Click Here To Read About Sherrie Theriault's Books and/or To Purchase

Today, Erin O’Riordan, contributor to Bookpleasures.com interviews author Sherrie Theriault. Sherrie is a writer and outsider artist who lives in northwest New Jersey where she writes villain-free fiction for children, creates coloring books for all ages, writes daily inspiration books for the recovery community and has other works of collected poetry.

 Erin: 

Sherrie, you've written several books now. When did you write your first book?

Sherrie:

Ten years ago I was reading Stephen King’s book On Writing, at the end of the book he suggests a writing exercise. I took the suggestion; the result was my first novel, Order of Protection. I was 36 years old and thought I couldn’t write because I couldn’t spell. I still can’t spell but 19 books later it is dawning on me that I can write.

Erin:

Which do you find leads you to your best writing, your triumphs, or your tragedies? Do you write from joy or pain?

Sherrie:

I love to write witty, fun things. I love twists in plot and dialogue that make people laugh, but I do write my strongest work from grief. My collection of poems Elissa: Queen of Carthage was written when undisclosed mental illness tore my relationship in two is the most powerful of my writing to date. It is such a direct transfer of emotion, I had someone jump up while I was giving a public reading from that book and he yelled, “Stop, stop, I can’t take anymore!” it was quite dramatic. Still I prefer to write when I am happy, but writing is a tonic when I weep.

Erin: 

Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

Sherrie:

Oh, dare I say this, the voices in my head influence me…I mean the characters in my head; they push me. Also the pull of my audience influences me. I began writing in earnest, when at age 36, I realized I could write stories and read them aloud to my mother, over the phone and they made her smile. What purer delight is there in this world than making someone smile?

 Erin:

Do you read for pleasure? If so, what kind of books do you like to read? How do you choose what you're going to read next?

Sherrie:

I do read for pleasure, I love to read a wide variety of books. My large to-be-read stack consists mainly of books suggested to me by friends. I just finished, The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. I am rereading, The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto and David A. Thayne. I am reading the final draft of, Don’t Risk Your Recovery by Nan D. and Judy K, which I have been promised will be available by the end of this year. I have also just started reading, Crone: A Meditation on Womanhood by Mira Leighton.

Erin: 

What has been the most significant poem (or book of poems) in your life?

Sherrie:

When I was quite young I remember reading, Enoch Arden by Tennyson and thinking, "What a great way to tell a story." Poetry carries the meat and the bones of the tale inward, very much the same way that music does. It was a salient moment for me; I think I was all of seven or eight.

Erin: 

What project are you currently working on?

Sherrie:

I am writing two novels right now. One is an as yet untitled novel, about older adults finding love in a physical therapy rehab, after suffering tragic loss at the hands of drunk drivers. The other book is the second in the Hollands’ Adventure series, which is off world, YA villain-free fiction. I am also completing the illustrations for my new children’s book, What the Birdies Told Me About You, a rhyming picture book I wrote as a fundraiser for St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. I am hoping it will be finished by late October.  

Thank you, Sherrie