Talkshow Thursday:
Meet Sherry Shindelar
I have been in love with stories since I was a child. I’d swing for hours on my swing set, pumping my legs back and forth, dreaming up stories in my head. Even then, I had a flair for romance, creating new love interests and episodes for Star Trek’s Captain Kirk.
My favorite possession at age nine was a set of author playing cards (a matching game with photos of famous authors). I wanted to be an author when I grew up and bring stories to life on the written page, stories that would impact my readers.
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
The best part is seeing readers get excited about something I’ve written, seeing it impact and capture their hearts.
How did publishing your first book change your writing?
The next book was the most difficult book I’d ever written. Now that I had a contract, I had a deadline, and I’d never written a novel on a deadline before. Even worse, I was stressed wondering if everyone would love book two as much as they loved book one. I came to an end of myself, and I told the Lord I couldn’t do it without Him. The Lord saw me through. I finished the story with an exciting ending that I didn’t even expect until about three weeks before the deadline. Book three was much easier. I knew that with the Lord’s help I could do it. I’m now writing book four. Stress and writer’s block flare up occasionally, but I pray about it and take one step at a time.
What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit
I read a lot of books. I usually start out by contacting the library in the county were I plan to set the story. For Texas Reclaimed, that was Weatherford in Parker County, TX. I read about early settlers in the area and the development of the town in the mid-19th century. I discovered that it was a very dangerous place to live in the 1850’s and 60’s. There were lots of Comanche raids, and most of the men left the area for several years to fight in the Civil War. The line of settlement retreated more than one hundred miles in some areas. But one cool thing I learned was that to protect against the dangers of attack, some of the earlier settlers in Parker and Palo Pinto Counties built double log cabins: two cabins joined by a wide, enclosed hall. They also built heavy shutters for their doors and windows, and for their stables.
I also read diaries and accounts of Andersonville Prison Camp, where my hero spent the last year of the war, accounts of laudanum dependency in Civil War soldiers, and Charles Goodnight’s biography.
Finally, my favorite part of research is travelling to the area. I didn’t travel to Weatherford, but two years ago, I travelled to West Texas and Oklahoma visiting canyons and museums, including the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City and the Plains & Panhandle Historical Museum in Canyon, TX. Both of these had life-size replicas of a Western town, and these inspired my descriptions of some of the buildings in my story.
Tell us about your road to publication.
Then, in the summer of 2019, the Lord opened my heart to fall in love with writing all over again. And it has been my daily passion ever since. I pulled out the box and unburied the past. My new writing life was born.
I rewrote my first novel from scratch, then I wrote another novel, Texas Forsaken, as I waited for a YES from an agent or editor/publisher. After no’s from several of the biggest publishers (no’s because it wasn’t the right timing for a Civil War story or an Indian captive story), I felt like I was moving toward my goals at turtle speed.
But God had a plan. In His perfect timing, He threw open the doors for me to receive my first book contract in June 2023, four years from the time I fell in love with writing all over again. And when it finally happened, the Lord answered my prayers beyond my expectations!
How are your characters like you? Different?
All of my heroines have parts of me in them. The traits are often magnified and perhaps exaggerated a bit in their storybook lives, but the roots of the personalities lay within me. My heroines are smart, hardworking, and determined. They are slow to trust, and a bit skeptical, but when they fall in love, it’s for keeps. They also prioritize the Lord first (after they come to fully know Him), then the hero/husband, and if they have children, the children come next. Their goal/calling is close behind. In their case, it might be holding on the family ranch, or something similar, while in my case, it’s my writing. Either way they pour their hearts into their calling. What most people who know me don’t know, is that I, like my characters, have a feisty and occasionally short-tempered side, except in my case, it’s usually only my husband sees this part of me.
Finally, unlike my characters, I am a bit reserved, and I’m not nearly as brave as they are when it comes to setting on adventures and taking risks. Also, definitely unlike them, I’m skittish about riding a horse, and I hold on to the reins for dear life.
If your book is part of a series: Did you set out to write a series? Why did you decide to write a series?
Texas Reclaimed is the third book in my Lone Star Redemption series. I wrote the first book, Texas Forsaken, as a stand-alone story (it was loosely inspired by the real-life narrative of Cynthia Ann Parker), but when my publisher offered me a contact, they asked for a three-book series. I wasn’t about to say no to a three-book contract! A missing sister that I briefly mentioned in the first book became the heroine of book two, Texas Divided, and book three focused on a nugget of a story idea I already had, but I connected to other characters in the series.
What draws you to the time period about which you write?
I love to write about the Civil war and I love to write about the Western frontier. The war ripped the land, families, and hearts apart. I enjoy creating stories about love that can’t be quenched by any battlefield. No matter the time period or the setting, I love romance. In addition, I’m also captivated by the Texas frontier, the wide open spaces, the horizons that seem to stretch on forever, and the canyons. I admire those who fought and sacrificed to make their homes there.
What is your next project?
I’m busy working on Book #4, starring Evelyn, who is a female newspaper reporter at a time when almost all reporters were male, and Jake, who is an Indian agent trying to keep peace between the Comanche and the settlers. Evelyn writes an article that gets Jake’s brother killed. Meanwhile, I have a novella coming out June 30th. It is part of a collection called Freed by the Frontier, and it is a prequel to my first book, Texas Forsaken. It is Eyes-Like-Sky and Dancing Eagle’s love story.
About Texas Reclaimed:
Cora Scott is determined to hold onto her family's Texas ranch and provide a stable home for her young half brother, Charlie, despite the mounting challenges of post-Civil War frontier life. But when a scheming creditor threatens to seize their land, she must accept help from Ben McKenzie, a former Yankee soldier sent by her late brother. Though Ben's generosity and strength draw her, the man's private struggle she stumbles upon—too reminiscent of her father's alcoholism—makes her question whether she can trust her heart to him.
Ben McKenzie arrives in Texas intent on fulfilling his promise to his dying friend to protect Cora and Charlie. While using his inheritance to save their ranch, he battles not only the loss of their cattle but also his dependency on laudanum—a medicine that turned into a curse after his imprisonment at Andersonville. As his feelings for Cora deepen, he must choose between his promise to his father to take over their Philadelphia newspaper and his growing dream of a life with Cora in Texas.
When a Comanche warrior begins courting Cora and Ben's responsibilities in Philadelphia threaten to tear them apart, they must decide if their love is strong enough to overcome their fears and forge a future together on the Texas frontier.
About Sherry:
Originally from Tennessee, Sherry loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is an award-winning writer: 2025 Maggie winner, 2023 ACFW Genesis finalist, 2023, & 2021 Maggie finalist, and 2022 Crown finalist. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty-one years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.
Buy link: https://amzn.to/46QlE2a
Connect with Sherry:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherryshindelarauthor/
Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/sherryshindelar/
FB Author: https://www.facebook.com/historylitgirl/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/134972322-sherry-shindelar
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/527022753
Photo credits:
Author photo and book image: Courtesy Sherry Shindelar
Western town: Pixabay/ddzphoto
Barn: Pixabay
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