Author Spotlight >>>Shari Broyer

Shari Broyer writes in many genres and indie-publishes her works via Amazon KDP. Her short Inspirational Christmas story—Jesus on a Park Bench—published 12-24-12, is a long-running Amazon Inspirational bestseller. Besides authoring her own works; Shari is a professional manuscript editor who also helps others publish their works via Amazon KDP. Shari does it all: editing, formatting, and cover art. She is constantly honing her craft/s as an author, editor, producer and even cover designer.

In 2017, an email from a friend in California led Shari to the small, but artsy town of Ajo, Arizona, where she bought a cute little house, one that she shares with “Baby”, her adopted ten-year-old cat. Shari loves Ajo. For such a tiny, seemingly “nowhere and nothing” place, Ajo is happening! Art shows, music concerts, fabulous food, fun and friends!

How long have you been writing?

More years than I want to admit! But really, ever since I could hold a pencil. I wrote a “Goodby krewel world!” note to my mom when I was upset at her, I was five years old. Very dramatic. I guess you could say that was the start of my writing career.

What is your genre?

I have written in several genres but got “stuck” with Inspirational when I wrote a short Christmas story that remained in the top 100 in its category five years running. It was then that felt compelled to write more inspirational stories.

What books/stories have you written? Published?

The only ones I want to mention here are Ether Man, a “paranormal” mystery/comedy/romance, available in print and eBook on Amazon, and the new novelette I completed (see a bit more about it below).

What is the most frustrating aspect of the writing process?

For me, it’s not having/making the time to write as much as I desire. I have literally hundreds of scraps of paper with ideas and yet, I haven’t done anything with most of them. I also have about 15-20 Work in Progress (WIPs).

I, myself, have counseled fellow writers to get at least 100 words per day, but because I’m an editor-for-hire as well as a full-time employee and a single homeowner, I’m guilty of not following my own advice.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give new writers?

Listen when they tell you to use pseudonyms for different genres. I wrote and self-published Ether Man under my own name before I wrote my Inspirational bestseller. Ether Man did well until I published the Inspirational piece, then Ether Man pretty much tanked. This is because readers do expect the same stuff from authors they like. Now, the inspirational piece had only a few “sexy” scenes, but I’m sure they were enough to offend my readers. Likewise, readers who enjoy “sexy” romance might be turned off by “goody-goody” stuff (or what they think will be “goody-goody”- I happen to believe my short Inspirational is a bestseller precisely because it is not “good-goody”).

I’m a spiritual person, but that doesn’t preclude my having a “carnal” nature, or wanting to write whatever flows from Spirit, and that can be literally anything!

What are you working on currently?

As I said, I have lots of WIPs, but the one I recently finished is the tale of a woman who meets a man while out on the town with a female friend. The story centers around their time at the restaurant, and what happens after the three new friends conclude dinner. I plan to release this story under a pseudonym this summer.

You can learn more about Shari Broyer and her books by visiting her website  https://sharibroyerbooks.weebly.com/