If you have lived in the Washington, NC, to New Bern, NC area for any length of time, there is a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Sherri Hollister. She has a lovely smile and an intriguing chuckle.
You may have had a child or grandchild who went to school with one of Sherri’s sons or their progeny. If you’ve bought a bottle of liquor at the store she manages, you’ve probably at least seen her or maybe even bought at bottle or two from her.
But, if you are a reader and/or author of books, I’d be surprised if you haven’t run across her. Especially if you read spicy mysteries that may make you blush or start to pant.
Her most recently released book is the 5th in the Harrell Family Chronicles. This one focuses on staggeringly hot Remy who runs the family’s potash factory in Beaufort County, NC. And things are not going as planned.
Plus, his girlfriend is in a pickle that gets more dangerous by the second.
When Sherri is not doing one of the above-mentioned activities, she helps run the Pamlico Writers Group. A good place to get to know more about writing and the writers of the area. The link to Pamlico Writers Group is https://thepamlicowriters.wordpress.com/ or you can contact us through our email pwgcritique.group@gmail.com . They are having a meeting at the China Bay Buffet, 2871 US-17, Chocowinity, NC, on October, 31, 2023. There will be a guest speaker, ME! We’ll have time to talk about writing and this that, in addition to filling your bellies and souls with Chinese food.
Welcome, Sherri. I’m looking forward to seeing you at our event. Please give us links to your books and your website. My website is https://sherrilhollister.com . I’m on Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, X (it used to be Twitter), and TikTok. My books are available at most eBook retailers, with print books available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and Books2Read, I also have audio (AI narrated) available at Google Play and a few at Apple.
Remy’s Dilemma https://books2read.com/u/b5w2Dl
Chrome Pink https://books2read.com/u/mY8nlY
The American’s Are Coming https://books2read.com/u/b6zzRW
Let’s start with what your family is up to. I can’t remember if you have 5 or 8 sons. And how many grandbabies? And probably a few great-grandbabies, right?
Ha, ha, I have six sons and we’re up to 23 grandchildren. No greats as yet since my two oldest grandsons just graduated from high school. Ryan is at Pembrook and Jack is working.
You grew up in the Washington area. And, if I remember correctly, have never lived anywhere else. Did you ever dream of living elsewhere? What do you love the best about your neck of the woods?
Actually, I grew up in a small community known as South Creek. It’s about 7 miles outside of Aurora, about an hour from Washington. I was born in Louisiana. We lived in Hampton, Virginia before moving to North Carolina. My parents were both raised in North Carolina. My dad was born and raised in the house next door to where I grew up but both houses are gone now. I’ve lived in Louisiana twice, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, New Mexico two different times, but home is North Carolina.
I loved living in different places and would love to travel but I was so glad when we decided to move to North Carolina when I was 9. North Carolina, especially Aurora and South Creek were where I belonged. It was where my roots were. I love the water and the pines. It’s one of the reasons I write about it.
When did you decide that you would be an author? And how did you get your start? Who helped you improve your writing? And what pushed you in the direction of writing mysteries? I believe at one point you were writing more romance novels.
I started writing when I was about ten years old. Author was just one of the many things I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be an archeologist. I was in eighth grade when my teacher started calling me Agatha Christy. I’d planned to be a romance writer, not a mystery writer, but I guess he knew what he was talking about.
Who helped me improve my writing? The list is long and still growing but let me start with my mentor and good friend, Marni Graff, also known as the mystery author M K Graff. She is the one who pushed me to publish. Jim Keen, Louis Edwards, the late Doris Schneider and Kaylene Wilson, Angela Silverthorne, and the members of the Pamlico Writers Group who encouraged me to self-publish. PWG, the North Carolina Writer’s Read and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers were encouraging and helpful in teaching me the craft and business of writing. Donna Steele, Reese Ryan, Kate Parker and Merry Simmons from my Heart of Carolina group as well as critique partners, Beta readers and good friends who have helped and encouraged and taught me to be a better writer. I know I’m missing several. As I said, the list is long. My best friend Robina pushed me to share my writing instead of hiding it under the bed. My husband who gives me courage and strength and acts as my research partner and cheerleader.
I started out writing historical romances, but then we had several family catastrophes. I was afraid I couldn’t write. I was in a dark place when I started writing again and I needed to purge my soul. Chrome Pink and the Leeward Files series were my way of digging out from under all the rubble. When I started the spin-off series, The Harrell Family Chronicles, it still had suspense but wasn’t as dark. Returning to my love of historicals feels as if I’ve come full circle; the fact that it’s a mystery is probably Marni’s influence. I still want romance in my stories but I like having suspense, mystery, or other action in the stories as well.
In Remy’s Dilemma, you put at least part of the story’s action in a fish camp setting that belongs to Remy’s family. Is it based on such a camp that is your family?
The Harrell Family Campgrounds is part dream and part reality. When my husband and I were a young married couple, our dream was to have our own family campgrounds. Since that never happened, I created one for my characters. The location of the campground is the true location of my hometown (South Creek) but I’ve fictionalized it. The actual land I use in the story was part of my family’s old sawmill. I added the rest to fit my fiction.
How did you come up with the storyline for this book? And how did you make it different from the first four books in the series? How did you weave the connections to make the books come together as continuations?
In The Leeward Files, the original owners of the phosphate plant are killed. It is discovered in The Harrell Family Chronicles that there are other heirs, and their mother is one of them. Each of the stories focuses on one of the relatives. Willow’s Retreat is about Remy’s aunt and uncle and their thirty-year marriage that is on the rocks, and someone threatening their family to gain control of the phosphate plant that was involved in illegal activities under the former owners. Janie’s Secrets is a second-chance romance. Remy broke his teenaged sister Janie and his friend, Mike, apart when he learned Janie was pregnant. His interference kept them apart for ten years and put their daughter in jeopardy. The family has to rescue Janie’s daughter and help reunite the lovers. Roxy’s Betrayal is a dual timeline to Janie’s story, the good sister Janie versus the bad sister Roxy. Roxy falls for former Leeward deputy accused of murder. This forbidden love story combines this unlikely hero with a man in need of a second chance. Trent’s Melody combines my love for reality game shows like The Voice and America’s Got Talent with my obsession with HGTV makeover shows. Trent and Melody get a second chance at their happy ever after when they are pitted against each other in a men’s versus women’s makeover show. Remy’s story takes on cyber attacks and Sothy’s past. As the oldest of seven, Remy believes he has to take care of everyone, but sometimes he needs to let someone take care of him.
I believe that Remy is the last of the Harrell Family stories. Is that correct? So, what’s next?
Remy’s Dilemma finishes the storyline that started with Chrome Pink. I will probably revisit Leeward and the Harrell Family, but they will either be standalones or a new series.
Presently I am working on the sequel to my historical mystery The Americans Are Coming, An Applegate Mystery series, Whose Killing the Dukes of Applegate, and I have an obligation to write three short stories for anthologies for an international romance group I belong to. I also have plans for a women’s softball romantic comedy series, The Dirty Princesses.
Love The Dirty Princesses title. As usual, it’s nice to spend time with you, Sherri. And thanks for being my interviewee.
Thank you for allowing me to talk about myself and my books. I’m used to being on the other side of the microphone. I’m looking forward to Sunday, October 29th at the New Bern Farmers Market and to your talk at the Pamlico Writers Halloween Luncheon.
sarahsbookreflections 