What’s your pen name? Cheryl Denise Bannerman
Tell me about your most recent book you’re writing and the title. I am currently in the process of writing book 4 of my cozy mystery series. The series is called The Anna Romano Mystery Series and it includes Anna’s 7 adorable cats, her tasty Italian recipes, and her witty humor. I’m halfway through and have not titled it yet.
Tell me about a trope you love writing. Since I am a multi-genre author, I actually have several – one for each. For example, Anna Romano is constantly being reminded her biological clock is ticking and asked when she is going to settle down and have kids. Her reply? I have 7 babies already! Ha!
Do you have any SWAG to give away and if so, how can a reader obtain it from you? I don’t, but if you follow me on social media, I am constantly hosting giveaways and sales on all of my books, including audiobook giveaway codes.
If you could be any Disney character for a week which would you choose and why? I would say Jiminy Cricket. He was kind, moral, happy-go-lucky, and was able to lead Pinocchio down the path to his dreams. That’s an awesome job to have! To be able to lead people to what they’ve been wishing for their whole lives.
Do you have a pet who supports your writing? Who is it? No pets…allergies.
Where do you live? Orlando, FL
What’s something you own that others may view as “Strange!” An unhealthy number of scented candles and essential oil diffusers throughout the house.
Tell me the first sentence in your most recent book. “Once upon a time there was a young lady, and yes I can say ‘young’, who lived with her seven cats and was a very successful mystery author.”
What’s the average age of your readers? That’s a tough one because I am a multi-genre author. For example, I have a psychological thriller only for adults, but yet my cozy mystery series can be read by teens and young adults.
What emotion do you hope to capture most in your writing? All of them! I want them to read a scene and connect with it on every level whether it is a good memory or a bad one. For example, in Black Child to Black Woman, the little girl experiences a fight between her parents and overhears that her father is an alcoholic but does not quite know what it means. And, later in her life realized her brother was a drug addict and recalls the day she got the call that he had passed. I want the reader to relate and connect with those moments in time and ‘feel’. The type of emotion doesn’t matter, just as long as they ‘feel’ something.
Write a few sentences about where you are currently sitting so the reader can imagine themselves there. Well, I’ve worked from home for almost 2 decades, so I have a separate room in the house as my office. I’m surrounded by cherrywood bookcases of all sizes, glass top desks, imitation plants and trees, and lots of file cabinets. The walls are plastered with my degrees and certificates, pictures of my daughter, bulletin boards, and white boards. And, of course, my essential oil diffuser and candle sits on a decorative stand in the corner of the room!
Write a 4 line poem here for funzies. Okay, this one is about working from home – a 24/7 job that never ends. I’m always in my office!
My place of solace is a place of chaos
During the week when people love to meet….on zoom
But on the weekend the solace returns
And all my tasks get checked off the list…boom!
Where do you gain your inspiration from? I gain my inspiration from my life’s experiences – good or bad. I appreciate every moment in life and cherish each day as if it were my last. Most of my followers know me very well, and they know that 2 years I had a severe stroke and almost lost my life, my ability to talk, type, write, and more. But through God’s grace I fully recovered and continue to write every day.
What’s your writing goals for 2022? I am putting out book 4 in the cozy mystery series, hopefully by the first of January, and I would love to finally write this Sci Fi book I’ve been dying to get down on paper. I’m also coming out with a Journal to accompany Black Child to Black Woman, which just won the Reader’s Favorite 2021 International Book Award Contest in the Urban Fiction category, and last year won the 2020 Best Books Awards in the category of African American fiction.
Tell me about a book you’d like to advertise and why? I’d like to advertise book 1 in The Anna Romano Mystery Series. In a world full of uncertainty and sadness, I wrote this series to show a lighter side of life and make as many people laugh as possible.
Do you have a “brand” logo and if so, who made it? I do, but I don’t remember who created it many, many years ago. I knew I wanted it to be built a logo around a’ bar code’ and they helped me design the rest.
Social media links: See below
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BannermanBooksdotCom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbannerman01
Web site: https://www.bannermanbooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bannermanbooks18/
Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4805019.Cheryl_Denise_Bannerman
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqDeB40YycX4kFg4_izXcrg/
Amazon Author Central page for Cheryl Bannerman: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003YVCJ74
Cassie Swindon 