Please help me welcome Sheri Hunter to the blog this week. Her memoir, Daring to Live, is out now!
Author Name: Sheri Hunter
Book Title: Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy
Book Genre: Memoir
Release Date: Feb. 18, 2020
Publisher: Baker Books
Please tell us a bit about your book.
Outrageous healing following grief. OK, you don’t have to Skydive, or hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, but, operating outside ones comfort zone will help greatly towards healing.
What inspired you to write your memoir?
The book has several themes: grief, adventure, friendship and healing. It’s was important to embrace those elements in a positive, uplifting way.
How long did it take for you to write the book? How about research?
To complete the book was just shy of two years, including the editorial process where there were a series of rewrites. Yes, some faith based research and also information about healing and pertinent info about the dares people would want to know.
For you, what’s the hardest thing about writing?
The hardest part of writing was the emotional elements I had to pull out. I had to write about my husband’s death. It was hard writing about the details and struggles for my family. Emotions are tricky for me.
What do you love most about it?
I actually like the solitude as a writer. There are times when I write I hunker down amongst a group in the library or a coffee shop, but, still, I like that I’m technically alone, inside my own head.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read Daring to Live?
Some of the comments and reviews I’ve gotten is that with some inspirational books, the writer make healing seem easy, and some feel inadequate after reading and not being able to push forward. With mine, readers shared that it is raw and real and that I was frank with my own personal struggles. Healing, moving forward after any horrendous event is not easy.
How has your career informed your writing?
My background is journalism and marketing. I was constantly on deadlines and had to write succinctly and focus. Making certain I had the who, what, where, why, of a story was critical, but, also how will the event possibly affect the reader? I did the same, only long form, of course, with my book. Marketing also comes in handy as I’m always trying to find ways to get the message out and get the book into the hands of readers.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
Currently I am learning the piano. I’ve been at it five months and I really enjoy it. I’m also back at running. I don’t love it, but, it’s affordable (no gym fees required) and gives me the flexibility with my schedule to get and stay fit.
Are you working on a new project?
I’m working on a screenplay. It’s new to me and I’m immersed in the technicality and pace of the genre with my fellow newbie screenwriters.
Where can readers find you?
Website: sherihunter.com; Instagram: sherihunterofficial; twitter:sherihunter; Facebook: AuthorSherihunter
Also, not sure if you are aware, but, Daring to Live has been optioned by Paramount Pictures. See Link: https://deadline.com/2020/02/devon-franklin-produce-daring-to-live-paramount-players-1202859490/
Wow, congratulations, Sheri—that’s so exciting! Daring to Live is available NOW.
Daring to Live
When her husband, Mannard unexpectedly passed away at just fifty years of age, Sheri Hunter was devastated. With her whole world falling down around her, she turned to her friends. Years before, she and these Dare Divas had gone on a whitewater rafting trip. Now they sought out other adventures—zip lining, skydiving, mountain climbing and more. Through these death-defying activities and the unwavering support of her friends, Sheri slowly found the strength to move forward in life.
More than just a memoir, this empowering female travelogue pairs emotionally resonant, confessional storytelling with spiritual takeaways, challenging you to engage in your own life, surround yourself with friends who will support you, and face life’s challenges with courage and faith.
If you’ve ever experienced a sudden loss or upheaval in life, Sheri’s story will reassure you that even if life as you knew it is over, the future God has for you is always full of new adventures.
Author bio:
Sheri has written for newspapers, TV news, magazines and more recently her memoir, Daring to Live, for Baker Books, that chronicles her journey of healing following the death of her beloved husband Mannard and the friendship with her fellow Dare Divas, where together they skydived, drove Nascars, hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro and more.
For twenty years, she worked as a marketing professional working with an educational publisher, an automotive society while championing small businesses.
Following an article in National Geographic Traveler Magazine that went virile, Sheri toured the Midwest at Barnes and Noble locations in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, where audiences took interest in the Daring to Live challenge and how to channel their own inner adventurer. Daring to Live has been optioned by Paramount Pictures.
Sheri has a B.A. in Political Science from University of Michigan-Dearborn and an MBA from Lawrence Technological University.