Please welcome Cheryl Yeko to the blog today!
What name(s) do you write under? If you
write under a pseudonym, what helped you choose that name?
I spent a lot of time wondering if I should have a
pen name, and everyone seemed to think all authors had a pen name. And I didn’t
know if using my last name, ‘yeko’ was pretty enough for a pen name. Then I
thought...what the hell, I’m proud of
my book so, yeah, I’m going to use it. I’m glad I did...it looks nice in print,
don’t you think? LOL
Where are you from?
I live in Wisconsin, between Milwaukee and Madison...a
little closer to Milwaukee.
What is the name of your most recent or
upcoming release? Can you give us an idea of what the story is about? What
genre is it? Where can we find it?
I write romantic suspense and my newest release is a
The Notary. Here’s
the blurb...
Adrianna
Morgan’s life takes a dangerous turn when she’s given an incorrect address for
a notary assignment, ending up in the
wrong place, at the wrong time.
Attempting to
take down a local drug ring, Lucas Hunter’s cover is blown when he goes to the
aid of a beautiful woman during an undercover operation.
But the bad guys
better watch out, because this sexy cop will do anything to protect the woman
he loves, no matter how high the body count.
The
Notary was fun to write and had been percolating in the
back of my mind since I wrote my first novel, Protecting Rose. I worked as a
Mobile Notary for over ten years, conducting real estate closings for title
companies in people’s homes and business, coffee shops, and other totally off
the wall places. Wherever the borrower needed me.
The
Notary's premise, where the heroine is given an incorrect
address for a closing appointment and shows up at the wrong home, actually
happened to me. Of course, I didn't walk into the middle of an undercover
operation with a sexy cop to save me. But it could have happened!
I created the book trailer for The Notary. I love how it turned out. It helps that I had such an
awesome book cover! Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/7_l2bR969LU
Here’s the Amazon Buy Link: The
Notary
I’d also like to share an excerpt with you:
Lucas
watched as Adrianna gave her head another vigorous shake, glaring at the
paramedic. He instinctively moved toward her to see what was wrong. She’d been
through enough and he didn’t want this guy making her more upset.
What
am I doing? She’s not my responsibility. That thought didn’t
slow him down for an instant. He came to a stop in front of the paramedic,
narrowing his eyes on the man. “Is there a problem here?”
The
paramedic scowled, not appearing intimidated by Lucas’ surly attitude in the
slightest. Pretty damn brave of him, Lucas admitted with grudging respect,
given that the guy was no taller than Adrianna, and almost as skinny.
“She
refuses to go to the hospital to get checked for a concussion,” the paramedic
complained. “Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”
Lucas
frowned at Adrianna and her stubborn chin jutted forward, a kiss-worthy pout
pursing her mouth. Did the woman have no sense whatsoever? First, she shows up
at a strange house late at night, then stuck around when she should have been
hauling her fine ass out of there. Although there was a good chance he’d be
dead if she hadn’t, which ticked him off further. It was his fault she’d been
injured, and dammit, she was going to the hospital to get checked out if he had
to carry her there.
“I’ll
take her.”
She
gave him a look of exasperation. “I’m not going.”
“Yes
. . . you are,” he returned, his annoyance rising. What the hell was wrong with
this woman? Stubborn didn’t even come close to her attitude.
She
crossed her arms and tapped her slender bare foot, irritation marring her
pretty features. Her alluring eyes flashed a deep shade of green. “No. I’m
not.”
She
shifted her gaze to the paramedic in a look of reproach, then spun around and
headed for a blue Ford Focus parked in front of the house.
“She
can’t drive,” the paramedic snapped.
“Right,”
Lucas agreed, sprinting after her. “I’ve got this.”
He
came up behind her just as she neared the Focus, her steps slowed, then came to
a complete stop by the driver’s side door. But she didn’t open it. Instead, her
shoulders drooped and her head fell forward as she tugged the blanket more
tightly around her. When a tremor shook her shoulders, the need to comfort her
nearly undid him. She was due for a meltdown after what she’d been through.
His
annoyance fell away at the sight of her distress. “You okay?”
“My
car’s broken,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper. A chill nipped the
air as a slight misting rain fell on them.
He
reached for her and slowly turned her around, placing a finger under her chin
and tilting her face up. Her eyes were glassy with tears. “What?” he asked
softly.
She
blinked moisture from her lashes and squinted up at him. “I had an
accident”—sniffle—“on the way here and now it won’t start.” Her bottom lip
trembled.
