Writer’s Window: Sherrinda Ketchersid
Many of you already know Sherrinda through her regular visits to this blog, along with her insightful posts about her own writing journey on her own blog as well as at The Writers Alley. I love watching new authors discover the joys (and frustrations) of the writing journey, so it’s been with great pleasure that I’ve gotten to know Sherrinda over the last few years.
Sherrinda blogs about the writing journey/process/industry at http://www.sherrindak.blogspot.com
What do you like best about being a writer?
- I love that I am using the creative bent that God gave me. I love the thought of spinning a story that might give another person an entertaining escape. I love daydreaming and creating a love story that makes me sigh.
What do you like least about being a writer?
- So far, what I like least is editing and revising. It is the hard business of writing, in my opinion.
Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?
- We call it Coke here in Texas, but my Coke of choice is a Diet Dr. Pepper. Oh, I will drink a Diet Coke if I have to, but I absolutely love my daily dose of my DDP.
Describe your favorite pair of shoes.
- I usually go barefoot when I am at home, but if I have to put a pair of shoes on, I wear a pair of cute little flip flops. For Sundays, I have a pair of black wide strap heels. Heels make me feel thinner, for some strange reason.
What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?
- Well, seeing as I’ve only written a medieval, I wish I could say I’ve done some time traveling. But alas, I have not. The most unique thing I’ve done is gone into the children’s section of our library and perused the history books of the Middle Ages. Great information in a short, easy to understand way. And there are lots of pictures, which I love!
Candles. We all have them. But do you burn them? What scents are your favorite?
- I love candles and my favorite scent is vanilla. Yeah, I’m a plain Jane kind of girl. I love any scent that makes my family think I’ve been baking…you know, sugar cookies, birthday cake, snickerdoodle. My house smells wonderful and then they get mad because there’s nothing to eat. (I do have a mean streak, I’m afraid.)
Have you ever re-gifted something someone’s given you?
- Oh yes I have! When I got married, I received 8 deviled egg trays, which I promptly began giving away. For one thing, I didn’t even LIKE deviled eggs at the time, and I really didn’t need 8 of them!
If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?
- Well, it would either be about a school teacher, a mermaid, or a centaur. My dad is an artist/author and would draw me color pages with mermaids and centaurs. I lived in a fairy tale quite a bit.
What makes you happy?
- Besides the normal family answer, I would have to say reading a good book during a thunderstorm, wrapped in a blanket with a candle by my side.
What makes you nervous?
- Money…or lack of it. Singing in front of people even though I do it every Sunday. Walking into a crowded room where I don’t know anyone. (Yeah, I would be really nervous at a writer’s conference.)
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
- Write with your heart, rewrite with your head. It’s freeing to let yourself go, turning off that crazy internal editor, and just write the story.
What’s your biggest dream for the future?
- I’ve fulfilled my first dream of writing a novel. Now my dream is to get published. How fulfilling it must be to walk into a bookstore and see your book on the shelf!
Tell us about what you’re currently writing.
- I am about to start a new story, but I am struggling with which one to write. One is the first of a series about three sisters labeled in their youth by an old busybody at church. Each sister must come to terms with their ‘label’ and learn that no one can label them and make them into someone they are not. The other idea I have is a paranormal. I know, I know, that is totally weird and not a viable option if I want to be published in CBA, but I have a cool idea that I may just run with for the fun of it. I’m still a newbie writer and have lots of manuscripts to write before I get published.
Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?
- Blog: http://www.sherrindak.blogspot.com
Group Blog: http://www.thewritersalleys.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sherrinda
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Sherrinda Ketchersid is a pastor’s wife, a mother of four (and mother-in-law to a wonderful young woman!), and holds down a full time job in the office of a local elementary school. She’s had a love for reading since a young girl and knew one day she wanted to write stories that would provide others with the joy and escapism she experienced with a book in her hands.
