Tell us a little bit about your background and family.
I grew up in Houston, TX, and now live in the DFW area with my husband and two sons, one of whom is about to go off to college, and the other of whom insists on calling me "Bruh."
How has your environment and upbringing coloured your writing?
My family was quite conservative, and after teaching preteens and young teens for 14 years, I want my books to be wholesome and meaningful. Even in my writing for adults in flash fiction contests, I trend toward "clean" writing.
Were you an avid reader as a child? Do you still read books?
Absolutely! My parents were avid readers, so our home was filled with books. My current want-to-read list on Goodreads has over 300 books, and, well, we won't talk about my bookshelf at home.
What challenges did you face while publishing your first novel?
Well, this is a big can of worms. The short story is that I signed with a small, independent publisher, and three weeks after my publication date, the publisher closed -- and ghosted all the authors and staff without paying anyone. If anyone is interested in reading more about that disaster, I wrote a blog post about it on my website: What Happened to My Publisher — Cheryl King Writes Things.
What inspired the story of your book "Sitting on Top of the World"? What do you think you would've done in June's place?
A flash fiction writing contest and the memory of an article about the hobos of the Great Depression inspired my book. I don't think I would have been brave enough to do what June does in the story, and I definitely would not be able to handle the losses she suffers in the book.
How did you come up with the character of fourteen-year-old June Baker?
I dreamed her up! I wanted her to be innocent yet wise, sweet yet strong, a boundary-pusher but still respectful.Mostly she loves fiercely and will do anything for her family.
How much did you research while writing your book, Sitting on Top of the World?
You have to research a lot when writing historical fiction, so that was a big part of the process. In many ways, that was the most fun part! I enjoy learning new and interesting things. Most of my research was done online and through reading numerous books, but I especially loved looking for slice-of-life goodies from the era at antique stores.
Besides 'writer's block', what are some frustrating things that can happen that can sap an author's creative juices or energy to write? How do you overcome that?
Well, life happens, really. Like many independent authors, I have a career that takes most of my time, so writing has to come second. When my plate gets full, I just take it a day at a time and try not to stress about things out of my control. And I dream about winning the lottery so I can stay home and read and write all day.
When writing a story, do you prefer to base the plot and characters on real-life facts or start from scratch?
There's always a bit of real life that goes into a story's plot and characters, isn't there? Definitely in historical fiction, just about everything is rooted in real life. Real life gives me the foundation from which to grow a plot and characters.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
The three R's: read, relax, and rest (I'm over 40, after all). But I also enjoy shopping, photography, and crafts. Now I sound like I'm 60. Sorry, but just about the wildest it gets is going to Applebee's instead of Mexican Inn on a Friday night. Home and in comfy clothes by 7 p.m. at the latest!
What are some things you would do differently if you could go back in time to right before you wrote and published your book?
I wouldn't change anything relating to writing the book, but as far as publishing, I would have signed the other offer!
What is one TV show you absolutely cannot miss an episode of?
I'm not into TV all that much, but I do enjoy Married at First Sight. Oh, and This is Us. And My Big Fat Fabulous Life. I'm still sticking with Grey's Anatomy after all these years, and before Covid, I loved watching So You Think You Can Dance. I see the question asked for just one show. Right. But really, I don't watch that much TV.
Do you think one can ever retire from writing? Would you?
Not at all. Even after you've stopped publishing books (as if anyone would choose that), you're still going to be writing. Right?
What book ideas are you currently working on?
I'm working on a sequel to Sitting on Top of the World. I have a middle-grade magical realism book sitting on the back burner, too.
What marketing strategies do you find most helpful? How has AllAuthor helped you so far and would you recommend this platform to other authors?
I'm still learning what marketing strategies work, but I have found the most success with Facebook and Twitter ads/boosted posts. AllAuthor has helped tremendously with spreading the news about my book and growing my social media audience. I love the mockups each week and the ability to create quote teasers. I definitely would recommend AllAuthor to other authors.