His
gaze fell to her mouth and an urge to press her back against her car and taste
those full pouty lips coiled inside him. He swallowed hard and forced the image
out of his mind, but it was harder to force the desire from his body. “You
weren’t hurt?”
She
hadn’t appeared injured when he’d seen her peering inside the dirty window. His
eyes dropped back over her body, accessing her injuries. His body tightened,
noting the way her conservative outfit, still damp, clung to her soft curves.
His
mouth pressed tight. Since Susan’s death, he’d taken less than a handful of
women to bed to scratch his itch. All one-nighters who knew the score. This
woman had ‘long-term’ written all over her. Lucas didn’t do long term.
Adrianna
continued. “I just need my purse.” Her voice shook and two fat tears leaked
from her eyes. “And I—I lost my glasses when that man hit me,” she ended on a
wail.
The
thought of Ellis touching her, hurting her, made Lucas want to do some damage
to the guy. His nostrils flared and his spine stiffened. Too bad the bastard
was already dead. The anguish he heard in her voice bothered him. On pure
instinct, Lucas found himself leaning in to comfort her. Inhaling her sweet
floral scent reminded him of everything good in the world and the reason men
like him fought to protect innocence.
Two
more tears rolled down her face, one dripping off the end of her cute nose. An
emotion that could only be described as tenderness flickered to life inside
him. An emotion he’d sworn never to feel again. An emotion he sure as hell
didn’t want. One he did his best to tamp back down, as the need to claim and
protect her smoldered, like a low burning fire. Then she sniffled again, the
sound soft and feminine, as two more tears fell.
Like
throwing gasoline onto a flame, the emotion exploded, raging out of control.
Ah,
hell!
When did you start writing, and when did
it turn professional?
My
entry into the world of writing was exciting and swift. My husband gifted me a
Kindle for Christmas one year, and I rediscovered my love of all things
romance. After a couple years of reading romance novels, I decided to try to
write one. So, I checked out some books from the library, signed up for some
online classes, and began my manuscript for, Protecting Rose. It took a year to write and edit, Protecting Rose. I sent it out to three
publishers and received two offers. I signed with Soul Mate Publishing, and Protecting Rose went on to win the 2012
Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. How fun is that!!
What is your writing process? Do you use
an outline, fly by the "seat of your pants" or some other method?
I’m a total pantser. I have a brief idea of a story,
then sit down and write it. Sometimes, I’ll go weeks between writing, suffering
from writer’s block. I’ve learned I can’t force it, and I can’t work on more than
a couple manuscripts at a time. Once I start a story, I’ll spend all my time on
it, until I’ve completed a scene...leaving me drained. I then move on to the
other story, and go through the same process...then back to the first story.
And of course, between all of that, I work on my Soul Mate Publishing stuff,
editing, newsletter, and such...
Who are your greatest literary influences?
Oh gosh, the list goes on and on... but if I had to
choose, I’d say Lori Foster and Karen Rose. Lori Foster is a lighter read than
Karen Rose, so depending on the mood, either one of these ladies does it for
me. There are many others who are on my to-buy list, including Cynthia Eden,
Lisa Marie Rice, Julie Ann Walker, just to name a few...
My second love is paranormal, and I’m actually
trying to write a paranormal, just to see if I can. A few of the authors in
that genre that I love are J.R. Ward, who writes awesome vampires, and Larrisa
Ione who does the best demons. I loved, loved Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress
series and was sorry to see it end. And of course nobody does sexy shape
shifters better than Jennifer Ashley, or hot, hot new species like Laurann
Dohner.
A couple other fun ones that come to mind are Lara
Adrian and Alexandra Ivey.
Sigh...I
love books!!
Did you hire or use an editor prior to
publishing?
The novels published through Soul Mate Publishing go
through their editing process. But my self-published novels go through a
professional editor. Even though I’m an editor myself with Soul Mate, I’m
terrible at editing my own works. Fortunately, one of my BFF’s is an
editor/writer, and I create book trailers for her novels, in exchange for
editing my self-published works. It works out great!!
Did you use a graphic artist to create
your cover art? If so, what helped you decide on the cover(s) of your books?
Soul Mate creates the covers for my contracted books.
I purchased the cover for my first self-published novel, Mountain Hero, which was a finalist in the 2014 Carolyn Readers
Choice Award. But after that I taught myself how to create my own. I have a new
self-published novella completed for my Hero
Series that I plan to publish in early January, Eyes of a Hero. I created the book cover myself. I would love to
share it with you.
What do you think?
What have you learned on your journey from
writing to publishing that you think should be passed along to those
interested?
