Interview Cheryl Norman

by

Fran Keighley

Cheryl, I greatly enjoyed reading FULL MOON HONEYMOON, with its clothing-optional cruise. Its predecessor, LAST RESORT, is certainly on my TBR list. When I had the privilege of an advance read of FULL MOON LULLABY, it was such fun to meet the characters again, plus a few new ones. I don’t know, maybe I enjoyed this story even more. You seem to be picking up steam with them!

Cheryl--Thank you!

Q--Where on earth did you get the ideas for these? They were certainly originals.

Cheryl--They say life is stranger than fiction. I “collect” people’s stories. A friend regaled me with tales of her clothes-optional cruise and I thought, what a super setting for a novel! So I said, “tell me more.” I’d already started Debbie and Noel’s story. But when I placed their honeymoon on a clothes-optional cruise, it took off in unexpected directions. The result was FULL MOON HONEYMOON. The idea for FULL MOON LULLABY came about from watching an episode of the FBI Files on A&E. I combined two unrelated cases to come up with the mystery. I don’t want to say too much, except that it’s a kidnap mystery. You don’t have to read the first book to enjoy my new one. I made every effort to write FULL MOON LULLABY as a stand-alone story.

Q--Do you have another book contracted whose release we can anticipate?

Cheryl--I have a romantic mystery short that is part of a mystery anthology for another publisher. It won’t be released until October, 2004, so it’s really premature to announce.

Q--Now I want to know, are you planning to write more FULL MOON books?

Cheryl--I hadn’t, but these characters won’t leave my head! Mindy and Hunter want me to tell their story, as do another couple. I won’t identify them but I’m betting after you read FULL MOON LULLABY you’ll guess who they are. So FULL MOON REQUIEM is playing around in my head. I’d like to write it for a September 2005 release, since that’s the anniversary of the first two Full Moons’ releases.

Q--If you are, can you give us a hint what they may be about?

Cheryl--Okay, a hint. Someone dies near the end of Full Moon Lullaby, a bad guy. But his body’s never found. Now Debbie, Noel, and the rest of the gang have reason to suspect he isn’t dead at all. Minor characters from previous books move to starring roles in this book. But first I have to write it. Right now I’m at the “listening to the voices” stage, which only writers fully understand, right?

Q--If your current work in progress isn’t about those people, can you tell us a little about what it is?

Cheryl--The short, called COMEDY OF TERRORS, is about an overweight but brainy English professor whose female drama students are being murdered. It looks like the work of a serial killer, but in the tiny college town of Drake? The newly elected sheriff calls in the state for help, while he makes it his mission to protect the pretty English professor. She’s trying to solve the case on her own and could wind up the killer’s next victim. Naturally, there’s romance because I love romance!

Q--I’m always so interested in comparing notes with other writers about how they do write. Are you a writer who enjoys talking about what you’re writing, or are you one who feels she loses momentum if she talks about it?

Cheryl--Heavens, no, if anything I GAIN momentum. I love to go on retreats with a few writer friends and do nothing but brainstorm stories. Three of us Wings authors live fairly close and meet weekly for breakfast to brainstorm everything from log lines and blurbs to complete plots and back-stories for our characters.

Q--Do you write on any sort of schedule, or just whenever you can find some free time?

Cheryl--I write in spurts. I can be totally absorbed and focused at the expense of housework, eating, and sleeping when I’m on a roll. Then I can go for days and not touch my work. I am not disciplined about a writing schedule, yet I am constantly a writer. By that I mean I think plots, observe and eavesdrop material from everyday life, and discuss or critique others’ writing.

Q--Actually, do you HAVE any free time? I know how busy you are, with your many “hats.”

Cheryl--I’ve had to give up some of my hats. For instance, I no longer mail out a newsletter for my local RWA chapter. I’m still the editor, but I convinced them to go to an online version. This saves me a lot of time and still keeps me involved with the newsletter and chapter business. I also resigned as Wings’ Marketing Director but stayed on as author liaison, again to stay connected. Still, my writing time often suffers from my other commitments.

Q--I think all writers have moments during a story when they don’t know what comes next, or if they know, they can’t think how to describe it. Do you have any good tips for how to get going again?

Cheryl--Kill somebody. That usually works for me. Often I’m surprised by the victim and often the killer. This happened with FULL MOON HONEYMOON. I had no intention of writing a murder mystery when I started that book. I thought it was the story of a hasty marriage, then second thoughts when a woman’s guilt and shameful past threatened to destroy her newfound happiness. It was very dark, and it started to drag. Then I ripped it apart and started over. I changed the setting to a clothes-optional cruise ship, killed some people, and it became a bestseller for Wings.

Q--What advice would you give a new writer?

Cheryl--When I took tennis lessons, the instructor gave me great advice. She said, “Find a better tennis player to practice with you.” The same applies to writing. Find an experienced, better writer or two to critique you. Ask them to be brutal and accept all of their advice. It hurts, you’ll want to give up, but don’t. This is how you learn. This is how your writing grows stronger. Where do you find willing authors? Join a local or online writers’ group. That’s a good place to start.

I have some wonderful critique partners, including Harlequin author Sue Swift, who aren’t afraid to red-ink my manuscripts. I learned so much, and am still learning. Now I try to give back by critiquing newer writers.

One word of caution: Never send your writing to be critiqued unless the author offers to look at it. It’s discourteous and puts the writer in an awkward position, ethically. Some agents forbid their clients from looking at strangers’ manuscripts, and for good reason.

Q--Is there anything you’d like to say that I haven’t asked about?

Cheryl--All right, there is one more thing. I self-published a healthy-eating cookbook called CHEF CHERI’S HASTY TASTY MEALS. It’s available in regular and spiral bindings through my website www.cherylnorman.com . The download version is soon to be available, too. I’m not really a Chef, but Chef Cheri is a nickname because I’m constantly creating newer, healthier versions of our favorite dishes. Although I love cooking, I don’t like to spend a lot of time at it. HASTY TASTY MEALS is as much about time-saving tips and nutritional advice as it is about recipes. Now I’ve started a new book, called RV HOME COOKING, which will be about preparing quick meals within the confines of the galley of a recreational vehicle. Now, aren’t you sorry you asked? <G>