Meet Sherrie Hansen Decker

It's been fun getting to know author Sherrie Hansen Decker. If you're not familiar with Sherrie and her work, here's her bio:

Sherrie Hansen Decker owns & operates a Victorian bed & breakfast and tea house, the Blue Belle Inn, in northern Iowa. Love Notes is Sherrie’s fifth book to be published by Second Wind Publishing, and her debut Christian Inspirational novel. She attended Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. She is married to Rev. Mark Decker and enjoys playing the piano with their worship team, quilting, needlepointing, decorating historic houses, traveling, and going on adventures with her nieces and nephews. 



Sherrie is giving away an e-copy of her book Love Notes. Here's a blurb: 


Hope Anderson’s heart is finally starting to thaw. Even Tommy Love’s is melting around the edges. But they both want Rainbow Lake Lodge and only one of them can have it. Hope wants to see the lodge bubbling with families, children, and laughter again to honor her late husband's legacy. Tommy Love thinks he’ll find peace, quiet, seclusion, and a second chance at stardom once he’s bulldozed the lodge and built his dream house overlooking the lake. Hope is trying to keep her head above water. Tommy’s counting on Rainbow Lake being frozen solid. But is it?

And now for my interview with Sherrie

What motivates you? 

      If I don’t keep swimming, I will drown.  Seriously, I’m just trying to keep my head about water most of the time. When it comes to writing, I love it when I hear from a reader who likes my books and can’t wait for the next one to come out. And zi love it when I get so into a story and so deep into my character’s mindset that I can’t NOT write.


           How does your faith affect your daily life? 

      Everything I think and do is filtered through my Christian mindset.  It affects the decisions and choices I make, the way I respond to people and handle problems, and the way I live my life and order my priorities. I like to think that I’m utilizing the God-given gift of hospitality when I’m entertaining guest at my bed and breakfast. 


       How much spirituality do you weave into your story? 

      The amount of spirituality I weave into my story depends on the personality and depth of faith of whatever character I’m writing.  For some, their faith is a tiny, insignificant blip on the screen. For others, their faith means everything to them. Part of a character’s growth arc may be a realization that God loves them, or wants them to give their life to Him. Others may never listen to God’s voice, so they’re not going to be thinking about God unless it’s to feel guilty.


       What is your greatest challenge in your writing? 

      My greatest challenge is finding the time to write. Between working long hours at my busy bed and breakfast and tea house, The Blue Belle Inn, being a pastor’s wife, maintaining 4 houses in two different towns, and keeping up with my family and friends, it seems like there is never enough time to do all the things I want.


      What message do you hope to convey to readers, either in this latest book or in all your books?  

      The message I hope to convey to my readers is that there is hope! God works all things together for good, in His time. He gives second chances when you least expect them and when you definitely don’t deserve them.  He loves us (you!) that much.
      
      Is or was there a person in your life who made a remarkable difference in your writing? Who (if you want to disclose his or her identity) and why? 

      When I was just starting to write, I went to a writer’s retreat at Glen Eerie, the Navigator’s castle in Colorado Springs, sponsored by Victoria magazine.  Madeleine L’Engle (author of A Wrinkle in Time) was the guest speaker. There were only about 20 of us there, so our conversations were deep, meaningful, and intensely personal.  Madeleine was delightful, inspirational, and encouraging.  What a gift to sit at her feet and soak up her wisdom for a weekend!

      What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper? 

      I’ve started a sequel to my first book, Night and Day, called Daybreak in Denmark. I’ve also got a great idea for a book set in the Florida Everglades and at a famous hotel on St. Pete’s Beach called the Pink Lady. It will involve gangsters, an heiress, and a 75 year old mystery. 

  

      GREAT INTERVIEW! Thanks, Sherrie.

       

       Readers, if you'd like to get more info on Sherrie and her work, here are some links to check out. 

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/SherrieHansenDecker

Website
http://sherriehansen.wordpress.com/

Blue Bell Inn & Blue Belle Books
www.BlueBelleInn.com / www.BlueBelleBooks.com

Follow Sherrie on Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/SherrieHansen


Sherrie on Good Reads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2870454.Sherrie_Hansen



And don't forget to leave a comment 
so you'll be entered into the drawing
to win an e-copy of Sherrie's latest, Love Notes!


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