Author Interview with Cheryl Brooks, Author of the Cat Chronicles Series

Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a nurse, romance writer, wife, mother, cook, gardener, all-around animal lover and hopeless romantic.

Where did you come up with the inspiration for your Cat Star Chronicles books?

A friend gave me a book about a woman who had to pose as a slave to a dominant male, and I thought it would be so much more fun if the man was the slave. That's where it began, but the series has grown with each book.

What question do you get asked the most about in regards to your books?

That would be question number two.



What prompted you to begin writing?

What I wanted to read just wasn't out there; I wanted books that were more erotic in tone, had strong, intelligent heroines, and heroes who weren't stereotypical alpha males. Unfortunately, while romance novel heroines have grown in strength in recent years, the heroes have changed very little; most are still dominant, arrogant, and always seem to be doctors, lawyers, or police officers. I began to question why romances were written about men like that and the only reason I could come up with was that it was an effort to convince romance readers that the dominant male would make a good partner. Well, I've seen enough failed marriages to know that they don't—at least, not for women with a more independent spirit. My efforts have been to make my heroes and heroines true partners in life and love, without either of them having to be submissive.

What is your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part?

I love writing something and having the next line pop into my head without having to stop to think. My least favorite part is when that doesn't happen!

What are you working on next?

Right now, I'm working on the sixth book in the series, Hero, which was supposed to be the final installment. However, I was recently asked to continue the series for another three books, so I'm trying to come up with some new ideas.

If you couldn't be a writer (or have anything to do with writing) what do you think you would want to be?

I would like to be a really good rock guitarist.

Was there anything you wished I had asked you about that you couldn't wait to tell me?

Question:

What is your greatest claim to fame, Cheryl?

Answer:

I make a really terrific chocolate pie.

Author Interview - Robert B. Bolin Author of The Broken Parachute Man

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am an oncologist that practices general oncology in a small community in southwestern Oregon. I have practiced for over 24 years and have dealt with the pharmaceutical industry as one who prescribes their wares as well as an investigator for their promising products. I was educated at a small religious college, attended medical school at the University of Colorado, and postgraduate work at the University of Miami, University of New Mexico and the National American Red Cross Blood Program. I worked for eight years in the US Army's Medical Research Institute at the Presidio of San Francisco. It was there that I interacted with pharmaceutical companies on drug development and came to appreciate the "politics" involved. I love research, and what has been accomplished in the past thirty years, but it is hard work, high pressure and prone to failure.

What is your book "The Broken Parachute Man" about?
Basically it is a story about greed, the need to always do better and how the pressure can lead to bad decisions. In it, I make the "hero" a less-than-stellar pharmaceutical executive, who dreams of being great, a victim of a conspiracy in his company. He discovers data that, if true, will acknowledge his worth, but on the way to present the story to the FDA, his plane is hijacked and he is captured only to escape by inadvertently falling out as the terrorists get ready to parachute. He spends weeks in the winter mountains and, when rescued, he is accused by authorities as one of the hi-jackers. He escapes again, goes to Las Vegas as a street person. There he meets an HIV positive prostitute, a defrocked alcoholic doctor, a sociopath and a kleptomaniac. They help him solve the mystery through several adventures, including a murder, that takes them to Europe and back to the company's home in Chicago. As the plot unravels, the team realizes they must hurry before others, including patients, are victimized.

What prompted you to begin writing?

This is my second novel. The first was "Unwanted Inheritance" about three generations of a family with a cancer gene and how they deal with it. I have always wanted to write since college but never had the time. When at the Presidio of San Francisco, I wrote several research papers and was guided through the writing process by a wonderful editor who challenged me to go further.

Since 2004, my clinical responsibilities have reduced, and I have time to take writing again. I must say that creative writing is much different that technical writing. I have a new found appreciation of those that write to entertain.

What do you like best about writing? the least?

I enjoy the challenge to create an idea by researching a topic then organizing the information in a way that is creative for someone else's mind. I enjoy the proofing process with editors and critics. I find the process to publish a book overwhelming and frustrating.

What do you think is the one thing that people should know about the medical/pharmaceutical companies that they don't?

The industry is competitive and profit driven. We, as consumers, need to hold them accountable but, at the same time, appreciate what they can do for us.

What do you think your next project will involve?

I already know. It is a novel that has been brewing for years. A historical novel, based on true people, set in a small mining town, circa 1887, called "The Pepperbox Diary". Its theme is prejudice and how three people learn to cope with it. The story has adventure, period medicine and treasure seeking all wrapped up in intrigue.

