Author Interview: Sherry James, Cowboy Romance Author Returns

Today we welcome back Sherry James, the talented author behind the Studs for Hire series. In addition to this funny, sexy series, Sherry is also the author of Cowboy Fling, and her short story “Eight Seconds” appears in the Flavors of Ecstasy, Volume 3 anthology from Ellora’s Cave. We’re going to talk to Sherry about her cowboy books, her love of horses, and the writing projects she’s working on now.

Welcome back, Sherry! It’s wonderful to have you with us again. How about giving our readers a little refresher on who you are and what you write?

It’s great to be back! Thanks for having me. Right now I write romance novels for two publishers, Black Velvet Seductions and Ellora’s Cave. To date I have four books published and will, hopefully, have many more to come! I’m married, have two kids, and muck stalls for my other kids (horses!) on a daily basis. I’m a true country girl and can’t imagine, (well yes I can imagine, but wouldn’t want to) living any other kind of life.



I had such a great time reading your Studs for Hire books and can’t wait to read Cowboy Fling and “Eight Seconds”. What are the challenges of writing for slightly different markets and how do you overcome them?*

Thanks, Cheryl! I appreciate your kind comments! Well, writing for two different markets can be a bit of a challenge, but once you (as a writer) understand what makes them different, it can be fun and refreshing to write for more than one avenue. For Ellora’s Cave my books need to be much hotter and more explicit in not only descriptions, but language as well. For Black Velvet Seductions I’m free to tone down the heat quite a bit. My BVS books are still very sensual, but they aren’t as explicit, and they are humorous. Usually, by the time I’m done with one type of book, I’m ready for something a little different. That’s what makes writing for more than one publisher really nice. Helps in the cash flow department, too!

How has your love for horses inspired your work?

I grew up on the back of a horse, barrel raced and showed, so writing about horses and cowboys is a natural fit. In my younger days, when I didn’t have all the responsibilities of life ;-), I used to hop on my horse and ride all the back roads near my family’s farm. It was great. I’d be gone for hours and I’d use that time to connect with my horse and the surrounding countryside. There’s nothing quite like watching a breathtaking sunset from the back of a good horse! But during those long rides I also made up a lot of stories in my head. I’ve always been a romantic so, naturally those stories featured handsome cowboys and fast horses. At that point I had no clue I’d one day be a writer, but it sure was great training ground for my imagination.

Tell us about Cowboy Fling.

Cowboy Fling is a fun story about twin sisters, Paige and Dorie Holister, who make a bet that if they aren’t both married by their thirtieth birthday, they’ll each set out to experience three of their wildest sexual fantasies in 72 hours. Cowboy Fling is Paige’s story. To fulfill her fantasies, she heads to Wyoming and accidentally lands in the middle of a fight between two cowboys. After the dust settles, she puts her nursing skills to work by patching up handsome cowboy Lane Hart. Paige quickly discovers Lane is the answer to her betting woes and forces herself to step out of her comfort zone by propositioning him. Lane is happy to oblige and the two set out for a weekend of making Paige’s fantasies, and a few of Lane’s, too, come true. But when those 72 hours are up, can they both walk away like they said they would?



What was the most fun part of writing this one?

For me, the fun part about writing any book is creating the sexual tension between my hero and heroine. When I talk about sexual tension, I’m not talking about the sex. I’m talking about the G-rated stuff that leads to the sizzling stuff. Sexual tension is the awareness the characters develop for each other—-noticing the little things, the anticipation, the excitement of the first kiss, the whole falling in love process. As for other fun stuff specific to Cowboy Fling, that was coming up with each sister’s three sexual fantasies. It was also fun to use Cheyenne Frontier Days as a backdrop. And, writing about sexy cowboys is always fun! Have I mentioned I love cowboys?

Cowboy Fling is only available in electronic format. Has that hampered sales any?

No siree! I’ve been very pleased with the sales of Cowboy Fling. I kind of think of that book as the Energizer Bunny. It just keeps selling, and selling, and selling! E-books have been around for quite a few years now, but it hasn’t been until the last five to seven years that they’ve really started to garner a large audience. Ellora’s Cave, I think, deserves a lot of credit for really cracking open the e-market. They were trailblazers in my opinion.

