Get to know Cherie…

Cherie is always dreaming of romance and expressing her dreams in stories. She combined her passion for writing with her fascination of all things mythical to weave together a youth romance story that led to her debut novel, Embrace. She lives with her family in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Embrace is a finalist for the 2011 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. For more info, check out her website.

Let the conversation begin!

Outliner or Seat-of-the-Pantser? 

Seat-of-the-pantser. My characters’ decisions determine what they will do next and it’s not unusual for them to surprise me. 

If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like? 

I’d throw a masquerade ball. I know that sounds weird, but I think it would be fun to wear a floor length ball gown and dance the night away. I’d even take dance lessons.

The best part of waking up is? 

Starbucks in my cup. No matter what day of the week it is or what I have going on in the morning, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and hazelnut creamer is the perfect start to the day. 

If you were reincarnated as an ice cream flavor, what would it be?  

Jamaican Almond Fudge. I’m not sure they still make this flavor, but it has coffee, sweet rich fudge and is a little nutty. 

What age did you become an adult? 

You mean I’m an adult now? 

Ever written a book that never got published? Ever think you’ll give it a second chance? 

I have a few books that match this description. One’s a middle grade fantasy that I know I’ll revisit one day. It’s a story I really believe in that received a lot of positive feedback when I was querying it. Then there’s a young adult novel I was actually revising when I sold Embrace. I just haven’t had time to get back to that one. The last one that comes to mind is (dare I say it) a vampire novel. I’d been in the middle of writing the first draft when Twilight came out. By the time I was done with it there were so many vampire stories available that I went ahead and shelved mine. 

What do you miss most about being a kid? 

Spending the day hanging out with my friends. When you’re a kid, you have all the time in the world. Once you get older there’s work, kids, a home to keep up with, and a million other things you have to do. Plus your friends have the same responsibilities only their schedules don’t always match yours. It’s harder to find time to just hang out. 

What’s your favorite outdoor activity? 

Hiking. I love going for long walks through the arboretum, forest preserve, state parks, just about anywhere where I’m outside enjoying the weather.