Was there anything you wished I had asked you about that you couldn't wait to tell me?

That's a loaded question! Actually, yes: is there any truth to the science you present in the novel? Absolutely! The science is based on the ongoing research with chemical signals to cells to tell them to grow or die. This stuff is real and the exciting frontier in cancer treatment in my opinion.

Author Spotlight: Matthew Cory

Tell us a little about yourself.
I live with my wife and our two "kids" (a beagle and a cat) in El Paso, Texas, where I spend my days as a software developer. I was born and raised in El Paso, though I spent quite a bit of time in southern California and Washington state, both of which I tried to portray as best as possible in Like Glass.


What is your book "Like Glass" about?
The book deals mainly with a young man's struggle to reconcile his past with his present. During college, Rob Jackson fell in love with Janet, a fellow student. The relationship was intense but brief, as she cheated on him with his brother. They (Janet and the brother) marry, and years later Rob must face Janet again as his brother dies in an accident.

There are deep undertones of regret, family, and love, and Rob finds himself battling depression as things just keep getting worse before they get better.

What was your inspiration for this book?
At one time or another we've all thought or said we wished someone were dead. Well, what would happen if that person really died? I mean, that's an awfully harsh wish to have on anyone; what if the powers-that-be decided to grant it to us? That's how it started, mainly.

Another aspect that really got it going was what happens when someone you hate, with a fiery passion, has changed without you knowing it? Through the years between the time Rob says his "final" goodbye to Janet and the time that Rob's brother dies, the brother has gone from being a stupid college kid to being a "good man", raising a family and loving them more than Rob would have imagined his brother being capable of. It changes the question: what if the person you wished were dead actually died, but they were no longer the person you'd once known?

What do you like best about writing? the least?
The creative part is the best. It's wonderful, being in the zone, where the real world just kinda fades into the background. And you have this amazing sense of power, when you're really there. It's like, "I can do anything I want to. I can make the sky purple and the oceans pink. I can make the beautiful heroine fall in love with the nerd, I can make the strongest guy cry like a little baby."

On the flip side, doing the actual "grunt" work, the actual writing, has to be the worst. I consider myself a fairly fast typer, but I can't keep up with my mind and it's frustrating. I'll type out one scene, and by the time I've finished I've had thirty ideas for other scenes that are completely gone when I'm ready to work on them. Even just jotting down quick notes to remember later doesn't help much, because you can't recapture the magic you felt when they came to you. You sit there and re-read it, and it's like "Green Dragon in the bar? What the hell? This is a kid's book..."

Is there a character in this book that you see yourself in?
Most definitely Rob. I've heard that the first novel an author writes is mostly autobiographic in nature, and that's quite true for me at least. I mean, there's only a handful of scenes that were built directly off of personal experiences, but the overall character and "sense" of Rob comes from my own personality. Or, at least, what I think I would do, wish I could do, or am afraid I'd do in situations like what he faces.

What are you working on next?
Right now I'm working on a sequel to Like Glass, tentatively titled "Shattered". I'm planning on it being darker than Like Glass was. I'm also throwing around ideas for the third book, titled (also tentatively) "Broken Peaces". If I get to that one and it goes along what I'm thinking right now, it'll be the "happy" book out of the series. (I use the term "happy" loosely, too).

Where can people find "Like Glass"?
Like Glass is available on Amazon.com, and also from my personal site, http://chocolatefordogs.com/. I've got "Buy Now!" links all over the place there -- you really can't miss it.

Author Spotlight: Jeff Rivera

Did you intend for Forever My Lady to be a tear jerker?

Well, it was my dream that the book would make people feel something. I wanted them to feel like they were on an emotional roller coaster. To hear people have cried their eyes out reading it does feel good though.

There are a lot funny parts in Forever My Lady too. Have you ever thought about writing comedy?
Thanks, yeah I wanted to make sure that it wasn't just serious that there were characters that made you laugh to. It's easier for me to write funny moments than an all out comedy because I'd rather leave that to the professionals.

What challenges in writing a love story from a male's perspective did you encounter?

My greatest challenge was worrying if my female readers would have any desire to read a love story from a male perspective. I soon found that they did want to and I've felt really good about the emails I've been receiving from women and men about how much the book moved them and how much they could relate to it.

What are you working on next?

Now I'm working on a Young Adult book. I love writing love stories and stories for young people.

How can we pick up a copy of Forever My Lady?
You can pick up a copy at your local bookstore, www.JeffRivera.com or Amazon.com

Tomorrow: Author Spotlight

Jeff Rivera

Author of "Forever My Lady"