And the advancement of technology in recent years has been amazing. Now that there are some really great electronic reading devices out on the market, like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony e-reader for examples, digital book sales are growing even more, and in my opinion, are going to continue to grow. We definitely live in a technological age. And because of digital, the face of publishing is seeing some major changes right now. It’s an interesting and exciting time.

Let’s move on to the Flavors of Ecstasy, Volume 3 anthology from Ellora’s Cave that features your short story, “Eight Seconds”. What is this story about?

Well, Taylor Westfall is a cowgirl who runs the family ranch. She also happens to moonlight as an erotic romance writer to help keep the ranch in the black. But with no man currently in her life, she’s in need of some inspiration to help her write on the erotic side of romance. Her answer? Her sexy neighbor and Pro Bull Rider, Devlin McCord! When she hears Devlin is coming home for the holidays after winning another PBR Championship, she schemes a plan to convince him to help her out in that inspiration department. To her surprise, no convincing is needed! And trust me, these two quickly forget about the cold, snowy weather raging outside. I hope readers will forget about the recent frigid temperatures, too, as they read "Eight Seconds".

I have a feeling you drew on some personal experiences for this one. Care to share some of your time as a rodeo queen?

Sure. But first, let me say "Eight Seconds" is smokin’ hot! The “sizzling” stuff that goes on between Taylor and Devlin is based on ideas I get from picking up an occasional copy of COSMO! All for research purposes, of course. ;-) Trust me, I don’t have the kind of love life my characters do, nothing against my sweet hubby, of course, but I’m pretty laid back. But as for the horse/ranch/rodeo knowledge, yes, I definitely draw upon my personal experiences for my books.

And I loved being a rodeo queen. It was so much fun. I got to travel, meet so many great people, quite a few famous ones, too, and of course, represent Pro Rodeo and my state. And getting to hang around all those sexy cowboys wasn’t so bad, either! What a perk! It took a lot of hard work and dedication to win that title, but so worth it. It was an exciting year and one I will never forget.

When I stopped by your blog recently, it mentioned you had several writing projects in this works. Can you tell us about some of them?

About two months ago I finished a historical novella, The Cowboy and the Hellcat, which I’m hoping will sell soon. Yes, I said historical! I love historicals. In fact, when I first discovered the romance genre when I was a junior in high school, I started out reading historicals. It wasn’t until I started seeing cowboys in contemporary romances that I began reading in that direction as well. But the first book I ever wrote was a historical.

As of this interview, I’m working on revisions for another contemporary cowboy romance which I wrote a while back and my editor at Black Velvet Seductions is waiting to see. Lassoed Heart is written more in the voice of my Studs for Hire books since there is a lot of humor in the book. It’s been great to revisit my characters, Rich and Lynda, and experience all over again their quirky travels down the rodeo road.

Once I’m done with Lassoed Heart, I have to get back to work on the sequel to Cowboy Fling. Yes, Virginia, there is a sequel! I can’t leave readers wondering how Paige’s sister, Dorie, fairs on her side of the sexual fantasy bet, now can I? Believe me. Dorie meets her match in stubborn, hunky cowboy Vin Sheridan. Hopefully, with a little luck, Country Fling will be released some time in 2010.

Where can readers purchase copies of your books?

The Studs for Hire series can be purchased directly through the Black Velvet Seductions web site, www.blackvelvetseductions.com, ordered through your local bookstore, or if you’re an Amazon shopper they are available there in both print and Kindle editions. Cowboy Fling & the Flavors of Ecstasy Vol. III anthology can be purchased through Ellora’s Cave at www.jasmine-jade.com, and Cowboy Fling is now also available at Amazon in a Kindle edition. I’m hoping that you’ll be able to find my EC books at some other online sources as well very soon.

Where can readers find you online if they would like to find out more about you and your work?

There’s my web site, www.sherryjames.com. Stop by often because I like to host contests throughout the year. I also try to blog on a regular basis at www.sherryjamesromanceauthor.blogspot.com, and of course, you can find me almost daily on Facebook.

Is there anything you would like to add?