Sherrinda is a member of ACFW and finaled in RWA/FHL chapter’s Touched By Love contest this year. She has completed one historical/medieval book, and while loving all things medieval, she is going to try her hand at either a contemporary, Regency, or paranormal next. At least until medievals become in vogue in CBA.
Still feeling like a newbie, Sherrinda is devouring writing craft books and honing her skills as a writer, trying to find time in her busy schedule to pursue her dream of publication. You can follow her progress and her thoughts on life at http://www.sherrindak.blogspot.com, http://www.twitter.com/sherrinda, or http://www.thewritersalleys.blogspot.com.
Fun Friday–Playlist First-Line Poem
I’m the guest blogger on The Writer’s Alley today. Be sure to check it out!
This is a meme I made up last year.
Rules: Using your iPod, your MP3 player, your iTunes, your Windows Media Player, (set on Shuffle/Random) or Pandora.com or AccuRadio.com, create a “free-form poem” by writing down the first line of a song, then skipping to the next song. Try at least 20 and see what you come up with. (When you run out of “skips” on Pandora, just refresh the page.)
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Somewhere, just across the Jordan River
Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven.
Maybe it’s because the kiss you gave me
Alone in the darkness—
I see trees of green, red roses, too.
When suddenly you sight someone for whom you yearn,
When the sun is high in the afternoon sky,
I walk along the city streets you used to walk along.
It was just one of those things—
Heart and soul, I fell in love with you.
I’m so afraid of night, ’cause I’m too romantic.
I’m in the mood for love,
The moment I wake up, before you put on your makeup,
I believe I’ve attempted every move that I know—
Do nothin’ ’til you hear from me.
Do you hear that playing?
I was with you wandering through memory lane.
When I fall in love, it will be forever.
Heaven’s getting ready for an end-it-all celebration—
He’s my guy.
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Now it’s your turn. Share your poem here or post it to your blog and come back to post the link.
1000th Blog Post Contest WINNER! & What do you think about . . . ?
LOL–I’d forgotten I pre-posted something for today last weekend. That’s what I get for planning ahead. I’ve now combined the two posts making this officially . . .
My 1,000th blog post!!!!!
The winner of the Big Ol’ Box o’ Books, as chosen by a random generator, is . . .
Congratulations, Regina!
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What do you think about . . . ?
These are some topics we discussed last year, and I’m curious to see answers to them again—from new blog readers as well as those of you who’ve been around for a while. And I’m purposely not linking you to that post so that you can answer off the top of your head and not try to update an answer you gave before.
- Much of the feedback that publishers are getting right now is that with the economy, job market, and heated political environment we’re experiencing right now, readers are looking for escapist fiction—something to sweep them away from the realities of life and into something more “shallow,” more entertaining than thought provoking. Would you agree with this? What kind of book do you want to read when life has you totally stressed out?
- In the romance genre, it seems like there are lots of books on either end of the “extremes” spectrum—either they’re very evangelical/hit-you-in-the-face-with-a-Bible “Christian” romance or they’re totally on the other side with explicit s*xual content. Is there a need for something closer to the middle—“sweet” romance that doesn’t necessarily have a spiritual content (or maybe the characters are Christians but there’s no real “spiritual message” in the story) but is also clean, with the couples waiting to consummate until marriage, and then not on the page? Have you found any authors who are writing these kinds of stories?
- There are some historical eras that seem to be written about all the time, while others never get any coverage. If you’re a lover of historical fiction/romance, what time periods/locations would you like to see more books set in?
- What’s your favorite new book you’ve read this year (i.e., one you’d never read before—it didn’t have to be published this year)?
My View of Writing…in 2003
All comments on this post count toward the 1,000th Blog Post Contest
In addition to getting some “music videos” of me singing uploaded last week, I also processed the recording of my Senior Recitation from my second-to-last semester of undergraduate work. At my undergraduate alma mater, Trevecca Nazarene University, every student has to present a topic in a one-hour session they’ve spent the semester researching, writing, etc. I know a couple of students from the English department who presented the same semester I did read poetry or essays or short stories they’d written. Well, my faculty mentor, Dr. Stevens, suggested that since I’m a novelist rather than reading from a novel for an hour, I focus on my entire writing journey as the topic of my Senior Recitation.
