Meet Inspirational Author Sherri Wilson Johnson

I have had the great pleasure to speak with inspirational author, Sherri Wilson Johnson, about her darling romance, To Dance Once More. Sherri is a charming and talented author, whose descriptions will transport you right into the midst of her character’s lives. To Dance Once More was a story of love and growth. It was very warm and hopeful, two traits to lift your spirits and give you a wonderful journey to love. I truly enjoyed this sweet romance and recommend it to anyone who would like to escape back into 1800s Florida for a few days.

Collette: Thank you for joining me today, Sherri. Can we start with a little bit about your background? When did you start writing?

Sherri: I was born, raised, and still live in Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. So I am Southern down to my very core. Writing has been a hobby of mine since I was a little girl. As a young adult, I read a lot of romance novels. After feeling the need to write books that were suitable for young readers, I began writing Inspirational Romances, which quickly became my favorite pastime and grew into a calling. I wrote my first novel when I was about eighteen during slow times at work. I took the writers course through the Christian Writers Guild, learned a lot about how to write well, and have never looked back.

Collette: Where do you get your ideas?

Sherri: I have two young adult children in my home so I don't have to look far to find ideas for novels. I also have lots of single adult girlfriends who keep my ears full with their dating stories. I read a lot and watch movies, too. I'm a sucker for romance.

Collette: Were you inspired by someone/something to write the genres you’re writing in?

Sherri: I write Inspirational Romance because I feel the need to help single people in their quest to find true, pure love. I want to encourage my readers to wait for the best. I have worked with teens at my church and seen the heartbreak they go through while looking for love at such a young age. They have inspired me to write something for them.

Collette: What is your writing process?

Sherri: My writing process seems to change with the wind. I used to write at night because I homeschooled during the day. Now that I am through with homeschooling, I write in the mornings. But I am a night owl by nature and often wake in the middle of the night to write. When that happens, I use a spiral notebook and pen to write. In the mornings, I type everything in and begin again. These days, I do a lot of marketing too so that takes up a good bit of my writing time. When starting a new novel, I usually write an outline/timeline and often find pictures in magazines or on stock photo sites to represent my characters. I draw up a character description sheet with mannerisms and physical characteristics. I usually write a few chapters and then go back and edit and then start writing again until I'm through.

Collette: Do you write full-time now?

Sherri: I have a part time job, working from home for a friend. Other than that, I work full-time at writing.

Collette: Tell me a little bit about To Dance Once More.

Sherri: My debut novel, To Dance Once More (OakTara), is set in Victorian-era Florida, bringing the romance of the beach, Victorian times, and debutante balls together (some of my favorite things).

April 1886 -- Debutante Lydia Jane Barrington lives a carefree, protected existence on Live Oaks Plantation in Florida. But while her sisters happily learn the traditional tasks of women and talk of courting, Lydia dreams of adventure and independence. Even her friendship with handsome Hamilton Scarbrough isn’t enough to hold her back. Then one day Hamilton opens Lydia’s eyes and her heart to love. But before they can receive permission to court, Lydia overhears a secret conversation about an unscrupulous business deal. Worse, it has everything to do with her and her future. Now she’s faced with the biggest decision of her life—to concede or to fight. Either choice will require great sacrifice…and, perhaps, countless rewards.

I hope to prove that true love still exists and that it is worth the wait. I never shy away from speaking candidly of the purity of not only the heroine but of the hero, as well, because I believe in today's world, we need to encourage both men and women to live pure lives. I believe that writing is so much a part of who I am that I must use it to share what I am passionate about. I desire to point others to Jesus through my words.

Collette: How long did it take you to complete?

Sherri: I began writing To Dance Once More in 1993 while on a trip to Panama City Beach, Florida with my family. It took me about a year to write and about ten years to perfect. Then another five years of marketing before it found a home with OakTara.

Collette: Your settings and descriptions were very detailed. Can you describe your research into your subject?

Sherri: I grew up going to the beach. I love, love, love the beach. If I don't get to take at least one trip a year, I feel drought-stricken. I also love Victorian times. In addition to using personal experience, I do a lot of Internet research, watch videos, and read lots of library books in an effort to be historically and geographically accurate.

