Please help me welcome a fellow author who loves paranormal as much as I do! Sherrie Lea Morgan is such a sweet person with a lot of wonderful stories to share with you. Let’s take a look at her bio and then find out the secret to her success.
Sherrie Lea Morgan constantly searches for ghost walk tours in her home state of Georgia. There isn’t a haunted house she refuses to enter. Bouncing off story ideas with her twin sister is a pastime of hers, as her dog Bennett refuses to respond to her questions. When not working her current manuscripts, she enjoys spending time with her family. Although her children refuse to join her paranormal movie thrills, they are supportive in her obsession of all things scary. Of course, they are always willing to travel with her. She endeavors to show her readers a different view of ghosts in her paranormal books. Sherrie Lea also works to weave other paranormal gifts in her novellas.
Author Social Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Blog
Betty: What inspired you to write the story you’re sharing with us today?
Sherrie: The song “I’ll Be True to You” by the Oakridge Boys.
Betty: Which character arrived fully or mostly developed?
Sherrie: I think obviously my main character, Shannon, as she’s been there since Book 1.
Betty: Which story element sparked the idea for this story: setting, situation, character, or something else?
Sherrie: A pair of pearl earrings and the need to find out who they belonged to. Plus, as Book 9 of the series, I had to come up with something.
Betty: Which character(s) were the hardest to get to know? Why do you think?
Sherrie: The doctor because he was such an unlikeable character in a previous book. It was a challenge to sway my readers to sympathize with him.
Betty: What kind of research did you need to do to write this story?
Sherrie: Most of my research was done for the series and not one specific book. I did, however, need to verify which metaphysical term I intended to focus on and integrate it into the story. For each of the books of this series, I’ve sort of introduced a term that is reflected in Shannon’s gifts.
Betty: How many drafts of the story did you write before you felt the story was complete?
Sherrie: Really? Um…how mad would folks be if they found out I only do one really, really, really messy draft? I mean, I usually run about three rounds of edits before I send it off to the editor. So, maybe 4 before the editor and one more clean up round before being published.
Betty: How long did it take for you to write the story you’re sharing with us? Is that a typical length of time for you? Why or why not?
Sherrie: It’s been a while since I wrote this one. But most of my novellas take around two weeks to write as they’re typically under 30,000 words.
Betty: What rituals or habits do you have while writing?
Sherrie: I dictate using a voice to text program and while I’m doing that, I have music playing in my headset. For example, because this book’s storyline was inspired by the song I mentioned above, I listened to it on repeat several times while intermixing with what we used to call “easy listening” music. I grew up doing homework to this on the radio.
Betty: Every author has a tendency to overuse certain words or phrases in drafts, such as just, once, smile, nod, etc. What are yours?
Sherrie: Just, nod and I think maybe 3-8 others that I can’t remember. =)
Betty: Do you have any role models? If so, why do you look up to them?
Sherrie: Hmm. This is hard. I have role models for life and those for writing. I admire their courage and creativity.
Betty: Do you have a special place to write? Revise? Read?
Sherrie: My desk is where I do all my writing and revisions. To do reading for enjoyment, I love Audible during long rides. Otherwise, I can read anywhere and always carry a book in my purse.
Betty: Many authors have a day job. Do you? If so, what is it and do you enjoy it?
Sherrie: My day job is writing, and I love it.
Betty: As an author, what do you feel is your greatest achievement?
Sherrie: Hearing someone say they love my characters and wanting to ask more questions about them.
Betty: What other author would you like to sit down over dinner and talk to? Why?
Sherrie: The person who wrote the epic poem Beowulf because no one knows who it is.
Betty: Success looks different to different people. It could be wealth, or fame, or an inner joy at reaching a certain level. How do you define success in terms of your writing career?
Sherrie: My definition of success is knowing someone enjoyed my stories. That’s it.
A heart that waited. Another that didn’t. Can Shannon heal their past?
The number of trinkets left in Shannon’s box is dwindling, but when she takes the gloves off for a pair of pearl earrings, her vision of a pair of star-crossed lovers tugs hard at her heart. Her search takes her from virtual Internet byways to concrete highways landing in Augusta, where she hopes to pick up the psychic trail. As she stitches the pieces together, the threads of unfinished business get tangled up with her own. And lead her to a crossroads that could either heal, or cause more heartbreak.
Buy Links: Amazon
I love stories that revolve around intriguing jewelry or found boxes in the attic full of mysterious treasure. Thanks for sharing you inspiration and process, Sherrie Lea!
Happy reading!
Betty
Award-winning Author of Historical Fiction with Heart, and Haunting, Bewitching Love Stories
Visit www.bettybolte.com for a complete list of my books and appearances.
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