I’d like to let my readers know how much I appreciate them. I know that they are investing not only their time, but often their money, when they select one of my books. I hope that the stories I create live up to their expectations and make them laugh, sigh, or drool, and leave them with the feeling that they’d like to visit my characters again!

Thanks for dropping in today, Sherry. We wish you continued success and we hope to see you again soon.

Thanks so much for having me, Cheryl Have a great 2010!


* Since this interview was given, I have reviewed both Cowboy Fling and "Eight Seconds". You can find those reviews here and here.

Cowboy Fling by Sherry James -- Book Review

Saddle up and get ready for one hell of a sexy ride in Cowboy Fling by Sherry James.

Paige Holister and her twin sister Dorie made a deal five years ago: if they weren't married by their thirtieth birthday, they would indulge in three of their sexual fantasies. Problem is, Paige is as shy and practical as Dorie is impulsive, and if Paige doesn't own up to her end of the deal it's going to cost her.

Traveling to Wyoming, Paige quickly runs into Lane Hart, a ruggedly handsome cowboy who certainly isn't looking for love. When Paige finally works up the courage to ask Lane to be her fling, he's happy to oblige for three days of no-commitment sex. But exploring Paige's fantasies brings them more than they bargained for.

I was already a fan of Sherry James' work when she asked me to review Cowboy Fling. Having enjoyed her short story, "Eight Seconds", which is also a cowboy romance, I was eager to read this one.

James has always been a strong character writer, so it is no surprise that she developed such sympathetic and sexy characters in this short novel. Conflicted by past hurts and their developing feelings, Paige and Lane struggle to deny what is happening between them. Paige isn't the type of girl to get around, so the fact that she even makes it to Wyoming before chickening out is amazing. And Lane, what can you say about him? He's the rugged cowboy that every woman dreams of falling in love with; sexy, yet vulnerable, he's not ready to open his heart up to another hurt. But fate has other ideas.

The other strength of this novel is the beautiful descriptions of the Wymoning landscape. And I really like this cover, though it does make it look like the cowboy is almost afraid of the unseen woman attached to the boot.

If you're looking for a sensual, romantic read, then look no further than Cowboy Fling by Sherry James. I read it in one night and was ready to read it all over again as soon as I was done.

Title: Cowboy Fling (eBook)
Author: Sherry James
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing
ISBN: 9781419910920
List Price: $10.40
Ellora's Cave Cover Price: $5.20

Erotic Romance Author Sherry James

September is going to start off hot and steamy. Today, award-winning author Sherry James joins us to chat about her erotic romance novel Cowboy Fling from Ellora’s Cave and her contemporary romance series Studs for Hire published by Black Velvet Seductions. The first book in this series, Women on Top is a 2007 Jabbic Winner in the Contemporary Series Category and Studs for Hire: Women in Charge is due out in November.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Sherry. It’s a great pleasure to have you here.

Thanks for having me. I’m thrilled to be here!

Before we talk about your books, let’s find out more about you. Can you tell us about yourself? How long have you been writing? Do you have any mentors or inspirations?

Well, I'm a country girl and very romantic, too. I grew up on the back of a horse and showed horses and barrel raced. I was even a rodeo queen in my younger days! Believe it or not, I’ve actually ridden off into the sunset many, many times. I still live in the country and have four horses. My favorite sports are rodeo, horse racing, and Nebraska football! I'm happily married and have two very energetic kids who keep me hoppin'. I did a lot of writing as a kid, and I've been writing and working toward a writing career for about half of my life—thanks to discovering historical romance novels when I was a junior in high school. I devoured books by authors such as Alexandra Ripley, Jude Deveraux, Laurie McBain, and Patricia Gallagher. They swept me away into amazing worlds that I couldn’t get enough of. And to my delight, I later found more wonderful authors like Judith McNaught, LaVyrle Spencer, Pamela Morsi, and Amanda Quick. These women captivated me so much that I decided I wanted to do some captivating of my own by writing my own books!

So, you’ve spent a good portion of your life riding horses and became a rodeo queen. Care to share what that’s been like and how it has impacted your writing?

