Talkshow Thursday:
Welcome Sherry Shindelar!
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
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 does your writing space look like?
During the winter months, I find odd and end places in the house to write. Moving to different spots helps energize my thought processes. But in the late spring through early fall, I love to write outside. My deck and backyard work well, but my favorite spot is in a park by the lake about a five minute drive my house.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
While researching for Texas Divided, I discovered that the part of Texas where my story is set had a
What sort of research did you do for your story, and was there an exceptionally interesting tidbit you knew you had to include?
I read several books on the Civil War in Texas. Until I started Texas Divided, I didn’t know the Yankees ever invaded Texas. I also did a lot of online research on the cotton industry. One of the best moves I made was to contact the Nesbitt Library in Columbus, TX. The librarian connected me with old newspaper articles, letters, and other materials written in the 19th century about the area. However, my favorite type of research is traveling to historic places. The garden scene in Texas Divided is based upon my visit to Carnton House in Franklin, Tennessee for example. I visited three different early to mid-nineteenth century homes in Tennessee to gain information for LeBeau’s plantation in the book. However, my visit to Oklahoma and Texas was the highlight of my research. A couple of the museums had life size models of Western towns. Several of the buildings found their way into the book. I can’t wait to visit Texas again.
Tell us about your road to publication.
A visit to a historic home in the Shenandoah Valley, when my husband and I were newly married, spurred my love for history and planted the seed for a story. A few years later, I wrote the novel, then buried it in a box in my closet when it didn’t get published right away. I returned to college to earn a degree in creative writing and eventually a PhD in literature, wondering if I’d ever reconnect with the stories in my head, the ones buried deep in my heart.
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!
Why do you write in your particular genre?
I write Christian historical romance because I want to be able to weave my faith into my writing, I am captivated by history, and I love romance.
How do you celebrate when you finish a manuscript?
I go out to eat with my husband in one of my favorite restaurants.
What writers or books have influenced you?
Laura Frantz: Her books inspired me to fall in love with writing again and to start writing Christian historical romance. Lori Benton: Her Mountain Laurel and Shiloh books inspired me to write a story of redemption, second chances, and great love.
What books are on your nightstand right now?
Laura Frantz’s Indigo Heiress, Jamie Ogle’s As Sure as the Sea, and Gabrielle Meyers’s The Fur Trader’s Lady.
What is your next project?
I’m currently working on the third book of my Lone Star Redemption series, Texas Reclaimed. The story takes place on the Texas Frontier in 1866. After the Civil War, Ben McKenzie, a Yankee soldier with soul-deep scars, travels to Texas to make good on a promise he made to his friend who died in Andersonville at his side. After years of war and a father who wasn’t much count, Cora Scott has lost everything, except for her family’s abandoned ranch and her little brother who is half Comanche. She is determined to hold onto her ranch at all costs unless it means falling for the man whose wounds might be deeper than she can heal.
About Texas Divided:
He thought he was rescuing her from the Comanche. Now the Civil War soldier must prove he isn't the villain she thinks he is.
Driven by the looming expectation of becoming a suffocatingly proper lady, Morning Fawn is determined to escape the confines of her uncle’s plantation and return to her adoptive Comanche tribe. But with each failed attempt, her hopes dwindle, and she wonders if she'll ever find her way back home or if that world is forever lost to her.
Devon Reynolds, disillusioned by the price of affluence and the horrors of war, leaves his privileged life to join the Texas Rangers and later the cavalry. In the military service, he finds purpose . . . until he loses his wife during childbirth while he is away. In an attempt to redeem himself, he takes one last fateful mission to rescue Morning Fawn from the Comanche. But the results force him to question the righteousness of his actions and the cause he serves.
When Devon returns to Texas as a Yankee spy, his path crosses with Morning Fawn once more. Determined to save her from the prison of her uncle's house and to recover Texas from the Confederacy, Devon is drawn to her fierce spirit and unwavering resolve. But can two wounded souls, each fighting their own battles, find solace and love amidst the chaos of war?
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Divided-Sherry-Shindelar/dp/1963212134
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/texas-divided-sherry-shindelar/1146107552
Instagram: sherryshindelarauthor https://www.instagram.com/sherryshindelarauthor/
FB Author: https://www.facebook.com/historylitgirl/ Sherry Shindelar Author
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47340890.Sherry_Shindelar
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherry-shindelar
Why do you write in your particular genre?
I write Christian historical romance because I want to be able to weave my faith into my writing, I am captivated by history, and I love romance.
How do you celebrate when you finish a manuscript?
I go out to eat with my husband in one of my favorite restaurants.
Laura Frantz: Her books inspired me to fall in love with writing again and to start writing Christian historical romance. Lori Benton: Her Mountain Laurel and Shiloh books inspired me to write a story of redemption, second chances, and great love.
What books are on your nightstand right now?
Laura Frantz’s Indigo Heiress, Jamie Ogle’s As Sure as the Sea, and Gabrielle Meyers’s The Fur Trader’s Lady.
What is your next project?
I’m currently working on the third book of my Lone Star Redemption series, Texas Reclaimed. The story takes place on the Texas Frontier in 1866. After the Civil War, Ben McKenzie, a Yankee soldier with soul-deep scars, travels to Texas to make good on a promise he made to his friend who died in Andersonville at his side. After years of war and a father who wasn’t much count, Cora Scott has lost everything, except for her family’s abandoned ranch and her little brother who is half Comanche. She is determined to hold onto her ranch at all costs unless it means falling for the man whose wounds might be deeper than she can heal.
About Texas Divided:
Driven by the looming expectation of becoming a suffocatingly proper lady, Morning Fawn is determined to escape the confines of her uncle’s plantation and return to her adoptive Comanche tribe. But with each failed attempt, her hopes dwindle, and she wonders if she'll ever find her way back home or if that world is forever lost to her.
Devon Reynolds, disillusioned by the price of affluence and the horrors of war, leaves his privileged life to join the Texas Rangers and later the cavalry. In the military service, he finds purpose . . . until he loses his wife during childbirth while he is away. In an attempt to redeem himself, he takes one last fateful mission to rescue Morning Fawn from the Comanche. But the results force him to question the righteousness of his actions and the cause he serves.
When Devon returns to Texas as a Yankee spy, his path crosses with Morning Fawn once more. Determined to save her from the prison of her uncle's house and to recover Texas from the Confederacy, Devon is drawn to her fierce spirit and unwavering resolve. But can two wounded souls, each fighting their own battles, find solace and love amidst the chaos of war?
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Divided-Sherry-Shindelar/dp/1963212134
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/texas-divided-sherry-shindelar/1146107552
Instagram: sherryshindelarauthor https://www.instagram.com/sherryshindelarauthor/
FB Author: https://www.facebook.com/historylitgirl/ Sherry Shindelar Author
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47340890.Sherry_Shindelar
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sherry-shindelar
Photo credits:
Robson's Castle Marker: Gregory Walker
Wooden Texas Flag: Pixabay/coopmunster
