Q & A with author Cheryl Elaine

Welcoming the lovely Cheryl Elaine to So Many Books, So Little Time. She has kindly taken some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for us.





Talking about book “No Ordinary Girl” Ooft what a debut, was this really your first book?

Absolutely! Although, I have many dark and grisly tales stored on my laptop from years ago, but was too shy to put myself out there.


For me I got Hostel meets Saw and that was just scrapping the surface, did you feel that vibe yourself or did it shock you when people got that from it?

I love a good horror film and was over the moon that No Ordinary Girl was compared to such classics, so yes it was a total shocker! I guess when I’m writing my focus is on the horror which resulted in the crime. (There’s no crime without the monstrosity and horror of mankind).


What made you write this book?

It’s a long story ha-ha, but in a nutshell Aimee’s abduction was sparked from my eldest daughter travelling to an eastern European country (her boyfriend’s home country) and the nightmares I endured after learning that I had to sign legal documents to safeguard her from being trafficked. Scary but true, she has since dumped the boyfriend so panic over.


It is horrific in the level of brutality what made you go down that road?

Probably because it’s the type of book I like to read, I’m not fluffy lol. Plus I hate it when a book is crammed with filler, so my intention was to keep the story as raw as possible and action filled, so the reader wouldn’t want to put it down.


What did you do for research as it came across quite authentic in the voices of your characters?

Google is a great source, also working in mental health services for some time, plus the voices in my head, ha-ha.


You know some folk are going to get ruffled because it has such dark, abusive themes, how do you cope with that?

At first it did give me some sleepless nights, but now I’ve learnt to take it on the chin (although I may have to hunt these people down ha-ha). My writing style is more about the victims and the mind and reasoning of the killer not the police procedure, so to capture what the victim endured the brutality was my focus and this was also my reasoning to use a graphic reader advisory warning to alert readers on the content.


You have another book “Dragged to the Depths” that could not be further from this genre, how do you manage writing such different genres?

I actually wrote Dragged to the Depths under a Cherry Laine edition for my disabled and younger daughters, they really wanted to read No Ordinary Girl and you can imagine my face (no way, your too young was my reply). They read YA books and love Harry potter and PC cast novels, which is also a guilty pleasure of mine, so I decided to write a YA novel with the mindset that my daughters could read my work and be part of my Author journey but still wanted a dark element, hence an apocalyptic love story filled with mythical creatures.


What did you prefer writing?

I now have a taste for both Crime and Fantasy, but if I had to chose just one, I would stick with crime as that’s when I feel that I can really let go, as you’re aware I don’t hold back on the detail.


Will we see any more from the characters we have met in your two books?

Yes, I’m currently at tweaking stages for my next crime novel, so you will be seeing more of Aimee and Detective Johnson in the future, although I’ve written another which is a crime standalone which will hopefully be coming out at the end of the year. With the fantasy range I have already started a draft but will contain a whole new subject and characters.


What is next for Cheryl Elaine?

To get my next crime novel- Stitched complete by the end of the year, but more importantly to try and master the art of social media, plus upgrade my naff tech skills lol.


Where can fans get in touch?

https://www.cherylelaine.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/CherylElaine15/
https://twitter.com/CherylElaine15
https://www.instagram.com/cherylelaine15/
http://amzn.to/2sjxG2k
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragged-Depths-Cherry-Laine-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B07DL8MF17



Up for grabs is an Amazon voucher to buy one of Cheryl's books (ebook format) either Dragged to the Depths or No Ordinary Girl This giveaway is UK only, good luck if taking part and as always please use Rafflecopter to enter.



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Dragged to the Depths by Cheryl Elaine Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Dragged to the Depths" by Cheryl Elaine. My stop features my wee review, if you like legends and romance you will love this book!


Dragged to the Depths: A Cherry Laine Fantasy by Cheryl Elaine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - Kindle

Publisher - AAH Publishing

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Tormented with grief after losing her father, Emilia journeyed to her gran's, in a desperate attempt to escape the memories surrounding her. But once there, she found little rest and respite on the remote Orkney islands after discovering a supernatural world under the sea.

The gods, goddesses and unfamiliar species of Mother Earth's oceanic lands welcomed her with open arms - particularly Erox, the love of Emilia's life. Her eyes were opened to the greed and hatred of her fellow mortals; it wasn't a question of whether she was simply following destiny - she knew the path to RESET was one she could not ignore.

Erox smiled before giving Emilia a lingering kiss. She didn't hesitate, and gave herself freely to the vortex before heading into the unknown. Could she save herself, let alone everyone else on the planet?

Dragged to the Depths will lead readers into a magical world full of secrets, legacies and adventure. An apocalyptic love story for those who believe there's someone for everyone, somewhere...



My Review

Guys, first thing to say is this is not normally a book I would read but it is set in Orkney and it has mystical sea creatures. I LOVE mythical creatures, we grew up with tales of selkies, mermaids and magical creatures in the waters so this piqued my interest. Emilia heads to the Orkney islands with her mother who is struggling with addiction after a bereavement. Emilia's gran Rose takes over her care and allows Emilia to process her own grief, loss and sadness. This is what draws Erox to Emilia, he knows it is a love that cannot be however both cannot deny the powerful draw of love and give into their feelings. Obstacles in their way, barriers you can only imagine and their union kicks off events that had consequences for the world as we know it.

There is a lot going on in this book, teenage angst, grief, dealing with an addict mother, removal of everything she knows. Personal growth, going through her own emotions and loss then encountering someone unlike anyone she has ever met. Experiencing love for the first time and having to process who Erox is, what he represents and how he fits in our world.

The magical world Emilia encounters was for me enveloping in a world I first met when I was a kid so it conjured up lots of memories for me. I think the location for the story was well chosen, Scottish waters have many a myth to them and it goes perfect with the magical world Elaine creates.

Mythical creatures, love, sacrifice, power, greed, magic, family, relationships are just some of the themes in the book. I love the world created, younger characters can put me off a bit especially when it is a deep love kicking everything off but I soon settled in and couldn't put the book down. Initially you think you can guess exactly where the story is going, soon enough I had the rug pulled out from under me, gripped, not knowing what was coming next. It is a mixed bag, immersing the reader almost from the get go and managing to surprise (I actually gasped out loud at one particular plot twist) engage and compel the reader page after page. 4.5 out of 5 for me this time, this is actually my first by this author, I have another from her but in a different genre, I will be bumping it up the TBRM. Thanks to Shell for asking me to join the tour and for bringing a wee gem of a read my way I most likely would have over looked. I think I need to go digging through my books or order some Scottish myths and legends, I forgot how much I enjoyed stuff like this!

View all my reviews


Please check out the other stops on the blog tour as everyone has different content.