An Interview with Cheryl Rees-Price

The Write Way Café welcomes author Cheryl Rees-Price, who discusses her latest book, The Silent Quarry, and her interest in cooking up ways to kill off characters.


Tell us a little about your DI Winter Meadows series.
     The DI Winter Meadows series follows Detective Meadows and his partner DC Edris as they solve crimes in the Welsh Valleys. Meadows is not your typical detective, he was born to hippy parents and raised on a commune. He is charismatic, intuitive and always likes to see the best in people. Meadows partner DC Edris is young, attractive and a bit of a lady’s man. He’s full of mischief and is always trying to set up Meadows with a date.
     While parts of the book deals with some of the darker side of human nature there is also humour and a growing love interest as the series progresses.

If The Silent Quarry was made into a movie, who would play your main characters, and why?
     The characters from my book are very lifelike in my imagination. I know what they look like, but it is sometimes difficult to portray them to the reader. I would love to be an artist so I could bring them to life. With this in mind it is very hard to choose an actor that would play the part of the main characters. For most of the characters I would be happy just to see the book on screen. The only character I would be selective about is Winter Meadows. I would possibly go for Santiago Cabrera or Misha Collins. Both have the same dark good looks and it is what I imagine Winter to look like. They would have to put on a good Welsh accent.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?  What’s your best writing advice for others?
     The best writing advice I’ve been given was to watch out for ‘head hopping’ I write in third person P.O.V and it was an easy mistake to slip in another characters thought. Now I tend to become the character and write as if I was sitting on their shoulder.
     My advice would be to always keep good notes on your character descriptions. Before I start writing I create a cast and each member has a profile. This way when I start on the first draft I can refer back to a character’s description so I don’t make a mistake.

What “keepers” are in your home library?
     I have over 400 hundred books in my library. Among them is the whole collection of Roald Dahl books. I read them several times to my daughters when they were young. I love the dark humour and morals in each book.

If you could be a character in any book you’ve read (or written), which character would you be and why?
     I would like to be Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. All the juicy gossip and solving murders while pretending to be an innocent old lady. I guess life would never be dull!

What book do you wish you could have written?
     I would have loved to have written The Lord of The Rings. It would be fantastic to have an imagination like Tolkien. I think it’s awesome to be able to create a fantasy world with such diverse characters. I love Gollum with his duel personality.

We’re adding books to our Café menu.  Would your book be a drink, an appetizer, an entrée or a dessert?  What would you call it?
     I think my book would be a dessert. Something warm and filling, perfect for a dark cold winter’s night. I’d call it Death by Indulgence.

What is your favorite social media?  Why?
     I’m a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to social media but have managed to master Facebook. It’s easy to use and I love keeping up to date with friends and family and looking at their pictures. I have a personal and public profile. I love getting notifications of likes.

Do you have any compulsions you must do for no particular reason?
     I love to clean. My daughters accuse me of being OCD but I find cleaning helps me think and I can’t work in chaos.

Tell us about the book in your closet.
     The book in my closet would be the Twilight series. I love YA books, they are my guilty pleasure. I was hooked on Twilight.


And now for the fun stuff! 

If you were a punctuation mark, what would you be?
     I would be a question mark as I can be a little bit quirky.

If you aren’t a full-time writer, what is your day job?
     My day job is a little boring. I’m a finance director for a project management company. My day involves spreadsheets, budgets and tax returns. I much prefer cooking up ways to kill off characters.

What is your biggest shopping downfall?
     It has to be chocolate. I can’t resist buying a few bars each time I go out. I keep a stock in my study.

Are you a dog/cat/other person?
     I’m a cat person. I share my home with four cats. Two black and white gentlemen who curl up on my lap in the evenings. A ginger Maine coon, who is a large fella but scared of his own shadow and a mad Bengal who is boss cat. She struts around the house voicing her displeasure and knocking paper and pens off my desk while I try to work.

If you had to write with a pen instead of a computer, what type of pen would be your preference?
     I prefer writing with a pen instead of a computer. I find all the red lines on the screen distract me. (I’m not a good typist.) I always write the first drafts of my books on paper then transfer it to computer. My preferred pen is a frixion, great for rubbing out errors.

In 1987 a quiet Welsh village was devastated by a brutal attack on two schoolgirls, Bethan Hopkins and Gwen Collier. Only Gwen survived, with horrific injuries and no memory of the attack. The killer was never caught.

Now, nearly thirty years later, Gwen has gone missing and DI Winter Meadows is assigned to the case. Charismatic and intuitive, he has an uncanny gift for finding the truth. But in this small and close-knit community, the past is never far away, and those who have secrets will go to any lengths to keep them. Tensions run high as old feelings and accusations are stirred. And DI Meadows has to battle his own demons as he uncovers a truth he wished had stayed in the past …

Amazon


Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and cats.  After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
     Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services and sits on the board of a local circus company.
     In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing. The success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening. which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

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Tuesday Special: Cheryl Rees-Price and The Silent Quarry

Cheryl Rees-Price

http://cherylrees-price.co.uk/

The Silent Quarry is the first in the DI Winter Meadows series by Cheryl Rees-Price.

