Treats for the Holiday Season

As we prepare to head into the waning weeks of the year, this is a great time to spend any extra hours relaxing by watching movies and reading books and stories set with the background of the holidays and of course, baking cookies. In the next few weeks, My Writing Corner will continue to highlight writers with wonderful holiday stories. 

Today we feature author Cherie Colyer and her new work, Merry Little Writing Spritz, which is part of a collection of holiday stories called Christmas Cookies coming to readers from The Wild Rose Press.  It was released earlier this month. 

Cherie tells us she is a professional network technician by day and a novelist by night. She and her husband live in the Chicago suburbs and she has four sons. Cherie writes stories with a paranormal twist and is the author of the Embrace Series. (Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t and Friends to the End),

She also says she is now waltzing into the world of adult novels with her new enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz. 

Tell us about your road to publication. 

The first book I wrote was a middle-grade fantasy. These characters are dear to my heart, even though I haven’t found a home for the book. But it is where my writing career began. My husband saw how much I enjoyed writing and encouraged me to join writing groups and attend writing conferences. I kept working on my craft and sold five young adult paranormal romances before penning my first adult novel, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.

What is your latest book and how did you come up with the idea to write it? 

Cassie Moore, my kind hearted and determined (if not a bit stubborn) protagonist came to me while I was working on one of my young adult novels. I missed writing about magic and witchcraft, and I think she knew it. When my publisher put out a call for books for their new series, I knew it was time to get her out of my head and into a story. 

Let’s get a blurb. 

Modern-day witch Cassie Moore’s cozy life turns upside down when her friend foresees the wrecking ball that threatens to destroy Cassie’s home and workplace. But Cassie isn’t giving up without a fight. She casts a well-intended spell meant to save her apartment and her job.

But magic is unpredictable, especially when her friend casts a little charm of her own that has Cassie lusting after the man she desperately wants to despise.

Jack Quinn has had his eyes on Lakeside Books for years, and he couldn’t be happier the

owner is finally ready to sell. He has big plans for the cozy waterfront property, but he

didn’t expect to care about the store or its employees. And he never imagined he’d be

drawn to a certain brown-eyed saleswoman.

Almost as if by magic.

What’s your next project? 

I’m working on a companion book for Merry Little Wishing Spritz. Peyton, Cassie Moore’s best friend, is the star of this novel. I’m still working out the details, but I can tell you it takes place in a small beach town in Maine, and there will be more than just a witch’s magic in play.

How do you develop characters? 

I create character sheets, list their likes, dislikes, quirks, and so on. Sometimes I’ll pull traits from people I know or met. This helps with how a character may act in different situations. But it’s not until I get to the middle of the first draft that I really get to know them. 

How do you come up with your plots? 

I don’t have just one way. The idea for my YA novel Challenging Destiny came to me when I saw a church in the middle of nowhere. It was a large white building with small windows, no landscaping, and a rickety front porch. For Merry Little Wishing Spritz’s, I had some guidelines from my publisher, and my main character is a witch, so I played around with a few ideas, asking a lot of what if’s until the plot came together.

What advice do you have for beginning writers? 

Read a lot and read wide. You can learn a lot about writing by studying what works and doesn’t work in published books. Then take some writing courses. There are a lot of good ones out there to help develop one’s craft.

How about an Excerpt from Merry Little Wishing Spritz:

   “He’s convincing,” one of the women who worked there whispered. “And sexy. Where’d you

find him?”

    It was the darn suit. The sleeves strained against muscle when he lifted gifts and the pants

practically drew the eye to his thighs when he squatted to talk to the smaller children. It fit too

perfectly. Maybe Peyton had spelled it to adjust to the wearer?

    “He found us.”

    “Well, you’re a lucky woman—”

   “Oh, he and I aren’t together.”

   “Really? The two of you keep sneaking glances at each other.”

    If we did, it was only because we were working together. “I assure you, we’re not a couple.”

    “Hum, well then.” She eyed Jack. “If I wasn’t married…” She cackled. Actually cackled!      

    “Don’t just stand there, girl.” She nudged me. “Bring him a bottle of water.”

     It was the least I could do. I grabbed a bottle and rejoined Jack.

    “I thought Santa might be thirsty.”

    “Ho ho ho! Thank you.” Jack grabbed my hand along with the water and twirled me around

once. Heart racing and a bit off-balanced I bumped into him. His free hand settled on my waist.

     “You’re lucky you’re not dressed as Mrs. Clause,” he whispered.

      His eyes twinkled. My breath caught. “Why’s that?”

      He glanced up. I followed his gaze to the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.

If you would like to learn more about Cherie and buy her books, here are her links:

Website: https://cheriecolyer.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cherie-Colyer-author-250631921629169

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherieColyer

Instagram: www.instagram.com/cherie_colyer/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5288487.Cherie_Colyer

Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cherie-colyer

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~  Goodreads ~ Bookbub  

Buy links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FWZYS9Z 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/merry-little-wishing-spritz-cherie-colyer/1140147083 

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/merry-little-wishing-spritz/id1585526848 

Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/m0BJBV 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59022878-merry-little-wishing-spritz 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/merry-little-wishing-spritz-christmas-cookies-by-cherie-colyer 

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ Universal link

Goodreads ~ Bookbub

Thank you, Cherie, for being my guest on My Writing Corner.  Any comments or questions for her?