my husband from a West Virginia boy to an “Okie” through and through.

When did you decide to take that step that made you a published author?

I had been asked to teach writing classes at a church, and my business partner, Al, and I had a student in that class that brought a call-out for stories for an Adams Media publication similar to the Chicken Soup books, the “Rocking Chair Reader” series. Al and I both submitted stories, and both were accepted. This was the 2nd book in the series, “Memories From the Attic”—and the stories had to be about something you found that brought back a memory. I wrote about finding 2 pennies in the bottom of my jewelry box that  my cousin, Julie, and I had laid on the railroad tracks when we were young girls, and the train mashed them flat. I began to submit to the Rocking Chair Reader on a regular basis, but had already written many newspaper “specialty” articles that had been published. I had 3 novels written, but didn’t submit those until about two years after the first Rocking Chair Reader story.

Do you have a favorite character in your books? Who and why?

Probably my favorite character in my historicals would be Kaed Turner in FIRE EYES. He’s had a rough life and yet he still has “made it” to adulthood with an eye toward mentoring another young marshal who was in the same spot he was a few years ago—he’s a good man, but he’s tough as nails, too.

Without giving it all away, please tell us a little something about how Kaed is going to get through their biggest challenge.

Kaed has made a huge sacrifice—himself. When another marshal is captured and tortured, and Kaed sees that the gang of outlaws has two young Choctaw Indian girls they’re holding hostage, he knows the only thing he can do is to try to barter for them, to maybe trade himself for the girls.  He walks into the outlaw camp and gives himself to them, but they’re not going to release the girls, because they intend to sell them to a judge who’s a pedophile.  The Choctaws arrive and save Kaed from death, but not before Andrew Fallon’s gang has had time to torture him. His challenge is just healing, at first, then healing enough to go after Fallon and his gang before they have a chance to kill anyone else. Along the way, he and Jessica fall in love as she’s caring for him—and he’s her biggest challenge, because the last patient she cared for was too near death for her to help. She’s worried that might be the case again.

What kind of research was involved for your books?

Since I write western historical and contemporary, and all of my books are set in Oklahoma or Texas, I already know a lot of the information I would otherwise have to exhaustively research. I do a lot of “fact checking” and making sure of my dates, and I don’t play around with those things if I can help it. My contemporary writing is still a blend of facts and imagination, so I don’t stray too far from “the real thing.” I co-wrote a book with five other western authors in the Western Fictioneers group this year called WOLF CREEK: THE BLOODY TRAIL. It’s the first in a series about a fictional town in Kansas called Wolf Creek and takes place a few years after the Civil War. I did some research on some things I wrote about in my portion of the book—especially when I included some Cherokee Lighthorse peace keepers. That was pretty fascinating to learn about!

Do you have to be alone or have quiet to write?

I used to have to be alone and have complete quiet to write, when I first began to write seriously. Through the years, though, I’ve learned to write anyplace, anytime. I don’t write on a computer—I write everything longhand first, then enter it into the computer several pages at a time. So I’m able to take my pen and paper anywhere I want, and believe me, through the years of my kids’ ball games and dance lessons, I’ve gotten a lot of writing done in small increments with all kinds of things going on around me.

As a multi-genre author, how do you juggle going back and forth between the different genres? Do you have a preferred genre?

I write in several different genres; western historical romance (novel and short story), western historical short story (oh yes, there IS a difference between WH and WHR, as any western writer will tell you!), contemporary romantic suspense (novel and short story), and young adult (novella series), and paranormal (novel and short story). I also ghost write memoirs for individuals.  I really do not have any trouble switching my thought processes for whatever I’m writing at the time. I would say my preferred genre would most likely be the western historical …with or without romance.

Do you have plans for a new book?  Is this book part of a series?

