by Cherry Adair
Weapon of choice: Custom Sig Sauer, has an arsenal of weapons.
Past Missions: Italy, French Guiana, Tahiti, Martinique, Belgium, Laos, Central Africa, Congo Basin
Doubles/Undercover as: School Teacher
Habits/Quirks: Complete gentleman, accused of having no nerves in his body, rarely smiles, ice water runs thru his veins, and never ignores his intuition. Favorite food is Italian and favorite ice cream is vanilla.
Background: Previously spent 11 years in a private army, He’s on point – knows exactly where she’s going. He sees big picture. Been in love with Angel since he was her trainer in boot camp – always knows where she is. Junk food junky. Wears dad’s dog tags.
Character Arc: Make Angel love him.
Character goal: Wants to be loved.
Favorite Quotes: “You make your own luck”.
Current Marital Status: Engaged to Dr. Elizabeth Goodall
Home: Brandon, Montana
T-FLAC status/position: Special Ops Tactical Instructor.
Interview with Sam Pelton
Q: Sam, tell us about who would be your perfect woman?
A: Beth Goodall. She’s perfect. Next question?
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Fantasize about Beth.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: Rock climbing. I like the combination of physical exertion and mental focus it requires…and hanging by your fingertips off a 500 ft. drop to the rock below is an adrenaline rush all its own.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, guess that’s why I returned to one too. I like knowing what’s going on around me.
Q. What got you into T-FLAC?
A: I didn’t come to T-FLAC, they came to me. Picked me out after military service.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A. Country music mostly. I like Trace Adkins—Rough and Ready.
Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: Questions like this.
Q: What is your life motto?
A: You make your own luck.
Dr. Elizabeth Goodall
Main Story: Tropical Heat
Background: Beth and Sam were in the military together. He was her ‘boss’ They had phenomenal sex once, but she wanted to get her MD and leave the military to open a small, private practice somewhere. At the time he couldn’t imagine doing anything else, but he saved his money and bought a small ranch in Montana, got to be friends with some guys nearby (T-FLAC). Will join them. This is her last military job.
Personality: Afraid of birds, She’s stuck in minutia, Health nut, Always prepared. Carries everything in her back pack. Purely, nuts, dried fruit. Electrical tape. Safety pins, medical stuff. Mother didn’t achieve her goals because of raising the girls (Kess and Beth).
Character arc: Learn she can have medical practice and love Sam
Character goal: Get out of military and start her own practice.
Storyboard Images
About Cherry Adair
Always an adventurer in life as well as writing, New York Times best-selling author Cherry Adair moved halfway across the globe from Cape Town, South Africa to the United States in her early years to become an interior designer. She started what eventually became a thriving interior design business. “I loved being a designer because it was varied and creative, and I enjoyed working with the public.” A voracious reader when she was able to carve out the time, Cherry found her brain crowded with characters and stories of her own. “Eventually,” she says, “the stories demanded to be told.” Now a resident of the Pacific Northwest she shares the award- winning adventures of her fictional T-FLAC counter terrorism operatives with her readers.When asked why she chooses to write romantic action adventure, she says, “Who says you can’t have adventure and a great love life? Of course if you’re talking about an adventurous love life, that’s another thing altogether. I write romantic suspense coupled with heart-pounding adventure because I like to entertain, and nothing keeps readers happier than a rollercoaster read, followed by a happy ending.”
Popular on the workshop circuit, Cherry gives lively classes on writing and the writing life. Pulling no punches when asked how to become a published writer, Cherry insists, “Sit your butt in the chair and write. There’s no magic to it. Writing is hard work. It isn’t for sissies or whiners.”
Cherry loves to spend time at home. A corner desk keeps her focused on writing, but the windows behind her, with a panoramic view of the front gardens, are always calling her to come outside and play. Her office has nine-foot ceilings, a fireplace, a television and built-in bookcases that house approximately 3,500 books.
“What can I say? My keeper shelf has been breeding in the middle of the night, rather like drycleaners’ wire clothes hangers.”
Interviews
Questions with New York Times & USA Today’s
Bestselling Author
Cherry Adair
1. What is the best part of being a writer? What is the worst?
Best- The people I create can’t tell me “No!” lol I love writing the second (3rd, 4th, 5th lol) draft. For me, writing the first draft is like building a house half a brick at a time with one arm tied behind my back and a blindfold on! Slow and painful. Unfortunately at this stage of the process I have the attention span of a water newt, and can’t seem to sit still for more than 15 agonizing minutes at a time. But once the walls are up, I’m filled with gusto, and then I’m obsessive about getting all the finish work done. Once a decorator, always a decorator.
I love the process of polishing and rewriting. I love the minutia of the last tweak, that last spit polish before sending it off to my editor. I even love revisions from my editor, because that gives me yet another shot at making the book shine.
Worst- That first draft. Erk! Not my fav. And having to be disciplined. It’s hard on an Aries to plant her behind in that chair. I love to write, but sometimes the process of sitting down to write is painful.
