Cheryl Yeko is a multi-published, award-winning author. She belongs to several writing groups, and is a member of Wisconsin Writers Association, and Romance Writers of America (RWA), as well as its Wisconsin Chapter.
Cheryl is also an Acquisitions Editor for Soul Mate Publishing. As an Editor, she welcomes Romantic Suspense, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, and Erotica.
Cheryl acquired Time and Forever from me in 2013 and I will be forever grateful. Not only for the acquisition, but for her editing skills which made my book infinitely better.
I took the opportunity to ask her for an interview.
Please tell us
a little about yourself.
I live in
Wisconsin with my husband Patrick.I love to read, play piano, and spend
time with family and friends.
I love firsts,
so tell me about the moment when you found you’d made your first sale.
I remember it
well...what a rush. The thrill was beyond description. I’d never written so
much as a short story before, but after receiving a Kindle for Christmas from
my wonderful husband I began reading romance novels and fell in love with them.
After a few years I decided to try writing one myself. I disappeared into my
room over a long Wisconsin winter and wrote Protecting Rose. I sent my baby out
to three publishing houses, expecting rejection, and within three weeks I
received an offer from Soul Mate Publishing, which I quickly accepted. I was on
cloud nine. Then two days later I received and offer from a second publishing
house. I think I was in shock at this point ... lol. Then Protecting Rose went
on to win the 2012 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in the romantic suspense
category. Well, I was hooked and quit my full time job as a legal assistant to
write full time. You should have seen my husband’s face ... priceless!!
But he’s been very supportive, and I now have six romantic suspense novels released, and I’m an acquiring editor for Soul Mate Publishing. I'm just as thrilled as the author when I send out a contract letter, the joy of being contracted still fresh in my mind and something I’ll probably never forget.
If it isn’t too nosy . . . (well of course it is!) How about the first time you kissed your true love?
Gosh, we’ve been
together for so long, I don’t really remember it...lol. But he’s a great kisser
so I’m sure he rocked my world! J
In all your spare time, what books do you like to read?
I enjoys novel with fast-paced action and steamy romance, protective alpha men and strong heroines.
Other than
your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?
Oh gosh, the list goes
on and on ... but if I had to choose, I’d say Lori Foster and Karen Rose. Lori
Foster is a little lighter read than Karen Rose, so depending on the mood,
either one of these ladies does it for me. There are many others who are on
to-buy list, including Cynthia Eden, Lisa Marie Rice, Julie Ann Walker, just to
name a few...
My second love is
paranormal, and I’m actually trying to write a paranormal, just to see if I
can. A few of the authors in that genre that I love are J.R. Ward, who writes
awesome vampires, and Larrisa Ione who does the best demons. I loved, loved Jeaniene
Frost’s Night Huntress series and was sorry to see it end. And of course nobody
does sexy shape shifters better than Jennifer Ashley, or hot, hot new species
like Laurann Dohner.
A couple other fun ones
that come to mind are Lara Adrian and Alexandra Ivey.
Sigh...I love books!!
.
Cheryl, you have some of
the best ideas for plots ever. Do they sneak up on you in your dreams or do you
have to wrestle for them?
I'm a total pantser and my plots
come to me as I go along....lol. No plotting (or very little) involved.
Although as a mobile notary myself, I've had this idea swirling in my head for
a few years and finally got around to writing it. It's my favorite so far...
What is the
most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?
That
had to be when I won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for my debut novel,
Protecting Rose. Wow! Knock me over with a feather. My novels continue to place
in contests, but I’ve yet to get another win ... although I’m not giving up. J Besides winning contests, I’d have to
say it’s when I get my new book cover. Each time is as exciting as the time
before...
And
then of course, there was the day Debby Gilbert asked me to come on board as an
Editor for Soul Mate Publishing. From no writing experience to award winning
author and acquiring editor for a publishing house within a span of two years
was quite a wild ride...and it’s not over!! I’m going to ride this fun-train as
far as it’ll take me. J
What is your
favorite pastime, other than writing?
Hanging out with my
husband...the love of my life. Just being around him makes my day better.
What’s your
snack of choice while writing?
Popcorn.
Got a recipe
you want to share?
Sorry,
I don’t cook...lol. I’ve always told my husband if he wants a good meal, he can
take me out to dinner.
Any advice for
new writers just starting out?
Join a critique group,
and write, write, write.
Tell us about
your latest release.
THE NOTARY. I
love this story and it was so much fun to write. I drew from my background as a
Mobile Notary, where I conducted real estate closings for title companies in
people’s homes and business, coffee shops, and other totally off the wall
places. The craziest one I remember was when I showed up for an appointment and
the home was overflowing with folks dressed up in formal attire. I found out
there was a Wake going on for the borrower’s sister. I told her we could
reschedule, but she insisted I come in and close the loan. Which I did!
I conducted
other types of projects besides real estate closings, although that was the
majority of my business. On occasion, I’d perform fingerprinting for people who
were moving to other states for a job that required them, or even close a loan
at a car dealership when they’d receive new inventory. I worked as a mobile
notary for over ten years, and still, to this day, take an occasional
assignment. It’s been very interesting...lol.
The Notary's
premise, where the heroine is given an incorrect address for a closing
appointment and shows up at the wrong home, actually happened to me. Of course,
I didn't walk into the middle of an undercover operation with a sexy cop to
save me. But it could have happened...LOL
I’d like to
share the Blurb for The Notary with
you.
Adrianna Morgan's life takes a
dangerous turn when she's given an incorrect address for a notary assignment,
ending up in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Attempting to take down a local drug
ring, Lucas Hunter's cover is blown when he goes to the aid of a beautiful
woman during an undercover operation.
