Giveaway Interview REBEL by CHERYL BROOKS @CherylCatMaster @SourcebooksCasa

1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

I can’t remember a specific title, but I’m sure it involved horses. Horse stories were pretty much all I read as a kid, and I tend to include those wonderful animals in my own writing. Every horse that has ever lived in my barn has been a character in one of my books, and so have many of my cats and dogs. Rebel, my current release, is dedicated to Kira, a Shire/Thoroughbred mare who was the foundation of my horse breeding program. She died in 2010, and would’ve turned twenty last month. She was big and beautiful and definitely the alpha mare of my small herd. I miss her every single day.

2. What are you reading right now?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for about the tenth time. I don’t read nearly as much as I did before I started writing. Back then, I read regency and contemporary romances by the ton. Nowadays, most of my reading involves critiquing the manuscripts of my writer friends. Because of that, I find it very difficult to stifle my internal editor while reading romance novels. The Potter books are different enough that I can enjoy them without mentally rewriting them. Also, since most of my reading is done at bedtime, I find that I can read about Harry, Ron, and Hermione and relax enough to fall asleep. I know that sounds like I’m saying the books are boring. I’m not. It’s more a matter of reading something that never gets old but at the same time doesn’t keep me guessing because I already know what’s coming next.

3. How does your garden grow?

After several years with extremely wet springs followed by hot, dry summers, we’re finally getting some normal weather here in Indiana. As a result, my garden is in better shape now than it’s been in ages. The hard part has been controlling the weeds and keeping the deer and rabbits from eating everything. My dog, Peaches, chases the deer when she feels like it. The rest of the time she seems content to let them chow down on my roses and lilies—although she does catch the occasional rabbit. J

In one of my early books (Warrior), an associate editor rewrote a section about how the heroine, Tisana, who lived in a cabin in the woods and could communicate telepathically with animals, felt about the rabbits living nearby. In the original version, Tisana could hear the little critters snickering while devouring the vegetables she had specifically asked them not to eat. The edited version made it seem as though rabbits were every farmer’s friend. Clearly, that editor had never planted a garden near the woods!

4. What is the last thing you Googled?

How to spell tossup, as in whether it was one word or two. Apparently the noun form is one word and the verb form is two words. As a writer, I learn something new every day. Isn’t that exciting? J

5. What makes you cringe?

Unnecessary violence and gore in movies and television programs. I saw enough of the real thing during my years as a critical care nurse. I don’t want it invading my leisure time. Romance is so much more fun, and I sincerely hope the intelligent romantic comedy makes a comeback.