It was wonderful! All those hours on the back of a horse gave me plenty of time to think, so I made up romantic stories. It was great plotting practice! As a rodeo queen I had many wonderful opportunities that turned out to be great training ground for my career as an author. I had the privilege of meeting many famous people, dealing with the media, and I found out what it felt like to be in the spotlight a little bit myself.

What’s your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a time of day when you are more productive than others?

My goal is to write consistently five days a week. That’s been a little bit of a challenge, but this fall my oldest started kindergarten so that is helping immensely. I’m getting myself into a new work routine of getting him up and to the bus, then I walk for thirty minutes and then hopefully I can start writing. I still have a three-year-old daughter at home, but working with one child underfoot is so much easier than working with two! I’ve always been a night owl and that’s really my prime muse time for writing, but I’m trying hard to switch myself around to being an early bird. It’s not easy, but hopefully I’ll be successful!

Cowboy Fling brings together a sexy cowboy, a shy nurse, an impulsive bet, and three days of hot fantasy-filled sex in rugged Wyoming? What inspired this story?

Actually, I was looking at a gift catalog a few years ago and I saw this item you could order that was a jar filled with slips of inspirations. The idea is to pull out one slip of paper each day for a dose of inspiration to get you going. My brain got to thinking and I started twisting things a bit. What if instead of an inspiration each one of those little slips of paper revealed a sexual fantasy? From there the story just started to build on itself.

Tell us more about the main characters in this story—cowboy Lane Hart and nurse Paige Holister. Why will readers care about them? Can readers really root for their romance when it’s based upon a planned sexual encounter?

Well, I believe so. And if the reviews I’ve received are any indication, the reviewers are rooting for them. Paige is certainly the fish out of water with this fantasy quest her sister has gotten her into. She is shy, practical, responsible, and doesn’t consider herself sexy at all. I mean the idea of acting on our fantasies is really almost a fantasy in itself. Wouldn’t we all love to be adventurous and embark on our own sexual fantasies at least once in our lives? But because of our family and financial responsibilities we aren’t able to do so.

As for Lane, he’s not only hot and sexy as all get out, but he’s truly a good guy who’s been wronged. I think any woman would love to find a man like him and be the one to heal his heart.

And yes, the sex is hot, but Cowboy Fling is first and foremost a romance. These characters have real conflicts to resolve, and what starts out to be just a fantasy weekend, develops into way more. This story isn’t about just S-E-X.

Though Paige is on a mission, she actually meets Lane by accident during a brawl where Lane and another man are fighting in the parking lot of a rodeo arena. Why did you choose to have them meet that way?

Well, Paige is so unsure of what she’s out to do that I thought I’d take her by surprise and throw her sexy cowboy at her feet. That way, since he’s right there, she doesn’t really have time to talk herself out of asking him to be her cowboy! And of course, when she meets Lane, she knows she’s found her man. But the question is if she can muster up the gumption to go for it.

Let’s move on to your Studs for Hire Series. Where did the idea for this series come from? Is this going to be like a racy Harlequin series where the characters and stories are always different or is it going to be the same characters in each book?

My husband owned a carpentry business for a number of years, and since that’s a field pretty much dominated by men, again, my mind got to working and playing with ideas. What if three women were to own a handyman/construction business where they called the shots and employed sexy, reliable guys to do carpentry/electrical work for mainly a female clientele? Remember the Diet Coke commercial from the 90's where the women were hanging out their office windows as the sexy construction hunk took a Diet Coke break? It was a major hit—he even had his own calendar. So, I thought, what woman wouldn’t want a strappin’ hunk-of-a-man rewiring her outlet! Hey, waiting for a repair guy like that would be worth missing a day of work for.

Right now I definitely have three books planned for the series, possibly a fourth. Each partner—Sydnie, Casey, and Terri, will each have their own stories. They also have reoccurring roles in each book. The heroes will make appearances in the other books as well. Although the books are tied together by common characters, each book definitely stands alone.

In Women on Top, we meet Sydnie Riley, a woman who was fired from her last job and decides to open up her own business with two of her friends—Studs for Hire, whose clients are single women searching for good looking men to help them with household problems. Is this a sexy take off of “Husbands for Hire”? Do these studs do anything more than just fix problems around the house?