In 1987 a quiet Welsh village was devastated by a brutal attack on two schoolgirls, Bethan Hopkins and Gwen Collier. Only Gwen survived, with horrific injuries and no memory of the attack. The killer was never caught.

Now, nearly thirty years later, Gwen has gone missing and DI Winter Meadows is assigned to the case. Charismatic and intuitive, he has an uncanny gift for finding the truth. But in this small and close-knit community, the past is never far away, and those who have secrets will go to any lengths to keep them. Tensions run high as old feelings and accusations are stirred. And DI Meadows has to battle his own demons as he uncovers a truth he wished had stayed in the past …

Amazon


About Cheryl:  
     Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
     Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services and sits on the board of a local circus company.
     In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

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What Happens When the Past Won't Stay in the Past?

What happens when the past won't stay in the past? The Write Way Café welcomes Cheryl Rees-Price, whose book Echoes explores that problem.

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? Was that first thought related to writing romance?
     Several years ago I wrote a play for the local church. It was a wonderful experience to see the play come to life and witness the reaction from the audience. After that I wrote a few pieces of poetry before gaining the confidence to write a book. I didn’t set out to write a romance novel, I just had an idea for a story with the main theme being mystery and paranormal. The romance element developed as I wrote. It did make Echoes difficult to place with a publishers as it didn’t fit nicely into one genre.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
     When I started writing Echoes I had an idea, started writing and let the plot unfold. I’ve since learned that this is not the best approach, you can easily lose track of the character descriptions and traits and also tie yourself in knots with the time line. Now I create character profiles, timelines and extensive notes for each chapter. Then I start the research, again this is put into a file for easy reference.
     There are many books available for leaning the craft of writing, and you can pick up some good tips but most of it is trial and error until you find what works best for you.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     The idea for the story came from a nightmare which is the same dream Alice experiences in the opening chapter of Echoes.  As the second half of the book is set during World War Two, I had to do extensive research on the subject and pay particular attention to the timeline, as well as researching the mining industry during that period.  The internet is a fantastic tool for research but I also visited museums, talked with older people who had first experience of working down a mine and was fortunate to have a copy of my husband’s grandfather’s memoirs which gave an insight into life during that time.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     I used two locations for the book, the first half of the book is set in New York, the second half a mining village in Wales. This was essential to the plot. The main character had to travel to a different country away from all that is familiar and trust her instincts to find a connection to her past.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about dreams and nightmares, soldiers, and secrets from the past?
     I have learned to have patience and perseverance! It is difficult to get your foot in the door of a publisher. The big houses only accept manuscripts through an agent and the smaller, independent publishers only publish a handful of books a year. The competition is fierce.
     The submission process is long with three months or more for a reply and some publishers don’t accept simultaneous submissions. So it can take years of trying before a manuscript gets accepted. In my case it was nearly seven years! I was on the point of giving up but gave it one more try and luckily Echoes was accepted.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     I hand write my stories so I go through a mountain of note books and pens. I find the process easier, I’m not the best typist and get distracted from all the red lines that appear on the screen from my typing errors. Using a notebook has the advantage of being able to write anywhere. When I transpose my story to computer I generally work at the kitchen table where I can spread out all my notes. Tea and biscuits are close at hand, which is a great but not so good for the waistline!

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     I enjoy a good thriller, one that keeps you up at night. I have to be hooked by the first chapter. There are many books that I have enjoyed over the years. Harlan Coben, Michael Robotham, and Wilbur Smith are among my favorite authors. As a child I read The Hardy Boys and The Famous Five. I loved the mystery. If I had to pick one book that stayed in my memory it would be The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, as a child it magically transported me back in time and to another country.

What are you working on now?
     I am currently working on the second book in a crime series. This is the genre I am most comfortable writing. I enjoy the excitement of creating the storyline and piecing together the plot.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     This is a tricky question as I already hold down a job and fit my writing around my work.  So I guess being a full time writer would be my dream job. I would love to have a cottage by the sea where I could walk on the beach every day as I conjure up plots and characters. Maybe one day!

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     I would say editing gives me the most trouble. The process can be tedious especially when you have gone over the manuscript several times. You begin to question every sentence, re-writing and re-structuring paragraphs only to change them back. I had a great editor for Echoes and learned a lot during the process and was able to apply this knowledge to my next book.


