RW: Tell us about yourself, your family, where
you live…
CP: I was born and raised in Oklahoma. My
husband is from West Virginia. We have two grown kids and a 200-pound Great
Pyrenees who we claim as our third child.
RW: Has your life changed since you became a
writer?
CP: Not really—I keep waiting to magically
transform into Barbara Cartland, with a cigarette holder, a fainting couch and
several poodles all around me. It hasn’t happened yet!
RW: Who are your favorite characters among the
books you’ve written?
CP: Probably my favorite character from the
books I’ve had published would be Jesse Nightwalker from my contemporary
thriller/romance, Sweet Danger. And
from my historical books, I’d say it would have to be Kaed Turner, from Fire Eyes.
RW: What kind of research do you do for a book?
CP: Growing up in Oklahoma and writing
historical westerns, I didn’t have to immerse myself in history on purpose—I
grew up that way. So I check my details, but mostly I’m able to follow the age-old
advice of writing what I know.
RW: When did you first think about writing, and
what prompted you to submit your first ms? What genre is it?
CP: As I say, I wrote from an early age. My
first published pieces were feature articles for our state-wide Oklahoma
newspaper, The Oklahoman. Shortly after that, I sold a story to Adams Media’s Rocking Chair Reader anthology, “Memories
from the Attic.” More anthology stories followed to that series, and also to Chicken Soup for the Soul. I submitted
my first novel to The Wild Rose Press, and they took it. That was Fire Eyes. It’s a western historical
romance. It’s now been re-issued by my own company, Prairie Rose Publications.
RW: Would you like to write a different genre or
sub-genre than you do now?
CP: I write in many genres—western historical
romance, contemporary thriller romance, middle grade reader short stories and
novellas, YA short stories and novellas, westerns, and also contemporary
paranormal.
RW: What is your secret guilty pleasure?
CP: Truly? I have a couple. I don’t watch a lot
of TV, but there are times when I just want to watch Dog, the Bounty Hunter and
laugh and laugh and laugh. The other one would probably be Dr Pepper. But it’s
no secret. I drink more of it than I ever should.
RW: If you were stranded on a tropical island,
who would it be with? You can choose any living, deceased or mythical figure.
CP: Well, it would have to be any of the Greek
or Roman gods who could get us out of
that mess! Barring that, I would have to say Captain James Tiberius Kirk, of
the starship Enterprise. He is the only human I know of who can get out of
every bit of trouble that comes his way.
RW: Actually, I think Captain Picard would do
just as good a job and with less destruction. Kirk tends to shoot first and ask
questions later. ;-D But, I digress… Tell us about your latest book, including
its genre. Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?
CP: My WIP is about the Oklahoma Land Run of
1889. It doesn’t cross over into another genre, but explores the relationship
of a couple who is thrown together by the oddest of circumstances and the way
they accidentally fall in love. He’s a half-Indian scout for the army, and she
and her little brother are headed for the Oklahoma Land Run when her father is
killed for cheating at a game of cards—by the scout.
RW: What can we expect from you in the future?
CP: I’m co-owner of Prairie Rose Publications
and Imprints and we will be celebrating three years in the publishing business
this month, August 2016. I am the Editor-in-Chief and I absolutely love what I
do! But I also love writing—so there’ll be more of that coming, though maybe not
as quickly as it used to.
I am part of a boxed set that just
released a few days ago, A Kiss to
Remember. My story in this set is an “oldie but goodie”—Gabriel’s Law. The entire set of five
novels sells for only $0.99! And these are some great stories.
I am also part of the author group
that makes up “Ford Fargo,” and we write collectively for the Wolf Creek
western series—I have a story coming soon in the Hunter’s Moon anthology called Three
Good Men.
If you love mail-order bride stories,
I’m working on one of those right now that will be part of a collection of
four, also including Kathleen Rice Adams, Livia Reasoner, and Jacquie Rogers.
We are excited about this! It’ll be released in February, 2017.
CP: Thanks so much for having me, Rochelle!
This has been a ton of fun!
RW: Thank you for visiting! For more info on A Kiss to Remember and on Cheryl, keep
reading!
A Kiss to Remember Boxed Set: The Plot
Are you ready for FIVE books in one of the best western
historical romance boxed sets to debut this year? Prairie Rose Publications has
got just the stories you’ve been craving! Get ready for some wonderful hours of
pleasure-filled reading as you settle back in your easy chair and get lost in
these wonderful tales of romance that you won’t be able to get enough of!
Gabriel’s Law by Cheryl Pierson
Brandon Gabriel is hired by the citizens of Spring Branch to
hunt down the notorious Clayton Gang, never suspecting a double-cross. When
Allison Taylor rides into town for supplies, she doesn’t expect to be sickened
by the sight of a man being beaten to death by a mob—a man she recognizes from
her past. Spring Branch’s upstanding citizens gather round to see a murder, but
everything changes with the click of a gun—and Gabriel’s Law.
Bio:
Cheryl was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, and grew up in Seminole,
Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma and holds a B.A. in
English.
She has three recently published western historical romances:
Fire Eyes, The
Half-Breed’s Woman, and Gabriel’s Law,
all available in print and digital format at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Cheryl has had two stories nominated in the Best Western
Short Fiction category of the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Awards. Her
paranormal western short story “The Keepers of Camelot” was nominated in 2012.
In 2013, her story “It Takes a Man,” featuring her characters from the Wolf Creek series, was a
finalist.
Her young adult western historical trilogy of novellas, Red Eagle’s War, Red Eagle’s Revenge, and Texas Forever are available
through the Painted
Pony Books imprint, and the first two of the series have spent much time on
Kindle’s top 100 list for westerns.
Cheryl also has contributed heavily to the western “shared
world” collaborative effort known as Wolf Creek since it came into existence.
Written under the pen name of “Ford Fargo,” the series features six authors in
each volume with stories built around the characters they’ve created.
Anthologies of short stories round out this collaboration. Wolf Creek Book 6: Hell on the Prairie
contains Cheryl’s Peacemaker-nominated story, “It Takes a Man.” Cheryl
currently serves as the president of Western Fictioneers, a professional
organization for western authors.
Writing is so much a part of her life that recently, she and
long-time friend Livia Reasoner, opened Prairie Rose
Publications, a publishing house that furthers the western-themed writing
offerings of women. What followed shortly thereafter were three more imprints: Painted Pony Books,
Tornado
Alley Publications, and Fire Star Press.
Cheryl and her husband have lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,
for the past 29 years.
A Kiss to Remember:
Contact Cheryl At:
Cheryl’s Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Pierson/e/B002JV8GUE
Prairie Rose Publications: http://prairierosepublications.com/