I do have plans for the third book in the “Kane” series—my young adult/adult series. The story started as a short story for an anthology, but got longer and longer, until I realized I could not finish it and keep it within the word count the anthology required. So I put it aside and wrote another story for the anthology. When I came back to the first story, I knew what I wanted to do (which is pretty unusual for me!) and it worried me because I had never done a series. And I had never written a story in first person, as this story was being created. But my character, a ten-year-old boy by the name of Will Green, had plenty that he wanted to say. By the time the story was finished it was over 20K long—novella length, and I already knew what the next two parts of the series were going to be. The first book is called KANE’S REDEMPTION. The second novella in the series is called KANE’S PROMISE, and the third, which will be out in the fall, will be KANE’S DESTINY. This started out as a kind of “Old Yeller” type story, in the telling of it, but I’ve gotten some rave reviews by lots of adults who loved it and said their kids did, too—so I guess it has become a “young adult” novella as well as good reading for adults. The best of both worlds!

What do you have in store next for your readers?

Wolf Creek: The Bloody Trail, will be out sometime in September, and Kane’s Promise just released in June, as did my western historical romantic short story, One Magic Night. So the next thing that will be available will be my contemporary romantic suspense, Temptation’s Touch, to be released on October 24 of this year through The Wild Rose Press.  Kane’s Destiny will release through Western Trail Blazer sometime in the fall, not sure of the date yet. And then it will be Christmas short story release time! I have a WHR novella, A Night for Miracles, that will be released from Western Trail Blazer. They’ll also be re-releasing one of my paranormal Civil War time travel short stories  as a single-sell short story about the same time (probably in October or so) called Meant To Be.

I have a western paranormal short story that will make its appearance along with several other wonderful stories in this year’s Western Fictioneer Christmas anthology (probably sometime in late September-early October), Six Guns and Slay Bells: A Creepy Cowboy Christmas. My story is called The Keepers of Camelot, and I’m looking forward to getting it out there along with these others!

What has been your greatest pleasure or personal success as an author? 

I’d say it would have to be getting that first book sold—Fire Eyes. Even though I had to revise it quite a bit to make it fit the publisher’s guidelines, it was an EPIC finalist and has had good reviews, and then I had the chance to re-issue it with everything added back in that I’d had to cut the first time. It’s still getting favorable reviews and is more of a “crossover” novel now—not strictly a western romance, but a western WITH romance.

What type of hero do you like best?

My favorite heroes are the ones who don’t really see themselves as ever doing anything heroic, but they’d do whatever it takes to make things come out right in the end. I write a lot of wounded heroes, because to me, that’s the only time my heroes would ever be vulnerable enough to have to accept help or care from the heroine—they’re always in charge, otherwise.

What type of heroine do you like best?

My heroines are generally not from well-to-do families. They have had plenty of struggles of their own, and they know what hard times are. So they’re resourceful and that’s something the hero appreciates. My heroines are selfless because that has just become a way of life for them, so when someone thinks of them, it means the world. They’re not spoiled by any means.

What is your favorite scene in one of your books?

My favorite scene in my contemporary romantic suspense, SWEET DANGER, is a very poignant scene between the hero, undercover cop Jesse Nightwalker, and the heroine, Lindy Oliver. They are being held hostage with several others in a deli by a gang of escaped prisoners who are led by a sadistic murderer that Jesse helped put behind bars. Hardin, the man Jesse helped incarcerate, is on Cloud 9 because of the good fortune that has landed him, quite by accident, the chance to get back at his nemesis on a one-on-one basis. Jesse and Lindy have fallen in love quickly—they’ve been watching each other for several months since they live in the same apartment complex, but this crisis has brought them together as nothing else ever could have. Jesse knows he is going to die—he’s at Hardin’s mercy. He pulls out his key ring and begins to tell Lindy what each of the keys is for, and what he wants her to do with his possessions. I bawled like a baby when I was writing that scene, and it still chokes me up to read it, no matter how many times I do.

What is your favorite movie based on a book, where you preferred the movie?