No, it’s not a take off. At leastwise not intentionally. And the Studs aren’t supposed to do anything more than take care of handyman work. But tell that to the clients! Two of my heroes, Trevor and Alex, can give you an ear full about clients getting the wrong idea.

In Chapter One, we also meet Trevor Vanden Bosch, who Sydnie holds responsible for her getting fired. And unknown to Sydnie, he has a hidden agenda. What can you tell us about Trevor?

Well, Trevor has been working his butt off to climb the corporate ladder. Over the years he’s come to understand that in order to make that climb he has to do some things that he doesn’t like. And he sure as heck doesn’t like what his boss is forcing him to do now in order to earn a partnership. But Trevor can’t deny that going undercover at Studs gives him the perfect excuse to see Sydnie again. I better stop there. I don’t want to give too much away.

And once again I have to ask, why will readers care about these two people? Will they be able to root for them to be together? Or is Trevor’s hidden agenda going to turn readers off of him completely?

It’s true Trevor has a hidden agenda, okay, maybe two, but one is to make sure he doesn’t do Sydnie wrong again. And two, is to win her heart for good this time. I hope readers see that he genuinely cares for Syd and that he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. He even makes some big sacrifices on her behalf. He’s a true hero to my idea (sigh), and I hope readers will agree with me.

Does anyone ever ask you why you have chosen to write erotic romances? Has anyone ever suggested you write something a little less controversial?

Not so far. Whew! But I write pretty tame. And Cowboy Fling is the only true erotic romance I’ve published so far, and it only carries an S (sensual) rating. My Studs for Hire series isn’t erotic. Hot yes! But not erotic. For me, what makes a romance hot is the sexual tension, the awareness, the hero and heroine have for each other. I love to see that tension build and build until you think they are just going to burst! And that’s the part I really like to write—the awareness. I believe all my books deliver on that account.

There are groups out there who would like to see books like yours taken off the shelves. How do you feel about this? Do you think censorship is necessary in some cases?

I believe we all deserve the right to read what we want to read as long as our actions don’t cause harm to anyone else.

Have you ever been subjected to criticism solely because of the genre you write? If so, how have you handled it? Do you have any advice on how other writers can handle such criticism?

Since I’ve been writing for years, I’ve had people give me a tough time about writing romance in general. Mention romance novels and a lot of people already have the misconception they are all nothing but trash. I calmly reply that romance novels are books about relationships, learning to forgive and grow, and learning to love. My advice to writers who are faced with criticism is to remain calm. Don’t get defensive. Remember you are a professional writer. You need to act professional. Simply ask the person giving you the hard time if they’ve ever read any romance novels. If they say no, then recommend some authors and ask them to give them a try before negatively labeling the genre. If they have read in the genre ask what they’ve read, then again recommend some books based on their likes and dislikes and ask if they’ll give us another try. Books, like any form of entertainment, are subjective.

So, tell us, how can readers order your books?

Cowboy Fling can be ordered at http://www.ellorascave.com/. My Studs for Hire books are available in both paperback and e-format and can be ordered at http://www.blackvelvetseductions.com/, or through most online booksellers, or your favorite local bookstore.

What’s up next for you? Are there any exciting projects fans and fellow writers should know about?

Right now I’m getting ready for the release of my second Studs for Hire book, Woman in Charge. It’s due out in November. I had a blast with this book. Course, it gave me a chance to revisit my inner Elvis! That’ right, if you’re an Elvis fan, you won’t want to miss Woman in Charge.

I’m also writing the sequel to Cowboy Fling. Paige’s sister, Dorie, gets her turn at making her fantasies come true in Country Fling. Then, I’ll start on the third book in the Studs for Hire Series, Woman to the Rescue. I also have a paranormal that is close to being done, which I hope to find a publisher for in the near future, and I have several historicals I’d like to find homes for as well. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Well, one of my main goals as a writer is to bring readers a few hours of just good ol’ fun and entertainment. If I can make them forget their day-to-day worries for a while, and make them laugh, too, then I’ve been successful.

And I love to hear from readers! They can contact me through my website, http://www.sherryjames.com/

Thanks for spending so much time with us today, Sherry. I wish you continued success.

Thanks so much for having me. It’s been great!!