Collette: Let us talk a little bit about Lydia, a young woman who wants so very much to taste freedom and be free of restrictions. Can you tell us about her inner motivation?

Sherri: Lydia has been told what to do and when to do it since birth. She has watched the women in her family sit home and raise children with very little social respect. She has also watched the former slaves that live on her plantation suffer because of their race. She wants to do something to change the world for women. She does not want to fall into the trap of marriage until she has had a chance to make a difference in the world. She views love and marriage as a form of slavery. Of course, as the book moves along, Lydia matures and sees that love isn't all bad. She has failed to see the many benefits of being loved by someone. It is when she discovers a secret about her future that she battles with her choices and must make great sacrifice.

Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances?

Sherri: Some of my characters have sprinklings of people I know in them. After all, aren't we all characters in this big story called Life?

Collette: Do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters?

Sherri: I do incorporate myself into my characters. I'm a little feisty like Lydia. I'm also stubborn like Hamilton. And as a parent, I find myself playing the part of Lydia's mother and father at times.

Collette: Lydia struck me as quite the groundbreaker for her day. Without giving away too much of your story, can you touch on the message in your story?

Sherri: As I said before, To Dance Once More is a book in which the theme of purity runs through it. However, there is a lot more to it than that. Lydia is an independent young woman. You're right, she is a groundbreaker for her day. (Wait till you see what she gets into in the sequel). She has in mind what she wants her life to be like once she is old enough to leave her father's plantation. But there are many obstacles and it seems that the harder she tries to get away, the stronger the pull is to keep her at home. She is faced with the decision of whether to submit to her father's will or to rebel. Her rebellion has the potential to affect her entire family, yet the sacrifice would cost her greatly. Decisions, decisions.

Collette: Are you still writing? If so, what will your future projects entail?

Sherri: Oh, yes, I am still writing. My next book, Song of the Meadowlark (OakTara), will be out in May 2012 and the sequel to To Dance Once More should be out by the end of 2012. I just finished a third novel, After the Raging Storm, and also have a legal mystery and a sequel to Song of the Meadowlark in the works. In addition to fiction, I also write homeschool resources and Bible studies, which I self-published, and are available on my secondary website www.sherrijohnsonministries.com . I guess you could say that there will be plenty of books to read in the future and I would be honored if people chose them for their libraries.

Collette: Does your reading inspire you?

Sherri: Yes, reading inspires me. I love to read a variety of writers, both male and female, and learn from their techniques and plot lines.

Collette: Where can we find you online?

Blog: http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/
http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com/
Website: http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/to-dance-once-more/
www.sherrijohnsonministries.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/138396456193536
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Once-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/dp/1602902860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318455213&sr=8-1
Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dance-Once-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/dp/1602902860
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6762282-sherri-johnson
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/swj_thewriter
Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAzh8X3NPaI

Collette: Where are your books available for purchase?

http://www.christianbook.com/to-dance-once-more/sherri-johnson/9781602902862/pd/902862?item_code=WW&netp_id=961019&event=ESRCG&view=details

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Once-Sherri-Wilson-johnson/dp/1602902860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317834254&sr=8-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-dance-once-more-sherri-wilson-johnson/1105877054

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Dance-Once-More/Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/9781602902862?id=5209476941309

http://www.bookdepository.com/Dance-Once-More-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/9781602902862

http://www.superbookshop.net/index.php?page=book&ean=9781602902862

Collette: What formats are your books available in?

Sherri: To Dance Once More is available in print and Kindle format.

Thank you so much, Sherri! I wish you all the best with your writing projects and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

And here is my review of To Dance Once More:

What a delightful read! From the very first page, I was caught up in 1800s Florida plantation life, from the smell of the flowers to the sounds of nature. Ms. Wilson Johnson captured the setting to perfection, casting me back over 100 years as I watched the charming Miss Lydia Barrington come of age. As a young, idealistic teen, Lydia has high hopes of travel and freedom. However, society’s restrictions and a sneaky business deal threaten to steal it all away. Caught between duty and hope, Lydia is a tormented soul, struggling to determine which path she should take and how she must face it all while presenting herself with charm and grace. As she grows, she feels heartbreak and joy, love and pain, and ultimately learns that life is what you make of it. But the Lord works in mysterious ways, and in the end Lydia is able to find love and happiness in this charming, historical story that will warm you to your toes.