But the bad guys better watch out,
because this sexy cop will do anything to protect the woman he loves, no matter
how high the body count.
I created the
book trailer for The Notary myself. I
love how it turned out. It helps that I had such an awesome book cover!
Cheryl did a great job; Check out the Book Trailer:
Lucas watched as Adrianna gave her head
another vigorous shake, glaring at the paramedic. He instinctively moved toward
her to see what was wrong. She’d been through enough and he didn’t want this
guy making her more upset.
What am I doing? She’s not my responsibility. That thought didn’t slow him down for an
instant. He came to a stop in front of the paramedic, narrowing his eyes on the
man. “Is there a problem here?”
The paramedic scowled, not appearing
intimidated by Lucas’ surly attitude in the slightest. Pretty damn brave of
him, Lucas admitted with grudging respect, given that the guy was no taller
than Adrianna, and almost as skinny.
“She refuses to go to the hospital to get
checked for a concussion,” the paramedic complained. “Maybe you can talk some
sense into her.”
Lucas frowned at Adrianna and her stubborn
chin jutted forward, a kiss-worthy pout pursing her mouth. Did the woman have no
sense whatsoever? First, she shows up at a strange house late at night, then
stuck around when she should have been hauling her fine ass out of there.
Although there was a good chance he’d be dead if she hadn’t, which ticked him
off further. It was his fault she’d been injured, and dammit, she was going to
the hospital to get checked out if he had to carry her there.
“I’ll take her.”
She gave him a look of exasperation. “I’m not
going.”
“Yes . . . you are,” he returned, his
annoyance rising. What the hell was wrong with this woman? Stubborn didn’t even
come close to her attitude.
She crossed her arms and tapped her slender
bare foot, irritation marring her pretty features. Her alluring eyes flashed a
deep shade of green. “No. I’m not.”
She shifted her gaze to the paramedic in a
look of reproach, then spun around and headed for a blue Ford Focus parked in
front of the house.
“She can’t drive,” the paramedic snapped.
“Right,” Lucas agreed, sprinting after her.
“I’ve got this.”
He came up behind her just as she neared the
Focus, her steps slowed, then came to a complete stop by the driver’s side
door. But she didn’t open it. Instead, her shoulders drooped and her head fell
forward as she tugged the blanket more tightly around her. When a tremor shook
her shoulders, the need to comfort her nearly undid him. She was due for a
meltdown after what she’d been through.
His annoyance fell away at the sight of her
distress. “You okay?”
“My car’s broken,” she said, her voice no
more than a whisper. A chill nipped the air as a slight misting rain fell on
them.
He reached for her and slowly turned her
around, placing a finger under her chin and tilting her face up. Her eyes were
glassy with tears. “What?” he asked softly.
She blinked moisture from her lashes and
squinted up at him. “I had an accident”—sniffle—“on the way here and now it
won’t start.” Her bottom lip trembled.
His gaze fell to her mouth and an urge to
press her back against her car and taste those full pouty lips coiled inside
him. He swallowed hard and forced the image out of his mind, but it was harder
to force the desire from his body. “You weren’t hurt?”
She hadn’t appeared injured when he’d seen
her peering inside the dirty window. His eyes dropped back over her body,
accessing her injuries. His body tightened, noting the way her conservative
outfit, still damp, clung to her soft curves.
His mouth pressed tight. Since Susan’s death,
he’d taken less than a handful of women to bed to scratch his itch. All
one-nighters who knew the score. This woman had ‘long-term’ written all over
her. Lucas didn’t do long term.
Adrianna continued. “I just need my purse.”
Her voice shook and two fat tears leaked from her eyes. “And I—I lost my
glasses when that man hit me,” she ended on a wail.
The thought of Ellis touching her, hurting
her, made Lucas want to do some damage to the guy. His nostrils flared and his
spine stiffened. Too bad the bastard was already dead. The anguish he heard in
her voice bothered him. On pure instinct, Lucas found himself leaning in to
comfort her. Inhaling her sweet floral scent reminded him of everything good in
the world and the reason men like him fought to protect innocence.
Two more tears rolled down her face, one
dripping off the end of her cute nose. An emotion that could only be described
as tenderness flickered to life inside him. An emotion he’d sworn never to feel
again. An emotion he sure as hell didn’t want. One he did his best to tamp back
down, as the need to claim and protect her smoldered, like a low burning fire.
Then she sniffled again, the sound soft and feminine, as two more tears fell.
Like throwing gasoline onto a flame, the
emotion exploded, raging out of control.
Ah, hell!
What’s your current WIP?
As mentioned above, I love Karen
Rose, she writes the darkest stories with killer villains (literally). So, I’m
trying my hand at a serial killer story. It’s a bit darker than my other novels
... at least that is the intent. So, we’ll see. I hope to have it completed by
the end of the year.
I’m also still chugging away at my
paranormal story, which keeps getting pushed aside for a new romantic suspense
novel. My intent is to have my paranormal completed by the end of next
year...which would put it almost three years into the making. So, I’ll be
stretching my writing skills over the next year. Wish me luck!
I do! Can't wait to see what you come up with.
Thank you, Cheryl.I loved Protecting Rose and I bought The Notary the day it came out. Great read.
These are Cheryl's links.
Cheryl is
thrilled to be able to add author/editor to her resume and would love to hear
comments from readers.
Cheryl is offering a giveaway of her novella, Mountain Hero either as an eBook or and Audible Book - Reader's Choice. Please leave a comment and, If you are feeling sprightly, click on The Power of Three, Cheryl's shared Facebook author page. You'll be liking three lovely authors for the price of one click.
Cheryl will choose a winner.
You can find Cheryl at these links:
Where Love Always Wins: http://www.cherylyeko.com/
Amanda Quick, Otherwise Engaged
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