Character Interview
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself--both something we learn from [the story] and something that readers might not guess? Hi, my name is Miranda Trent, and my family is from Pine Ridge, Kentucky. It’s right smack dab in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest. I inherited the family farmhouse from my Uncle Gene Buchanan, and I decided to start a cultural adventure business that touched on all my strong points. I lead a group of tourists on a woodland trail, and as a group, we create a painting of one of the iconic sandstone arches. Then I take them to my farmhouse for a traditional southern meal paired with home-brewed moonshine. The name of my business is Paint & Shine.
2) How did you first meet your writer? My author was born in the area and lived in the farmhouse until she was two years old.
3) Want to dish about him/her? Oh, thanks for this opportunity. My author is also an artist, and she loves to paint rural landscapes with a focus on country life. She paints in oil using a Dutch palette – which means that there is no green– she mixes it up fresh each time it is needed.
4) Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book? I’m not sure I want to know the answer to that, but it could have something to do with all the dead bodies I discover on my tours.
5) Who’s your favorite character? Why? It’s difficult to choose a single favorite, but obviously, Miranda Trent has a very special place in my heart. She’s living a life that I could easily imagine enjoying. Another wonderful character is Miranda’s mother, Marcella. She’s modeled after my late mother, and this voice speaks to me the clearest about the trials and joys of Appalachian life.
6) Who’s your least favorite character? Why? I think it’s the characters with walk-on parts, but not enough time on the page for us to get to know them.
7) What’s next for you? I’m working on the next Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery provisionally titled REFLECTION OF MALICE. I’ve completed the first draft and have many revisions to do before I turn it over to my publisher. After that, I’ll be working on the next book in the Paint & Shine series, DEATH A SKETCH.
About Draw and Order
Appalachian artist and local guide Miranda Trent opens a new murder investigation after her Paint & Shine tour group discovers the remains of a missing hiker along an ancient trail . . .
For her latest excursion, Miranda is thrilled to take a close-knit group of rock climbers, the Risky Business Adventurers, up the challenging Battleship Rock Trail to paint and sample moonshine. But the outing is cut short when they discover a skeleton near the trailhead. Even more startling, the bones belong to Howard Cable, Miranda’s cousin…and a former classmate of the Risky Business group.
The sheriff chalks it up to a hiking accident, but Miranda isn’t convinced that Howard, an experienced woodsman, died within sight of a well-marked trail. So, with the help of Ranger Austin Morgan, Miranda sets out on her own investigation and discovers that the Risky Business group is keeping plenty of secrets. But is one of them hiding the truth about Howard’s death?
About Cheryl Hollon
Cheryl Hollon now writes full-time after she left an engineering career of designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind her house in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cheryl and her husband design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass, and painted glass artworks. Visit her online at http://cherylhollon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @CherylHollon.
Thank you so much for the creative character interview questions. I loved writing the answers in Miranda's voice. HUGz, Cheryl
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