Follow Jein Kyominias, a girl who does not entertain the established roles other females of the upper class take in her land. Her rearing in a matriarchal society has certain paths laid out. She has chosen to be an elite hunter instead of a mere matron. She is unique in her fondness for activities that are specifically bequeathed for men. She decides she will be different—strong and different that is.

Each person has a distinct trait that’s either held in reserve or pursued without inhibitions. For reasons that vary, the latter may seem an egotistic act. However, not for Jein. Taking a path other than the one she believes is right is like betraying her own soul.

This book features a young girl who deals with her individuality in admirably different ways. It tell a story of how she accomplishes exceptional feats in a world that draws an unyielding line between men and women.

Learn more at:  http://jeinsjourney.wix.com/cdyess

Lauren:  First some fun trivia!  Give me some juicy details.  What is your favorite place to eat?  Why?

Cheryllynn:   This is probably one of the hardest questions of them all. You see I have food allergies so while I love Olive Garden, I am allergic to everything olive – so going here is torture…so this takes me to my second favourite restaurant and that is Ruby Tuesdays – they have an amazing salad bar I can indulge in for the first portion of my meal then I can have steak and lobster to top it off.

Lauren:  What is your favorite junk food vice?

Cheryllynn:  Oh, Oh, this is easy – Cheetos! Regular or cheddar jalapeno!

Lauren:  What does a typical day look like for you?

Cheryllynn:  On a typical weekend, what can we find you doing? Who are you with? Let’s see my typical day is seeing my 15 y/o off to high school, homeschooling my almost 17 y/o, then working my Avon business (deliveries, meetings, emails, etc…), taking care of the three fur babies, cleaning and preparing for dinner, and if I’m lucky I get to write some….Now for the weekends, well that is easier. I am usually working events for my Avon business, fishing, or just chilling ‘round the house. I sneak in writing whenever I can and have been known to pencil in writing days on the calendar.

Lauren:  Any movies that you really want to see?

Cheryllynn:  Yes, but to be honest I’m horrid with movie names so I can’t share them, hahahaha.

What’s on your reading list right now? I don’t think I could name them all since the list is about 30 titles long. But on the top are Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead, Secret Watchers by Lauren Klever, and Thread Strands by Leeland Artra. I am currently reading two different books now Dragrongirl by Todd McCaffrey and Thread Slivers by Leeland Artra.

Lauren:  We all have our little things when it comes to reading that bug us.  What makes you cranky when you read a novel?

Cheryllynn:  Oh, when the first chapter is nothing but background information. I want to dive right into a story and then put the history in bits for me.

 Lauren:  What do you look for in a book when you sit down to read for fun?

Cheryllynn:  I love the paranormal, so if you can twist that in with a good story line that grabs me, I’m unavailable pretty much till I’m done reading.

 Lauren:  Who are your favorite authors? 

Cheryllynn:   I love Richelle Mead, Jennifer Malone Wright, Raquel Lyon, and a few more that would include You, cause truly I have loved your books immensely, Tasha Gwartney,  and Eva Pohler.  Lauren:  Aw, you make me blush!

 Lauren:  What 7 words would you use to describe yourself?

Cheryllyn:  Strong, creative, spontaneous, a lil old fashion, family oriented, hardworking, outdoorsy (if that is a real word).

Lauren:   When you walk into a bookstore, where do you head to first? Why?

Cheryllynn:   Science Fiction area – this is my favorite to read from. Why, well in science fiction anything is possible and I love to have my mind expanded into the unknown so it’s perfect to challenge me.

Lauren:  What are your tips and tricks for other independent authors to get the word out about their books?

Cheryllynn:  Network, use all the social media outlets you can handle, network, oh and network!

Lauren:  What are some of your favorite genres to read and to write?

Cheryllynn:   Science fiction, mystery, thrillers, paranormal, some historical.

Lauren:  What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?  What was the biggest complement?  Did those change how or what you did in your next novel?

Cheryllynn:  The largest criticism really was on my grammar errors – which if you truly know me you know I detest commas! The biggest complement was when a reader told me they felt my work could be a television series – As for using the criticism towards my writing, well I have someone who helps with the grammar and editing to make sure I’m on point. I can not see my writing style changing too much, because then it wouldn’t be my writing.

Lauren:  To that… I say, GOOD FOR YOU!   What has been your favorite part of being an author? What has been your least favorite?

Cheryllynn:   The favorite part was when I saw my first edition of my book in print. I was so amazed. My least favorite is the marketing – it takes so much work, time and effort. I would rather be writing to be honest.

Lauren:  What advice would you give to a younger you? How has reading influenced you?

Cheryllynn:   I would tell my younger self to never quit writing. I let the writing go when I was about 15/16 ish, I would tell me to never stop…  Reading got me back into writing.

 Lauren:  Are you a plotter / planner or do you prefer to dive right in?

Cheryllynn:   I dive right in, I let it flow out of me with no previous planning.

 Lauren:  How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

Cheryllynn:   Evolution is something amazing, especially when I can look back and reflect upon it. My evolution has come with the way I’ve come to market my book. I am a bit reserved when it comes to talking about my own things so being able to post and network about myself has made me open up.

Lauren:  What genre are you most looking forward to exploring during your writing career? Why?

Cheryllynn:   I want to write an inspirational style book. It will be part fiction and part non-fiction. I had a rough start in life and have overcome some major obstacles many people fail in so I want to use these in a story line to inspire others to never give up in life and know that success is there just waiting for you.

 Lauren:  Why do you write?

Cheryllynn:  That is like asking a fish why they swim, it’s what I do. Writing is in my soul and to deny that would be to cage it and let it slowly die.

 Lauren:  Who was your current novel dedicated to? Any particular reason?

Cheryllynn:  This first book is dedicated to the friends and family who helped support and encourage to me write again as well as my children and grandbaby to know your goals are achievable.

Lauren:  What do you listen to when you write? Do you find one type of music over another that inspires you to write? Why?

Cheryllynn:  Oh I can answer this one easily – the ‘80s rock-n-roll and the current Neo-Soul! It seems to energize me!

Lauren:  Please tell me about your novel.  Who or what was your inspiration behind it?

Cheryllynn:  My novella is about a young woman who lives in a matriarchal society and takes on the role of a man, while still trying to follow as many traditions as possible. She gets conflict from friends, family and her government until they need her to help save her people. In real life I was always very different from the others, many times I was bullied or picked on from my peers or family. I had a few friends who were always supportive and still are. So in a way I wanted to put these struggles that people who don’t follow the norm deal with, but in my own world with my own people.

Thank you so much for your time, Cheryllynn Dyess!  Want to know more?  You may find more on this wonderful author in the following places:

Facebook:   http://facebook.com/jeinsJourney

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/JeinsJourney

Goodreads:  http://Goodreads.com/cheryllynn_dyess

Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/cheryllynndyess

Blogger:  http://jeinsjourney.blogspot.com

Website:   http://jeinsjourney.wix.com/cdyess