It’s never too late! If you don’t try, you’ll never
know what you might have accomplished. I signed my first contract at age 52,
for Protecting Rose, and became an
award-winning author and acquiring editor with Soul Mate Publishing at 53. Just
when I was preparing to head gracefully into old age, settling down with
grandkids and quiet times...my life exploded with excitement and new
possibilities. I love writing...but I love being an editor just as much. I so
enjoy working with authors to help them reach their dream of publication. My
first year as an editor, three of my authors were finalists in an RWA contest. How
cool is that? Many of my authors give me very nice kudos in their dedications,
and each and every one of them touches my heart. So rewarding...
I know some authors set writing goals,
such as so many words per day. Do you set any goals for your stories?
I try to write every day, but if the muse isn’t
there, the muse isn’t there...
Do you have a favorite character of your
own and what makes him/her your favorite?
I love all my hero’s...lol. Though I have to be
careful not to make them all dark-haired and blue-eyed, like my awesome,
amazingly wonderful husband.
LOL...okay, he used to be dark-haired.
I love his gray hair just as much!
Do you have any projects you’re working on
now?
Yes, thank you for asking! Besides my self-published
novella that I have completed (Eyes of a
Hero) I’m putting together a Valentine’s Day anthology for Soul Mate
Publishing with five other amazing authors, titled My Sexy Valentine. Look for it in February, 2015. I have a short
story of my own to add to this collection of fun stories, Valentine’s Day Breakup.
I also have a co-author’d novella in progress, The Rodeo King, with my Power of Three
BFF’s. We are publishing a new chapter each month in our Power of Three
Newsletter.
Char Chaffin, my Power of Three BFF, created the
website... and you can find it, here: http://www.thepowerof3cs.com/
... just click the large red Newsletter button at the bottom and sign up to
enjoy a new chapter each month. You won’t regret it!! Once this novella is
completed, we plan to self-publish it and then start another... Fun! We will be
announcing our new website to our readers in next month’s newsletter, so you
are the first ones to see it.
Here is a link to our September newsletter, (my
copy) where we rolled out the first chapter for The Rodeo King: http://tinyurl.com/ovlkr3s
Callie Hutton is our other Power of Three gal, and
she just made USA Today. Yeah! We are very proud and excited about that! Be
sure to check out their awesome novels while you’re at the website.
With the help of my Power of Three gals, I created the cover for The Rodeo King—like it?
Lastly, I have two WIPs, a paranormal, and a serial
killer novel I’m working on. I hope to have at least one of these completed
early next year.
How do you juggle time between all your
responsibilities?
Not very well...LOL. I work 24/7. When I’m not writing,
I’m editing. I also do book trailers—and you can find my playlist here: http://tinyurl.com/o6pz7vb
And I create Soul Mate Publishing’s monthly
newsletter, and would love you to check it out. http://tinyurl.com/p3df9ts
If you enjoy it, you can sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/laa6dzc to keep up with all our
new releases.
How do you feel about publishing in a
digital age?
I love it! It’s the wild, wild west, and very
exciting.
More About The Author
I’m multi-published in
romantic suspense, and my novels continue to place in RWA chapter contests. Top
on my bucket list is to win the RITA, either as an author or recognition as an
editor...either one would be way cool. Wish me luck!!
I live in Wisconsin with
my husband Patrick. I love to read, play piano, and spend time with family and
friends. I enjoy novels with fast-paced action and steamy romance, protective
alpha men and strong heroines. I belong to several writing groups, including
Wisconsin Writers Association and Romance Writers of America (RWA), as well as
the Wisconsin Chapter.
I’m an Acquisitions Editor
for Soul Mate Publishing. As an Editor, I welcome Romantic Suspense,
Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, and Erotica.
Submission guidelines can
be found at Soul Mate’s website, here: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/pages/Submission-Guidelines.html - .
My email is Cheryl@SoulMatePublishing.com
Cheryl’s Links
Where Love
Always Wins: http://www.cherylyeko.com/
Soul
Mate Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/lav53p3
Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/lb5xxlq
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ProtectingRose
The
Power of Three Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threeBFFs
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/cherylyeko
Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/cyeko/boards/
About
Me: http://about.me/cheryl.yeko
My Book
Trailer Playlist
My novels can
also be found at Audible.com.
My Sample Playlist
Thank you for inviting me over for a visit. :)
-Cheryl
Oh, yes, I'd also like to share the news, that my self-published novella, Mountain Hero, just took 1st place in the International Digital Awards Contest... How exciting!
-Cheryl
Thank you SO much for stopping by and a HUGE congratulations!!