I don’t think that has ever happened. I have been wracking my brain to try to think of one movie I liked better than the book. I will say, probably the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird was closest to the book itself, and so I really enjoyed it because the actors and actresses were so perfect for the parts they played and made that book come to life without changing anything.  I loved the movie Shane, but at the end, when we see little Bob running after Shane calling “Shane! Come back!” that never happened in the book, and for good reason. The ending to that movie changed the whole intent of what Jack Schaefer intended for the reader to come away with from the book.

Laptop, desktop or notebook and pen for writing?

It has to be a fountain pen and spiral notebook. I love writing like that because I’m more connected to what I’m putting down on paper. I don’t have a problem with writing e-mails, letters, and sometimes even blogs on the computer, but to try to write a short story or a book, I have to sit down with my trust cartridge pen and notebook.  

Do you believe in writer’s block? Has it ever happened to you?

No, I don’t believe in it. There are so many ideas in this world, how could you ever have writer’s block? I will say, that I think it has helped tremendously that I write in several different venues and genres. I write paranormal, western, romance, historical, contemporaries, and have even sold stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul. I write novels, novellas, short stories, flash fiction, and have sold several newspaper “specialty” articles. So if I don’t want to work on one particular thing and the thoughts and creativity aren’t readily available, I go to something else to work on for a while.

Is there a book you’ve ever read more than five times? Which book and what drew you back to it?

Yes, there are a couple of them. The one that comes to mind first is by Christine Monson—a book called STORMFIRE. It’s a wonderful historical romance set in Ireland. The hero is so tortured emotionally, but the story is very realistic—yes, even to the parts where we might wish they weren’t so. But that’s what makes the story believable as a whole—life is not always sweetness and light. The story is historically accurate—one thing that bugs me, is when I’m reading a book and the author has been forced to change things that, for the time period, don’t ring true—because in reality, that’s not the way it happened. Another book that I’ve read more than five times is Shane, because it’s poetry, really. And that story is one that is built on so many levels in such a short amount of words.

Since I have three books out and one on the way in October, how about if I give you a short blurb for each one?

FIRE EYES-(Available through WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER)
(Western historical romance)

Marshal Kaed Turner is given a rare second chance at love with the mysterious woman the Choctaw call “Fire Eyes.” But can he quiet the ghosts from his past and protect the love that was stolen from him once before?  There’s only one way: Kill outlaw Andrew Fallon, along with the murdering band of men he leads.

TIME PLAINS DRIFTER (Available through WESTERN TRAIL BLAZER)
(Paranormal time travel western historical romance)

Trapped in Indian Territory of 1895 by a quirk of nature, high school teacher Jenni Dalton must find a way to get her seven students back to 2010.  Handsome U.S. Marshal Rafe d’Angelico seems like the answer to her prayers; he is, after all, an angel.  In a race against time and evil, Rafe has one chance to save Jenni’s life and her soul from The Dark One—but can their love survive?

SWEET DANGER (Available through THE WILD ROSE PRESS)
(Contemporary romantic suspense—men in uniform)

Lindy Oliver is sure her Friday can’t get any worse—until she becomes one of the hostages in a crime spree gone awry.  But wounded undercover cop Jesse Nightwalker, Lindy’s handsome neighbor, is determined to see her safely through the ordeal—no matter what it may cost him. An ironic twist of fate finds Jesse pitted against Tabor Hardin, the deadly ringleader of the gang, who blames Jesse for sending him to prison years earlier. Jesse and Lindy discover new love, but will it come too late?  Hardin has sworn vengeance –and killing Lindy may be the key to exacting his perfect revenge. With no way out, Jesse must give Hardin the only bargaining chip he has to save Lindy and the others—himself.

