Author Cheryl Bradshaw

An Interview with Cheryl Bradshaw: Author

 

Sylvia: Welcome Cheryl. Please give our readers an introduction of yourself and a little about your book.

Cheryl: Born and raised in Southern California, I became interested in writing at a young age, but it was almost two decades before I put pen to paper. In 2009 I wrote Black Diamond Death (Book One: Sloane Monroe series). Within six weeks it entered the top #100 in two different categories and remained in the top #100 for over a year. Since that time, I have written three more novels in the series and I am working on the fifth as well as other projects I currently have in the works.

In August 2012, I was named one of Twitter’s seven best authors to follow. I am also the founder of IWU on Facebook, a writers group with over 1,500 members.

My new release, Stranger in Town, is about two young girls who are kidnapped in Wyoming. The race is on to see if private investigator can uncover the clues to their whereabouts and find them before it’s too late.

 

Sylvia: Congratulations for the success of your book. What inspired you to write your first book?

Cheryl: My love of writing and my admiration for Agatha Christie. It has been a dream of mine to write mysteries since I read her first book, and now that dream is coming true.

 

Sylvia: Agatha Christie was a great writer… the bestselling mystery author of all time. Her characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, have been repeatedly portrayed on film. She definitely is one to admire.  Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Cheryl: The message is to empower yourself, especially if you are a woman. Be strong, stand up for yourself, and never give up on your dreams.

 

Sylvia: Very good message. Do you have any advice for other writers?

Cheryl: My advice it to read every day, write every day. Study the craft as well as your genre until you feel good enough to write it, and never, ever stop learning. The industry is constantly changing, and we must learn to adapt to it. If you a pubbing on your own, you MUST have a great book cover, a formatted, edited, and proofed book. You need this to be taken seriously and to establish your brand.

 

Sylvia: As they say, practice make perfect! To be great at anything, you must put in the work. What marketing techniques have you used to sell your books and which ones have been most successful?

Cheryl: Getting to know other authors and mingling in the same circles has been a tremendous help. When I started a writing group for authors two years ago, I had no idea it would turn into what it is today. The second thing is Twitter. I love reaching out to my fans.

 

Sylvia: Why should we buy your book?

Cheryl: People connect to my heroine, Sloane Monroe. They want to be her friend; they worry about her; wonder what will happen next. My books are not predictable. Readers appreciate that.

 

Sylvia: Sound like your books keep readers on their toes. Is there a special place that you prefer

when you write?

Cheryl: At my desk; it’s much easier on my back.

 

Sylvia: What projects are you currently working on?

Cheryl: Well, let’s see…a ghost story, the next Sloane Monroe, and the first in my new Cade McCoy series, among other things. I wish I could be cloned. I have more ideas than I have time.

 

Sylvia: What is your POWER WORD? Why this word?

Cheryl: BLISS.  Specifically: Follow Your Bliss.  It reminds me to have positive energy, to do what I love, and to believe in myself—always.

 

Sylvia: Well, I enjoyed learning more about you. Thank you for sharing!  Please leave your social media and book contact information.

Cheryl: Thank you for taking time to interview me. My contact follows:

• Website: http://www.cherylbradshaw.com/
• Blog: http://cherylbradshawbooks.blogspot.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/211896275548934/#!/CherylBradshawBooks
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cherylbradshaw
• Email: cherylbradshawbooks@yahoo.com