What other job did you have before becoming a writer?

Currently, I'm a systems analyst and still work full time. Before that, I did sales and customer support. I find writing to be a nice balance to my technical work.

What is your writing routine?

I write on weekend and holiday mornings. I'm a morning person. Because I have a long commute, it's really hard to write after work. Any time I sit down to write, I give myself a quota of two single-spaced pages using a 12-point font. If I'm on a roll, I may do three pages. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it takes a lot longer to write a page than read one. Some authors write for many hours at a time, but short writing sessions seem to work better for me. Lately, it's been very challenging to stick to my writing schedule because marketing my first book, Free Falling, has taken so much of my free time. I do a lot of plotting and prewriting in my head during my long commutes. Sometimes I use music to help put me in the scene I'm writing about. I may play the same song over and over again.

Which comes first--story, characters, or setting?

For me, the male character always comes first. Writing a novel is like starting and maintaining a fire. At first, there is a single spark that motivates me to begin a story. Sometimes that spark dies, and the novel never gets off the ground. Other times, the flame gets stronger and stronger until it's enough to get me through the whole book. My feelings for the hero are what ignite the flame. Often, the hero is based partly on someone I know or someone famous. Next comes the setting. After that, it's usually the story and the heroine.

What kind of research do you do?

I love research, and I think it's a fun part of the writing process. I end up learning a lot with each book I write. I like to start researching when I start writing so that I can get plot ideas from actual events. Writing so many papers in college honed my research skills. I look up educational sites on the internet, but mostly I get books from the library. Index cards don't work for me, but I take notebook paper and write notes about anything that may be useful. I also write the page number beside a note in case I want to go back later for more detail. On each page I write down all the book details in case I need to get the book again later or supply a bibliography.

What does your husband think of your writing? Do you ever ask his advice on one point or another?

He's very proud and supportive of my writing as is the rest of my family. I do ask him for advice sometimes, and I read what I've written each week aloud to him. Hearing it read helps me spot errors and problems with flow. Of course, he still wishes all the heroes looked and acted like him!

Tell us about your latest book.

Free Falling is a historical with elements of paranormal and multicultural romance. It takes place on a cotton plantation as South Carolina secedes from the union and tensions brew into the Civil War. It's kind of like Gone With the Wind with a twist. This time the handsome plantation owner is the villain, and the hero is a slave. I feel that I've pioneered new ground in romance writing with this kind of hero/heroine combination and have touched on a lot of racial issues. This has made Free Falling the most challenging yet rewarding story I've written so far.

How may readers contact you?

I like hearing from my readers. They can contact me through my email address, sherri@sherrineilson.com, or they can go to my web site, http://www.sherrineilson.com, and sign my guest book.