TEMPTATION’S TOUCH-(coming in October, 2012, from THE WILD ROSE PRESS)
(Contemporary romantic suspense—men in uniform)

Two broken hearts find a second chance at love, but only if they manage to survive-- When Kendi Morgan witnesses an attempted murder near her home one night, she makes the only choice possible: help the victim. But bringing the handsome stranger into her home traps her in the middle of a deadly drug war. Wounded DEA agent Jackson Taylor is a man with nothing to lose and nothing to fear--until he falls for a beautiful woman who risked everything to save his life. With his sting operation gone awry, Jackson realizes he is all that stands between Kendi and a powerful drug lord seeking revenge. Can their newfound love survive? Or will Jackson sacrifice his partner's life and his own in exchange for Kendi's safety and their future together?


All books and short stories available at: https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson



The Giveaway
One lucky commenter will have a chance to win a copy of either Fire Eyes, Sweet Danger, or Time Plains Drifter. Winner will be drawn on July 30th!


I’m a regular blogger on the Petticoats and Pistols blog and the Sweethearts of the West blog.


     My short story, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS, is included in the Western Fictioneers anthology THE TRADITIONAL WEST.  Other western short stories you might be interested in are: Homecoming, Scarlet Ribbons, Every Girl’s Dream, One Magic Night, and Jason’s Angel, all available through Western Trail Blazer (WTB) publishing for just .99 each! Other .99 shorts include my contemporary stories To Make The Magic Last, The Last of Her Kind, and White Christmas.

     My novellas, KANE’S REDEMPTION and KANE’S PROMISE, the first two of a series, are also available through WTB, as well as my time travel paranormal western novel, TIME PLAINS DRIFTER.
     Also, look for my latest releases, FIRE EYES, a western novel, and KANE’S PROMISE, the second novella in the “Kane” series, through WTB. My paranormal holiday short story, THE KEEPERS OF CAMELOT, will be included in the Western Fictioneers anthology, SIX GUNS AND SLAY BELLS: A CREEPY COWBOY CHRISTMAS.

     My contemporary romantic suspense novel, SWEET DANGER, is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble (a Wild Rose Press publication) and in October, 2012, my second contemporary romantic suspense, TEMPTATION’S TOUCH, will be released through TWRP as well. 

 Excerpts

Here’s an excerpt from FIRE EYES:
      
Jessica laid the knife aside on the nightstand, surprised at the slight trembling of her hand. She’d
done this plenty of times before. Her throat felt tight, like a knot had formed in it.
     “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She cleaned the blood from his lip, and he closed his eyes, allowing it.
“Are you all right?”
      His breathing became steadier. “Finish it, Jessica. Don’t wanna think about it.” His dark hair
fanned across his forehead, his swollen eyes shuttered, closed against her worry. His split cheek
had reopened, and had begun to bleed again.
      He looked like a fallen angel, Jessica thought. A once-beautiful, perfect angel who now lay before her, beaten and bruised. But not broken. He was too tough, too proud.
      Through all the blood and bruises, Jessica could still see the dark planes and lines of his features, the
tenacious set of his jaw. He opened his eyes slowly once more, and Jessica’s breath caught at what she saw there. The pain in his ebony gaze was obvious, but beyond that, there was a concern she had never expected to see. He was worried for her, rather than himself. He was wondering if she could handle what she had to do for him.
       “All right, Marshal.” She turned and walked to the fireplace, thrusting the knife into
the fire.


And here’s one from TEMPTATION’S TOUCH, coming in October!

