Before we get started– I hope this post works! This is my first “official” solo run on P&P
I was honored to be invited to joint the ladies on Petticoats & Pistols! I thought I”d take a minute to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about the journey that brought me here. I was never one of those people who dreamed of being an author. Come to think of it, I never wrote anything longer than a term paper for the first thirty-six years of my life. I did love to read. Voraciously. My drug of choice was romance. From an early age (too early) I secretly read my mother”s romance books. I was weaned on Kathleen Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt and Laurie McBain. When I was old enough to buy the books myself, I bought Johanna Lindsey.
Once out of college, I worked for a time in insurance. I became a stay-at-home mother when my kids were born. I had vowed to return to work when my youngest went to kindergarten and, in the spring of 2007, I realized that date was fast approaching.
I really, really didn”t want to go back into insurance.
On one of my many visits to a local paperback swap, I happened to see a book by Pam Crooks. Now westerns weren”t really my genre of choice, but the blurb (and the book) were too good to pass up. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Pam lived in in my home city. And she was a member of something called Romance Writers of America.
A real, live author actually lived in my hometown!
Suddenly the idea of writing a book didn”t seem so far fetched. But I had NO idea where to begin…
I immediately joined RWA and contacted my local chapter. I almost fainted when I realized Pam was the membership coordinator. I attended my first meeting in August of 2007–I had yet to write a single word. Not one word. I still had no idea where to begin. At that first meeting, I met Cheryl St.John. (Another stomach churning moment. She was the first real, live author I had ever met IN PERSON!) She graciously invited me to apprentice with her critique group. Six weeks later, the Friday Night Ladies invited me join their group permanently. (A choice I”m sure they”ve regretted on more than one occasion…)
Those ladies are amazing. They listened through reams of cringe-worthy material and gently guided me through the learning curve. For the first couple of years I wrote sporadically and experimented with different genres. Then I decided to get serious. I saw a scene vividly in my head: There was a woman having a baby, a blizzard, and Texas Ranger on the trail of a killer. I wrote that book and everything clicked. It was the first book I Avec le temps, la francaise s’est propagee a tous les autres pays europeens, evoluant doucement d’une francaise a une europeenne. ever *really* finished! In August of 2011, exactly 4 years after joining RWA, I sold my first book, Winning the Widow”s Heart. (Cheryl St.John provided the title…Little known fact about Cheryl–she is the Title Queen.) In February, my second book, The Marshal”s Ready-Made Family releases. The third book in the series is awaiting a release date. Currently I”m working on another trilogy to kick off my fourth contracted book. I even had the honor of brainstorming with Pam Crooks for my new series!! Squee!!!!
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Winning the Widow”s Heart
When Texas Ranger Jack Elder stormed the isolated Kansas homestead, he expected to find a band of outlaws. Instead, the only occupant is a heavily pregnant woman-and she”s just gone in to labor. A loner uneasy with emotion, Jack helps deliver widow Elizabeth Cole”s baby girl and can”t get back on the trail fast enough. The robber and murderer he”s after killed one of Jack”s own, and he vows to catch the man. But when he returns to check on Elizabeth and her little one, he discovers that she may hold the key to his unsettled past-and his hoped-for future.
(I was really hoping I”d have a cover by now! Soon…soon…)
The Marshal”s Ready-Made Family
Gentlemen don”t court feisty straight shooters like JoBeth McCoy. Just as she”s resigned to a lifetime alone, a misunderstanding forces the spunky telegraph operator into a marriage of convenience. Wedding the town”s handsome new marshal offers JoBeth a chance at motherhood, caring for the orphaned little girl she”s come to love.
Garrett Cain will lose guardianship of his niece, Cora, if he stays single, but he knows no woman could accept the secrets he”s hidden about his past. The lawman can”t jeopardize Cora”s future by admitting the truth. Yet when unexpected danger in the small town threatens to expose Garrett”s long-buried secret, only a leap of faith can turn a makeshift union into a real family.
A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul. Write to Sherri at P.O. Box 116, Elkhorn, NE, 68022, email at sherri@sherrishackelford.com or visit sherrishackelford.com.
Congrats on your books! I love the story of how you met your group of women. 🙂 It makes me smile!
Sherri!!! Welcome, welcome, welcome!!! I’m so happy to have you join us here in the Junction. You are a gracious, talented woman and I’m so happy for your success. I can’t wait to see what fabulous roads your writing career takes. WOOT!
