Interview with Cheryl Kramarczyk

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Cheryl Kramarczyk, Chicago-based romance author, wife & homeschooler mom, and hospital lab tech. Cheryl outlines her motivation for writing romance, tells us how she got into self-publishing, and shares what it’s like to navigate the draft-to-published process.

Cheryl, what motivated you to begin writing romance stories? How did the happy ending become the go-to choice for all your stories?

Romance was a must from the start. My parents divorced when I was twelve and I longed for a happy ending—for my parents and for my sister and me.

It wasn’t until college when I started Bible study that I found my happily-ever-after in Christ, my true bridegroom, for myself. But even then I still thought it was important to hear someone else say to me, “Cheryl, you are loved and valued.”

This topic came up even more when I married 18 years ago when I struggled with the idea that my husband could love me. He had to remind me often! Since then, I realized being loved and valued is critical for all humans, especially to hear it from those who are closest to them. This idea has obviously sunk into my stories.

What has been the most surprising thing about the writing process for you?

The healing that comes from getting a story into the public. I say this is the most “surprising” thing because I thought my books would be mainly for entertainment for the reader. Not so! There is a sort of transformation that happens when I write for myself, but there is an extra layer when I’m working so hard to get a story good enough for someone else to enjoy.

When a book is set for publication, I can’t ignore those tricky “why does the character want that so badly?” questions and I’m forced to look into my own heart and ask myself why I think such-and-such is so important. Self-discovery is a wonderful thing! Creatives get a front-row experience into this transformation process. If watchers of movies, viewers of art, listeners to music, and readers of stories are caught up in the struggle and ultimate victory, how much more so the person who created it!!!

What are your all-time favourite books? Which contemporary author(s) do you recommend checking out?

Woohoo! Personally, I think authors are awesome because we lift each other up! (And I appreciate you did not limit me to one favorite author. There cannot be only one!)

I enjoy Janine Rosche’s novels (especially “Wildflower Road”), Denise Hunter (my fave is “Mending Places”), and Jennifer Rodewald (“Blue Columbine” is my all-time favorite book!).

Cheryl, you’ve got three books selling on Amazon. What is it like to take a story all the way from draft to published?

It’s like climbing Mount Everest and being like, “Whoa! That wasn’t so bad! Let’s do it again!!!” (Note: I’ve never climbed Mt. Everest. In fact, I’m not even a thrill-seeker! But I can imagine the exhilaration and thrill of reaching the very top, of accomplishing something so great and wanting that sense of high again!)

To bring this back to writing, for about three years I submitted my proposals to agents. Meanwhile, I kept writing (as if I could stop writing) and wrote more manuscripts. And then in 2020, during Covid, I threw together two novellas, “Stay with Me” and “Return to Me.” Since there wasn’t much else to do when everything was shut down, I decided to put in the hard work of putting them on Amazon.

“Hard” is an understatement! It took three days just to format it! But when it was finally up on Amazon, I looked back and realized how much I loved the idea of working with my cover design artist, of choosing keywords to reach my ideal readers. I even loved penning the back cover description because it gave me a new appreciation for the story! I fell in love with marketing and have been gung-ho for self-publishing ever since!

Some authors write in a home-office while others prefer to scrawl in a notebook at their neighbourhood café. What does your writing process look like?

Since I’ve been writing for ten years now, I can honestly say I like to think of myself as a plotter. But I don’t have time. I’m also a wife, mom, homeschooler, and work every weekend, so I only have about twenty minutes at a given writing session and even that is interrupted. If I don’t know where the book is going, nothing is going to get written!

I typically start with a very scant outline (basically the outline is five bullet points: a first scene, three disasters, and a resolution). This outline is a scribble on a scrap of paper. Everything else is on the computer—simply because I’ll never get a chance to transcribe. Also, I’ve noticed that if I don’t get the story from my head to the page in a few months, I’ll lose the story. It’s a natural deadline.

As for the where and how, I’m at the dining room table while my kiddo is doing math across from me and the second one is watching a Thomas the Tank Engine movie. I have to say this: I’ve tried to stuff myself into a home-office with silencer headphones. I’ve tried the café. But I think the constant interruptions at home is a real blessing! It’s the “Mom, I need help finding the red lego piece!” that helps me to find a stopping point and finish scenes!

How long does it take to go from story concept to finished manuscript? Any tips to share with budding writers looking to publish a book?

