Interview with Sherri Stone and #Giveaway!!!

Today we welcome Sherri Stone to my blog. Sherri is very graciously giving away a kindle copy of her new book. To enter, leave contact information in the comments.  Sherri, good to have you. Can you tell me about the book, share the blurb

Here is my blurb for The Confession of Tobias Tucker:

Grace Tucker’s father took a dark secret to his grave. Now the grandfather she's never met reaches out to her for help. He'll tell her the secret - if she promises to help him make things right. It's a temptation she can't refuse, but before the sun sets on her first day there, heart-stopping revelations and murder turn her visit into a nightmare. Everyone, including the Sheriff, thinks she's after her grandfather's money. Worse, she doesn't know the secret, but someone out there isn't taking any chances. They're determined to bury the secret once and for all, and Grace along with it. With her life and sanity on the line, the wise, old saying comes back to haunt her with a twist: be careful what you wish for, it just might get you.

Where did you grow up and attend school? Are there any other authors in your family? 

I’m a preacher’s kid, so I grew up in three different places in south Florida: Cape Coral, Pompano Beach, and Sarasota. There are no other writers in my family, however, when I first told my parents I was writing a book, my mom told be she’d always wanted to do that. After 57 years of being a preacher’s wife, I think she could write some very encouraging words for the next generation. She is a very active 80 years old, so I’m going to keep encouraging her to do it.

How did you get started writing? How old were you? What made you want to start? What did you enjoy reading as a child? 

I’ve always enjoyed writing, but never actually started writing with the intent to finish a novel until I was in my thirties. I played around with it for a while, but I was 50 before completed my first story. I did and still do enjoy reading anything I can get my hands on, including the back of a cereal box or tube of toothpaste. There’s just always been something very calming to me about picking up a book and getting lost in the story for a while. It’s my favorite thing to do – even more than eating, and that’s saying a lot! :)

How and when did you and your husband meet? Was it love at first sight? What does he think about your being an author? 

The first time I saw my husband he was walking down the hallway in my office building. It wasn’t love at first sight, but I think something in me knew…  We were friends for a while, and by the time we officially started to date, I think we both knew this was it. We just celebrated 19 years last October, and it just keeps getting better, and better. He is my biggest fan and supporter, not just for writing, but in life. God knew exactly who I needed.

How old are your children? Do they read your books? Have any of them got the writing bug, as well?

Our only child is furry and four-legged, and more spoiled than any human child I would ever put up with!  :P He’s quirky and weird and we love him. He’s the second dog we’ve had, and we were only dog-free for the first two years of our marriage. It’s about time to send him to college, I think.

How do you research the communities and people you write about? Do you find yourself having do a lot of research? 

I haven’t done much research for my first two books, but in the next series I’m planning I’ll be writing about some professions that are not familiar to me. I’ve started researching on line, but I’d also like to get a first-hand experience with some of them. In February, I’m going to visit a tattoo shop. Should be fun, as long as they don’t come at me with a needle. I plan to leave as pale and plain as I go in!

Which is your favorite book? Do you have a character in your books you identify with the most?

My first book, Sacred Ashes, will always be special because it’s the one I cut my teeth on, and worked so hard for. I wrote it before I knew anything about writing fiction, or critique groups, or head-hopping (which apparently I excelled at!). I had so much work to do to make it ready to publish, but I love how it turned out. Dani is a preacher’s kid so I relate to her well. In Tobias Tucker, I admire, and even envy, Grace’s pluck and grit. I think I’d like to be like her when I grow up.

Share your bio

Sherri has been a social worker for twenty-five years in the fields of mental health, hospice, and now home health. She and her husband, Jeff, are working on their house, a never-ending project, and busy being the keepers of a very naughty terrier named Riley.  They live in the panhandle of Florida which is not nearly as warm as it should be at the moment. Looking forward to spring!!

Links to buy and social media

Both books are available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format:

Sacred Ashes: 

The Confession of Tobias Tucker: 

My website is: www.sherristone.net

Facebook:  facebook.com/sherrilynnestone.