Do you believe in ghosts?
     It started as a nightmare, an unknown soldier, glimpses of a buried past. Then a death and the nightmares turn into hauntings. It’s time for secrets to be told.
     Alice is an ordinary woman, a good career, handsome husband and a comfortable home. But her life is suddenly thrown into turmoil when she begins to experience terrifying nightmares of a young soldier. These dreams set in motion a chain of events that irrevocably change her life.
     As the nightmares intensify and merge with reality Alice begins to sustain physical injury and sees the ghostly figure of the soldier in her waking hours.
     Fearing for her sanity she must find the identity of the soldier and the link that draws them together. Her search takes her from New York to a sleepy village in Wales. Here she meets a cantankerous old man who holds the key to unlocking a seventy year old tragedy which will save Alice from a similar fate.

Available from Amazon

About Cheryl:  
     Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
     Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services and sits on the board of a local circus company.
     In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

Tuesday Special: Cheryl Rees-Price

CHERYL REES-PRICE

www.cherylreesprice.weebly.com/

Do you believe in ghosts?
     It started as a nightmare, an unknown soldier, glimpses of a buried past. Then a death and the nightmares turn into hauntings. It’s time for secrets to be told.
     Alice is an ordinary woman, a good career, handsome husband and a comfortable home. But her life is suddenly thrown into turmoil when she begins to experience terrifying nightmares of a young soldier. These dreams set in motion a chain of events that irrevocably change her life.

     Life was idyllic for Alice Harper, a good career, handsome successful husband and an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But her life is suddenly thrown into turmoil when she begins to experience terrifying nightmares of a young soldier. These dreams set in motion a chain of events that irrevocably change her life forever.
     The nightmares precede the sudden death of Alice’s beloved father and when her husband fails to comfort her she finds solace in the arms of his brother.
     As the nightmares intensify and merge with reality Alice begins to sustain physical injury and sees the ghostly figure of the soldier in her waking hours.
     Fearing for her sanity Alice must find the identity of the soldier and the link that draws them together.  Her search takes her from New York to a sleepy village in Wales. Here she meets a cantankerous old man who holds the key to unlocking a sixty year old tragedy which will save Alice from a similar fate.
Available from Amazon


Chapter 1
     Alice Harper stood shivering in her nightdress, her cold hands rubbing her bare arms doing little to eradicate the chill that ran through her body. Turning around, she scanned her surroundings. She stood in a wide, dimly lit corridor that stretched beyond her line of vision. Large windows blackened by the night sky ran along one side of the corridor. The only light came from the dusty wall lamps that emitted a low buzzing sound as they struggled to illuminate the vast area. She had no recollection of how she came to be standing in this place, barefoot and alone.
     Wrapping her arms protectively around her body, she took tentative steps forward, the dusty grime from the worn floor gathered on the soles of her feet. As she walked, old picture frames housing anonymous portraits glared eerily at her. She averted her eyes from their gazes and quickened her pace. She needed to find a door, some way out. The lights flicked menacingly, and she stopped. Panic coursed through her veins as the light faded and oppressive darkness closed in.
     Alice groped around, the sound of her fear ringing in her ears, as each quivering breath and rapid heartbeat magnified in the silence. Her fingers met with the cold damp wall, and she flinched. She reached out again and, placing her hand against the wall, walked blindly on, using it as a guide.
     Outside, the moon escaped its captive clouds, allowing silver light to seep through the windows, bedecking the floor with patches of light. Alice moved into the moonlight, taking comfort from the pale glow, then hurried to the next window. She continued moving in and out of the light as she willed the moon to lend its light long enough for her to find her way.
     A glimpse of a shadow creeping across the moonlit floor made her freeze. She stayed in the shadows, watching until she could make out the silhouette of a man gliding silently along the corridor, until he faded in the distance.
     This person could help, she thought. She ran toward the figure, her bare feet stinging as they pounded the cold hard floor. As she drew nearer, her legs became unnaturally heavy. She slowed, her chest heaving as she dragged herself forward.
     Closer now, Alice could see that the figure was a tall man dressed in uniform. He took long strides, oblivious of her attempt to reach him. She pushed on, desperate to catch him. The stranger slowed his pace enough to allow her to gain on him. As she reached out to touch him, he stopped. She came to an abrupt halt to avoid crashing into the back of the stranger.
     The soldier stood motionless before her, shoulders straight and back ridged, the seconds slipped away while Alice, so close, couldn’t speak or move her hands to touch him. Her legs shook, threatening to crumple beneath her. He turned and fixed a piercing stare down on her face. She forced herself to look up into the face of the handsome young soldier, who towered over her petite frame. His uniform was buttoned up to the collar and his cap, tilted to one side, revealed a crop of dark hair. Alice saw no malice in his eyes, only sadness. He continued to stare, his expression softening as recognition reflected in his ink-blue eyes.


About Cheryl
     Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats.  After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
 Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services and sits on the board of a local circus company.
     In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.