Cricket Rohman Interview Published on: 26, Feb 2022
What it was like growing up in Estes Park, Colorado?
Amazing! Living on the boundary line of the Rocky Mountain National Park, I could wander in by stepping out the backdoor. Seeing deer, elk, and bobcats was almost a daily occurrence.
How were you first introduced to writing?Once upon a time, I sang and played guitar. My first writing attempts included song lyrics. My next writing adventure was a series of children’s books. (120 Emergent Readers.) Didn’t tackle a novel until I retired from my career in education.
What were some of your favorite activities as a child?Reading, reading, and more reading. And walking in the woods or wading through streams.
Since you write romance, how much do you believe in love? How important is love in somebody's life?Though all but one of my novels include romance, they also have a blend of mystery, suspense, and adventure. I’m difficult to categorize. Oh, I do believe in love. I also believe in love at first sight, rare as that is. More on that some other day.
Prior to writing, your career path included a wide range of adventures. What do you advise a person who has changed multiple careers in life?Hold on tight and expect an exciting, though bumpy ride. I am an eclectic reader, writer, and lover of life.
What did you feel when you were writing your first novel?Exhilarated and a little scared. After all, it was my first attempt, and I didn’t know if I could really do it. In the beginning, people often told me, “Oh, everyone says they are going to write a novel, but they never do.”
How do you decide what sort of story comes next in a series?That depends. I hadn’t planned on writing a series as I wrote my first novel, but about halfway through that first book, ideas for a sequel kept popping up. I began a file for those ideas. My first series, The Lindsey Lark Series, consists of three books. Each book picks up where the previous book left off. The love grows, the bad guys up their games, the main characters suffer some and finally rejoice. It’s fun!
What was the most emotional scene you wrote in "Colorado Takedown"? Do you believe in miracles?That is a tough one. There are so many emotional and suspenseful scenes in Colorado Takedown. The top of my list might include the scenes immediately before, during, and after Hannah’s kidnapping. Miracles? I love them. I live through my characters when it comes to miracles.
In your book "Winter's Blush", Winn is a girl who’s never left Yuma, Arizona, and experiences snow for the first time in her life. What is your fantasy vacation?For starters, I’d want to be a few years younger—I guess that would be a miracle. Then, I want to live for a month on a ranch (like the Dutton’s Yellowstone ranch) with my dog and the love of my life. Maybe a cook and a housekeeper and some horses too. That’s all.
If you were to meet JD Middleton in real life, what advice would you give him to cope up with the unexpected appearance of Sara Sinclair?I’d say, “JD, if things don’t go as planned, take a step back, breathe, evaluate, and then loosen up, and enjoy. You never know; Sara just might be your miracle.”
What would be the first thing you would do if you had an Invisibility Cloak right now?I’d plunk down in the Oval Office and take invisible notes.
Do you think a prologue is important for your book? Why or why not?Again, it depends. One of the problems is that readers using kindles, nooks, etc.’ may miss seeing the prologue. Ebooks sometimes open up at Chapter One. Once, I creatively incorporated a prologue at the beginning of the first chapter.
How do you keep your books from getting dull? What are awesome tips for brainstorming that you use?Beta readers can help with that by letting the author know if any scene drags. I revise my manuscripts 3-5 times. One of those revisions is dedicated to assuring that effective hooks are present at the beginning and end of each chapter. Sometimes for each scene, if I feel it’s a bit slow.
If you could have been the author of any book throughout history, which one would you pick at and why?That’s deep, real deep. Still, I’m going with The Valley of the Horses by Jean M. Auel.
But, if I were the author, the introductions of families would be shortened; the description of tundra would take up far fewer pages, and the love scenes would have more variety. With that said, I loved the entire Earth’s Children series… “but I think I could make it even better,” she whispered.
When did you first join AllAuthor? Has this site been useful to you? Do you have any feedback?I love AllAuthor. I always ensure a book is “featured” here before committing to paid promos and many FB posts and Tweets. I have about twenty banners made in AllAuthor for each of my novels. It’s easy to use. And, look! I’ve finally answered your interview questions. Gold star, please.
