Something most people don't know about you yet. I never know what people find interesting, so this question stumps me a bit. Do I tell you about my favorite shoes that are now falling apart, but I wear them anyway, or is that a bit mundane? I suppose I'll tell you about what a geek I am. When I love something (movie, television, book, etc), I research the hell out of it. When Jurassic Park came out, I owned TONS of merchandise and read just about every book on dinosaurs I could find. That trait (the border line obsessive) has followed me through to today, which is why I love writing. Whatever the topic is, there's research to be done and I can geek out a bit. Right now I'm neck deep in World War II research as I'm writing something about that era right now.

I was about eighteen when I started writing for real, not that I showed many people what I wrote or thought at that point that I wanted to be published. I've always been a storyteller, but way back when, I just told myself stories to occupy my mind. Many of the stories I work on (in my mind) are the same or variations of the ones from when I was in high school.

Lack of sleep. I have to work when everyone else is sleeping, which means I'm up after four hours of rest sometimes. It's not difficult once in a while, but years of doing it takes a toll. I've started getting about five hours average now, which helps quite a bit. Another difficult thing is dealing with the fact that most people around me don't understand that I can't "just sleep in." I have to write. It's imperative.

I get shiny new books on my bookshelves with my name on them. :) I also get people who joke about having to be nice to me now since they don't want to "wind up in" my next novel. That's always good for a chuckle. My writing career is young, so the "perks" of being published haven't really started to roll in. Seriously, most perks I can think of are an internal.

I love drumlines. I love the dynamics of twins. I love coming of age stories. Also, I wanted to explore the idea of people coming into our lives for a reason. They bring something to us and sometimes it's not easy to see, but we grow from our interactions with everyone. Sometimes people come into your life just in passing, but the impact of that short engagement can be very deep.

I've only teared up once at something I've written. It wasn't My Only. Really, I don't know what I felt. Relief probably, followed by a strong sense of anticipation for the editing and revising yet to come. There's always a bit of a high that happens when I finish a project, followed by a bit of depression because your time with those characters is over.

 I don't know. Someone from 1980's television, I'm sure. HUNK isn't  a word I associate with "HOT" guys. When I think of HUNK, I think of oiled muscles and cheesy synthesizer music, neither of which are a turn-on for me.

I cannot wait to see Hunger Games! I love the books and want to see how the creative people in Hollywood have translated it onto the screen. Likewise, I am DYING to see Catching Fire (even from before I've been wanting to see HG), because I need to see Finnick Odair in the flesh.

Since I'm married already, I'll decline to answer this, but I'd love to meet some musician who may or may not be hot looking, but where their music makes them utterly attractive. I don't know what I'd do if I met them, but it'd be nice to express how much their music means to me. Also, I'd like love to meet Sean Bean. Again, I have absolutely no idea what I'd do if I met him beyond stare at him and maybe quote some Tolkien. :)

Everyone in my life, I suppose. I think everyone deserves a bit of paradise. There isn't one person I know of that I'd ever keep from eternal happiness. If it was mine to give, I would gladly give it to everyone I know.

No one. I'm not a throw-'em-under-the-bus kind of girl. If I was "bad" enough to earn my way to "hell," I wouldn't drag anyone with me. 

Writing, working, working, writing. Laughing, living, playing. Being as good of a person as I can be, with a little working and writing mixed in. Seriously, Ms. Sophia Duane will continue to write and if someone wants to put my words into print, I will graciously accept, but if not, I'll continue to write the stories that tickle my heart and mind. There will continue to be early mornings filled with geeky research, and binders filled with snippets of dialog and scenes. There will be more highs of accomplishments, followed by low of mourning for putting beloved characters to bed. In short: What's next for me is that same as what's current for me: Writing, because it's an imperative. :)

I’ve read hundreds of books about the power of positive thinking and the Law of Attraction. It’s not something I often talk about because people may or may not be open-minded about it. I choose to surround myself with positive people, and consciously shut out any negativity that might bring me down.
 

I didn’t choose this career, it chose me. I’ve always been an avid reader, and as a result, characters and plots would randomly pop into my head. I eventually realized these were stories begging to be told. There came a time when I couldn’t ignore it anymore, so I had to quit my ‘real’ job, and jump in with both feet. I’m so glad I did!

I’ve become a workaholic. I eat, sleep, and breathe these characters and their stories, so I’d have to say the hardest part is struggling to find the balance. It’s not like you can turn your mind off or decide when inspiration strikes. It can come anytime, day or night, regardless of what you’re doing at the time, so you have to be prepared. I’ve started to keep a journal for jotting down random thoughts, so at least I’ll be prepared the next time I sit down for a writing session.
 

If I hear a name I love while watching TV, or I meet someone whose name I like, I’ll write it down in my journal. I also use baby books, the Internet, and phone book when I need ideas.

Bradley Cooper from the Hangover movies. Need I say more?

The Tom Hanks movie, 9/11. I love Tom Hanks, and this movie seems like another powerful depiction of a sensitive subject that involves raw emotion.

Matt Damon. I just saw the movie ‘We Bought a Zoo’ with my son.  In interviews, he seems sweet, sexy, and down to earth, just a regular guy who happened to make it big in a crazy business.   

Wow, tough question. My first instinct would be my husband, but since I couldn’t do that to my son, I’d have to say my mother.
 

Um, I’d have to say the world’s nastiest class mom. She’s the one who assumes her perfect child could do no wrong while my child… Never mind, I’m choosing to release those negative thoughts. Hey, I’m a work in progress! LOL!

My first priority is finishing the Nashville Nights series. I’m currently working on book number five. The series will be released in 2012, with book number two, Fearless, due to be released in early April. If readers want to learn more about release dates or other books in the series, they can visit www.cheryldouglasbooks.com

It took me thirty-seven years to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought I'd found my calling. In fact, I worked as a nutritionist for twelve years before I finally admitted to myself that while I enjoyed my work, I couldn't imagine doing it for the next thirty years.

My sub-conscious knew that I wanted to be a writer long before the conscious part of my mind decided to get with the program. While my sub-conscious was hard at work creating character profiles, plots and storylines, my conscious mind was telling me it was crazy to give up a successful business on the off-chance one of my manuscripts might rise to the top of someone's never-ending slush pile. After years of listening to that negative voice, I was finally ready to stop making excuses, face the fear and follow my dream of becoming a full-time writer, no matter the outcome. I'm so thankful I did. 

I love bringing my characters to life and I am so grateful to have readers who love those characters as much as I do. 

When I take a break from writing it's to spend time with my husband (a.k.a. my real life hero), my son, and my writing partner, Tia, a spirited Havanese who enjoys tapping her paw on my keyboard whenever I need a little comic relief. 

www.cheryldouglasbooks.com

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