INTERVIEW WITH SHERRI HAYES

1)     I am interviewing the delightful Sherri Hayes today. 

    Sherri has a brand new release! "Behind Closed Doors". Click on any of her covers to go to Amazon and buy the book.  Now for the good stuff:
    How old were you when you knew you wanted to become a writer?

Writing was something I sort of fell into. Throughout my school years, English was one of my worst subjects, so it wasn’t something I’d ever considered as a profession. It wasn’t until I posted a story on-line at the age of thirty that I considered writing as an option.

2)     What did you do for a living in your “previous” life?

I worked mainly in customer service before I started writing.

3)     What do your closest relatives thinking of your writing career?

My immediate family is very supportive. My mom tells everyone she meets that her daughter is a published author.

4)     What genre do you write?

 I write romantic suspense and BDSM erotic romance.

  5)     Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a pantser. I’ve tried plotting out stories on paper and after a chapter or two those outlines get left in the dust, so I don’t even bother anymore. I talk things out in my head, get a general idea of the direction the story is going, and then I just write.

  6)     Do your characters ever take over when you’re writing?

Most definitely. I was writing a scene in my upcoming novel, Need. I had the whole thing laid out in my head. Everything was going smoothly. And then something happened, Brianna reacted to it, and it changed the entire chapter.

7)     Do you get inspiration from real people or places?

I get inspiration from everywhere, including news stories about real people.

 8)     Would you like to be any of your heroines?

No, not really. I tend to put my characters through the emotional and sometimes physical wringer.

9)     Do you do a lot of editing before you submit a manuscript?

I have two beta readers. They read through my draft and let me know if I’ve missed something or there needs to be more explanation. It’s always good to have trusted eyes, other than your own, to look over your draft. As the author, I know what I’m meaning to say even if it doesn’t come across that way to the reader.

Now some personal questions (please feel free to elaborate) :

1)     Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate. Vanilla is just a little too plain for me unless you are adding some toppings.

2)     Do you listen to music when you write? What do you listen to?

I don’t usually listen to music when I write, but when I do I listen to classical.

3)     Favorite color?

Purple.

4)     Black, white or gray?

Grey. Again, there is more variety.

5)     Favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip or rocky road; it just depends on my mood.

6)     Favorite line of description from one of your books.

Not sure if I’d say this is my absolute favorite, but it’s one of those that’s stuck with me long after I wrote it.

“He hadn’t had a downstairs neighbor for three months, and it was going to take some getting used to. No more running out in just my boxers, he thought, laughing to himself.

It had happened years ago, but Jan never let him forget it. He’d been living here only a few months when, on his way in, he’d dropped some papers. Later that night he was getting ready to climb into bed with his usual mound of paperwork, when he’d realized something was missing. Instead of putting his clothes back on, he decided to duck out into the hallway and check.

Unfortunately, the papers were just out of reach and as he stretched to pick them up, he heard his door click shut, locking him out of his apartment. He’d had to run down the stairs in nothing but his boxers to retrieve the spare key from Jan. It was embarrassing enough, but at least there hadn’t been anyone else living here at the time to add to his humiliation.” ~ Chirs, Behind Closed Doors

7)     Favorite dialogue from one of your books.

Again, it’s difficult to pick just one, but again, this is one that I’ve always loved.

‘“Who was accompanying Alvin to the gala?”

Trying to suppress her knowing smile, Lisa faced Matthew. “No one. He was going solo.”

“Can you arrange for another place next to Cali? She will not be going alone.”

“Sure,” Lisa smiled politely. “Whose name shall I have put on the invitation?”

“Mine,” Matthew said, and Lisa nearly jumped with glee.’ ~Hidden Threat

8)     Favorite minor character from your book.

I think that would have to be Jason from Hidden Threat. He and Lisa had their own side story going.  

9)     Dog or cat?

Cat.

10) Country or city?

Country. 

  11) Beach or mountains?

I don’t really like cold, so I’ll go with the beach.

  12) Skirts or pants?

Pants.

  13) Early morning or late night?

Late night. I am not a morning person.

  14) Cruise in the Caribbean or camping in Yellowstone National Park?

I’ve taken a cruise in the Caribbean and would love to do that again. Camping just doesn’t hold the same appeal. 

Thank you for visiting with us today, Sherri. Here's a bit about her books:
Behind Closed Doors
Elizabeth Marshall spent the last nine years doing all the things she was supposed to do. She went to a good college. Married a man with a promising future. Elizabeth even had a nice house in a respectable part of town. There was even the promise of 2.4 kids in her future. From the outside everything looked picture perfect.
Then one night, the world she lived in came crashing down. Six months later with her husband dead and her friends gone, Elizabeth moves to the small town of Springfield, Ohio to start a new life where no one knows who she is or about her past.
Christopher Daniels enjoys the simplicity of his bachelor life. After his divorce three years ago, he swore off women. He has no desire to change that philosophy.
When Elizabeth Marshall moves into the apartment below his in the small Victorian house, she makes him reconsider the motto he’s lived by for the last three years: women are trouble. She is everything his ex-wife is not, and it doesn’t help that she is his fantasy come to life.
He is determined to resist her charms; however, when someone sends threatening messages to Elizabeth, he finds himself in the role of protector. Can he protect Elizabeth and still resist the pull she has on his body and his heart?

Slave
Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Daren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave?

Hidden Threat
Cali Stanton has one goal in life, being a doctor. She does not intend to run the family business. But when her father gets injured and tells her that she’s the only one he trusts, Cali finds herself behind his desk at Stanton Enterprises.

Matthew Andersen and his brother Jason have spent the last two years managing security at Stanton Enterprises. But when someone threatens the company and its CEO, challenging Matthew’s abilities, what seems like an easy task, becomes a big problem.

Cali and Matthew must fight their growing attraction for each other to avoid a potentially damaging office romance. As the threats continue, they must work together to keep the company running and discover who is behind the threats.

But when things escalate to violence and Cali becomes the latest target, things get personal. Can Matthew find the Hidden Threat before it’s too late?