2. Why do you write? I can’t. . .not. If I didn’t get it all down on paper the voices in my head would mean I was crazy instead of creative.
3. Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research. Snakes have two penises. (peni?) Not something that comes up in the normal course of conversation that often. (book: BLACK MAGIC)
4. Do you have a favorite motto? Two. I love Mark Twain’s: My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water. And Gary Player’s: -The harder you work, the luckier you get.
5. Do you have a favorite fictional hero? Favorite fictional heroine? I’m pretty fickle. Whichever character I’m wring at the time is always my favorite. I must admit though that I do have a soft spot for Marc Savin (The Mercenary) because he was my first hero. We always remember our first. But currently I’m mad about Zane Cutter in UNDERTOW. He was so much fun to write because he’s sexy, charismatic, gregarious and an extravert, and unapologetically flirtatious.
As for a heroine, I adored Teal Williams. She was such a great foil for Zane, I’ve never written a heroine who is shy before. It was fascinating to get into her skin and see how she ticked.
6. Which fictional character would you hang out with? Any of my heroes.
7. What is one of your favorite book covers, your own or someone else’s? I love the cover of UNDERTOW - Him- the watery colors- him- the shiny band with the title-him-the crashing waves- oh, yes, him.
8. What would readers be surprised to learn about you? I’m pretty much an open book, so probably not much. I used to be an Interior Designer, I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa. I love to read, enjoy playing in my garden (preferable after someone else has do
ne the sweaty work) and can’t not write every day. Spare time? What spare time?!
9. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name? I’m a stripper. A fruit. A rude connotation A blossom. And a bomb. lol
10. If you could go backward or forward in time which would you chose? Why?
Back, because I’d know what was coming next.
11. Which do you find is most important to you as a writer, voice or story? Why? Hmm. Both. But if I had to chose one - voice. Even if a story is well written, if the voice is dull and draggy, the book will be a snooze.
12. I know this is a difficult question with there being so many amazing authors out there to choose from but who are some of the GOT-TO-HAVE authors in your TBR pile?
I used to read a book a day. Now I’m lucky if I have time to finish a book in a month! That’s the downside of doing what I do. I love being an author, but it’s left me no time to enjoy one of my greatest pleasures. Some of my fav authors in no particular order - Ann Stuart, Maggie Osborne, Linda Howard. . .and dozens of others.
13. Cherry Adair - Libraries, Love, and Happily Ever After
I grew up in a suburb of Cape Town (South Africa) with a wonderful library. The building was over a hundred years old, two stories, with a sweeping mahogany staircase leading up to the second floor. No one under 13 was allowed up those stairs. No exceptions.
In the Children’s Library I read my way through every book, short story, piece of loose paper, envelope, or shopping list used as bookmarks, I was ready to go upstairs. MORE than ready!
On my thirteenth birthday the best present from my mother was a brand new library card. I burst into tears, I was so happy. That year, my birthday fell on a Sunday. Talk about bad timing! Worse, the library was closed on Monday’s. I had ants in my pants, and a list as long as my arm of the books I would check out the second I walked through those double, mahogany doors on the second floor. But I had to wait 48 long, anticipatory, hours.
On Tuesday morning, my parents (yes, my father actually took the morning off work for this momentous occasion, and they allowed me to go to school late because, for goodness sake! I could not possibly have waited until 3:30!) and I waited in the car outside for the doors to open at nine. I had, of course, been wide awake and bushytailed since 5 A.M.
When the heavy, carved door opened, the three of us were standing there in the pouring rain. I didn’t care. I would have dashed through the first crack as the door was unlocked and pulled open. OMG! It opened so sloooowly!
My heart started pounding so hard, I gripped my Mom’s hand in case I fainted before I got upstairs. I have never in my life been that excited, and filled with quite that much anticipation as that day. (Not even on my Honeymoon – but that’s another story.)
With my parents on either side of me, I stood at the base of those sweeping, mahogany stairs, frozen in my tracks, savoring the moment. I’d waited so long for this I could hardly breathe. The treads were worn from over a hundred years of feet going up and down them. The swooping gracefully curved banister was satiny smooth (I knew, because I’d been stroking the bottom curve of it for years as I looked up longingly) from thousands of hands (and probably bottoms) sliding down it.
My father crooked his elbow in a sweetly gallant gesture which I’ve never forgotten. I slipped my hand around his arm, and together, the three of us ascended.
My memory has a choir of angels singing on the top landing, and white doves swooping overhead, but I’m pretty sure the Rondebosch Public Library would have frowned on singing and bird poop, so it probably didn’t happen that way.
When we reached the top of the stairs, taken in complete and reverent silence, my father reached over and pushed opened the double doors.
The smell hit me first. Paper. Leather. Dust. Books. Adventure. Romance. I had to just stand there and take it in. THEN I gave my Librarian The List.