I hadn’t remembered until I watched it as I copied it to the computer and then broke it down in segments small enough for YouTube to digest that I gave this presentation when I was in the midst of writing Love Remains—and that I talked quite a bit about how I came up with the idea.
The entire presentation was a little more than an hour in length. I’ve linked to all of the parts here, but actually put the clips I think you might find of most interest up to watch here.
- You’ll hear me mention “category romance” several times throughout the presentation—keep in mind that in 2003, the market was much different than it is now. Back then, I had been told that to break into publishing I had to start by writing HeartSongs—the Harlequin-style, short novels published by Barbour for a monthly readers’ club. Obviously, the market has change quite a bit in the last seven years.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 1—“When I was growing up…”
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 2—“An Alarming Addiction”
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 3—“My First Creative Writing Class”
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 4—“My First Creative Writing Class” in which I write a short story and get the first feedback on my writing
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 5—“Declaring a Major” in which I learn what it means to major in Creative Writing
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 6—“A Dream is born”: the inspiration behind the “epic” 230,000-word manuscript I worked on throughout in the 1990s—and learning the secret of writing fiction—as well as the birth of Bonneterre, Louisiana (a.k.a. College Park)
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 7—“Building College Park, LA”: the development and growth of the fictional setting that would become Bonneterre, Louisiana.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 8—“The growth of College Park”: Bonneterre grows as more and more ideas for characters, both major and secondary, develop (in which I talk about Character Casting and creating a Character Database).
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 9—“Dream Therapy”: Using writing to work through depression and major life changes.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 10—“Putting the Dream into Perspective” and “The Five Girls”: How long is To Build a Dream compared to published novels? And the inspiration behind the first complete manuscript I would write. (By the way, Bekka d’Arcement, whom I talk about in this section and who is the main character of my first completed manuscript, is none other than Bekka Blakeley in A Case for Love—Alaine’s friend at the TV station.)
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 11—“What’s a Writers’ Conference?”: My experience and what I learned at my first writers’ conference, including the most important thing I’ve ever learned about writing.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 12—“Learning What Matters Most”: I begin writing what would become my first complete novel—and I read from it, too.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 13—“What I learned from WMM”: What I learned from the process of writing my first complete manuscript.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 14—“ACRW Conference and a Noble Theme”: I enter my first writing contest.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 15—“The Next Steps”: What I did after finishing my first complete manuscript (including a discussion of finding a graduate school program).
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 16—“Inspiration comes from the strangest places”: The process that led to the original inspiration for Love Remains.
Creative Writing: A First Person Point of View, Part 17—“Love Remains”: The inspiration and origins of Love Remains.
Writer’s Window: Kathy Harris
The winner of the drawing from last week’s Writer’s Window, for Tamara Leigh’s Nowhere, Carolina, is Nancye Davis. Congratulations, Nancye!
Kathy Harris, who writes fiction as Kate Shiloh, is someone else who has been a member of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers for five or six years—in fact, she’s now the publicity officer for the group! Kathy is published in nonfiction, with devotionals/essays appearing in books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks, Mom; All My Bad Habits I Learned from Grandpa; and the One Year Life Verse Devotional. She also introduced me to a new, and beautiful, breed of dogs—Shiloh shepherds, which are like ginormous, goofy German shepherds.
Kathy blogs at DivineDetour.com where she features authors and musicians making a positive impact on the world.
What do you like best about being a writer?
- I like everything about writing as long as the words are flowing. But creating and getting to know my characters is perhaps my favorite thing. They’re like friends and family you love to spend time with.
What do you like least about being a writer?
- I hate doubting myself. Especially when it’s to the point of being blocked.
Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?
- I was born in the Midwest, and we call it soda. 😉 For me, there’s nothing better than an iced cold Coke from an old-fashioned, glass bottle. But I try to pick healthier alternatives at this stage in life. I choose an organic option when I’m craving something soda-like.
