Greetings, Noters!
Springtime is here at last…but warmer temperatures certainly are not. It’s been frigid in my neck of the woods, and I am counting down the days until I can begin writing outside. That’s where I do my best work! Right now, I am slowly making my way through the middle of my Court of Mystery manuscript. Progress is progress, and I’m happy that the words are coming (even if I’ve spent a LOT of time writing myself out of tight “lore-based” corners). I also just finished polishing the final draft of Flying Off the Candle, Book Three in the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries. Now begins the fun publishing prep work! Formatting the book and queuing it up for preorder, as well as getting it ready to be recorded on audio. Yes! If all goes well, I’ll be all to release the eBook, paperback, and audiobook all at once. Fingers crossed!
My guest this week knows all about the work it takes to get a book across the finish line.
Without further ado…
A Bit About the Author: Sheryl C. D. Ickes was born and raised in Pennsylvania, where she currently lives with her family and dog. She acquired her truck driving license, now called a CDL, when she was a teenager and stopped in over thirty states whilst on the job! After she stepped away from the wheel, Sheryl went into cake decorating for over two decades filled with weddings, birthdays, graduations, and ice cream cakes. Both of these careers gave her a knowledgeable foundation that helped to pave the way for her Slice of Life Mysteries and her Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mysteries.
Sheryl, welcome to Noteworthy! I love meeting new-to-me cozy mystery authors. I’m excited to get to learn more about you and your series. To get things started, can you tell us what book made you fall in love with reading?
Well, while the exact title eludes my mind, I would have to go with the good old cliché of Nancy Drew. The adventures that Carolyn Keene had Nancy go through, whilst solving the mysteries with Bess and George, was the highlight for me. The characters were relatable and the good camaraderie between them made a lasting impression.
Oh, don’t worry. There is nothing cliché about Nancy Drew—she’s the greatest! She’s my role model to this day. How did your writing career take off?
After having enjoyed the cozy/traditional mystery subgenres for years, with writers such as Diane Mott Davidson, Aaron Elkins, Earlene Fowler, and others, I thought that it was time to pick up the pen myself. Between my colorful resume of a variety of different jobs in fields ranging from truck driving to cake decorating to school aid and more, my past experiences laid down the foundation for my stories that self-publishing gave me the opportunity to utilize.
What themes/lessons can readers look forward to discovering in Death of a Dispatcher?
The latest, in my Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mystery series, centers around a truck driving couple in a way that invites people into the world they share with everyone else. Within its story, lies scattered bits and pieces of driving etiquette around rigs, that hopefully shows the little-known safety measures that is each driver’s responsibility. However, moving away from the technical aspect, the ultimate goal of my mysteries to have the reader enjoy the story and to escape for a few hours.
That’s such a cool vocation to explore, and one that hasn’t been done (that I know of) in the genre. How exciting! What’s one thing you know about your protagonist that your readers don’t?
In my other cozy series, Slice of Life Mysteries, I would have to say that beyond the pages of my novels, and hidden only in my mind, is the answer to this simple question: How far would Alexandra go to protect her friends and family? The same would go for Becky and Rufus.
What was one of the toughest lessons you learned while writing Death of a Dispatcher?
As I am sure that my fellow authors can relate to what I am about to say, the toughest lesson would be keeping the timeline straight in our minds and/or on paper. To make sense of the chaos running around in my brain, and to ensure that events occur in the proper order, is one of the hardest to tackle while being a crucial element to a good story. But then again, the best things take the most amount of work sometimes.
Timelines are so tricky to keep track of, but so crucial! Who knows what, when, and where. It often leaves me running in circles for sure. Is there anything you need for a successful day of writing?
Time. You would not think that a four-letter word could be so stressful, but between family, work, travel, and pets, the clock can seem like an enemy more than a friend. To have a reserved chunk of dedicated time, to sit down and actually focus on writing, has been an uphill challenge of as of late (meaning the past two years or so). So when an opportunity presents itself, I rejoice with a few more typed up sentences.
Oh, I can sympathize with this. There are not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs doing. But we manage! And we find time to relax with a good book. What novels (other than your own 😊) have you been recommending to people lately? Are there any must-reads you have to share?
There are two authors I would readily recommend at the moment. One being Aaron Johnson, with his National Park Mystery Series, and the other being Sarah Ickes, with her Murial Robertson Mystery series. Both sport well-developed characters, solid storylines and clever twists, that I would suggest for any fan of clean mysteries, adventure, and travel.
I love being introduced to new authors. I’ll have to add these to my to-be-read pile! Sheryl, it’s been wonderful having you on Noteworthy today. Noters, learn more below about Death of a Dispatcher, including where you can buy a copy!
Death of a Dispatcher
A Becky and Rufus Cross Country Mystery
Sheryl C.D. Ickes
Becky and Rufus Bridgewater are a cross country trucking team that enjoy seeing the country as they work. Shortly after returning to their company in Tennessee because of a merger, Becky finds a much hated dispatcher dead and quickly becomes the prime suspect. Clearing her name with the help of a few friends is not easy nor safe. Rufus may have to get used to going solo, both in trucking and in life.