I’m pleased to be joined in the Fallen Angel Review room by Sam Cheever. Sam, thank you for agreeing to do this interview.

Hello Sandie, thank you so much for inviting me. I’m pleased for the chance to chat with you.

Do you outline your stories or write as you go?

Sometimes I do. Some of my plotlines get a little complex and I find it’s necessary to outline at least at a high level. But my muse has ADD and can’t be trusted to stay with an outline so I often end up scrapping the outline about halfway through and flying around by the seat of my pants.

Sam, what part of writing a novel do you enjoy best?

Like any job, some days are better than others. Some days the words come hard. I sit at the computer and struggle with every word, every line, every chapter. Then there are times when inspiration strikes and a wonderful scene or perfect plot point just pours out of my brain. Those times are incredibly fun and invigorating.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?

That we don’t mind when people slice and dice our work. I can tell you that most of us are like loving parents to our stories. When someone attacks them we take it very personally and very hard. We realize not everybody is going to like our work, or every story we write, but developing a tough hide is a lifelong process. Fortunately, authors are a very supportive group and when one of us takes a hit the rest of us will usually jump in to soothe and comfort. Knowing we’re all in the same boat helps immensely in dealing with disappointment.

Do you have any special rituals to help you get in the mood to write?

I do. I get up every morning around five o’clock. I let the dogs out, make my coffee, and then sit down and go through my emails. There are several places I’ll visit online, to check out the status of my books and the writing world. And then I turn on my favorite talk radio show and get to work.

Here’s a hypothetical question for you. You find yourself stranded on a desert island, what things could you not survive without?

A few dogs, a large bag of potato chips, an even larger container of icy water, a pile of books to read, and an umbrella to block the sun. You could come get me in about a week. #:0)

What was the first story you ever wrote?

O…M…G!!!! We don’t even want to talk about that story. It was a suspense, with a bunch of teens who were running from one of the kids’ stepdad. I can’t remember why but they thought he wanted to kill them. I remember there was a bear in it…and a cliff…other than that I’ve blanked it out of my mind completely…for self preservation reasons. Ugly, ugly stuff.

What are your hobbies besides writing?

Walking and playing with my dogs, I currently have 9 but the number changes pretty regularly…usually going up rather than down; riding my horses, I ride dressage whenever I have time and the mood hits me; reading of course; power yoga; and going to movies with my daughters. Yikes! I just realized I have a LOT of hobbies!

FYI, if anyone is interested, I made a short video with all my dogs and my two horses in it, which I posted on YouTube: Spending Time with Wally. It’s about 5 minutes long and it’ll make you giggle (check out Wally driving his sister Cayla up to the mailbox in the utility vehicle).

What does your workspace look like?

Right now it’s a mess! I have boxes of promo items and contest giveaways everywhere. I’ve maxed out my closet and need to figure out what to do with them. When I don’t have boxes of stuff sitting around it’s mostly just dusty and cluttered with research materials, receipts, and statements that need to be filed, and writing materials. I have a nice cherry and black desk and matching table to put stuff on, hard wood floors with a large oriental rug, and creamy yellow walls. It’s a pretty room, that doesn’t look pretty when I’m using it.

Can you tell us about your Honeybun Hunks series?

My romantic suspense series, The Honeybun Hunks, is based on a family of eight, sexy brothers with strange old English names and a proclivity toward finding and dealing with trouble. When a Honeybun or his honey is in trouble, the whole Honeybun clan gets involved in solving the problem and saving the damsel in distress...whether they're wanted or not!

They shop, they cook, they shoot, they ride, they kick bad guy butt all over the place. They're sexy, red-haired, wonderfully masculine, and delightfully non-traditional, except when it comes to treating a woman right. Terrorists pale when they see a Honeybun, criminals wobble, and women swoon with sensual delight.

I recently created a trailer for the series. It’s posted here: Honeybun Book Trailer.

Do your characters take on a life of their own? Or do you direct where they go and what they do?

My characters are like naughty children. I try to corral them in the direction I want…and sometimes they go there…but a lot of the time they stick their tongues out at me and head in a different direction. All I can do is follow them around, cleaning up after them. Sigh…

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, how have you dealt with it?

Frequently. I take my dogs for a walk and let my mind rest for a while. That almost always works. The other thing I do is that I always have 2 or 3 WIPs going at a time, generally of different genres. That way if I get stuck on one, I move to a different story for a while, until inspiration hits again.

What writers influenced you?

Janet Evanovich, I love the fun, slightly frantic nature of her Stephanie Plum books. I also love JD Robb’s Eve Dallas stories. Both writers have good pace in their books and both are very talented in the creation of their secondary characters and the interrelationships between them.

What has been your most challenging book to write?

Nocked Over, the erotic fantasy I wrote for Ellora’s Cave. I wasn’t sure I could write erotic when I started that book. Turns out I could. But I thought it would be a real challenge to me as a writer finding new and inventive ways to describe, THE ACT, and I was right. It was a good exercise in building my writing skills. The good news for readers is that, whether you like erotic or not, the story line didn’t suffer under the need to create sexual intensity. I created a fun, fast paced fantasy storyline to go along with the S…E…X.

What are you working on now?

I actually just finished the first book in a new fantasy series that is based on Monads, warrior spirits who guard and protect creatures from the magical realm. My Monads are conscripted by the gods on Olympus and work side-by-side with guardian angels, who protect the human realm. It was a very fun book to write…I introduced my first harpy in the book…harpies are kewl!...and I look forward to finding the perfect home for it so I can write more Monad stories! Book 1, The Monad Chronicles – Guardian is being evaluated by a publisher right now.

I’m currently working on Book 3 of my Honeybun Hunks series. Book 2, Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of a Honeybun will hopefully be released through Red Rose Publishing before the end of the year. Book 2 of my Cupid series, tentatively entitled, Nocked Asunder is with my Ellora’s Cave editor. And, for something completely different, I just submitted a Cougar story to Aspen Mountain Press. Busy, busy!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

1. Keep writing, because you will improve with practice. No matter how good you are when you start out, you can always learn something that will improve your writing.

2. Start creating an online presence for yourself early, well before the first book comes out.

3. Always be yourself. Don’t try to manufacture a persona you think will appeal. People will know if you’re not being genuine.

4. Ultimately people buy from people they like. It won’t matter how talented you are if you treat people badly. The karma monster is always waiting around the corner to take you down if you are not kind and supportive. This applies to both prospective readers and other writers.

Sam, where can our readers find you hanging out on the Internet?

They can write me at samcheever@samcheever.com, or visit my website. I’m also on Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. You can click through to me on any of those from my home page on my website.

It has been a pleasure interviewing Sam Cheever. Thank you for taking the time to chat with me Sam.

I’ve enjoyed it so much. Have a good one!

Interviewed by: Sandie