      Kendi glanced up the remaining five stairs. So close. She looked at Jackson again and saw the steel in his expression.
      “Just give me…a minute, Kendi.”
      “Don’t fall—”
      “I won’t. Not gonna break my neck…since you’ve gone to all this trouble.”
      He was teasing her. She heard it, but she was still worried. He looked unsteady, still—all six feet
two inches of him. Her eyes ranged over him, finally meeting his dark gaze. “I told you—don’t be so
scared.”
      “Aren’t you?” she breathed.
      “Uh-uh.” He gave her a quick semblance of a grin through swollen lips. “I’m still here—still standin’.”
      Not for long, Kendi wanted to retort. “You’re thinkin’ it’s a close thing,” he muttered, “me…standin’ yet.”
      “Well, I’m right, aren’t I?”
      “Maybe. But I’m not afraid.”
      “Why not, Jack? After what you’ve been through—”
      “Where I’m headed looks better than where I’ve been.”
      They took the last step, gaining the wide landing.
     “‘Where you’ve been…where was that?” She was moments away from tucking a stranger into her bed.
      She moistened her lips, suddenly nervous. “I mean— you could be anybody.”
      “I’m a DEA agent.” She let Jack’s weight shift to the side of the mattress, then bent to unbuckle his belt. She looked into his face, her fingers faltering at the button placket of the faded jeans he wore.
      His swollen eyes held hers. “You’re safe with me.”
 

34 comments:

  1. I love all the color on this post from your book covers! :) Thank you for joining us today Cheryl and for sharing a bit more about yourself. I am amazed that you can write with just a pen and notebook. I tried that once and my hands couldn't write as fast as my brain worked--failed miserably. I can only use notebook for . . . well, notes!

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  2. Hey, MK, thanks for having me today! You're right--the brain works faster than the hand, and that's why I use the pen and paper, because it slows me down a little bit and lets me think more about the words I'm choosing. It helps me so much when I begin to edit my work, because I can see where I've marked through things and substituted another word, etc.

    I love my book covers. I am so proud of each and every one of them. My daughter made the one for Time Plains Drifter, and I was so thrilled to get to work together on a project with her. I've never had one cover I didn't like, and that one for Temptation's Touch is just so wonderful--I can't wait to see it "in the flesh"!

    Thanks again for having me today! I love your blog.
    Cheryl

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  3. Cheryl, I loved your book "Time Plains Drifter". Will there be a sequel in the future about the students who stayed behind in 1895? And about the sister in 2010?I love time travel and think it adds that little something to all genres.Great interview!

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  4. Hi Shirl!
    I'm so glad you enjoyed Time Plains Drifter so much! I do have a sequel planned about the sister, Tori, and of course, Cris. I have heard from so many people who wanted to know more about the students who were left in the past, and believe me, I had written a lot more about them in the beginning, but due to publisher constraints at the time, I had to cut a lot of that out, being told that it wasn't really "their" story--it was Rafe and Jenni's. SIGH. I had no choice but to cut a lot of their interactions and scenes in order to meet publisher requirements at the time (NOT the publisher it's with at this time, but when it was released the first time around.) Thanks so much for coming by and commenting, and thanks for your review on Amazon, too-- I'm so glad you enjoyed this--it was one of those books I was worried about (there is nothing worse than a "bad" time travel)...LOL
    Cheryl

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  5. oh my goodness, I'm impressed. After all these years I still need to be in my chair with my fingers on the keyboard to write - and I like it quiet, but sometimes that's just not gonna happen...

    will try to leave this comment, but I'm captcha impaired

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  6. I'm impressed Cheryl--I a barely have time to get out one book a year, let alone multiple.

    Kaed Turner sounds like a great characters and I think I'd like to start with reading Fire Eyes. Is there one that you'd recommend first, or is that a good place to start my Cheryl Pierson collection? :)

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  7. I love the covers to your work - very eye-catching. Great interview. How much imput have you had with the covers?

    Steph

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  8. Excellent interview. Cheryl, I agree with you about TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and SHANE. Rare examples of good books that were made into excellent films. Some people don't like to bring up BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, but that's another one.

    Like you, I miss Schaefer's ending. For me, the story is completed by Chris' change of heart and offer to work for Starrett.

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  9. Cheryl, you know KADE'S REDEMPTION is one of my favorite books. Such a perfect story on so many levels. But you're a great writer in any genre. Don't you love MK's beautiful site? It is so gorgeous that I could stare at it without an content offered. LOL

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  10. Hi Cheryl,
    You're such a prolific writer, I don't know how you get it all done. I usually do my first draft long hand in a spiral notebook, but after that, everything is on the computer. Loved Fire Eyes. I'm kinda partial to wounded heroes myself.

