Author Spotlight: Sheri Lewis Wohl, Paranormal Author

Please welcome my good friend, paranormal author, Sheri Lewis Wohl. Thank you so much for coming to spend the day with me today. I, better than anyone, know how very busy you are, Sheri. Tell us about yourself. What makes you angry, happy, sad, snoopy dance?

Hi Dayana. Well, I live in northeast Washington State with my husband, two really big dogs, and a little calico cat. I’ve lived here most of my life, which is why the majority of my books are set here. What makes me both angry and sad, is intolerance. I mean, seriously…why can’t we all just get along?? What makes me happy is time my family (including the four-legged variety) and I usually reserve snoopy dancing for things like book contracts, great reviews, and royalty checks! Oh yeah, and I definitely did the snoopy dance when my Masters Thesis on a vampire story was nominated for outstanding thesis of year at the university.

Wow, congratulations, Sheri! That's wonderful. I'd love to read your thesis sometime. That sounds very intriguing. And the contracts, great reviews, and royalties tend to make me happy as well:) Tell me do you write to make a living--you know for the money--or for the sheer love of writing?

For me, it’s both. I have always written because I just flat out like to write. At the same time, making money is the ultimate ideal. My goal is to not be just a writer, but a professional writer who puts money in the bank. Nothing wrong with shooting for the New York Times Bestseller list.

Oh I have to agree with you there, Sheri. I would love to sell to a NY house and be on the New York Best Seller's list. Wait...isn't that every writers' goal and dream.
What is your favorite holiday? And why?

Well, as a writer in the paranormal genre, it’s go to be Halloween. There’s something so intriguing about the concept of the veil lifting between the world of the seen and unseen. That, and for one night getting to dress and pretend to be whoever or whatever you want to be. Yes, indeed, definitely All Hallows Eve.

As you and everyone else who knows me is aware. Halloween is my ultimate time of the year. LOL So I definitely can understand where you are coming from here. Now I have to do a shameless plug here, *grin* The one author who celebrates this holiday the best, in my experience, is Sharon Donovan, bless her soul. I just spent all day Tuesday with her and Oliver at the Haunted Mansion and I will tell you, it was AWESOME. I am going to take some lessons from Sharon for next year. Watch out! I'm going to start planning now.

Do you write every day? Or when the muse strikes?

I write every day. I don’t wait on the muse because sometimes, old muse forgets to show up! When the muse does show up, I tend to write a little more and for a lot longer.

oh good for you for being able to be scheduled. That just work for me. I envy you and authors like you. I have to wait until the muse hits me in the head, otherwise, the page will remain blank.

Are you someone who can write on demand? Or do you have to stew and coax an idea before you sit down and write? Or maybe you write when the muse knocks you upside your head, like me?

I can pretty much write on demand. I think I learned the skill from a combination of work in the office, college, and grad school. Bosses and Professors aren’t really inclined to wait for a muse to appear, if you know what I mean. I’ve carried over the ability to write on demand into my creative side as well.

Where do you write?

Everywhere. I do have a home office though I find I do most of my writing on a laptop that I carry with me everywhere. The few times I didn’t bring it along, I was lost!

Where did you get the inspiration for (your current book)?

I got the latest idea when I was sitting in Sunday services at the Washington National Cathedral. I was in D.C. for the Romance Writers National Conference and had some time to kill before I was to fly home. I walked up to the Cathedral and was in time for the morning service. It was wonderful and as I sat there…voila…the plot for my next book hit me.

Interesting, a cathedral? Hmm...You got me curious:)

What is your least favorite thing to do as an author? Allow me to clarify: query, write a synopsis, write a blurb, market, you get the picture.

I HATE to write the synopsis. It’s not just a mild dislike either. We’re talking heartfelt detest. I’m never happy with them and no matter how much time I spend on them, I never feel good when I’m finished.

Seems to be the common hate amongst writers. Maybe I'll put a poll up and test this out, LOL Tell us about your Hero. Do you have a favorite, if you’ve written multiple books?

