Interview Sherry Derr-Wille

by

Stephen Gambuti

Author Sherry Derr-Wille has written romance novels while raising a family and proudly devoting herself to her eight grandchildren. Her newest story is Her Tenent. I have noticed Sherry is not a stranger to being published by many different publishing houses. She began writing as a sophomore in high school and hasn’t put her quill down yet. Sherry has over twenty nine contracts between 2003 and 2007. That is a remarkable feat for any accomplished writer.

1) With so many different titles and projects available to your readers, which do you consider your most favorite story?

My favorite is always the book I’m working on. I guess I’d have to say it’s any of the stories about those girls from Minter, WI including Her Tenant the one that is coming out in June.

2) What was the spark that ignited your dream of being an author?

It was my Sophomore English teacher, Mr. Brockman. He gave a test the first day of school and if you got an A you got to sit in the back of the room and write for an entire year. I got the A but no one ever told me to quit the assignment. Now over 40 years later, I find I’m the only one who liked it.

3) I have noticed your novel, Becky’s Rebel, available through Wings ePress is a historical romance. Another title, Boss Lady, is a western historical romance also available through Wings. Do you enjoy writing in historical periods and if so, which time period is closest to your heart?

I do enjoy writing historical romances, but don’t have many of them to my credit. Anyone who has read Becky’s Rebel and Bosslady know that they go together. At one time they were one book. I really like anything to do with the American West, be it books about the 1880’s and cowboys or ones about Native Americans.

4) Your newest release, Her Tenant, is another kind of romance. Can you give us a little insight about the story?

Dee Williams lives in my house, drives my car and has my job. Her husband has left her for a 20 something twit and now even her mother has died, leaving her side of the duplex up for rent. Dee wants to rent to a nice gay couple that won’t threaten her, but Brice Devlin gets in the way of her plans. He is around her age, widowed and a real temptation. Worse yet, the doorway in the garages make access extremely easy.

5) Sometimes stories develop from other projects or they are resurrected from a shelf or an old box in the depths of our basements. How did you come up with the story for Her Tenant?

This is part of a series called those gals from Minter. It all started with Lane from Coffee, Tea Or Love followed by Julie from A Precious Jewel. Next April Kate makes an appearance in Kate Armstrong: Over-The-Hill Coed. At present I’m working on Betsy in Hello: Do You Know Me? These gals are all 50 something, went to high school together and can’t stand to see their friends single and unhappy.

6) Did you model any of the characters for Her Tenant from real people or experiences?

You bet. Many of the characters are people I work with, of course I asked first. The only difference between Dee and myself is that I am married to my high school sweetheart and have been for 41 years and my tenant is a not a handsome hunk.

7) I am going to ask you to choose your favorite character in Her Tenant. What is it about that character that draws you to them?

It has to be Dee. She is just learning that she can be strong and independent. This is something her husband wouldn’t allow. Since she resembles me, I must tell you that I found my strength and independence when my husband was in the end stages of kidney failure and waiting for his transplant, but that’s another book Transplanted Love.

8) How long did it take you to complete Her Tenant?

I wrote this book in about four months.

9) This last question is personal, but I am dying to know. You have been married for over forty years to a wonderful man named Bob. In your biography you praise him for being married to you and your writing career. Can you give us some nitty gritty details about the kinds of things Bob has to endure being married to a woman that has written a library of romance novels? Lol

Bob tells people you don’t have to be crazy to write and he has the wife and her friends to prove it. There are times that he hides under the table in restaurants when I’m recognized and asked about the books. He’s a very private person and I’m Miss Bubbly Personality who loves the limelight. He’s finally decided that this is more than a hobby and often leaves me alone on Saturdays when I’m under deadline so that I can create. He’s also learned that I never go anywhere without pen and notebook, so no longer gets bent out of shape when I write while we’re driving on long trips.

Thank you for giving us a few moments of your valuable time.