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  11. Cheryl your books are always on my tbr list... You know I love'em...
    Sweet Danger and Temptation's Touch are two book that are going on it real quick....

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  12. Hey Cheryl!
    I used to have to have it quiet, but years of writing while waiting for kids at ball practice, etc. have cured me. Now, I can write anywhere, any time. LOL Thanks so much for coming by and commenting-- I know you are BUSY!
    Hugs,
    Cheryl (#2) LOL

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  13. MK,
    That's a great place to start, and I hope you like FIRE EYES. I love the new edition of it--new cover, new publisher, and COMPLETE with the "gritty" stuff in there that really needs to be there. I have a lot of western short stories out there, too, for anyone who likes those--just go to my Amazon page. Most of them sell for just .99! Such a DEAL!
    Cheryl

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  14. I want to be Cheryl when I grow up! Multiple genres and equally talented in all of them.

    All great books! Can't wait to read "Temptation's Touch!"

    --Kirsten

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  15. Hi Steph,
    Thanks so much for the kind words about my covers. I really could not have asked for better covers, and I'm proud of each and every one of them. My daughter, Jessica, did the cover for Time Plains Drifter. But she had it finished before I ever saw it, and I love the way she positioned everything on there. My covers with The Wild Rose Press--not much input at all--you fill out a sheet and they take it from there. But I've been totally thrilled with every cover I've ever had from them. And the covers I've had with Western Trail Blazer have been AWESOME. Karen M. Nutt has done all my covers and she does a fantastic job.
    Cheryl

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  16. Ron,
    I haven't read Brokeback Mountain yet, but I intend to. And I totally agree with you about Chris going to work for Starrett. That was really a perfect circle for the story--the GOOD that Shane left in his wake. You just can't beat Shane for a western in my book--in fact, it's on my top 5 list of favorite books PERIOD. What a great debut novel! Thanks so much for coming by today, Ron! I appreciate it!
    Cheryl

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  17. Caroline,
    Thank you, my dear friend, for those VERY kind words. I'm soooo glad you loved Kane's Redemption so much--I hope you like Kane's Promise as well, and Kane's Destiny will be out in the fall. I was kind of worried about those books, being in 1st person and from the POV of a 10 year old boy, but I've gotten lots of great feedback on them. Thanks again. I love MK's site--it is just gorgeous!
    Cheryl

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  18. Cheryl,

    I love learning more about you. Keep writing those great books, and you must do more projects with your daughter.

    Oh and I love how you try to help out with rescue animals.

    Teresa K.
    tcwgrlup41(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. Hi Kathy,
    Well, this year has been a good one, since I've had some reprints come out along with the new things, so I'm not sure next year will see me being so prolific. LOL Thanks so much for your kind words about Fire Eyes. I am so glad you enjoyed it. I love wounded heroes soooo much. LOL (Can you tell?) LOL
    Cheryl

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  20. Kathleen!
    Good to see you here, my friend. Thanks for all your support--I appreciate you so much. I hope you enjoy Temptation's Touch and Sweet Danger--they're not westerns but still have the "rough and ready" edge to them.
    Cheryl

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  21. Hi Cheryl, you may already know how much I love Kaed! It's always so great to read about a writer's journey and see all those book covers! Well done, my friend. xoxox

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  22. Hi, Cheryl--I still love reading about your writing journey, etc. even though I know pretty much of it. It's impressive, for one thing, and it's also inspiring for anyone who thinks she/he might like to write. I love all your stories, and of course Fire Eyes has always been at the top. Seeing the book cover on the Cactus Rose blog next to mine made me wonder,
    Who is this Cheryl Pierson?
    Well, I found out, didn't I!
    Congratulations on your wonderful success, and good for you for being able to step into the man's world of writing Westerns. You're a natural.

