Author Interview:

Cheri started writing as a child, and began reading historical romance novels at the age of fifteen. She took several creative writing and English courses in college and university, but graduated with an Applied Business Technology certificate. She worked for several years before her first son was born, and decided thereafter to stay home. Passionate about her sizzling historical romances, Cheri combines her loves and writes as often as she can manage, coming up with a seemingly endless supply of plots. Not long after being picked up by Pandamoon Publishing, Cheri became a part of the Acquisitions Team, then was soon promoted to Acquisitions Manager. She is overjoyed and honoured to be a part of such an amazing and wonderfully talented Panda family. She married her high school sweetheart and they live in BC, Canada with their four young children and their dog.

​What is the first book that made you cry?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Ordinarily, it energizes me. It only exhausts me when I’m continuously interrupted and I lose my train of thought.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

I don’t think that a big ego helps anyone. Self-confidence is a good thing, but over confidence can definitely be a hindrance.

Have you ever gotten reader's block?

I’ll be honest and confess that I had to Google what “Reader’s Block” meant. Now that I know, I can confidently say that yes, I’ve had reader’s block. It’s happened a few times in the last couple of years. I don’t think it was from boredom, necessarily, but from putting the book(s) down to focus on my writing or my kids, and I just never picked the books up again.

Do you try more to be original or deliver to readers what they want?

Neither, though I do hope that what I write is what the readers want. The novels I write, I write because they’re exactly what I’d like to read. I started writing novels because I had very specific plots that I craved and, at the time, I couldn’t find an author that was writing them. So I wrote them, myself!

What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

I have several writer friends, most of which are members of the Romance Writers of America, Greater Vancouver Chapter or are my fellow Pandas at Pandamoon Publishing. Having writer friends is wonderful. They understand and sympathize with certain writing struggles, they offer help, and they are always full of encouragement. I’ve unquestionably become a better writer because of my author friends. They’ve pushed me further, taught me some of the dos and don’ts of writing, and they’ve urged me to join them at workshops (which are amazing). I adore my writer friends!

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Take the time to enjoy the process. I love to write, and I think in the beginning I was more focused on just finishing the books, rather than enjoying the journey.

What was the best money you ever spend as a writer?

The best money I’ve spent as a writer was on my research books. While everything in those books can be found on the internet, I love being able to highlight things, put notes in the margins, and use post-its to flag important pages. It makes for quick referencing.

Did you base your characters on real people?

Not exactly. A lot of my characters have personality traits of people that I know. As of yet, though, none of them are a complete representation of a real person.

What does literary success look like to you?

Having readers enjoy my writing! There’s nothing that I want more than to have people eager to read the next book in my series.

What's the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

Actually, I find it relatively simple. I grew up with three brothers, I have a lot of male friends, and I have three sons (and one daughter). I find that they’re pretty easy to relate to. It is the female characters that I feel are more difficult to write. If I had to pick one difficult thing about writing from the male POV, though, it would be their ability to adequately describe setting and clothing.

How many hours a day do you write?

I used to write for several hours per day, but since my third and fourth children (twins) were born, I haven't had nearly as much time to dedicate to writing. Currently, I write for maybe an hour or two, if I’m lucky.

What did you edit out of this book?

This book was a bit of a challenge to edit because my editor loved a lot of the side characters that I’d added in and wanted more scenes with them. A lot of the scenes that I removed were “had” scenes (describing dialogue or action, without actually showing them happening), so I changed those to feel more present. After my first round of editing, I’d ended up with over 100,000 words, so I cut back a few of the “travelling” scenes to make things more urgent.

If you didn't write, what would you do for work?

I’m a stay-at-home mom, as well as a writer, so that’s probably what I’d be doing. Just hanging out with my kids, making food, wiping noses, etcetera.

Share one little known fact about yourself.

One thing that I’ve found that people are curious about are my twins. They were the biggest surprise of my life, and one of the greatest joys. I found out at my 19 week ultrasound. I was alone in the appointment (my husband had to work, and he’d already seen our two older sons’ ultrasounds, so all he needed to know was that “baby #3” was happy and healthy), so I was left to stew in shock for the rest of the appointment by myself. I think I might have cursed a few times, but the technician assured me that he’d heard worse in that room. He was also hilariously excited for me. He said that it was the first time he’d been able to tell someone that they were expecting multiples.

Mystery, spies, and kidnappings, all wrapped up in a regency romance novel! The Trouble with Love (2nd edition) is the second regency period novel in Cheri Champagne's Amazon Best Selling Mason Sibling Series. The heartbroken heroine... Lady Bridget Mason is hopelessly in love with her best friend, Major Charles Bradley. Since his return from war, however, something has changed him. He has stopped returning her letters, he gives her the cut direct, and when forced to interact with her, he is rude and downright unconscionable. Her hopes for a marriage with Charles have been heartbreakingly dashed. The troubled hero... Major Charles Bradley is in a fix. The very same men that kidnapped his sister and her new husband a few months past have given him a warning. They are coming after Bridget. He’d done his best to keep his two identities separate, but they are determined to clash. Despite doing his utmost to push Bridget away for her protection, his love for her has been discovered by his unnervingly indomitable enemy. Their perilous love… Charles must face his greatest challenge; he must protect Bridget at any cost. But, will his love’s big secret and Charles’ horrid treatment of her prove the task impossible? Be sure to read Book 1 in the Mason Siblings Series "Love's Misadventure", ASIN: B01CDXA2S6 or ISBN-13: 978-0997135107. The next book in the series, "Love and Deceit" is due out spring of 2017.

If you're interested in purchasing your own copy of The Trouble with Love then click this link: http://amzn.to/2liitYI