Author Q&A with Sherry Soule

 

Thank you Sherry for taking time to stop by the blog and answer a few questions about your debut novel, Beautifully Broken, as well as a few about yourself.

1. Paranormal novels are hot right now. What do you think it is that lures readers to this particular type of storytelling?

The possibility of the impossible. The romanticism of the genre. The fantasy of a world with magical beings that have superpowers.

2. Why did you decide to write a witchy YA tale instead of an adult one?

I’m basically a big kid at heart. I love reading YA novels, and after watching reruns of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” and “Charmed” I had an idea for a series based on those old TV shows. However, my series will be more about a group of supernaturally gifted teens (each character will have their own unique powers and be a different type of paranormal) that work together to fight evil. And YA is the “hot” genre right now, so it seemed like a good fit.

3. What kind of research did you conduct to get the story just right?

I do different types of research for each book and/or character. For BB, I spent a lot of time researching demonology, ghosts and wraiths, and haunted houses. For the sequel MM, I researched a ton of lore on werewolves and zombies.

4. The word “whispering” has a lot of connotations. Where did the inspiration for the town’s title come from? Is there specific symbolism in the title?

I needed a spooky fictional town name. I liked Silent Hill but that’s already taken. LOL  I wanted to change it to something else after the first book came out. I still might if I do any heavy revisions and republish at some point. While researching the different elements of Whispering Pines, I came across Marin County in California while looking for a foggy and woodland area. The popular SF Bay Area tourist spot planted the seed for what developed into a fictional version of the place, we’ve all come to know and love as, Whispering Pines.

5. What is the one quality you created in Shiloh that you admire the most?

She’s a fighter. When things get tough, Shiloh manages to hang in there without falling to pieces.

6. What writer(s) has inspired you the most?

As a teenager it was authors like Lois Duncan, Anne Rice, and the late, V. C. Andrews that were my inspirations.

7. Was it always your dream to be a writer?

Yes. I’ve been writing stories since I was seven-years-old. I’ve always loved reading and writing since childhood. I can’t imagine NOT writing. It’s in my soul—my passion.

8. Favorite comfort food, especially when a deadline is looming?

Carmel-coated popcorn. Yum!

9. What is your favorite pizza topping and what do you think that choice says about your personality?

       My fav is BBQ Chicken pizza. It says that I’m tangy and 

       piquant? LOL

Thank you for letting me chat up my YA series with all of you. If you haven’t seized your copy of MOONLIGHT MAYHEM yet, please do so. More thrilling and extraordinary adventures await you!