Spotlight Interview with Author Sheila Hendrix

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series Sheila! Please introduce yourself and your book to help our readers get to know you.
 

 A. I’d love to. Thanks for having me! I’m a native of Alabama and reside there with my husband of seventeen years. My only children are my eight dogs. I work as a nurse for a psychiatric hospital and also does reviews for two magazines, although I haven’t done that in awhile because I’ve been busy writing my own Young Adult Series. I still do reviews but I do them on my own now.

   I’ve always wanted to write but never thought I’d be able to. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I practically raised my little brother because our parents both had to work. I had to grow up fast and that was where I got the idea of writing about two brothers whose parents abandoned them when they were little.

    The Dark Circle book series is the Young Adult paranormal series I’m working on right now. I got the idea for The Betrayal after having a nightmare that stayed with me for days.

    The Betrayal is the first book in the series and should be coming out by the first of year, 2012. The Smashwords version is out now. The second book in the series is Head Games and then Darkness Falls. I’m not sure how many books will be in the series but there will be several.

   My hobbies are reading, writing, gardening, traveling, hiking, camping and swimming. I’m currently in school to earn my Associate Degree in Paralegal studies but my dream is to write. I actually had someone ask me the other day if I could make a living writing fiction, would I give up working as a nurse and going to school. I told them absolutely! In a heartbeat! That’s how much I love to write.

 The Betrayal

Synopsis

    When Zachariah and Matthew McCannon were young, their parents abandoned them, leaving Zack to take care of his little brother, Matt. Though they lived with their grandmother, she was always sick, so Zack was forced to raise him. This was not an easy task.

   Zack had his hands full because of Matt’s unusual powers. He has visions and dreams that come true, and when he gets angry or upset, he can move things with his mind. Because of this, evil seeks him, keeping Zack on his toes as his protector.

    As the brothers grew older, they became hunters, pursuing evil supernatural forces. After Matthew has a dream, it sends them on a hunt for cave, not knowing why, but realizing it is necessary. When they arrive, Matt finds the vision was a trap.

    A Darkness like no other wants to control Matt and kill Zack. The Darkness is named, Alanya, which means, The Destroyer.

    Alanya hates the brothers. In the past, every time he tried to apprehend Matt, Zack would thwart him by protecting his brother. Alanya is incensed that a mere human boy can beat him, for demons are not to be defied.

    When Alanya asks Zack, “How far will you go to save your brother?” Zack answers, “As far as I have to.”

    Now, the brothers are faced with a deadly force they never had to deal with before. This demon is on a deadly mission to destroy everything the brothers hold dear. If the McCannon’s are not careful, neither of them will be able to escape.

 Q2: Please explain how you came to be a writer, what inspired you to write your book(s) and how long it took. 

A: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I love to read and have always dreamed of having my own book in print. I never thought I could write but I had a passion for it just the same. Once I started to write, I found and outlet. I’ve been writing ever since. What inspired me to write The Betrayal was nightmare I had that stayed with me for days. I don’t usually have nightmares but this one was something else. When I finally shook it off, I thought about how good it would be as a book, so I wrote it. Not only that, but I wanted to show what it would be like if you loved somebody so much, you were willing to do anything to make sure that person was protected, even if you had to sacrifice yourself for them. Zack would do anything for his brother and is even willing to die in his place. The world could use more of that kind of love.

It took me 3 years to write The Betrayal.

Q3: What did you enjoy most about creating this book? 
A. I liked developing the characters, seeing how they would evolve in the story, and giving them a personality of their own.

Q4: What facets of your life, both personal and professional, are  woven into your book, if any?  
A. I’m a lot like Zack and Matt. Zack is a hothead, so am I. He his fiercely loyal to his brother as am I. I can mess with him but nobody else better. Our parents both had to work when we were growing up so it was up to me to raise my brother. I was eleven years old when I started taking care of him and he was five.

Q5. How did you get published?

A. I’ve self published.

Q6: Did you have any surprises or hiccups along the way during the  book writing and/or publishing process?

A. Nothing except the fact that everytime I thought I had it finished, I found problems and I had to rewrite it. I think I’ve rewritten about 5 times.

Q7: What one thing did you wish you'd known before you started this project? 
A. To get the book professionally copy edited before I put it out there. I didn’t do it and so when the book came out, initially, there were a lot of errors. Now it’s been professionally edited and it’s a whole lot better than the original.

Q8: You're a fly on the wall when readers are discussing your book.   What would you hope to hear them say about it?
A. That they enjoyed it, that they like the relationship between the brothers as well as the cops and the doctor who came to help, that they are going to tell everyone how good a story it was.

Q9: Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know or  would surprise them. 
A. I’m not a people person. I’m more of a loner and don’t like a lot of people around. I don’t have a bunch of friends but only a few close ones. I’m kind of antisocial for the most part.

Q10: What single piece of advice would you give new authors?
A. Never give up. If you have a dream to write, write. When people tell you, you can’t or that nobody will read it, write anyway. Don’t let anybody tell you you’re not going to make it because if you have a dream, you are the only one that can make it come true.

Q11: Share a short summary of a typical day in your life with us  please. 

A. I go to work. I’m a nurse at a psychiatric hospital. When I get off of work I go to school. Before I go to bed at night, I write, check emails, read and review other peoples books and then go to bed. The next day I started all over again.

Q12:  Describe where you do most of your writing. What would I see if I was sitting beside you?
A. In my bedroom at my lap top. You’d see bookshelves lined with books, research papers all over the place and probably a couple of dogs lying on my bed. I’ll have a Dr. Pepper, a hot cup of tea and a cookie sitting beside me.

 Q13: What's your motto or favorite quote you like to live by?

A. Live with your eyes wide open.

Q14: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us in closing such as your website, an imminent book launch or what you're working on presently? 
A. I have a blog. The address is http://sheilahendrix.blogspot.com/   My website is  http://www.sheilahendrix.net/.  

The Betrayal is out on Smashwords and I’m working on the print version now. When it’s done, it will be available at Amazon. I also am working on getting on Barnes and Nobles Pubit site. I’ve talked to a couple of places about a book signing but nothing’s set in stone yet and I’m working on Head Games, the second book in The Dark Circle book series.

Authors.com profile: http://www.authors.com/profile/SheilaHendrix

Thanks for your time Sheila! Please share this Authors.com Spotlight Interview with friends and fans by linking to it, Tweeting it, Digging it, sharing it on Facebook and generally shouting about it anywhere you can. We'd ask fellow members to support you by doing the same.

Members, want to be interviewed too? It's free! Instructions are here:http://www.authors.com/forum/topics/be-interviewed-for-the-new