My favorite hero so far is Adam Bell, a shape shifting Spokane Indian from my dark paranormal trilogy at Loose Id. He’s one those guys who’s sexy, tough, insightful, and calm. And, when he says “I love you,” he means it. I recently had a reader ask me if I was going to write a fourth book in the series because she wanted to see more of Adam. Of course, I’m also very fond of Jason “Bigs” Bigelow, the hero in my latest paranormal romance. Bigs just has a way about him that makes you love him.

What type of music do you favor?

I’m pretty much a classic rock and roll girl. Anything from Janis Joplin to Aerosmith. Throw in a little blues now and again, and I’m happy.

Do you use music as a motivational source when writing?

No, not music. I have a tendency to put movies in when I’m writing and the kind of movie I put in usually tracks with the kind of book I’m writing. I don’t really watch it while I’m working but I listen. Sort of subliminal motivation.

You know, movies inspire me and I also utilize them in my research. I like to watch a movie like Van Helsing and describe the shifter change, or maybe Blood and Chocolate and describe the imagery of the hunt. It's sort of a writing lesson to me. To create what I am watching on the screen, so to speak.

Fun question (possible blackmail material down the line, LOL) What is the most uncharacteristic thing you have ever done? Please, no censoring? I have no qualms about placing a content warning on my blog!

It’s got to be the flaming breasts. We are big car people and every year attend numerous functions for car enthusiastic. This past summer we had a large gathering at our home. Later in the evening, one of our friends (a very artistic fellow) took his collection of Sharpie pens and drew flames of varying colors on the chests of willing women. Sort of temporary tattoos. I, being pretty conservative in that respect, kept saying no, no, no, every time he asked me. Finally I gave in and spent the rest of the evening with lovely red and black flames erupting out of my tank top! My husband was floored and that’s putting it mildly. I’m sorry to say (not really) there are no pictures of the flaming breasts for blackmail purposes.

Oh, Sheri! I am so sorry you didn't take pictures, LOL How about the skull collection? How is that fairing? My black rose centerpiece is as beautiful as the day I got it what 3-4 years ago? LOL I am now pining for a black rose wreath I saw at Target.

The skull collection is coming along nicely. Wild Bill Whiting, the Oregon artist who makes the ceramic skulls, does fantastic work and I pick up a new one each year at the Portland Swap Meet. Though the swap meet is a huge collector car event, Wild Bill always brings the skulls. I drag the hubby over to see him (right after I pick up my latte) and we get the skull purchase done before a single car part is looked at.



Newest book Blurb:

Adrian Meade is on the run from her rich, powerful, and vengeful ex-husband, so she creates a new identity as Anna Koch to keep herself safe. Tired of running, she has no sooner put down temporary roots in Spokane, Washington, than she finds herself in the midst of an unexpected romance with her landlord, Jason “Bigs” Bigelow, and also confronted with the century-old mystery of a missing boy. Full of dark secrets, she keeps Bigs at arm’s length until their fiery passion becomes too great to deny. Love, lies, and a ghost complicate Adrian’s life even more than it already is. As secrets begin to crack and mysteries begin to unravel, the line between the past and the present fades. Can Bigs keep her safe from an evil that transcends time or will he lose the one woman who has finally healed his heart?

Buy it Now: http://alturl.com/u354
Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfMzxXsQYdQ
www.sherilewiswohl.com


More about Sheri Lewis Wohl

Bio:
A reader since I could pick up a book, my goal in grade school was to read every book in the library. I didn't quite make it through every book, but I came darn close, and thus my love of literature was born. I started writing in high school and have continued through today. I didn't follow my muse to college, at least not at first. Instead, I floundered around and managed to complete a degree with concentrations in Psychology, Communications and Women's Studies at Eastern Washington University. But, the pull of the written word wasn't done with me yet, and I went back to school to complete a Masters in Humanities through California State University. With a thesis on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's vampire tale "Carmilla", it was a gothic writer's dream come true.
Today, I'm still writing and reading a ton of books. With the advent of electronic publishing I can carry any number of books in my PDA. I'm never without a touch of fiction. I live in Eastern Washington with my husband Steve, a German Shepherd named Falco, a St. Bernard named Shaggy, and a rescued calico cat named Halle.
I'm a member of Romance Writers of America, EPIC, the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, and The International Order of Horror Professionals.