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Urban Reviews: Tell us more about your latest book More Than He Can Handle.
Cheris Hodges: As maid-of-honor to a friend who’s gone Bridezilla,
Winfred “Freddie” Barker is dealing with minute-to-minute drama from
her crazy-extravagant wedding. So when the ceremony is over and the
reception starts heating up, Freddie blows off steam with a little
champagne—and a lot of the best man, Cleveland Alexander. It was
definitely going to be just a one-night fling, ‘cause no woman in
her right mind would fall for that man’s arrogant, self-centered
self, no matter how caramel-fine he is.
As a hard-core bachelor, Cleveland Alexander was strictly all about
beddin’ and forgettin’. And the only reason he let Ms. Winfred
Barker call his bluff was to put her stuck-up attitude in check. But
once he sees how complicated and caring she really is, he’ll do
anything to help solve her problems—and convince her that the love
between them is a lifetime of real.
Urban Reviews: Where did the storyline for this novel come from?
Cheris Hodges: Cleveland is a character in my novel The Business of Love, which was
released in 2006. I kept getting e-mails from readers about
Cleveland. They loved him. Me, not so much. Then I decided that
Cleveland, with his cocksure self, needed a woman who could put him
in his place. As I wrote about Cleveland and Freddie, I fell in love
with him just like my readers. When he was put to the test, he
turned out to be a great guy.
Urban Reviews: What made you want to be a romance writer instead of another
genre of writing?
Cheris Hodges: I see a lot of love in my family. My parents have been married for
41 years, my sister has been married for 18 years and my brother has
been married for 20 years. Since I'm a reporter full time, I get see
a lot of bad in the world, so writing about love is the best
way to clear my mind and give myself hope. I'm just thankful people
like to read my books.
Urban Reviews: What was your biggest challenge to overcome in regards to your
novels?
Cheris Hodges: Accepting that you can't please everybody. While I wish the whole
world would read and love my books, I know that is unrealistic.
Urban Reviews: What things are you doing to set yourself and your novels apart
from the rest of the market?
Cheris Hodges: Well, I do whatever it takes to get out there. I go to book stores
in my hometown and talk to the person who doesn't know what book to
buy and tell them about my book. At the end of our conversation, I
tell them, if you buy it, I'll sign it for you. Also, I think all
authors have to get out into the market and meet readers. When
readers connect with the author and the characters, you've made a
friend who will tell all of their friends about you.
Urban Reviews: Who in the book industry has been the most helpful to the
advancement of your career?
Cheris Hodges: There are a number of people from my agent, Sha-Shana Crichton, the
editors over at Kensington and some other authors who showed me the
right and wrong way to do things. One author I really admire is AlTonya Washington. She has readers that she connects to on a
personal level and she's a great person to bounce around ideas with.
Urban Reviews: Do you have any ideas or planned releases for the future? When
can we expect them to be released?
Cheris Hodges: In November 2009, Betting On Love is scheduled to be released. It's another
book about a brother, James Goings from Let's Get It On. This time,
I didn't need one e-mail to know that I was going to write about
him.
Urban Reviews: What word of advice do you have for those thinking about entering
the literary market?
Cheris Hodges: Stay true to yourself. You don't have to try a force your work to
look like everything else on the bookstore shelves. Readers love
books that seem read and they can tell when you're faking it.
Urban Reviews: What kind of setting or ritual do you usually have when writing
your novels?
Cheris Hodges: Sitting on my sofa with a cup of hot coffee at my side and John
Coltrane playing in the background. Before the recession, I'd go to
Starbucks with my Ipod and sit outside, writing and watching people.
Urban Reviews: Is there anything else you would like to share with us about you
or your books?
Cheris Hodges: I'd like to invite everyone to meet me on line at
www.cherishodges.com. You
can join my Yahoo! Bookclub from there and you can find me on
Facebook and
www.myspace.com/cherishodges. Thank you for the chance to talk
to the readers!
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