Snowball's Chance (10 page)
Q&A INTERVIEW
New York Times
&
USA Today's
Bestselling
Author
Cherry Adair
Birthday :
3/31
Astrological sign:
ARIES
On Writing and Readingâ¦
I ALWAYS love to read.
What do you love most about being a writer?
The people I create can't tell me “No!”
What do you like least about being a writer?
Having to be disciplined. It's hard on an Aries to plant her behind in that chair.
Do you have a favorite locale or setting for your novels? What is it and why is it your favorite?
My favorite location is always where my characters are at the moment. It could be a civilized condo in San Francisco, or the jungles of South America. As long as I can make one of them extremely uncomfortable there, I'm happy.
Which of the books you have written is your favorite?
Which ever book I'm working on right now.
What is your favorite title by another author?
Anything by Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, Karen Roberds, Anne Stuart. . .
What are your five all-time favorite books (with authors)?
Aaaargh! Only FIVE????!
ATLAS SHRUGGED â AYN RAND
CHARIOT OF THE GODS - ERICH VON DANIKEN
FIVE SMOOTH STONES â ANN FAIRBANKS
GONE WITH THE WIND â MARGARET MITCHELL
THE WINDFLOWER â TOM AND SHARON CURTIS
What one specific piece of advice would you give a would-be writer trying to kick-start a career?
Sit your butt in that chair and WRITE! Writers WRITE. And two? FINISH The Damn Book. So many writers stop at chapter three!
Briefly summarize how you began writing.
Long before I could read (or physically write, for that matter) I'd get pencil and paper and pretend to write a story. Then I'd âread' the hieroglyphs to my mother. She was a very appreciative audience. I eventually learned how to write â although my handwriting still looks like hieroglyphics
As a romance writer, what are your greatest goals?
To write books that touch and entertain people. My favorite quote is from Mark Twain -My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.
Challenges?
You're asking an Aries?! Challenge-smallenge.
What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?
Typing CHAPTER ONE and/or typing THE END
On Romanceâ¦
Describe the ultimate romantic meal. Anything we can eat with our fingers. . .and share.
What is your all-time favorite romantic movie?
Gone With The Wind â I've seen it 104 times
What is your all-time favorite romantic song or composition?
Anything I know at least half the words to, I have a terrible voice, but I LOVE to sing.
What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?
For my birthday one year my darling husband gave me a long, slinky evening dress he'd picked out all by himself. It was a size TWO. I was size twelve at the time. I still have it (with no aspirations to ever fit into it. Lol)
How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship?
Kiss often and s-l-o-w-l-y
What tip would you give your readers to make their lives more romantic?
Kiss often and s-l-o-w-l-y
Where is the most romantic place you've ever traveled?
Venice, Italy
What is your most memorable Valentine's Day gift or experience?
My honey bought me all sorts of lovely things to pamper myself. . .body lotion, my favorite perfume, corn plasters (?), more lotion, nail polish, perm rods (?) more lotion, nail file, more lotion, scented candles, more lotion. . . and a bottle of prune juice. Large. LOL I love that man.
All About Meâ¦
Besides writing, what other talent would you most like to have? To be able to sing. My mother was an opera singer. How come I can't carry a tune in a bucket?
Who is someone you admire and why?
Oprah. She's brash and brave and doesn't take no for an answer. She does a tremendous amount of good for people on a very personal level. (and any woman who appears without make up in public deserves an award )
Do you have a good luck charm or superstition?
No. But I am an Aries and we tend to think we wear a magic cape
Share one of your favorite indulgences with us.
Snuggling under a blankie on a rainy day and reading.
What quality do you most admire in a man?
Everything that my husband has.
What is the one thing you've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to try?
Everything I've ever wanted to try, I've tried â of course that doesn't mean everything I've tried has been successful. But that's half the fun.
If you weren't a writer, what would you be?
Thin.
What quote or personal saying do you live by? Who said it?
THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LUCKIER YOU GET. I have no idea who said it (other than my brother
How do you like to spend your spare time?
I love to spend time with my husband,â doing. . anything
What do you think makes your writing unique?
My books are a little tongue-in-cheek, a little over the top. A lot larger than life action adventures. I love writing running-chasing-falling-down-wild monkey-sex-shooting-running-chasing-loving-wild monkey sex-happy endings. Maybe people love reading running-chasing-falling down-wild monkey sex-shooting-running-chasing-loving-wild monkey sex-happy endings?
Every author that I have spoken to has their own writing process. Some spend weeks working on character building charts. Some use post it notes to plot their entire book. Other's pull pictures from magazines and make a story board of sorts.
What is your writing process and how long would you say it takes you when a new idea is sparked from sketching out the details to getting to THE END?
I spend several weeks plotting (3M company LOVES me, I buy at least half the PostIt notes sold in the US! (ok not literally, but I do have every color they make. lol) I spent two to three weeks building my characters, plotting and doing the initial research. Then I'm ready to rock and roll.
