Cheryl Russell Author of Missing, Shares Her Story

Tell us a bit about yourself Cheryl
I am a multi genre author. When I’m not writing I love to read and I’m crazy about gerbils. My current two are called Tom and Jerry. I enjoy aqua fit classes and am trying a stretch class to see if it will help improve my strength further since I am still building up since God healed me of ME in 2013.

What was the inspiration for your book?
Missing is a thriller. I had a title in my head and a vague idea of what would happen. I had no idea where it would take me or whether mother and daughter would be reunited. I didn’t even know who was guilty at this point. I recently self published it on Amazon. It is about a young child who goes missing in the middle of the night. The only clue being a robotic voice in a phone call.

Tell us a bit about your plans for the next few months
Currently I am working on two historical fiction books and I’ve just started writing a murder mystery. I hope one book will be ready to publish in a couple of months but I’ll see how it goes as I’ve discovered a lot of errors in it and sentences that don’t make any sense. Such nonsense that I can’t even work out what I was trying to say!

Tell us about some challenges and interesting incidents from your creative life

I started making up stories in my imagination when still bedbound with ME. I was unable to do anything for myself so couldn’t do anything about them. They just stayed in my head, waiting for the time when my health would improve.

I had to wait some time as God didn’t heal me until 2013. Even after that I had to build up activity slowly as my muscles needed strengthening. I eventually reached the time when I was able to buy a laptop and start writing. It’s gone on from there.

I struggle with dialogue and have to work extra hard at it to get it right as I’m autistic and find social interaction excruciating. It was a friend who told me what I needed to do to make it realistic and informal.

What inspires you?
I read a lot of thrillers and historical fiction set during the second world war. I am really fascinated by that era that my historical fiction is set around then as well. As for my ideas, well, they just come into my imagination and I take it from there. Sometimes it might just be a title or the beginning of a novel. I once got an idea from overhearing a conversation on a train. I started building up the character from that. The title for that book came from a bus journey and seeing a signpost which said Gallows Lane. That was to become my title for that book and seemed so suitable. If ideas come to me when I’m out I always jot them down straight away while I still remember them. I have got into the habit of keeping a notebook with me at all times. Even at home I have a notebook by my side for when I’m not on my laptop writing.

What are some things which work (and things which don’t work) in selling your work?
I have found that the Book Talk Radio Club are great at promoting authors. Claire Perkins has really helped me by setting up a great header for my facebook author page. She taught me how to use twitter and instagram. I was also interviewed by her which she then promoted. I have recently started trying to get reviews for my latest book Missing. I also have a website and a blog. I tried taking out an Amazon ad but didn’t get any sales from it. I either need to change the way I did it or forget the idea. I suspect it’s something I need to work at and improve on.

What is the best advice you ever heard?
To keep trying, I would get there in the end.

What are some of your favorite tools

My laptop and my notebook and pen. I’m not great with technology so a notebook and pen is great for ideas.

Website
http://www.cherylrussell.co.uk

Additional Remarks
I’ve come a long way since those days of being bedbound and had to overcome many challenges to get where I am now.