Describe your favorite pair of shoes.
- Red suede slides. Love them!
What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?
- There have definitely been funny/crazy situations, but the one time that stands out for me is when I needed a very specific kind of person to help me with facts to complete my last manuscript. About that same time, a business associate was in town and he asked me to join him and another of his clients for dinner. The man I met that evening was business partners with someone who was perfect to provide the answers I needed, and he helped me to arrange the connection. It was like a confirmation from God that I was to continue to write the story.
Candles. We all have them. But do you burn them? What scents are your favorite?
- I love vanilla scent (and taste), so that’s my candle of choice. But I rarely burn them.
Have you ever re-gifted something someone’s given you?
- Hmmm. I’d like to think I haven’t, but there might have been that one time…
If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?
- I’d have been a writer! I dreamed of it even as a child. Despite going to college to study writing, it took me many years—beyond a different and very fulfilling career—to settle into writing the novels I have had in my head for years. I choose to believe that God planned my life in such a way. His plan is perfect.
What makes you happy?
- When my life is in balance—when my family is well, my work is caught-up, and my writing is flowing.
What makes you nervous?
- When my life is out of balance. I’m a perfectionist, and a busy life takes it’s toll on our kind. 🙂
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
- There have been many, but one was actually from you, Kaye. You said, Rejection is no more God’s voice to a writer than a tackle is God’s voice to a football player…it’s part of the game.
I also love something Erma Bombeck once wrote. She said, When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”
What’s your biggest dream for the future?
- Time to write to my heart’s content and encouragement along the way.
Tell us about what you’re currently writing.
- My agent is shopping a women’s fiction manuscript I completed earlier this year. I’m currently rewriting the sequel, outlining another story, and have several others in various stages of development.
Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?
- I’m having a great time interviewing literary and musical guests twice a week at my website, www.DivineDetour.com.
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Kathy Harris graduated with a B.S. in Communications from Southern Illinois University and is a marketing director in the Nashville entertainment industry. She has been writing for most of her life, but writing and studying the craft of fiction for the past ten years. She is the publicity officer for Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Writers, and The Writers View 2. Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, and Chicken Soup for the Soul have published Kathy’s non-fiction works in anthologies and/or devotionals. Her agent is currently shopping her women’s fiction manuscript, The Road to Mercy.
Kathy is an owner and enthusiast of Shiloh Shepherd dogs. She regularly features literary and music-related guests at her website, www.DivineDetour.com.
Fun Friday–But Did You Know I Can Sing, Too?
All comments on this post count toward the 1,000th Blog Post Contest
When I was a member of the “seven-year church,” I used to do a lot of special music—solos, duets, ensembles, and a stint singing in a Southern Gospel Quartet. I thought I’d share a little of that with you today.
You can’t have a real Southern Gospel quartet without singing this song:
Phil Bush, Ronnie Hoffmann, Kaye Dacus, and Daniel Collett (“Unified”)
singing “He Touched Me” at Una Baptist Church, June 22, 2002
. . .
Kaye Dacus, Michelle Lesley (my sister), and Scott Lesley (my brother-in-law)
singing “John, the Revelator” at Una Baptist Church late 1990s/early 2000s
. . .
Phil Bush, Ronnie Hoffmann, Kaye Dacus, and Daniel Collett (“Unified”)
singing “Get Away Jordan” at Una Baptist Church, June 22, 2002
. . .
Kaye Dacus singing “Scars and Stripes”
at Una Baptist Church, June 22, 2002
. . .
This one is another Southern Gospel staple:
Phil Bush, Ronnie Hoffmann, Kaye Dacus, and Daniel Collett (“Unified”)
singing “Sinner, Saved by Grace” at Una Baptist Church, June 22, 2002
. . .
Kaye Dacus singing “He Keeps Me Singing”
at Una Baptist Church, Nashville, TN, late 1990s/early 2000s
. . .