Number One: Gone With The Wind. Ahhhhh Bliss. Loved and hated Scarlett, and started writing the moment I closed that book. I rewrote the end many, many times(It was only years, and maturity, later that I knew the ending was absolutely perfect.)
I’ve been a romance writer ever since. It’s the best job in the world and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
14. Are there discussion guides available for your books? Also, do you participate in author phone chats? And if so, how would my readers go about scheduling one?
Cherry: Yes, each book has a discussion guide available. Me, talk? Of course! (see above re: moderation)! I love talking with readers. The best way for you to get the discussion guides or arrange phone chats, or workshops is to contact me at [email protected]
15. You have so many awesome books outs currently. How many have you published and when did you start your writing career?
A: I’ve published- hang on I have to count them. . . .33 I started writing long before I published. I wrote (and shredded) 17 books before The Mercenary came out in 1993
16. Since you live in the Northwest, where do you get your inspiration? Do you travel to the places in your books?
A: I have traveled to many of the exotic locals in my books, but not all of them. I don’t like creepy-crawlies or not being anywhere near a shower or a flushing toilet! (and observant readers will notice that my heroines don’t like the same things)
17. What other type of research do you do in order to start a book? Esp with the Black ops elements in your T-FLAC series?
A: I do extensive research - it’s one of the most time consuming, and fun, aspects of writing for me. I’m lucky enough to have fans and friends in interesting places who fill me in on some of the local color first hand. When I’m doing research I try to find an expert in that field who is usually happy to answer all my question. Over the years I’ve made a lot of fascinating contacts because of my writing. (and a few very scary people, too!) I know several black ops guys who are incredibly monosyllabic in their answers, and it’s like pulling hens teeth to get any kind of direct information out them. But once they got what I was writing, and that not only didn’t I need to know troop movement in Iraq (or wherever, I really didn’t want to know classified Intel) they were great at giving me other interesting factoids to make my operatives fun and interesting.
I met an interesting Ph.D nuclear physicist who helped me with info in The Bodyguard. A Venezuelan “business man” who loves my books, and has offered to help me with whatever I need (Let’s leave it at that. Lol) Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, Fabien Cousteau (who is as yummy and delish as one of my heroes!) has helped with research for several of my books over the years. And I found a fascinating treasure hunter named Dr. Lubos Kordac who is helping me with details on salvaging for the Cutter Cay books. Over the course of 30 plus books I’ve collected a fascinating little black book filled with incredible and invaluable contacts. If I told you where I hide it I’d have to have one of my heroes (talk!!??) to you.
18. Is the T-FLAC series done now or will you continue those at some point?
A: I love my T-FLAC operatives, and yes, I will write them as long as readers love them as much as I do. My latest T-FLAC book is ICE COLD, and I’m working very hard (OK obsessively!) on the two new trilogies which are not T-FLAC. (Although readers might see a familiar operative pop up where they least expect them.)
19. Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? Who gave you the most trouble?
A: I’m pretty fickle. Whichever character I’m wring at the time is always my favorite. I must admit though that I do have a soft spot for Marc Savin (The Mercenary) because he was my first hero. We always remember our first.
20. Who do you read? Favorite authors? Are you reading anything now?
A: I used to read a book a day. Now I’m lucky if I have time to finish a book in a month! That’s the downside of doing what I do. I love b
eing an author, but it’s left me no time to enjoy one of my greatest pleasures. Some of my fave authors in no particular order - Ann Stuart, Maggie Osbourn, Linda Howard. . . and dozens of others.
21. I know you like to take walks, what else do you do in your spare time?
A: I don’t like to take walks!
22. Hollywood is calling!!! Who is playing the main characters in any one of your books?
A: The yummy and delicious Alex O’Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0) is my new TV crush. I’d pick him to play the role of Zane Cutter. (Book: UNDERTOW) (I’d pick him to play…with me.)
Cherry, please tell us where we can find you out in cyber world. For desperate readers like me, we just have to know…
I have lots of fun with readers on my Facebook page, http://tiny.cc/l1iva, and Twitter pages http://twitter.com/CherryAdair, and I love hearing from readers through my web site www.cherryadair.com (where you can see pictures of ALL my heroes, read excerpts from my books, and find my complete booklist.)
And if any readers would like a bookmark and/or personalized signed bookplate, they can send a SASE to Cherry Adair Free Stuff, P. O. Box 8591, Covington, Wa 98042.
Behind the Writing
My Initial Jungle Novel Notes, Concept and Library Research
Title ideas: SURGICAL STRIKE, JUNGLE HEAT, JUNGLE FEVER, TROPICAL HEAT
Bad guys: THE HURENI, Country Huren, Africa
Sam and Angel were in the military together. He was her ‘boss’ They had phenomenal sex once, but she wanted to get her MD and leave the military to open a small, private practice somewhere. At the time he couldn’t imagine doing anything else, but he saved his money and bought a small ranch in Montana, got to be friends with some guys nearby (T-FLAC). Will join them. This is her last military job.
