Featured Interview With Sheri Chapman
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Sheri Chapman. I was an Air Force brat, so I really didn’t have a place to call “home” until I was thirteen and my father retired. I went to high school in Mountain Grove, Missouri, and eventually attended college to become a teacher of high-functioning special education students. My area of emphasis is reading and written language. I currently live in Spokane, Missouri, and I continue to teach in Ozark, Missouri.
I also have a kennel in which I raise my furry passion, Pomeranians. I love all animals, but these little fluffy dogs are my addiction! I also love to read and write. When I retire from teaching in May of 2020, I plan to expand my writing career and delve more into showing dogs.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I began writing in elementary school. I first stated that I wanted to be an author when I was in fifth grade. I love the worlds one can create, and I love sharing my enjoyments with others.
My first long story I’d ever written was when I was in fifth grade. I named it, “The Horse of Silver Lake.” At that time, I loved the Black Stallion series, and that inspired my writing.
In high school, I wrote a short story about werewolves. I’ve actually written two books where I expanded this story, but I haven’t yet edited it to submit for publication. My first priority is to finish my Passion series.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have always loved romance books, but my all time favorite author is J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is the perfect series of books of all time! I aspire to be half the author she is. I am currently enjoying Jo’s book, The Cuckoo’s Calling, written as Robert Galbraith.
I also love Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb). Her futuristic novels of her “in Death” series are spellbinding! I’ve loved every book I’ve ever read of Nora’s! James Patterson, as well as many more authors, engage much of my time. I love action, crime, suspense, and romance.
Another of my all-time favorite authors is Jean M. Auel. I love how Jean develops her Earth’s Children’s characters, especially of those of the Clan. The information and knowledge her members of the Clan display with healing is woven into a fascinating tale. I love how this magical author integrates history into fiction and weaves beautiful and realistic stories. It was intriguing to read about the Clan’s rituals and beliefs, and how she portrayed the two different peoples’ introductions into each other’s worlds.
I think Jean probably inspired my Passion books, where I took my love of native culture and the good earth and combined them into a (hopefully) believable tale of historic romance. I tried to portray the use of raw materials into usable products by the Sioux and how they didn’t waste anything. They preserve and honored life. I wanted to contrast this with the white man and introduce the two cultures in as charming and romantic a way as possible.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Wild Passions is a historical romance where Spirit Bear, the Sioux war chief, saves a white woman from the clutches of an evil man. Kaitlin was injured, so Spirit Bear nurses her back to health. Kaitlin doesn’t understand that she owes the chief her life, for the red man’s culture is vastly different from the white man’s. When Kaitlin realizes she will not be returned to the the only world she’s ever known, it’s too late. She has already fallen for the handsome chief, but how could Kaitlin ever be happy when she was merely a possession in his eyes?
My very first work was over 400,000 words. I haven’t really attempted to publish it. (It was about a murderer). I believe it took me several years to write that as I was very inspired. As I’ve gotten older (and more involved with my growing children’s lives), writing became more difficult as I find it increasingly difficult to sit down (uninterrupted) to write. I think Wild Passions took me a year and a half to complete. The second book, Passions of the Heart, took longer as I got a serious writer’s block half way through. However, I’m finally finished with the sequel! I’m currently editing it before I submit for publication.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles