Cheryl Norman

Profile Information:

Hometown:
Drake Springs, Florida
About Me:
I write romantic suspense novels for Medallion Press. I'm also an RV enthusiast who likes to travel the country with my husband and poodle.
I Am A:
Reader, Writer
Website:
http://cherylnorman.com
Books And Authors I Like:
Mary Higgins Clark, Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Bond, Jennifer Cruisie, Jennifer Skully, Elizabeth Sinclair, Vicki Hinze, Dean Koontz, Tony Hillerman, Sue Grafton, Nevada Barr, Dolores J. Wilson, Anne Krist, Anna DeStefano, Sue Swift, Susan R. Sweet, Judith Leigh, Michael Crichton, Kathleen Creighton, Joanne Pence, and Tamar Meyers (to name but a few) :)
Movies And TV Shows I Like:
truTV, Jeopardy!

Comment Wall:

  • Cheryl Norman

    Stop by Mustang Sally's Garage for a peek at my imaginary world.

    Aug 26, 2007

  • Loreth Anne White

    Hi Cheryl :) I'm still finding my way around here!

    Aug 27, 2007

  • Arkansas Cyndi

    Cheryl - My hubby and I are also big time RV'ers. We've spent the last couple of winters in Florida - stayed in our RV at The Great Outdoor Resort in Titusville. We have a 40' Newmar Dutch Star. What do you travel in?

    Oh - And I'm in KOD and saw your post there.

    Aug 28, 2007

  • Arkansas Cyndi

    M-I-L suite - How funny. My parents have been known to follow us in their 38' RV. We've tried to outrun them, but alas, they always fine us! LOL

    We started with a 28' Class C. Our current RV is our third one. Right now, the weather is too crummy to travel anywhere, so we're parked at home with plans to hit the road in January. You travel with a poodle..we travel with a Border Collie, Flat-Coated Retriever and one large Amazon Parrot. Now you see why we needed a larger coach!

    Aug 28, 2007

  • Betty Ann Harris

    Hi! Thanks for the friend invitation. I've met a lot of friendly readers/writers. I see you write romantic suspense. I do also. How do you feel about writing in the first person? Just wondering. Smiles, Betty Ann

    Aug 28, 2007

  • Dave Zeltserman

    Hi Cheryl, thanks for the invite, and best of luck with your new book.

    Aug 28, 2007

  • Lauren Carr

    Hello, Cheryl. Thank you for the invitation.

    Aug 28, 2007

  • Lee Lofland

    If I can help in any way please feel free to call on me.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Rosemary Harris

    Nice to meet you and congrats on the sale of your book! I notice you're an RV enthusiast..I have the fantasy but have never done. Closest I ever came was the garden tour road show i did in my jeep with my computer and my golden retriever. Kept thinking if i'd only had room for more stuff..

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Peg Herring

    Thanks for inviting me, Cheryl. We did the 5th-wheel thing for a couple of years and really enjoyed it, although when funds permit I prefer fancy hotels!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Betty Ann Harris

    This is great! I watch the food network a lot and love to cook, but I'm also somewhat of a health nut. So I will definitely be checking out your newsletter. Thanks!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • L. A. Starks

    Cheryl,
    Hope you do enjoy 13 Days. I'm not in RWA. However, I'm in MWA and in Texas. I'm told I have a "twin" somewhere in California.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • terry bowman

    Killer Nashville is a yearly mystery writer's conference. It was held two weeks ago. For you, I would recommend Sleuthfest, which is the last weekend in February in Ft Lauderdale. Other one's are Bouchercon, Noirfest, Love is Murder... all great conferences.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Kathryn Lilley

    Hi Cheryl, hope you enjoy the book. And congratulations about the sale of your new one! I see your deadline date in your blog--you must be a "fast fryer" writer, lol! I wrote about that in my blog this week. I'm a "slow cooker," myself, but I admire people who can write very fast! My next manuscript is due Nov 1, and I'm on page 222. But I've been writing since March, so that's not very fast!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Rosemary Harris

    Cool. I had a notion to rent an RV for my book tour next year, but my husband thinks I'm insane. Just hate to leave the doggie for such a long time. I second Terry's recommendation for Sleuthfest. i loved it last year and i'm going again.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • carole gill

    Well how do, Cheryl? Thanks for the invite. I like to travel in our caravan--(trailer) with my husband and dogs (not necessarily in that order)...!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Peg Herring

    Thanks, that's good to know. Sometimes it feels like I'm writing to myself (although my sister is a faithful reader, having a REALLY boring job!).

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Kevin Allman

    Thanks for the friend-vite! Good luck with RECLAIM MY LIFE.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Joanna Campbell Slan

    Cheryl, thanks for the invitation. I use a combination 4-ARC and Hero's Journey. However, I reserve the right to modify! Both methods help me stay on target and not wander around. Congrats on your new sale!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Linda Ladd

    Huh uh, Cheryl, I am married to the best man in the world. :D Maybe we should have a run-off!

    Aug 29, 2007

  • JackBludis

    Hm, maybe the first writer/reader on ning to have more female's than males on her favorites list--not that there's anything wrong with that. Women *do* buy most of the books.

    Aug 29, 2007

  • joe miller

    Hi Cheryl,

    I look forward to your friendship. I have been writing for years for my kids, but I am currently working on a romance-suspense novel.
    I talked with a publisher at the HAW conference and they suggested joining the local chapter of the RWA. What do you think?

    Joe

    Aug 29, 2007

  • surfingcheryl

    Congratulations on the sale, Cheryl. Good name for writers--altho yet to see a Cheryl on the best-seller list. (Guess actresses and models have better luck with this name--but luck can change.)

    Aug 29, 2007

  • Jackie Houchin

    Thanks for the invite, Cheryl. Your series sounds a little like that at Dee Henderson. Are you familiar with her books? The 3-act "play" method sounds fine to me for you books. (It must be working if you are doing book two) Do you have sub-plots that weave in among your main plot and under the arc? I basically used an outline method and a series of "what if?s" in my children's stories. There is a rising action, climax and follow up. My character arc tends to be the "lessons learned" for my young protagonists and what they would do different in the future. Do you use "explicit sex" in your books? Being a children's writer, I tend to shy away from writing/reading that...besides, I've read that those type of scenes are the hardest to write believeably. Good luck. You are well on your way!

    Aug 30, 2007

  • Cheryl Norman

    LOVE Dee Henderson. I wish my series measured up to her writing, Jackie!

    Aug 30, 2007

  • JackBludis

    Ah, yes. The writer's journey. Very similar to the screenplay paradigm, except that the writer's journey also tells us about the achitypes. I didn't remember that the writer's journey talked about the three acts, more like the nine points to hit--a little more detailed than the screenplay paradigm, at least more detailed than the one I know.

    Aug 30, 2007

  • James Houston Turner

    Great meeting you here on Crimespace, Cheryl. Kudos & Congrats on your new book sale. Stories like yours...restore our hearts! Keep it up!

    James Houston Turner
    www.jameshoustonturner.com

    Aug 30, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    I signed up with the local chapter and it seems to be very supportive. I am in a critique group ...do you think a one to one critique partner would be better?

    Take Care
    Joe

    Aug 31, 2007

  • James Houston Turner

    G'day again Cheryl - I will pass on your kind words to my son. He is always blessed to hear from wonderful people like you. Pizza on tap, too, my friend, when your book is out and you're touring Australia. Blessings!

    James Houston Turner
    www.jameshoustonturner.com

    Aug 31, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    I'm in a good group now, but it seems to be expanding with long waits between critiques. I looking in my local chapter to join a Atlanta RWA critique group.
    Thanks for the Advice.
    What is the website for the online RWA suspense critque group?
    Joe

    Sep 3, 2007

  • Dennis Leppanen

    Hi Cheryl,

    Your name is familiar, so---as a lifetime journalist, I snoop. I go through Louisville several times a year, well at least twice.

    I met Nevada Barr back in the early nineties, on an island in the middle of Lake Superior called Isle Royal. She was a Park Ranger there writing a novel called Superior Death.

    My, how time flies.

    Best wishes, and continued success.
    Dennis

    Sep 4, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    Thanks for the link.
    I've been thinking the group is to large as well.
    Thanks
    Joe

    Sep 4, 2007

  • Dennis Leppanen

    Hi Cheryl,

    I just hit the wrong comment button.

    Ellroy isn't using the same title. He is writing a novel about Alan Pinkerton, I am just using the agency as a side-bar in my novel. But, as I was researching the Pinkerton Agency, I read that Ellroy was doing much the same.

    Nevada Barr was greener than, then I am know. So, I'm very proud of her.

    Skink---I pegged Jack Nicholson for the job...

    Sep 4, 2007

  • Eric Stone

    Hi Cheryl,

    Thanks. Yep, I suppose any romance that manages to find its way into my books, is sort of perverse - at best. So, perhaps your husband will like them. Then again, I do worry about losing some of my fans from the first book - the second one has a lot less sex and violence.
    Eric

    Sep 4, 2007

  • Tony Berry

    Good to hear from you as a would-be friend. Welcome aboard. Your productivity is enviable, especially to one who is still trying to get his first book published and has nearly finished his second. it seems there are so many more opportunities (and agents and publishers) in the US than here in Australia. Maybe I should try over there. Keep in touch and happy anniversary.

    Sep 4, 2007

  • Craig McDonald

    Thanks very much for the invite, Cheryl and congratulations on the new contract. I hope the writing is going well.

    Sep 4, 2007

  • Krystal Waters

    Thank you Cheryl, I am looking forward to seeing the book in print. The book business is really interesting! Navigating around, finding the buzz words and meeting people, it's all a great experiece. I am glad to be a part of it all. Without books, what would the world come to? lol
    Kristine

    Sep 5, 2007

  • Douglas Quinn

    I notice you have wolves in two of the titles on your music title list. Should I read anything into that? is it all that hair or just the wolfish attitude you like? Did you read the excerpt from Blue Heron Marsh on my Page? Maybe you will add my name to the authors you like. Glad to have you on my Crimespace Friends list.

    Doug
    www.douglasquinn.com

    Sep 5, 2007

  • Elizabeth Zelvin

    Thanks for the comment, Cheryl. I just found out that Death Will Get You Sober is already available for preorder on Amazon, and I'm wildly excited about it. :) Liz

    Sep 7, 2007

  • Roger Newbury

    Hi Cheryl, nice to make your acquaintance! Thank you for making me feel better about myself! Once I've sorted my situation out, and am settled in my new home, I should be able to concentrate on re-working my two main novels, (in other words, update and hopefully improve them to today's standards). Although I think my niche is with my comedy plays, especially with the Sherlock Holmes ones!
    Looking forward to chatting with you soon and often. Take care.

    Sep 7, 2007

  • Cheryl Norman

    Some of you have questioned me about the whereabouts of Drake Springs, Florida. It's an imaginary town in an imaginary county (Foster) where I'm setting a series of books, starting with RECLAIM MY LIFE.

    So there you have it. It's all in my head.

    Sep 10, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    Just stopping by to say hello.
    thanks for the info on KOD. I think it will be helpful.

    Thanks Again
    Joe

    Sep 12, 2007

  • Douglas Quinn

    When you get a chance, check out my Crimespace Blog re the info and pics from my recent book signing event.

    Smiles,
    Douglas Quinn
    www.douglasquinn.com

    Sep 19, 2007

  • Charlotte Williamson

    Cheryl,
    Where is Drake Springs, Florida? I live in the Southwest part of Florida, near Naples. I'm glad to find another RV lover. Ww have a fifth-wheel, and absolutely love to go camping. We did like to go boating, also, but Hurricane Charlie demolished our boat, and the insurance company didn't give us enough money to replace it.
    So you write romantic suspense? How often does your publisher require you to submit a new novel?
    I like Sue Grafton, too. I'm reading: Q is for Quarry.

    Sep 19, 2007

  • Cheryl Norman

    Charlotte,
    Drake Springs is all in my head. **gg** It's an imaginary town in an imaginary county (Foster) where I'm setting a series of books, starting with RECLAIM MY LIFE.

    Sep 27, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    The M&M conference was a lot of fun. I left a blog on my page, but I'm new at this blogging thing...lol.
    I checked out the page for First Coast Writers. I lived in Jax with the USN for about nine years.

    Joe

    Oct 1, 2007

  • joe miller

    Cheryl,
    I plan to come down if my schedule can work out.
    It's always better to meet someone in person.

    Take care
    Joe

    Oct 2, 2007

  • Beth Groundwater

    Hi Cheryl,
    One of my critique partners, Robert Spiller, writes for Medallion Press. Hence my friend request. :)

    Feb 3, 2008

  • JackBludis

    Broad selection of authors: from almost cozy, to almost hardboiled. A good range to be in.

    Apr 30, 2008