Ah, the finished manuscript. I can type up a full story in less than three months, but, for me, editing is a beast and seems to take forever. I think it’s mostly because I can’t see the progress. There is no word count for “number of words deleted and rewritten.” This is why I have ten full novel-length manuscripts typed up and sitting idle in a folder on my computer and have only published novellas so far!

But I do have tips for authors to get from story idea to the form that another soul can read and enjoy:

#1) Join writing contests! NYCMidnight is my favorite. Turns out I can churn out a 1,000-word story with a beginning and end in less than 24 hours—including polishing! I tend to ramble and add too many heavy subplots, so the limitations help me see what needs to be included (characterization, witty dialogue) and what I can let go of (backstory of the dad dying, for instance). I bring all these lessons back to the novel I’m currently writing. NYCMidnight costs money to join, but I think great contests do. Plus, NYCMidnight gives honest feedback, which also strengthens my writing.

#2) Connect with a writing buddy. Even someone you can message and say, “hey, I’m not in the mood for writing today” makes a huge difference. Writers are a strange species. We live with voices in our head. Our lives revolve around plotlines. And that’s not normal! You need someone else who thinks like you do, who can say, “I get you. And, you know what? You’re awesome!” Just letting the bad air out to someone who understands can give you enough strength to get back in the chair and type another word. And then another. This goes for the very strange accomplishments we have that no one else can understand: “I deleted 3,000 words today! WOOHOO!”

#3) Fall in love with marketing. Even if you’ll be landing an agent (good for you!), you still need to know how to share your story with readers. Grab snippets of publication tips, figure out what makes a cover design pop, learn how to write a stellar back cover description. The more you absorb, the sharper your writing will be—and you’ll be more motivated to finish that book to get into your readers’ hands!

What’s your go-to activity to help the words flow when a writing project seems stuck?

I have an awesome analogy for this: Jello. You know how gelatin takes four hours in the fridge to make the jiggly stuff we love? Creativity, storytelling, character building needs the same kind of patience.

Sure, you can rush it, but then it’s syrupy sugar and not so yummy. If words don’t come, I don’t force them. I sit back and live life. I force myself to enjoy time with family. (“Force” sounds harsh, but it’s true! Being present is extremely hard. I personally think writers are natural workaholics because so much work happens in their heads!) It might take an hour, sometimes even as long as a week, but then words will return. The story will come together. And then you’ll be so full of ideas you’ll struggle to find time to get them all down!

Said in another way: give yourself permission to stop. Life is full of red lights. Athletes don’t lift iron constantly because it’s the hours in between that make the muscle fibers grow. Our bodies need to shut down and sleep once a day. And, yeah, there are those pesky red lights that make us stop driving periodically and wait our turn! Not cool, but necessary. An artist’s mind also needs a break sometimes. A moment to gelatinize, if you will.

Personally, I’ve found that words get jammed up when I’m putting too much pressure on myself. When a deadline is looming or some relationship problem is bothering me, I freeze up. Creativity needs a calm space to flow. If a fun dessert needs a few hours to be ready to enjoy, how much more does your pretty little brain where adventures are spun out and characters are brought to life?!

Cheryl, what can we expect to see from you in the near future? Any new developments?

There is always something in the works! Right now, I’m pushing out a modern-day retelling of the Old Testament Daniel, “Daniel’s Hope,” set to release in September!

Is there anything else you’d like to share or promote?

Yes! For the summer, I’m giving away my debut novella, “Stay with Me”—for free! Readers can pick it up at www.cherylkramarczyk.com/free_novella and meet Tucker and Penelope for themselves!

Here’s the teaser: “Tucker is one interview away from being recognized as leading the most profitable distributor in the Midwest—as long as the lovely daughter of his mentor, Penelope, doesn’t bankrupt his company first. If he refuses her God-honoring appeals, he’ll lose her heart. But is love worth forfeiting his reputation?”

Full disclosure! When you pick up the book, you’ll also opt-in to my weekly newsletter where I share book recommendations and sneak peeks into upcoming releases! Oh, and giveaways. I love to tell readers how they can snatch up a free novel or two! Christmas in July might have come to an end, but new offerings are in the up-and-up!

To everyone out there: may your bookshelves be heavy-laden and your current read be compelling!

One last thing: I love getting feedback from readers! Write to me at cheryl@cherylkramarczyk.com if any of this made sense to you! I’d love to hear it!

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Cover Image: Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com