What inspired you to become an author?
My
love of stories. Seeing worlds created, be they in books or on the screen, was
so fascinating to me that I wanted to do that myself.
Do you write in different genres?
Yes.
If yes which is your favorite genre to write?
Fantasy,
but then again, all of my books have a fantastical element about them.
How did you come up with the title for your latest
book?
When
you remember something it’s just that, a memory. But reminiscing is a narration
of the past told to yourself or to someone else.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
Most
often I have it from the start, but sometimes it will change as I’m writing
when the story itself changes.
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true-life
experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
Although
the town of Coronado, New Mexico is fictional, I grew up in Albuquerque so much
of it is based on the surrounding small towns. Oh, and I was once in a jewelry
store when it was robbed.
What book are you reading now?
“Fifty
Feet of Trouble” by Justin Robinson
What books are in your to read pile?
“Slade
House” by David Mitchell & the Southern Reach series by Jeff Vandermeer
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
I’m
working on a “bridge” between my nine-part series, “The Lizard Queen” and what
comes next.
Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that
you think represents this book?
Actually
two songs play a big role in “The Reminisce,” Benny Goodman’s version of
“Somebody is Taking My Place” and “Green Onions” by Booker T and the McGs
The Reminisce
H.L. Cherryholmes
Genre: Paranormal
Date of Publication: June 7, 2017
ISBN: 1545307628
ASIN: B072QL4S46
Number of pages: 340
Word Count: 122,743
Cover Artist: Keri Knutson
Tagline: A detour down memory lane wakes up the ghosts.
Book Description:
Curtis Aisling has literally dodged a bullet. At least he thinks he has. But he wonders whether that bullet still has it out for him when he leaves his ex-fiancé and Los Angeles behind for Coronado, New Mexico to borrow some much-needed money from his sister.
The small dilapidated desert town of Coronado has exactly one mansion, belonging to 92-year-old Veronica Meeks. Curtis’s sister, Dia, and her partner, Araceli, are Veronica’s live-in caretakers and while they are delighted to have a visitor, Veronica doesn’t even know he’s there.
In the final stages of what the locals call “the reminisce,” she is no longer aware of her surroundings. But when Curtis starts seeing things that no one else does, he’s not convinced that the old, unresponsive woman is as disconnected as everyone thinks. At times what should be empty rooms within the huge house appear filled with furniture, and music emanates from a dusty radio that has been packed away for ages. Tales of Veronica’s associations and connections with the occult lead Curtis to believe she is causing the ghostly occurrences.
But when people begin to appear in those phantom rooms—people from her past including Veronica herself—he’s no longer certain it is her doing. Each vision pulls Curtis further and further back, each one detailing a consequential moment in Veronica’s long life, until he begins to fear he could become lost in her past. And then there’s that bullet…
Excerpt:
Dia returned her
attention to the old woman and took her bony, veiny hand. “Veronica, honey,
this is my brother Curtis. You’ve seen his picture in our bedroom, remember? He
came for a visit.” She looked up at Curtis. “Veronica was quite smitten with
you the first time she saw your picture. Couldn’t take her eyes off it and she
would just smile and smile.”
Curtis knelt
next to his sister. Greeting the old woman seemed pointless, since it was
obvious by her vacant stare that she wasn’t aware of her surroundings. But his
sister was right; introducing himself was the proper way to behave regardless
of her condition. “Hello, Miss Meeks. I’m Curtis Aisling.”
The old woman’s
wispy gray hair was short and pulled back by small butterfly barrettes. Her
thin face was pinkish-white, wrinkled, and haloed with brown age spots. The
eyes that seemed to be looking at something no one else could see were a cloudy
gray-blue. Her small frame was covered in a clean pink nightgown and she wore
blue slippers.
“How old is
she?” Curtis asked.
Dia stood up to
help Araceli gather the tray with Veronica’s barely touched lunch on it.
“Ninety-two.”
Remaining
crouched before her, Curtis continued to look at the old woman. He found it
difficult to imagine that the slack face in front of him had once been young,
but he searched for signs of it anyhow. If there was life in her dull gaze,
Curtis was sure he would find it there. A strong hot breeze rattling the palm
fronds behind the gazebo hit him in the back. That’s when Veronica blinked and
looked right at him.
“Finally,” she
whispered.
About the Author:
H.L. Cherryholmes, author of The Lizard Queen Series, The Reminisce, Come Back for Me, and A Slight Touch was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico but has spent most of his adult life in California. He has a BFA from University of New Mexico and a Master's degree in Playwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, he lives in SoCal with his husband, Ron Cogan.
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