Interview with Author Cheryl Wyatt

Welcome, Cheryl. I’m thrilled to interview you on my blog.

Thank you! I'm pleased to be here and appreciate you for hosting me. :-)

Tell us about your two releases, A Soldier’s Promise and A Soldier’s Family.

They are my debut novels and books 1 and 2 of my Wings of Refuge series from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. The series features a team of US Air Force Pararescue Jumpers (PJs for short) and the women who capture their hearts. Book 1 features Joel, the team leader. Book 2 features Manny. Blurbs can be found on Amazon, eharlequin, or any online bookseller. In addition, they have posted an excerpt of the first chapter of book 1.

Unusual occupations in novels are a pleasant surprise for the reader. What prompted you to write about an Air Force pararescue jumper?

I love to write about characters who have unique and different careers than the norm for romances. I see a lot of military authors writing about Navy SEALs, but not a lot about PJs, so I wanted to honor these Special Ops soldiers by featuring a team of them in a series. I'm so thankful Steeple Hill has given me that opportunity.

One of your main characters is a young child with a terminal illness. Have you had to deal with a similar situation in your own life?

I have had two friends lose daughters to aggressive forms of Leukemia. The courage both of those girls displayed, even up to the moments of their deaths, was astounding and touched everyone around them. I wanted to honor their courage, and the courage of their mothers, by writing the character of Bradley who is about the same age as the two girls were when they died. In one of my books, one of the PJs says about Bradley, "if courage could cure cancer, that child's faith and fight alone would have eradicated it from the earth." That is the same way I felt watching Makayla and Tierja as they battled valiantly.

Are there other books planned in the series?

Yes. For now, three out of seven have contracted. I am not certain about the other four books but my editor loves it when one of my PJs lands on her desk. So I'm hoping each guy will have his own story. So yes, there is a story for all seven guys on Joel Montgomery's (hero from A Soldier's Promise) team. Ben's story releases early 2009 and there are more PJ stores in the works. Plus, I have other series plotted out that are centered around the fictional town of Refuge, Ill.

When we first met, you told me your only day to write was on Saturdays. Have you been able to expand your writing schedule, or are you still confined to one day a week?

LOL! No, thankfully I have been able to expand thanks to more of my children starting school. I still have one at home but she loves to keep herself entertained so I am able to get several hours of writing time in every day during the week. I try not to write when my children are home because I want to focus on them and prevent Cyber-rivalry. LOL!

When did you realize that writing would be an integral part of your life?

I have always wanted to write since I was old enough to understand the concept. I received my first rejection in third grade from a popular, national children's magazine that is still in circulation today. My mother tells me I told stories before I could write and started scribbling them down the minute I learned to use a crayon.

Any parting advice for prepublished writers?

Seek God in all of it. Write as worship. Ask Him for the drive, the discipline and the determination to make it if that's what He wants for you. Stay as revisable as your manuscript. Be willing to hear hard things about your writing. Read! Read! Read! Write! Write! Write! Join a writing organization when you're able. http://www.acfw.com/ is a great one. There is also Romance Writers of America...who has many, many online and geographical chapters to join. ACFW is American Christian Fiction Writers and they are a wellspring of information and support if you are targeting a Christian bookseller.

Cheryl, that is excellent advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me about your intriguing stories. I wish you the best of success with these two releases and the rest of your series.

Contest drawing: I will be giving away a free copy of Cheryl's book, A Soldier's Promise at the end of January. In order to enter, simply leave a comment for any of my January blog posts. Subscribe to my blog and your name will be entered twice, doubling your chances to win! Good luck.

Thanks for reading my blog.