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  23. I do believe in Writer's Block. I, unfortunately, experienced slap dab in the middle of writing a book. It wasn't the lack of ideas or imagination, it was the resistance to putting words on the page. I was just stuck. Finally, I took a class in WB and Procrastination via RWA and found that just setting a timer for 10 minutes to write helped pull me out of my stuck place.
    I have all your books and the only one left to read is Kane's Promise. I'm savoring the moment I get to dig into it. Your hurtin' heroes always win my heart.

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  24. KIRSTEN! That is so sweet of you to say--I appreciate all your support and very kind words, my dear friend. Thanks again for coming by and commenting--you are a dear friend.
    Cheryl

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  25. Teresa,
    I don't know why I suddenly realized there WAS something I could do to help these animals, even if it wasn't by physically taking each and every one of them into my home. I could re-share on FB and reach hundreds of people who otherwise might not have seen that particular animal. I know of at least 3 animals that I shared that friends/acquaintances of mine actually adopted in other parts of the country where those shelters were located, and one told me she hadn't seen any from OK, but when I began sharing all the shelter animals that needed homes, she visited her local shelter and adopted a dog. That means so much to me. And it just shows that even the smallest thing that doesn't cost a penny can HELP. I try to donate here and there to reputable organizations--there's a small one in Georgia that gets no money from anyone--this lady and her husband try to do it all themselves out of their own pocket. It puts me to shame. I donate there and to MIDDLE MUTTS when I am able to help. But how I wish I could do more!
    Cheryl

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  26. Hi Tanya,
    Yes, I think you HAVE mentioned how yummy you thought Kaed Turner was a time or two before! LOL I'm so glad you enjoy him! I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by here today--I know you are over at The Romance Room today talking about your new YA release!http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7616986226982253979&postID=7131354119630569756&page=1&token=1343153139777
    Good luck with that --it has a GORGEOUS cover!
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  27. Hi Celia!
    Thanks so much for popping in today here at MK's site--I know your latest dime novel is moving on up the charts at Amazon! Thank you for the very kind words--I appreciate you so much and all the support you lend. You are a dear friend.
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  28. HEY SARAH! Thank you so much for taking time out to come by today here at MK's blog and comment. I know you are over at Lily Sawyer's today, talking about your books, and your latest release, HEARTSONG.
    http://lilysawyerbooks.blogspot.com/2012/07/welcome-guest-author-sarah-mcneal.html?showComment=1343153635226#c7504243303975950025

    You are a dear friend, always so supportive and I'm glad you figured out a way to get around that writer's block! Sometimes it just takes one little trick to get past something like that, and I'm sure glad you found it.

    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  29. Dang Cheryl! I step away for a few minutes and you're throwing a party! :)

    Looks like there are a some more great authors to visit today too--thank you for sharing those links.

    It seems as though these visitors have given me an even better reason to read your books--what great praises!

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  30. LOL MK, I have a ton of wonderful friends that are so supportive and are awesome writers and readers. I am soooo fortunate. I'm glad to be here today and so glad so many of my friends were able to stop by and chew the fat a little with us. This is a great site. I'm so envious, girl! LOL
    Cheryl

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  31. Hey Cheryl, nice to see you again.
    Authors supporting one another is great!

    Looking forward to the read.
    MK, you have a beautiful website.
    Neecy

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  32. Cheryl, I'm anxious to read Fire Eyes and now I'm glad I'll get to read the unabridged version. :) I love your covers, too. And wow, so many releases--I don't know how you keep up with it all!

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  33. Hi Neecy! Good to see you again, too. I have been so glad to see everyone here today--such a great outpouring of love and support--it's been fantastic! And MK's blog is just super, isn't it? Thanks so much for coming by.
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  34. Hey Jacquie! I think you've got about as many releases as I do with your "Much Ado" series, don't you? And your handsome nephew on the cover--wow, girl! LOL I hope you enjoy FIRE EYES. I'm so glad you came by today--thanks for being a dear friend!
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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