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Hi Melissa! Thanks for inviting me. I’m always on the hunt for the uncommon things in life. As an author, I thrive on creating adventures in my mythological kingdom for my readers.
I’m born and raised on the beautiful central coast of California. Once upon a former life, I was an engineering secretary, but I wanted to move away from inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.
A voracious reader since my early years, I found my brain crowded with stories and characters of my own. Ultimately, my husband encouraged me to write them all down.
I love to spend time at home. A computer hutch keeps me focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch calls me outside to play in the sun.
Thanks! It sounds like you have an interesting life. Now on to some personal questions.
If you could go back in time to when you were seven years old, what wisdom or advice would you pass on to yourself?
I’d tell myself to choose my friends wisely. The ones who are nice to me, don’t always have my best interest at heart.
For what are you grateful?
I am eternally grateful for the wonderful life God gave me. For the positive people He placed in my life: my loving husband and awesome spawn, crit partners who do more than crit, friends who know when I’m full of BS – and when I’m not, and the gift of creating a unique story.
If a zombie virus took over the world, how many days do you think you could last before you were infected? And what would you do to postpone the inevitable?
If I could barricade myself inside someplace like a Wal-Mart Super Center where I had food, guns, feminine products, ammunition, and other supplies – I’d be set for a few years! To postpone the inevitable, I’d turn-up the outdoor speakers to full blast and only play Justin Bieber music to drive the zombies away.
What television sitcom is most like your family? Why?
I don’t think I’ve watched any Prime Time TV over the past 10 years! Sponge Bob and Punkin Chunkin might be closest shows I’ve seen that depict my family! LOL
What’s your favorite thing to do to relax?
That’d be to go riding—horseback riding that is. Since I started writing with a goal in mind, and helping my husband grow his contracting business, there hasn’t been much time for riding as of late. I miss it. The movement of the horse under me, the pristine scenery of where we ride, and quiet company of my husband and kids help me to find time to decompress.
Let’s find out a little bit about you as an author.
Did you always want to be an author?
I never thought about publication until a few years ago. I wrote short stories for fun and college homework. When I was little and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered, “I want to be rich.” LOL — Wish I were a mouthy teen with all the answers again. I’d know how to accomplish that hefty goal.
What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
As a young reader, Roald Dahl made quite the impression on me. The way he created Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach took me into a wonderful fictional world waiting for discovery.
My other favorites are:
Cherry Adair – Love her suspenseful, HOT T-Flac guys and stories.
Jacquelyn Frank – That woman knows how to create a paranormal world.
J R Ward – Nuff said.
Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
I must have entered The Zone. That sweet spot where all Muse Energy is focused on the written word and when you pull back for breath, fifteen pages are written. Have to have my Zone.
Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
A common item in appearing in my books is shape shifting Centaurs and other mythological creatures. The common theme I strive for is “Love Conquers All.”
In Remedy Maker, several outside sources loom up to discourage the hero, Rhycious, from attaining his goals. In order to reach his objectives, he must learn to forgive, adjust, and learn from his past.
What have you learned the most from being in the writing business?
I learned that while writing the story was hard, it was rewarding when I typed the last word. In opposition, I learned that marketing is time consuming and a never-ending endeavor. Better get used to it — it’s not going away.

Blurb:
Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.
He's the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.
Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.
Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn't push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.
When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.
Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?
Excerpt
She heaved a sigh. Rhycious was a busy man. His fame as the preeminent Remedy Maker of Boronda was unsurpassed by any other healer along the east coast.
And feeling as good as she did now, she could vouch that everything said about him was truth.
What she didn’t believe was her reaction to his kiss. And it wasn’t even a real kiss, more a brush of the lips.
The pads of her fingers touched her lips, recalling the butterfly kiss on her mouth. Summer breezes caressed with more pressure. A tingle spread down to her breasts, causing the buds to tighten.
So why had he acted as though he hadn’t wanted to let go of her? And why did she not want him to?
Patience pushed the thought aside. It wouldn’t get her anywhere. As soon as she could walk and not keel over, she’d split the sheets to search for Serenity again. The Centaur was a nice side trip, but she had to stay the course and find her sister.
Hoof beats thumped on the porch, and then the front door opened and closed. Rhy’s frame filled the doorway, his large body blocking most of the kitchen light. His sweatshirt’s hood covered his head, and with his features concealed in the dark, it was like facing a sexy specter.
He looked delicious, and her skin puckered up like bubble-wrap.
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How did you choose your characters names and location for your story?
The first name to pop in my head was Rhycious. And I already knew he was a Centaur. Finding a complimentary name for my heroine was a finger tap through a baby name website and selecting the right one. I had her character chart completed, so her name came easily when I spotted it.
The location was a bit harder. I wanted to find an area with dense, old-growth forest somewhere in the United States. So I did my research and found a few areas. Then I closed my eyes and picked one. LOL, well, sort of.
Do you have a favorite scene? Why?
My favorite scene is the one where Rhycious brings Patience home after he rescues her from the humans who kidnapped her. He’s coming down from an adrenaline rush, and she needs the most nurturing he’s ever given in his life. His remedy making skills must stretch beyond the herbs he’s used to prescribing, and delve into a part of himself he’s kept locked away.
I think I liked it so much because it allowed me a writer’s freedom to portray what might go on inside the mind of an Alpha male Centaur. He’s shut himself away from others for so long, and now the challenge to heal the one he loves without medicine lies before him.
Let our readers know how they can get a hold of you…
Okay – you asked! :)
My Website : www.sherifredricks.com
Remedy Maker buy link: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Remedy-Maker-ebook/dp/B008S29WT2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344020682&sr=1-2&keywords=remedy+maker
Blogging At : http://sherifredricks.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sheri_Fredricks
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/SheriFredricks
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Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomsheri_fredricks
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sheri-fredricks/26/384/829
Is there anything else that you want to share… feel free!!
If you're looking for a book that will take you away to a mythic world that might exist…
If you love hot guys with insatiable appetites who have a dash of vulnerability…
If you're looking for a sensual read with the power to make you gasp…
This would be the book for you.