Meet Author Roxanne Smolen

I am having the great pleasure in featuring author Roxanne Smolen, a fantastic and exciting author of such descriptive and entertaining sci-fi novels that once you start you cannot put them down. I am thrilled to have been able to speak with her about her novels and her writing, and it has been a great joy to learn more about this skilled author.

Collette: Wow, Roxanne! You are an imaginative writer! Can you tell us how that came into being? When did you start writing?

Roxanne: I was a young teenager when the writing bug bit. In those days, I thought of myself as a poet/songwriter. Poetry taught me to be precise and concise. I didn’t get into fiction until my twenties. I wrote short stories about space and distant planets, and was published sporadically in magazines. In 2000, I made the leap into novels. I remember the date because that was the year I lost my day job. I figured it was a new millennium, time to start a new life as a novelist.

Collette: Were you inspired by someone/something to write the genres you’re writing in?

Roxanne: Television. Without a doubt. I grew up with Star Trek, Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits. They stretched my imagination and set me dreaming. On top of that, watching television shows taught me to end my chapters with a bang, because every commercial break has a mini cliffhanger.

Collette: That’s very true. What is your writing process?

Roxanne: I’m a fan of outlining. It’s not a structured thing, more stream of consciousness with bits of conversation thrown in as I think of them. When I have the entire story plotted, I start fleshing it out. I have a laptop just for writing. I use parental controls to limit my Internet access—no Facebook or Twitter, not even email. Fewer distractions that way. I split the screen and put my outline on one side and my novel on the other.

Collette: Do you write full-time now?

Roxanne: Yes, I do. I get up at 6:00, make myself a pot of tea, grab my laptop, and write. On a good day, the tea will grow cold because I’ve forgotten to drink it. On a very good day, I’ll forget to eat lunch as well.

Collette: You have written quite a bit so far. You have two series going in different genres. Can we start with those? Tell us a little bit about the Anneliese-Thielman and Colonial Scouts Adventures series.

Roxanne: The Anneliese Thielman Trilogy is a science fiction romance about a spoiled rich girl whose new husband takes her to a far-off world and sells her into prostitution to settle a gambling debt. The story was inspired by a photo I once saw of a woman in a cage, her hand snaking out, beckoning.

The Colonial Scouts Adventures is Young Adult science fiction about a group of teenagers who scout out habitable planets for colonization. The plot grew from a short story I once wrote. I loved the idea of using collapsed wormholes as transportation devices and stepping onto an alien world as easily as stepping through a door. This series is limited only by the number of stars in the sky and my imagination.

Collette: How long did they take you to complete?

Roxanne: It takes about a year for me to write a book. I aim for 100k words, although The Colonial Scouts were shorter.

Collette: Can you describe your research into your subject?

Roxanne: You’d think that creating a world completely out of your imagination would require no research. Unfortunately, a reader can’t connect with those worlds unless there is something basic they can identify with. You want your settings to be plausible and your alien cultures to be rich. That takes research. I’ve read everything from scientific journals to the Bible. The Internet is a marvelous tool for research, but I keep in mind that I don’t always know where the information is coming from, so I use it as inspiration rather than fact.

Collette: You also have sci-fi horror, e.g. Satan’s Mirror. What inspired you to delve into that genre?

Roxanne: Satan’s Mirror came from a nightmare that wouldn’t leave me. For years, it sat in the back of my mind, demanding to be heard. Finally I said, what the hell. Literally. The story is about a woman whose daughter is kidnapped by the devil and she must break into hell to rescue her. It is based loosely on the story of Persephone, the goddess of spring, who was stolen by Hades. My granddaughter’s name is Persephone, and I would go to hell and back for her.

Collette: Oh, I hear you there! Was writing horror harder than writing romance or young adult?

Roxanne: I think so because to write a convincing book you have to become your character, put yourself entirely in their situation and write through their eyes. Teenage angst and love’s first kiss are easy compared to the fiery pits of hell. That said, I think all genres should incorporate elements of suspense and urgency.

