#Interview ~ Mistaken Identity by Sherry Derr-Wille

Interview with  Sherry Derr-Wille:

Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Sherry Derr-Wille. Welcome, Sherry! I am so happy to have you here today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Sherry: I’m a wife to my hubby Bob of 54 years. We were high school sweethearts and have been through thick and thin together. We have three grown children, nine grandchildren and five great granddaughters. First and foremost, I am a writer. We live in a medium city in Southern Wisconsin. I always told people we were the first potty stop north of O’Hare on I90. 2017 was not our year as I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March and thyroid cancer in September. My husband also had a bad year with three back surgeries in a week. Thank goodness, 2018 is looking much better. Although I kept busy last year doing edits for two publishers as well as several private clients, I was unable to write. I am still editing but back to writing as well.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Sherry: Most definitely, it’s the Christmas scene from MISTAKEN IDENTITY. Katelyn has told her Wisconsin family she isn’t coming back for Christmas. The man who loves her has come to Door County to spend Christmas with his friends but also with Katelyn. He is heartbroken when he finds she isn’t coming. After taking a nap on a snowy afternoon, Seth awakens to a knock on the door. With everyone else taking the advantage of an afternoon nap Seth opens the door to find Katelyn standing there covered in snow. His first words are “where did you come from?” Her reply is “Denver. Aren’t you going to invite me in?” It was so much fun helping to bring about a Christmas miracle.

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your latest release?

Sherry: My latest release is SKY EYES and set in pre-statehood Wisconsin. We were heading toward Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, to attend a funeral. As we drove over the Rock River on the bypass, the characters all stepped out onto the bank of the river and whispered in my ear, “write our story.”

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Sherry: It’s a sweet romance called THE RETURN OF THE ANCIENTS. It is based on the Ancient Astronaut Theory. With their planet dying, the residents are sent to three separate planets in the galaxy, those being the ones their forefathers helped to colonize in the distant past. Lovers Ragnar and Nina are separated and sent to different planets, light years away from each other only to find love when they least expect it.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Sherry: I used to but I am still getting back into the groove. At this point I need to start working early in the morning and work best ensconced in my recliner and working on my laptop. I used to try to write 1,000 words a day but can’t quite get back to that yet. I also like to have the TV on for background noise. My hubby has learned to leave me alone when I tell him it’s flowing, it just hasn’t been flowing lately. Hopefully it will return soon.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other?

Sherry: If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us? I do tons of research not only for this book but for just about every book I write. For this book, I needed to research the ancient sites throughout Central and South America. As for the most fascinating fact it was for my book HATTIE’S PREACHER. My dear friend, Alice Blue, had a fantastic research library for the ‘old west’. I called her as asked if they had screen doors in the 1880’s. She immediately smiled and said “Oh yes they did and they oxidized pink.” She was one of my writing partners and I miss her dearly as she passed away several years ago.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Sherry: I’ve changed my reading habits over the years. Originally, it was James Mitchener, I also love James Alexander Thoms. Others are Toni Sullivan, Sandra Hill, and most of the authors I edit.

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Sherry: About the only genre I haven’t tried are Horror and Regency. These are not my favorites so I don’t think I will try them. I have written romance in time travel, contemporary, historical, and over-the-hill ladies, as well as erotica. I’ve also written family epics, murder mysteries and crime drama. I write what I want when I want, but I don’t stick to one specific genre. I’ve read too many authors who have consistently recycled plots. I try not to do that.

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Blurb for Mistaken Identity:

Katelyn Devereaux needs a vacation. More than a vacation, she needs to put Denver behind her as well as the man who wants her as his wife and the birth family who is insisting on finding her.

A secluded cottage on a lake in Wisconsin sounds like the perfect spot to get away—or is it?

Seth Miller knows the reason that he mistook Katelyn for Genean is his knowledge that his best friend’s wife was adopted by strangers at birth. Of course he can’t change the facts that Genean and Katelyn are sisters, especially after he learns that the company she wants to visit in Wisconsin is owned by Genean’s brother, Randy, and her husband, Brad.

Buy Links:

Publisher’s website: http://www.classactbooks.com/component/virtuemart/cat-murder-mystery-suspense/mistaken-identity-252013-04-29-03-34-26-detail?Itemid=0

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EPlmbU

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mistaken-identity-sherry-derr-wille/1007570905?ean=2940152524833

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/600615
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Excerpt:

Sunlight shimmered across the lake and it glistened as though it had been scattered with diamonds. As she stood there in awe, taking in the beauty from the cottage, the dock invited her into the picture of beauty. Taking her sketch pad and pencil with her, Katelyn Devereaux walked across the lawn and sandy beach until she reached the pier. Settling into the deck chair, she gazed out across the water.

It was such a beautiful morning. She was so glad she’d taken the advice of her friends and accompanied Suzie Branch to this secluded Wisconsin lake. She certainly needed a vacation and could think of no place more relaxing than this quaint cottage hidden away in a different world.

In the distance a loon called to its mate, waited for a few moments for a reply and called again. This was the kind of peaceful exchange she had not taken the time to listen for in months. She knew nature was all around her back home, but there never seemed to be time to sit and listen for it. In Denver she was nothing more than a machine pumping out sketches for her clients, and on occasion, playing the gracious hostess for Martin.

No, I don’t want to think of the daily grind of running the Devereaux Agency, nor Martin Collier’s marriage proposal. I need this time to figure out just who Katelyn Devereaux really is.

Katelyn turned away from the peaceful scene before her. Why can’t my life be this peaceful?

You know why, Katie. The sound of her father’s voice within her head caused a tear to escape from the corner of her eyes. She’d lost both of her parents at Thanksgiving and never really gotten over their deaths. The only thing that kept her from going completely over the edge was work, work and more work.

I don’t think I can do this, Daddy. I don’t love Martin. I haven’t even given him an answer concerning his proposal. Maybe I’m not cut out for the wife thing. Even if I did marry Martin, I wouldn’t be a wife, not in the conventional way. With him gone so much, life as his wife would be no different than life by myself.

Katelyn’s thoughts came as a shock. Never before had she admitted her true feeling for Martin. More than anything else in the world, she wanted to be a little girl again without all the problems of being a responsible adult. Back home in Denver, her life had become too complicated to allow her to rest. For the past eight months she’d been running the Devereaux Advertising Agency, and then there was Martin Collier’s marriage proposal. The fact she had just learned of the fact she was adopted, only added to the crazy quilt her life had become over the past few months. Perhaps if her parents had told her the truth the shock wouldn’t have been so profound but they hadn’t. She’d learned of her adoption only days after their funeral.

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Author info:
Sherry lives in a mid-sized Southern Wisconsin with her husband of 46 years, Bob, whom she deems a saint for putting up with a crazy writer.

With three children, seven grandchildren, more book signings than she can sometimes handle, she puts out four to five books a year and loves writing in her hot pink office.

Find more information about Sherry at:

Website: www.derr-wille.com
Blog: www.derr-wille.blogspot.com