Shoshana
If you can have Christmas in August, whom would you like to have in your stocking, and
why? (Right now, I’ll go for David Boreanaz. He’s got such sexy grin, and his behind is not bad either!)

Cheryl:
Hmm… Christmas in August… man in my stocking… Good question, but since we’re
talking fantasy here, I think I’d take a Zetithian—but if he has to be human, there’s this guynamed Daniel that I wouldn’t mind getting as a gift!

Hint: he has long dark hair and his picture is in the sidebar on my blog.;-)

If you’re going to be stuck in an island for some time, what are the three items you must have? (This is assuming that you have food and shelter and don’t have to worry about dying.)

Cheryl:
My husband, my guitar, and some sort of creative activity. I’ve always had this need to
create, be it candles, pies, books, or sequined shirts for a country singer—and yes, I actually did that!—otherwise, I’d go nuts!

Virginia C
What’s the very first book that made a lasting impression on you from your childhood?

Cheryl:
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart is the first novel I can remember reading
that wasn’t a children’s book. I loved her voice, the romance, and the suspense. Then I read all of her books and loved every one of them, particularly her Merlin Trilogy. Great stuff!

What’s the last book you read that made you cry?

Cheryl: It’s been out for a while now, so this isn’t a spoiler, but when Fred Weasley was killed in the last Harry Potter book, I was pretty weepy-eyed.

Estella

How do you decide on the names for your characters?

Cheryl:
The heroes mostly have feline sounding names, but since I’ve used Cat, Leo, Manx, and Lynx, there aren’t many left. The later ones are a bit more obscure. Tychar (Rogue) began with the word tiger, and I played with it a bit to come up with that spelling. Trag (Hero) is a combination of tiger and dragon. For the heroes of books 7-9, I’ve gone to some scientific names and played around with the spellings and pronunciations.

When it comes to the names of heroines or secondary characters, I just use whatever feels best. Sometimes I hit random keys and move letters around or replace vowels until I come up with something I like.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Cheryl:
I don’t have much in the way of spare time anymore, but I like to cook, garden, play guitar and sing, plus I have three horses. I don’t ride very much these days, but I do love my big pasture pets!

Chey

Do you get to choose your own titles?

Cheryl:
I come up with a working title, but the final choice is usually out of my hands. Of the books in the Cat Star Chronicles series, so far, only Fugitive and Hero were published with the titles I gave them originally, and Fugitive was almost re-titled because they didn’t think it would fit on the cover! However, one of the guys in the art department was able to make the letters narrow enough to fit, which was fortunate because there really isn’t another word that means the same thing as fugitive—at least, I can’t think of one.

How much input do you have in your covers?

Cheryl:
The folks in the art department ask for character descriptions, but since none of my covers shows a full face on any of the guys, hair color is about the only thing that matters, and sometimes you can’t even see that much. My covers are then designed by Anne Cain, who I think does a fabulous job. The initial covers are sent to me, and I comment on them. I don’t like the headless torso thing, and I’ve had to request that a few of them be changed as a result. So far, any major objections I’ve had have at least been considered, and most have been corrected. The main input I had on the cover of Hero was to tell them not to change it. I loved it just the way it was when it was first presented to me.

Caffey
If you could meet any author from the past that inspired you to become an author, who
would you like to meet and what would you like to ask them?

Cheryl:
I’d like to ask William Shakespeare if he was actually the one who wrote all of that
stuff. Of course, I probably wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of his reply, but it would be interesting, just the same.

Pam S

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Cheryl:
Chocolate. Pure and simple. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

What is your most memorable vacation?

Cheryl:
Probably the trip I took to Las Vegas a couple of years ago—and not so much for the
casinos or anything like that, but because of the side trip we took to the Grand Canyon. Now, that was memorable.!

Meredith Miller

Have you had any “real life” adventures that have influenced your characters or plots?

Cheryl: LOL! I’ve had so few adventures, it isn’t even funny. There have been people, books, situations, random comments, and movies that have influenced me, but not too many people care to read about the things nurses do on a daily basis. It usually isn’t very pretty….

What is the strangest question someone has ever asked you in an interview?

Cheryl:
Probably the questions regarding how I came up with the idea for the Zetithians and
their, um, equipment. No, wait! Scratch that. It was my answer that was strange….

Terri C
When did you know you wanted to make a career of writing?

Cheryl: In 2004, I was watching Under the Tuscan Sun with my husband, and when I remarked that it would be pretty cool to be a writer living in Tuscany, he said “Write!” So I wrote! I haven’t made it anywhere near Italy yet, but maybe someday.

CherylS22
What is your favorite writing environment?

Cheryl:
Back here in my bedroom with the curtains closed, sitting at my messy desk right next
to my messy, unmade bed. All I need is my computer, my trusty Boy Scout cup full of tea or ice water, my computer glasses, and I’m good to go. I can write in other places, but this is where most of it happens.

KarenK

Who are your most favorite authors?

Cheryl:
I know they aren’t terribly current, but Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer, and Daphne
DuMaurier have been favorites of mine since I was a kid. More recently, I fell in love with the Harry Potter series (along with millions of others) and I’ve read and enjoyed many of the books written by my fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca authors. Aside from that, I haven’t read very many books lately because I simply don’t have the time!

CrystalGB
Who are the biggest supporters of your writing?

Cheryl:
The core group of ladies who follow and comment on my blog are probably my most vocal supporters, however the gang I work with at the hospital aren’t far behind. Anytime we’re out together, they somehow manage to mention the fact that I’m a writer to someone. My family is supportive, but they just don’t read the sort of books I write, so they aren’t fans.

LilMissMolly

What do you enjoy reading?

Cheryl:
I read the Harry Potter series over and over again—usually as a means of winding
down before bed. It’s very difficult for me to read a romance novel without critiquing it, but JK Rowling’s writing is such that I don’t have to think about how it’s written; I can focus on the story and it diverts my mind better than anything else.

Aurora M

What book was your earliest memory?

Cheryl:
I can’t recall the author’s name, but the title of the book was A Horse of Her Own. It
was about a young girl living in England who got a pony and learned to ride. It was told in first person from her point of view, and was probably the earliest influence on me to enjoy reading (and writing) in that POV.

If you could have any other job what would it be?

Cheryl: I’d like to play lead guitar in a rock band. …hey, you asked me….

HERO BY CHERYL BROOKS – IN STORES AUGUST 2010
The Cat Star Chronicles #6
He is the sexiest, most irksome man she’s ever encountered…
Micayla is the last Zetithian female left in the universe. She doesn’t know what’s normal for her species, but she knows when she sees Trag that all she wants to do is bite him…

He has searched all over the galaxy for a woman like her…
Trag has sworn he’ll never marry unless he can find a Zetithian female. But now that he’s finally found Micayla, she may be more of a challenge than even he’s able to take on…

About the Author
Cheryl Brooks is an Intensive Care Unit nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previous books in The Cat Star Chronicles series include Slave, Warrior, Rogue, Outcast and Fugitive.

She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband and sons in Indiana. For more
information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/.

Giveaway:

Two winners on September 15.
US and Canada addresses only. No PO Box.
Fill in this form and leave a comment on this post. Feel free to ask more question if you have them, and Cheryl may answer if her time permits.

Tags: Cheryl Brooks, Sourcebooks