Collette: Your latest book is about a shapeshifter… yet another genre twist. Can you tell us a little bit about The Amazing Wolf Boy?

Roxanne: The Amazing Wolf Boy is a perfect example of having your characters take over and write the story for you. I’d intended to write a Twilight-type book with werewolves instead of vampires, but instead of a moody, angst-ridden love story it turned out humorous and fun. Cody is a joy to work with. He is a bumbling, nerdy, soft-hearted teen who turns into a werewolf. His lady love is a goth girl who, when she discovers his secret, tries to cure him with magic potions. I’m currently writing the second of the series and hope to write a dozen more.

Collette: Are any of your characters based on real-life friends or acquaintances?

Roxanne: In The Amazing Wolf Boy, Brittany started out as my granddaughter, who also likes to paint her eyes, dye her hair, and listen to The Pink Spiders. But Brittany evolved from there and is still growing. Now there’s little resemblance.

Collette: Do you ever incorporate yourself into your characters?

Roxanne: At their core, I believe all my characters have a little piece of me. How else could I identify with them enough to see through their eyes?

Collette: Are you still writing? If so, what will your future projects entail?

Roxanne: I will always write. My WIP is the next installment of The Amazing Wolf Boy, given the working title of Problem Parents. It explains why Cody’s mother banished him after he became a werewolf.

Collette: Ooh, exciting! Considering how well rounded you write, do you have a favorite genre to write or do you write what stories come to mind?

Roxanne: I’ve always written within the science fiction realm. However, my Wolf Boy series is billed as Young Adult Romance, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. I think I’ve found my niche.

Collette: How often do you read?

Roxanne: I read in spurts. I’ll go a month without anything, and then the next month read everything in sight. Also, I keep audio books in the car. I never listen to music anymore.

Collette: What is your favorite genre to read?

Roxanne: I like to read books in series, i.e. The Dresden Files, Sookie Stackhouse, Dexter, The Game of Thrones, Harry Potter.

Collette: Does your reading inspire you?

Roxanne: Certainly. Even a poorly written book can inspire you to write something better.

Where can we find you online?

Blog: www.moonrox.wordpress.com

Website:www.roxannesmolen.com

Facebook:www.facebook.com/roxannesmolenauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/roxannesmolen

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1157902.Roxanne_Smolen

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Roxanne-Smolen/e/B002MA4XFY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Amazon.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=roxanne+smolen

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/roxanne-smolen?keyword=roxanne+smolen&store=allproducts

Collette: Where are your books available for purchase?

Roxanne: I’m available at your favorite bookstore online or off. Just ask.

Collette: What formats are your books available in?

Roxanne: My ebooks are formatted for any ereading device. In addition, both Satan’s Mirror and The Amazing Wolf Boy can be bought in paperback.

Collette: Thank you so much, Roxanne! I wish you all the best with your writing projects J.

Roxanne: Good luck to you as well, Collette.

I was lucky enough to pick up and read Roxanne’s sci-fi thriller/romance, Mindbender. I have to say that I loved every second of it, and I’m not an avid reader of sci-fi! Here is a review of one of her wonderful stories:

Mindbender was such an imaginative and exciting tale that I zipped through this book eagerly and excitedly all the way to the end. While this story is definitely sci-fi, the author did a magnificent job in keeping it realistic enough that you could visualize the planets, taste and smell the volcanoes of Io and feel the cold of Mars. Beyond these descriptions, we have a strong and powerful psychic, Taralyn, whose love for her adoptive daughter is so maternal that you can feel her pain when she thinks she has lost her. There is also the child, Gloriana, whose possession is so creepy that I was actually frightened of her, and our handsome hero, Asher, who you’re not entirely sure you can trust due to his past but who does everything he can to help, for better or for worse. Add to that the persecution and discrimination of the people that Earth views as ‘dangerous’, and you have quite a tale! My experience with sci-fi is limited, but Roxanne Smolen’s gift with writing prose has definitely hooked me as a reader. I can’t wait to read the rest of her books!

Five Stars!