Sherri Neilson is the author of the powerful reincarnation/time travel novel Free Falling.  This is her debut novel and after such a start we are surely going to be hearing more from her in the future.  As such it is a pleasure to welcome her to the Magical Romance Website.
 

LB  Firstly could you tell us a little about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to the Magical Romance Website.

SN  I live in West Virginia, USA, near the historic town of Harpers Ferry, which played a large role in the Civil War.  I'm a Systems Analyst by day and a romance author by night and weekends.  I've been writing almost my whole life.  I wrote my first "novel" when I was in high school. 

Last year I got my first publishing contract for Free Falling, which was very exciting after facing the usual rejections for earlier works.  Being a published author has completely changed my life.  I've learned so much and met so many interesting people.
 

LB  For those who have not read Free Falling can you tell us a little about the novel?

SN  Free Falling is a romance novel with historical, paranormal, and interracial elements.

When recurrent nightmares of falling drive Denise to undergo hypnosis, she discovers she lived a previous life as Olivia Walters, the wife of a powerful plantation owner in South Carolina just prior to the Civil War.

Sickened by her husband Byron's cruelty toward her and the slaves, Olivia finds solace in a budding friendship with her coach driver, Wilson. When friendship turns into love, however, Olivia and Wilson are faced with decisions that affect their very lives. Above all else, Wilson longs to be free, and Olivia is forced to choose her path in a society where the lines of color are deeply etched.

As Denise re-lives Olivia's journey from the moss-draped oaks of Chesterfield Plantation to the frantic streets of Charleston during South Carolina's secession, it becomes hard to tell where Olivia's life ends and hers begins. She knows that if she's not careful, history will repeat itself.
 

LB  I understand you are currently working on a sequel to Free Falling.  Can you tell us a little about this?

SN  I've been working on the sequel for almost a year now.  As a new member of Washington Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America, I've learned all kinds of ways to improve my writing.  As I polish and edit my sequel, I'm applying everything I've learned. 

Basically, the sequel has two parts.  The first part allows the hero and heroine to come back to life in the 1960s. The second part traces their lives in the present day. 

Donna Jones is the most popular girl in an all-white high school in a small South Carolina town in the early 1960s.  The fact that her boyfriend's father is the grand dragon of the Klan doesn't bother her until African-American Wallace Jackson comes to her school and is forced to work with her on a class project.  As Wallace reveals the Klan killed his father and begins his quest as a Civil Rights activist, he opens Donna's eyes to things she doesn't want to see and forces her to choose between the simple life she always wanted and a love consumed by his fight for freedom.

I will pitch the book to an editor at Washington Romance Writers' spring retreat later this month.  Wish me luck.

LB  I certainly do wish you the best of luck and I am sure all your readers will join me in that.

LB  You have taken the unusual approach and have a contest running to choose the name of the sequel to Free Falling.  How did this idea come about?

SN  Since I'm a first-time author, I have to do most of the book marketing myself.  My goal is for people to discover who I am and read my books.  I've found romance web sites like yours to be full of opportunities.  I think contests with a theme, especially those that get the contestants to participate in some way, are pretty exciting.  While writing the sequel, I never really had a title in mind, so I figured the contest would be a great way to get the best possible title for the book while getting publicity at the same time.  I'm sure the winner will be pleased to see the published book with his/her chosen title on it.

 
LB  What do you like to do with your free time when you are not writing?

SN  Since writing and my job eat up most of my free time, I try to cram as much as possible into whatever is left.  Indoors, I like to do sewing, needlepoint, and crocheting.  Outdoors, I like to hike, ice skate, and ski.  And, of course, I read constantly.

LB  You indicate that you like researching for your books and that you learn a lot.  Is there anything that springs to mind that you have learned that really surprised/shocked you, if so what?

SN  When I researched southern plantations for Free Falling, I found out that many plantations were not grand estates like Tara in Gone With the Wind.  In fact, many slave owners were poor and had simple houses. 

I was also shocked to learn how much history there is behind Fort Sumter.  In school, we just learned that Fort Sumter is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.  Little did I know that the tension there built for many months and kept two presidents awake at night.  On top of that, I found out that despite shooting all day, no one died from actual combat.
 

LB  Regression hypnosis features strongly in Free Falling.  There are a lot of people out there who believe that past lives can be uncovered through this method.  Where do you stand on that point and would you ever consider being regressed?

SN  I have an open mind about reincarnation as well as other metaphysical phenomena.  I've always been interested in it.  Right now I'm reading Barbara Lane's book, 16 Clues to Your Past Lives.  According to this book, we go through life broadcasting our past lives without even knowing it.  Past life clues manifest themselves in our favorite clothes, music, art, historical periods, and locations.  Then there's the popular theory that we tend to interact with the same people in each life.  Reincarnation may explain why different people are fascinated by certain time periods and bored by others.

If nothing else, thinking about past lives is a great way to take a journey in self-discovery.  Right now I am toying with the idea of being regressed, just to see what's there.  It might even give me ideas for new books.  Of course, the prospect is a little scary.

LB  Regardless of reincarnation or hypnosis, is there any past time period you would have liked to have seen, visited or lived in?  If so why does that time appeal to you?

SN  Most definitely.  When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by the American "Old West," especially the era around the 1860's and the state of Utah.  I read every book I could find.  Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman was my all-time favorite TV show.  I even dressed in cowboy outfits and did country dancing.  After I graduated from college, I took some solo trips out west to quench my curiosity once and for all.  My first trip was great, but the second was filled with bad luck.  Someone tried to break into my motel room.  Then I got dehydrated and had to go to the hospital.  Physically, I was never exactly the same afterwards.  Who knows?  Maybe I died in the desert in a past life.

I've also been intrigued by England during the 1600's.  I read several books on the reign on Charles I and II, and I think cavalier men are quite handsome.  It would also be interesting to be a colonist near the Chesapeake Bay during that time period.  I lived on the bay for several years and went to college in St. Mary's City, the state of Maryland's first colonial settlement.
 

LB  Do you have any tips for aspiring writers out there?

SN  Read everything you can get your hands on.  Books are the best teachers.

Continually strive to improve your writing.  Take a class, read a how-to book on writing, join a writing group, enter a contest, and get critiqued.

Remember to have fun.  We write because we love to do it.  Sometimes the business and marketing side of writing can intrude and steal our joy.  Don't let it.

LB  Do you have a message for all your readers out there?

SN  Give new authors a try.  I too am guilty of finding a few big-name authors I like and limiting myself to their books.  Part of the exciting journey I've experienced since getting published has been opening my eyes to all authors and reading some really terrific books by small publishers.

Shop for books in new places.  If you've always bought books at a chain bookstore, try going to a book signing or cruising reader/writer book sites on the internet.

If you like a book, especially one by a small publisher or lesser-known author, tell all your friends.  Word of mouth is the best way to sell books.


I would like to thank Sherri for taking the time to do this interview and for those who want a crack at the competition, at the time of typing it is still open, so if you think you have a title for the sequel do head over to Sherri's website.

Thanks again to Sherri and the best of luck in pitching the sequel to Free Falling.  I am sure it will be hitting the shelves before you know it.
 

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