Sherry Lewis's Blog, page 7

5 Things You Might Not Know About June

I’m sure you’ve all noticed that we’re nearing the middle of the month of June. Well, if you’re a writer on a very tight deadline you might not have noticed, but probably everyone else has. Because I’m gearing up for a month-long visit from my grandkids (yay!) and I’m suffering from short-timer’s disease (a month’s vacation! Yay!) I decided to do a little research on the glorious month of June to see if I could find out something that surprised me. I did! So here you go: five things you might...

Too Many Words? Too Few? — #MFRWauthor

Good morning, world. It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another entry in the MFRWauthor 52-Week Blogging Challenge. It’s week 23, and our prompt is: Word Counts Matter…How Much? How Often?

So yeah. Word counts. They are the bane of my existence and the love of my life. They matter–to publishers who are trying to create a line of similar books that will give readers a similar experience time after time. They matter to some writers, I guess. Some people may like having a set number to work...

13 Things That Begin With X, Y or Z

I’ve been practicing my procrastination skills with this blog post. Coming up with 13 things even remotely attached to my life that begin with these three letters feels like an impossible task, and so I’ve been avoiding it. But while I’m adept at procrastination, I also, eventually, get around to fulfilling my obligations, even if the only person I’m obligated to is myself.

While I’m sure there’s nobody out there on pins and needles waiting for me to finish this little project, I promised mys...

Behind the Scenes of “REBEL WITHOUT A CAKE”

[image error]I logged in to the random number generator this morning and had it pick a book for today’s blog post. Its selection? Rebel Without a Cake, the fifth book in the Piece of Cake mystery series I wrote under the pseudonym Jacklyn Brady. I had a great time writing Rebel Without a Cake. In fact, it was a book that helped me remember just how fun it is to write. And so, without further ado, here are five glimpses behind the scenes.

I picked the name Jacklyn Brady because I’ve always liked the name J...

I Can’t Stand it When… #MFRWauthor

It’s Friday, and that means it’s week 22 of the MFRWauthor 52-week blog challenge. This week’s prompt is  My pet peeve in a book.

[image error]I’m a demanding reader. I’m going to admit that right off the bat. I think I always have been in some ways. Becoming a writer has, I think, made me even more demanding in some ways, and more forgiving in others.

I’m more demanding about the things I know it’s possible to do in a book with a bit of work, and more forgiving about the things that are extremely difficu...

5 Things You Might Not Know About Montana

I’m celebrating the release of Mr. Congeniality on Kindle today. It’s a contemporary romance set on the Eagle’s Nest Dude Ranch outside fictional Whistle River, Montana. As part of my celebration, I’ve decided to share five things you may not know about Montana, the state I call home, even though I was born and spent the first three weeks of my life in Utah. Montana is what I remember from childhood. I’ve returned there in several books, and plan to go back in several more.

And now, in no par...

I Had The Time of My Life — #MFRWauthor

It’s week 21 of the MFRWauthor 52-Week Blog Challenge, and this week’s prompt is: A childhood memory–which is good because I’ve got a million of ’em. The hardest thing this week will be picking which childhood memory to talk about.

[image error]Memories have been flooding my head all week as I’ve thought about this week’s prompt. I had a great childhood in Billings, Montana, back in the day when a kid could hop on her bike after lunch and take off for parts unknown, with only the directive to “be home bef...

Behind the Scenes of “LET IT SNOW”

I guess it’s about time to use the random number generator again. I’m picking another book for a behind-the-scenes look at what went in to making the story what it is. Today’s random pick is Let it Snow, a contemporary romance novel set in southern Colorado.

[image error]Number 1: The character of Rick Dennehy came to me in a flash one day while riding through the Colorado mountains with my parents. I wasn’t thinking about books or writing at the time, so when we rounded a curve in the road and I “saw” a...

All I Gotta Do is Act Naturally — #MFRWauthor

It’s week 20 of the MFRWauthor 52-Week Blog Challenge, and today’s prompt is Favorite Books Made Into Movies or My favorite movies inspired by books.

It probably would have been easier for me to come up with a list of adaptations I find uninspiring or uninteresting because that list is l-o-n-g (although not nearly s long as my list of bad remakes.) It just seems like Hollywood changes things too much. They get rid of characters and add characters, they jump over plot points I think are import...

5 Things You Might Not Know about Florida’s Gulf Coast

A few months ago, while sitting on a park bench outside a crowded restaurant, it occurred to me that it might be time to write a book set in my new stomping grounds. I mentioned that idea to Older Daughter, who was with me, and within about 45 minutes, we had the germ of an idea for a series of connected books loosely based on some of my favorite fairy tales.

I had a book to finish before I could start writing, but it’s time to get to work now, which means it’s time to actually research this...