Sherri, welcome to the junction and congratulations on your writing successes. The blog came through perfectly and it was fun reading about how you got your start.
I love the premise of Winning the Widow’s heart and the cover is beautiful. Way to go!
Sherri, I love your story, especially how you started just a dream well into adulthood. It inspires me, and I know will inspire others!
Congratulations on the new book!
Susan – The Friday Night Ladies are amazing! We laugh, we cry, we argue, we eat..and we start it all over again the next week 🙂
Renee – I remember meeting you at the Christmas Party at Victoria Alexander’s house. You looked gorgeous…as always!!
Margaret – It’s an honor to be blogging alongside of you.
Lil – It’s never too soon or too late, is it? I sometimes feel like a fraud because so many authors have been writing for as long as they can remember. Oh well. Better late than never…
Hi Sherri, welcome to the P&P and I am sure you will enjoy your time here. This is a great bunch of ladies here and I have always enjoyed this blog. Congrats on your new release and we hope to see a lot more of you.
Since I got to beta read this book, I can tell you it’s a great story! Sherri, you are a great writer! So glad you “found your passion” and followed it! Readers like us are better for it! Can’t wait to read the third book in the series now! I might just have to get this book and see how the finished product turned out since the “manuscript” I read was destined for changes!!!! Loved it thought 🙂
Valri, I will DEFINITELY send you an advance copy! You won’t recognize some parts of the story–in a good way :)We made some definite improvements.
Hi Sherri – It’s sure nice to get to know you by way of this blog. I love your journey and how quickly, yes, I said quickly, you managed to get published. Congratulations on your current success. Wishing you great things to come. It’s a pleasure having you join us as a filly!!
I never regretted inviting you for a minute! Love you with my whole heart. xoxo
Sherri your books sound delightful. I love books with a western theme and that’ why I love to visit the P&P blog.. I wish you well with your books and I know they will be making their way to my TBR bookshelves..
Welcome!
Welcome Sherri. I shall be purchasing your books soon! I try to read all books by Nebraska authors. The first author I collected was none other than Cheryl St. John which led me to find others! Now I am adding you to the list!
I look forward to seeing what changed, Sherri! I just thought of that book the other day and was going to send you a message and ask when it was coming out! I wanted to read it and see what was the same and what was different!
Charlene–I’m definitely still learning! That’s for certain.
Ahhh, Cheryl, I love you too 🙂
Connie, Cheryl is one of my favorites!!!
Valri–we just have to wait until February…soon…soon…
Never any regrets on Friday nights, sweetie. You brought a bright light to the group that shines even brighter in your books. Really! Sparkles.
Sherri,
I’m so excited for you that you’re part of P&P!! And I’m excited for the success in your writing career. And I am beside you, I didn’t plan to become a writer. It just sort of happened as well. Someday I’ll be there with you on the published side of the road!
Welcome! you will probably here from me a lot but just wanted to say I will read one of your books now that you are here.
YAY SHERRI!!! WELCOME TO WILDFLOWER JUNCTION!!!!!!!!
Hello, Dawn 🙂 I will go anywhere with Dawn because she always gets us into the best places. Behind the scenes at the Bertrand exhibit, woot woot!!
Joye, It’s so nice to meet you!
ALL CAPS CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING….MARY C IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!!!!!!!!
Who did I miss? Kathleen, hello! Looking forward to seeing you more 🙂
Hello, *lizzie! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 And for the kind words….
Sherri, Welcome to the Junction. I look forward to hearing more from you and about your books. This is a great place to visit and these are a great group of authors. I am sure you will feel right at home.
Hi, Sherri!
Welcome to Petticoats and Pistols! Looking forward to learning more about you, your books, & your writing!
Hello Bonnie & Patricia! This is a great community and I’m honored to be a part of it 🙂
Hi Sherri!! I missed the opportunity to welcome you to the Junction yesterday. Sorry. I had hunkered down to write. You’re going to be such a wonderful addition to our Filly family. I love your enthusiasm and just the way you totally embrace everything. Big congrats on WINNING THE WIDOW’S HEART! It looks like a great story that I’m going to have to have.
Looking forward to working with you!
Thank you for the warm welcome, Linda!!
Hello Sherri. This is a great bunch to be with. I love this blog. Lots of fun here and good books. WOW, I want your first book. I was hoping to have a chance to win it. I love these westerns. Congratulations on your book being out. Loved your article. Thanks and see ya later. Maxie mac262(at)me(dot0com
Don’t worry, Maxie…there will be many, many more chances to win in the future!