Today I welcome one of my label-mates at Urban Christian Books, Sherryle Jackson. Sherryle's preparing for the release of her second novel, The Manual. I asked her stop by and tell us a little about it.
Hi Sherryle. Introduce yourself to my readers.
I'm a wife and mother of two, an educator by profession, but a writer by passion.
Tell us about your latest release The Manual.
The Manual is about former high school sweethearts who must come to a meeting of the minds after eight years to raise their teenage son. Deidre Collins has a chip on her shoulder since the break up. She can’t seem to forgive and forget. Andre Hicks resurfaces with a determination t make up for time lost with his son. Caught in the middle, their son, De Andre Hicks is destined to make the same mistakes his parents have unless they can reconcile their past to secure his future.
Interesting premise and very original. Where did the inspiration come from for this novel?
There were multiple streams of inspiration, recurring thoughts and prevailing truths from the Bible that made its way into the book. No other characters that I have created in the past was more influenced by people
I encountered in my real life than DeAndre and his friends, the Dempsey twins, Rob and Rajah. I am a Middle School teacher. These teens are a mesh of the many teenaged males that I teach. They manage to get themselves into one predicament after another just by immaturity and a sense of immortality.
The title The Manual came from the old notion that all men read from the same manual. In this case the Hicks men have a very distinct trait of nonchalant self-sabotaging behaviors. The question is where does the cycle end?
What’s the spiritual takeaway for this story?
Like a manual explains the basics of a particular operation, The Manual highlights the basics of our faith which is love, forgiveness and sharing Christ with others.
Sherryle, now that you’re multi-published, what would you say is the most rewarding and not so rewarding aspect of this business? The most rewarding part has to be the cycle of the Lord speaking to you as your writing , and then finding your words have touched someone who has read it. The hard part is getting it in the hands of that reader. To be honest that is the hard part.
What keeps you writing when it’s so competitive for writers in this current environment? Belief in my stories keeps me writing. I am always saying something in my books that I believe God laid on my heart. Just like He gives an author like me that message I believe He has readers waiting to hear that message.
What’s been a successful marketing/promotion tool for you?
I found the internet to be so vast and quite an effective marketing tool. Social networking and touring popular literary sites to talk about your book can be equivalent to a traditional bookstore.
Tell us something that Sherryle likes to do when she’s not writing.
I love to read and virtually sit still! I am an observation station and going out to a crowded place to watch the world turn or just people watch is fulfilling to me. My grandmother use to call it piddling. I can’t say I get to do it much, but when I can sit quietly for any period of time I am immediately thankful.
How can readers find out more about you? Readers can find me on the world wide web at my website www.sherrylejackson.com or follow my blog at www.makingthemanual.blogspot.com. I also have a fan page on Facebook (search for Sherryle Kiser Jackson Readers) that will keep you updated on signing and contest as The Manual releases.
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