Being an author comes with its fare share of joys and disappointment whether you are just starting or you have been in this business for many years. All of us need advice no matter where we are at on this journey.
What is the most valuable piece of advice that you have received throughout your writing career that you would like to pass along to other authors out there?
Most valuable piece of advice given to me? Give yourself permission to write crap â as long as it's on the page it can be cleaned up later! (I have this PostIt note stuck on my monitor!)
My advice to other writers? Sit your butt in the chair and write. Have a career plan (yes, even if you haven't sold yet.) Stay focused on what you want. Don't look at what other people have or where they are in their career, you'll be doomed for disappointment. We each have our own journeys. Like fingerprints, no two writing careers are the same. And once published, don't read your own reviews! If they're great we believe them. If they suck you not only believe them, you remember that crappy review forever!
Out of all of your books, which one would you say is your favorite? And why?
THE MERCENARY because it was my first, and we always remember our first. ï But I think our books are like kids. (Sometimes messy, expensive to raise until we sell them (the book, not the children lol) and time-consuming! Lol) All different and loved in their own way. I can't think of any job I'd love more than this. Every day is an adventure and a thrill a minute. Even the most mundane tasks associated with being an author are better than just about any job out there.
What type of hero do you find irresistible?
Tall, dark, and rich. (Hey! This is my hero and my heroes are never poor! Lol) He has to have an ethical compass, a sense of humor (even if sometimes it's well hidden!) and know his way around a woman's body as well as he knows his way around weapons. ï
When you aren't writing steaming hot romances what do you do in your spare time?
Spare time? I don't have much. My bar-none favorite place to be online is my Facebook page. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE playing with my readers there! We have a ridiculous amount of fun every day. It's the carrot on the end of the stick, and my reward when I've reached my goaled page count during the day.
I'm also crazy about TV (we didn't have it in South Africa when I was growing up) I'll happily watch anything, any time. And most of all I love to read. But I don't read nearly as much as I did before I was published, and I never read anything remotely similar to what I'm writing when I'm writing (which is all the time)
A typical writing dayâ¦
8:00 Run downstairs with dogs. No thanks, too early to play, feel free to go outside to pee.
8:02 Drink my hot Mocha Frappuccino while I read the news. Timer dings.
8:30 Talk to my Facebook Pips. Timer dings.
9:00 Go for walk around the lake accompanied by ecstatic Chase and Storm.
10:00 Talk to my Facebook Pips. Timer dings.
10:10 Shower, dress and put on makeup.
10:45 Talk to my Facebook Pips. Timer dings.
11:30 Protein drink for brunch while playing on Facebook.
11:31- 7:00 Attack my keyboard like a demented woman. Running-chasing-sex-falling down-shooting-running-sex.
7:00 A good day. Dinner cooked by my darling husband and an evening of movies or TV snuggled with husband, Chase and Storm.
11:00- 3:00 a.m. Woohoo. More running-chasing-sex-falling down-shooting-running-sex. Chase asleep with his head on my foot. Storm asleep in her day bed in my office.
3:01 Take the dogs and go upstairs to fall nose first into bed.
Where can we find out more about you Cherry Adair?
On my website www.cherryadair.com, Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/CherryAdair and my beloved Facebook http://tiny.cc/l1iva. I love hearing from readers â wherever you may find me.
Press Releases
2011 PRO Mentor of the Year
Cherry Adair
An adventurer in life as well as writing, New York Times best- selling author Cherry Adair moved halfway across the globe from Cape Town, South Africa, to the United States in her early years to become an interior designer. Now a resident of the Pacific Northwest, she shares the award-winning adventures of her fictional T-FLAC counterterrorism operatives with her readers.
A longtime supporter of the PRO community, Adair may be best known for her “Finish the Damn Book” challenge, which she issues for her local chapters and at every conference she attends. To quote Adair, “Sit your butt in the chair and write.
There's no magic to it. Writing is hard work. It isn't for sissies or whiners.” Here is what others say about Cherry Adair:
⢠“Cherry is a tireless mentor to PROs in Greater Seattle RWA and all over the country.”
⢠“She is the only person I have ever met who is more invested in others success than her own. Her generosity is legendary.”
⢠“She believes in RWA, believes in emerging writers, and carries everyone along with her trademark enthusiasm.”
⢠“She shares her time as well as her moneyâ¦providing paid attendance to the RWA Conference for up to three lucky âFinish the Damn Book' participants.”
⢠“She's not only making dreams possible, but providing that extra kick in the butt to make sure we dare to dream bigger than we would on our own.”
⢠“She believes in us, pushes us, encourages us, threatens us with a smile, and cries with us for our successes.”
⢠“She believes in our dreams and helps keep that flame burning no matter what turmoil whips into a person's life.”
⢠“She's inspirational.”
⢠“Because of Cherry's support, people who never dreamed of even finishing a book are now seeing possibilities beyond what they thought possible.”
Congratulations, Cherry Adair!
http://www.rwa.org/cs/2011_pro_mentor_of_the_year
