A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to go the the national SCWBI conference in LA and lucky enough to meet Cheryl Renee Herbsman. She's gorgeous in person, both in spirit and well, just to look at.
I loved her debut BREATHING. It's a lush romantic tale that takes you away on a magical journey! If you haven't read it yet, you must add it to your list!
So, Cheryl. Where do you fit into the birth order in your family?
Cheryl: I'm the middle of five kids, but the oldest girl. My sister comes after me in the order. We have two older brothers and one younger brother.
Wow. I didn't know you had so many siblings. And to be in the middle. Hmm. What is it they say about the middle child?? Hee hee. I tease. So, what is the age difference between you and your sister?
Cheryl: We are three and a half years apart.
That's about the same as me and my sister. A lot when you're kids, but nothing when you're adults, right? So what is the best part about having your sister?
Cheryl: When we were kids it was always having a willing playmate. Now it's the love and understanding we have for each other, the acceptance that we're very different from each other and that's okay.
I totally get that. It's amazing how different we can be from our sisters, but we still share the most basic understandings of each other because of shared experiences and well, growing up together! What's the most challenging thing about being sisters?
Cheryl: I can't really think of any challenges we face now. When we were younger I think the fact that we were so different from each other was challenging, made it harder for us to relate to each other. But now I think we value each other's differences and enjoy them.
Nice. Sounds like you and your sister have evolved your relationship to a great example of sisterhood. What are your roles in the family?
Cheryl: I was the serious, sensitive, rule follower. She was always the outrageous free spirit.
Cool. I mean the free spirit part. I admire that quality so much in other people. Daring to take on the world! What is your fave childhood memory of your sister?
Cheryl: When we were young, playing imaginary games, she was always open to all kinds of ideas, never judged them. It created an environment for play in which I felt free to dream up all sorts of craziness :)
Does your sister know secrets about you? Can you share one? How about one of her secrets?
Cheryl: Dude, what kind of sister would I be if I shared her secrets!
An excellent one! We need some gossip on this blog. Darn sisters who won't sell each other out. ;) Okay, next question, what is something you never tell your sister, but you should?
Cheryl: That I admire her.
Awww. That's sweet. I feel the same way about my sister. She's pretty amazing at people stuff. Okay, last question, how does your sister feel about having an “author sister?”
Cheryl: I think she thinks it's pretty cool, but it doesn't really change anything.
No. It really doesn't. But I think it's kind of a cool thing to share with the world, don't you??
Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.
