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A Novel Idea
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." —Gene Fowler
"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster."
—Isaac Asimov
To read the Weird, Wacky & Wild blog of Cherie's twin, click here.
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Everyone needs a writing buddy
I’m not the biggest fan of book signings. I can speak in front of a crowd, give workshops, teach classes, but sitting in a library or...
Cherie Claire
Dec 6, 20193 min read
Happy Thanksgiving 2019
It’s easy to get frustrated with modern life. The endless election phone calls and the ones with the annoying silence before a robot...
Cherie Claire
Nov 21, 20194 min read
Happy Halloween Y'all & Hail Witches!
I love this time of year for many reasons. One, it's not sweltering outside. We really don't have autumn in Louisiana, the weather kinda...
Cherie Claire
Oct 30, 20192 min read
Looking for a Louisiana read this fall?
First, I have to brag, the fifth book in my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series, “Give Up the Ghost,” hit online bookshelves Oct....
Cherie Claire
Oct 22, 20193 min read
Time to 'Give Up the Ghost'
There's a full moon on Sunday, Oct. 13, this year. What better time for the latest installment in my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery...
Cherie Claire
Sep 6, 20191 min read
Dog Days means a free audiobook
It's hot in Louisiana so when I hear "Dog Days of Summer" I think of my poor puppy with his tongue hanging out. The expression actually...
Cherie Claire
Aug 1, 20191 min read
Southern wedding bliss
Didn't get invited to a wedding this summer? No worries. Here are a few Southern places to get your wedding cake fix. Snowballs in New...
Cherie Claire
Jul 22, 20192 min read
Choose kindness to save the world
This oversized pickup truck drew up dangerously close behind. I knew he was there right away for the rear-view mirror in my tiny Saturn...
Cherie Claire
Jun 18, 20193 min read
Happy Mother's Day
There’s a scene in book two of my Viola Valentine mystery series where my main character, Vi, sits on the seawall overlooking Lake...
Cherie Claire
May 12, 20191 min read
Who is Stinky, the psychic cat?
Characters sometimes throw open a door while I’m writing, demanding to be part of the story. In the case of my Viola Valentine mysteries,...
Cherie Claire
May 4, 20192 min read
Is 444 a divine set of numbers?
My youngest son came into the world at 4:44 p.m. and every nurse that happened by kept telling me I needed to buy a lottery ticket. I...
Cherie Claire
Apr 26, 20192 min read
McAllen, Texas, a birding paradise
Viola travels to McAllen, Texas, in my latest novel, "Ghost Trippin,'" the fourth book in the Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series....
Cherie Claire
Mar 15, 20193 min read
Viola heads to Texas
Valentine's Day beckons and you know what that means? The fourth book in my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series comes out! "Ghost...
Cherie Claire
Jan 17, 20191 min read
Cajun French Words and Phrases
I teach a life writing group in South Louisiana and love hearing the unique Cajun words and phrases of my students who grew up speaking...
Cherie Claire
Jan 7, 20192 min read
Alessia Cara, Mom & a guy on Facebook
I have always struggled with how I look. My style veers between comfy mom jeans to flower child hippie to vintage apparel to couch...
Cherie Claire
Jan 2, 20194 min read
Always grateful for every book sale
We need the smallest viable audience, not the biggest possible audience. Seth Godin It’s so easy getting caught up in book sales when...
Cherie Claire
Nov 24, 20182 min read
Holidays make me wish for New Orleans
Something about the holidays make me hungry for my home town of New Orleans. And yes, you can take that literally. Along with the lights,...
Cherie Claire
Nov 19, 20184 min read
Ghosts Among Us
When I first started working as a journalist, one of my assignments was to write ghost stories of New Orleans for the weekly newspaper...
Cherie Claire
Oct 18, 20184 min read
Anytime is gumbo time!
When the weather dips from sweltering to lovely in Louisiana, people exclaim, "It's gumbo weather!" Truth be told, we don't need autumn's...
Cherie Claire
Sep 19, 20182 min read
12 steps to hurricane preparedness
To all my friends facing some nasty weather and who have never been through a hurricane before, here are a few pointers. I've been...
Cherie Claire
Sep 10, 20182 min read
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