Interview with romance author Cherie Marks

Today I'm hosting a Goddess Fish virtual book tour stop for romance author Cherie Marks. This is Cherie's third stop and her tour goes through Oct 14.

Cherie is giving away (2) $10 gift cards to The Wild Rose Press and one $10 gift card to Amazon.com to randomly drawn commenters during her virtual book tour. See below for details.

Welcome, Cherie, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I believe the world would be a better place if we could all enjoy a happily-ever-after through a romance story every once in a while. In preparation for that day, I’ve been busy writing romance stories since I was a teenager. But it took a breast cancer diagnosis to jumpstart my motivation to get published. Now, I’m one year cancer free and still motivated.

While the world continues to spin, I make time to bring to life the characters meandering around in my brain and hope to bring a happily-ever-after to readers for years to come.

Please tell us about your current release, Into the Fire.
What happens behind the scenes during those reality game shows? Maybe the contestants have a history. Maybe they have an ulterior motive for being there. Maybe they fall in love. These are some questions that guided me while writing my short story Into the Fire published with The Wild Rose Press. It’s a fun, fast-paced love story in the midst of a televised cooking competition.

What inspired you to write this book?
I watch way too much TV—specifically reality competition shows. After reading the blog ‘Cook to Bang,’ I called on my extensive chef-y knowledge from watching shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef America to write about a heartsick hero who uses food to win the heart of the heroine.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently, I’ve got a couple in different stages of development. I’m working on another reality show competition story. This time set in the world of cake creation. And I can’t seem to write fast enough on my current wip about an awesome heroine who comes back to her hometown with a different look and a different attitude.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
My step-father loved to collect antiques like old-fashioned typewriters. He brought one home, and I couldn’t get enough of the click of the keys and the bell and slide of the return. My first foray into writing were mini-plays about talking fruits—Nanner Dave and the Fruit Bunch (or something like that). My family, friends, and teachers encouraged me along the way. Eventually I moved on from fruits to orphan stories, fantasy, and the favorite I returned to again and again—romance.

Life has never slowed down to allow me to wait for a muse, so I finally had to kick my own butt into the chair and write down all my ideas one word at a time.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do have a busy day job that occupies much of my time. On top of that, I’m a wife, mother, daughter, and sister, and start the mother’s second shift when I get home. This includes dinner, homework, baths, brushing of teeth, and a million other little tasks that never end. While fixing dinner, I sneak in some social networking, blogging, and other tasks like emailing, organizing, and researching. After everyone is fed, educated, and settled in at night, I set aside about an hour for writing. If all goes well, I get about thirty minutes in the morning too. It’s not ideal, but I wouldn’t trade any of the current moments of my life for anything.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write best with sour snacks. I love chocolate, but sour gummi worms or sour jellybeans seem to inspire my writing like nothing else.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you believe an elephant washer? No, good because that was my sister. I’ve always told people I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, and I’ve always been fortunate enough to have family support.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
For anyone out there wanting to write and publish, all I can say is if you never try, you’re guaranteed to fail, but instead immerse yourself in the industry. Take writing courses—online or at local facilities, read industry blogs, check-out writer blogs, involve yourself in social media—Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Goodreads. Start now and stick with it no matter the obstacles because you only get one lifetime to live your dreams.

I love to hear from readers, writers, and in-betweeners, so please e-mail me at authorcheriemarks@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter or catch me on Facebook. Hop over to my website or have a laugh and maybe get a little enlightenment at my blog.

Thanks for being on my blog today, Cherie!

Readers, Cherie is giving away (2) $10 gift cards to The Wild Rose Press and one $10 gift card to Amazon.com to randomly drawn commenters during her virtual book tour. You can follow the tour and comment on any stop. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning!