Hi all,
Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend. Mine has been a busy one, but I’m thrilled to be able to take a break to chat with the wonderfully talented Sheri Veldarde (who I’m also in an anthology with this week – look out for it!).
So, let’s start with you telling us a bit about yourself.
I am a nerd, an animal lover, a new wife, and an eccentric author. I love being creative, not only do I write but I also paint, make jewelry, sometimes design clothes, and do my own independent comics. Life has dealt me some tough blows, but I am a survivor that always dusts myself off and continues on my path!
Ooh, I am impressed with all the multi-talentedness! Was there a specific moment where you first knew that you wanted to be a writer?
I loved books as a child and made up my own stories since I was young. But it was probably when I read The Hobbit that I really wanted to be an author!
I do love The Hobbit, though I think I did things the weird way round and read LotR first 🙂 Do you have a particular writing routine, or any special rituals?
I try to write when my husband is at work, treat those hours as my worktime as well. It has given me structure and I feel that I am way more productive this way. Plus that means I am off when he is off!
It is a juggling act with family sometimes, isn’t it? Tell us about the genre you write in, and what drew you to it.
I started off as a paranormal romance author. Then I moved to other areas of romance. Recently I am branching out into more pulp fiction and horror areas. Code Black is my first horror piece. I love to read all genres and so I write in many I guess.
A writer of many talents then? 😉 Are there any particular authors or books that have really inspired you?
JRR Tolkien has always been a huge inspiration. Same goes for Stephen King. Very different authors but both influenced me through their creativity and world building.
What five things could you never do without?
My husband, my two dogs, coffee, wine and books.
Hehe, yup I definitely need my caffeine and alcohol as well. Tell us a bit about your new release.
Code Black is my first pure horror release. I tried to come up with a plausible zombie, making it scarier if it could be possible.
Oh dear, I’m not good with scary lol! Where did your inspiration for it come from?
I was watching a basic cable special on zombies, a what if special, and they talked about a mutated form of rabies. From there my mind was off.
It’s fun when an idea just sparks. What did you find most enjoyable about writing it?
Getting my feet wet in a new genre and seeing where horror could take me!
What was the hardest part about writing it?
I knew that a character had to die in this piece to make it believable. The death was rather hard on me.
Aww, that’s always a hard decision to have to make. Who’s your favourite character in it? (I know, I know, favouritism!)
My lead, Sara. She is tough as nails but has a huge heart. The world should have more people like her.
She sounds like someone after my own heart. So, let’s have a look at the book.
Blurb
A disease that can destroy the entire fabric of society, how can one face down such odds?
Sara lives on Key Largo, a place she knows she should have left after the last hurricane, but she can’t quite walk away from it. When warning sirens go off, she fears for the safety of her home more than anything else. That is, until she realizes that something much more than severe weather is heading her way.
When her own government blows up the only escape to the mainland and her neighbors begin to attack one another, Sara learns she can only depend on herself. With the aid of her uncle and Cameron, a National Guard soldier helping her along the way, she is on the run for her life. Harsh realities she never thought she would have to face are now part of her life. Can she do what it takes to survive, or will she always be on the run and wondering what might have been?
Ooh, sounds good! If you want to get your mitts on a copy, you can find it here:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01604F2RK
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01604F2RK
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/code-black-7
And if you want to keep up to date with Sheri and her new releases, you can find her on social media at the following links:
Website URL: www.sherivelarde.weebly.com
Blog address: http://sherivelarde.weebly.com/books-and-more-blog
Author: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheri-VelardeKelly-Ryan/632892500084202
Twitter handle: Sher_V
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