Phil Bush, Ronnie Hoffmann, Kaye Dacus, and Daniel Collett (“Unified”)
singing “Get Up, Get Ready” at Una Baptist Church, June 22, 2002
A Day in the Life of a Writer
Don’t forget—all comments count toward the Big Ol’ Box o’ Books 1,000th Blog Post giveaway.
Since I’m on deadline, I thought I’d let some other writers show you what a “day in the life” is like for those of us trying to make a living entertaining others with the written word:
1000th Blog Post Contest
It’s hard to believe it was just two years ago that I was celebrating my 500th blog post . . . and next Thursday, I’ll be posting my 1,000th treatise on life, writing, movies, TV, etc. And you know I can’t do that without holding a contest.
Entering the Drawing
Because I’m on deadline, I’m going to make the rules of entry as simple as possible. Submit as many comments as you would like to that are RELATED TO THE TOPIC OF THE POST OR RESPONDING TO SOMEONE ELSE’S COMMENT on any post dated between yesterday, July 19, 2010 (the Writer’s Window post featuring Tamara Leigh) and next Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at 10 p.m. Central time.
Earn extra entries for each person you send over to leave comments and having them say you recommended they visit KayeDacus.com to enter the contest.
The Prize
The prize for the contest is a Big Ol’ Box o’ Books containing:
- A signed copy of Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
- A signed copy of A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills
- The Lady of Milkweed Manor, The Apothecary’s Daughter, and The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen (no, this is not the copy of The Silent Governess I got signed by Julie at ICRS, but the unsigned copy I already owned before that)
- Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs
- A Passion Most Pure and A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman
- Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz
- Georgia on Her Mind by Rachel Hauck and The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck (signed by Rachel)
- A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist
- Signed copies of Hi, Honey, I’m Home, Unlikely Angels, and Not Exactly Eden by Linda Windsor (signed to me, but signed nonetheless)
- Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead
- And a signed copy of Love Remains by ME!
Contest is limited to entrants in the United States (or with a U.S. address), as the box o’ books will have to be sent Media Mail, which is available only in the U.S.
And as I straighten up around the house this week, I may find even more books to add to the Big Ol’ Box o’ Books!
Let the commenting begin!
Fun Friday Part II–Boone Hall Plantation (a.k.a. Mount Royal)
I grew up in the golden age of the TV miniseries—Jesus of Nazareth, A.D., The Winds of War, The Thornbirds, and on and on. One of my favorites from the 1980s was the dramatization of the Civil War epics by John Jakes: North and South and North and South Book II (based on the novel Love and War).
My sister was also a fan of the miniseries, and when we were in college at LSU, on one of our road trips (somewhere out of state to visit family or coming back from a family reunion or something) we decided to stop and visit Greenwood Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana—the house and grounds that they used for Resolute, Justin LaMotte’s plantation (which was supposed to be just down the way from Mount Royal). So, since I’ve seen Resolute, I couldn’t come to Charleston (twenty years later) without visiting Mount Royal. We only got to see four rooms on the bottom floor of the house, and from what I could tell, they weren’t rooms that were featured in the miniseries. I did learn that the current house was built in 1935 and is still privately owned (therefore, no picture taking allowed inside). But, still, it was fun to drive up Oak Lane and see the real place that has lived in my imagination for so many years.
Click here to view the entire set as a slideshow.
Fun Friday–Site Seeing in Charleston
As part of my book signing/wedding trip to Charleston, S.C., one of the things I wanted to do was see the old part of the city. So Mom and I took a couple of hours on Thursday morning to walk around downtown:
At the suggestion of a friend, we had lunch at The Buccaneer, a pirate-themed restaurant on Faber Street, just one block southeast of the old market. I had the lobster macaroni & cheese and Mom had the shrimp and grits. Both were FABULOUS!
Click here to view the entire slide show.
We were going to go to Boone Hall Plantation (better known to many of you as Mount Royal from the Civil War miniseries North and South) but the road was blocked. So we’re going to go today instead.
KayeDacus.com 