Title: The Life and Times of a Pioneer Family
Author: Cheryl Hammack
Publisher: Gold Touch Press
ISBN: 978-1-955347-57- 0
Pages: 74
Genre: Historical fiction
Interviewed by: Nicole Olson
Interview Questions Cheryl Hammack
Author interview with Cheryl Hammack.
HBR: What inspired you to write a book about American pioneers?
I wrote this book because I like adventure in the late 90’s when I started bicycle journeys I rode a trail called the Katy trail and while I was riding I came upon signs that read about Lewis and Clark I learned about their lives and their adventures going up and down the river delivering all the goods to the people. I really got very fascinated over their own personal adventures and learned a lot of history by just going on my own personal journeys. Also I took many other journeys in many other states and also learned about all kinds of historical ways about how people survived .Not only did I learn about people I also learned about plants and wildlife and learned how to survive myself.
HBR: Tell us about your friend Shari – how long did you know each other? How did you meet?
Shari was a lady I met at Ku med center a hospital that I still work at to this day. Shari was a patient for over two years she was a diabetic and lost both of her limbs from here knees down every day. I would go to clean her room and I was always amazed with her how she never let her disability get in her way of how she dealt with life. Shari was bedridden never really experience life as we know life for ourselves. When I would take out on my own adventures I would all ways bring something back to her such as a rock I found on the trail. She always enjoyed things like that to have some kind of a nature item to look at Shari didn’t really have a life as we know but she would never complain of the life she got used to. Shari died when she was 41 years old from a complication from her dialysis procedure. In my book I gave Shari a life she was married she had two daughters she was also a school teacher and a mentor to all her friends in the story.
HBR: What did you do to learn about pioneer times in order to write this book? Did you read books, go to museums? Listen to historical accounts? What helped you the most in your research?
I learned about history by traveling hiking and biking on trails and camping in state parks and national parks in 41 states there is lots of history their if you are adventures to see for yourself I also taught my grandson about nature when he was only 1 years old and now I have a granddaughter who is 13 months old and I am already introducing nature to her.
HBR: Are any of the other characters inspired by real people? Do you have a close group of friends in your own life that inspired the friends in the book?
All the characters in my book are people I know and just added their first name only and told them that this was there story and everything else is just fiction of my imagination to this story.
HBR: Do you plan on writing more books in the future?
I am currently writing my second short story adventure book it is a fiction story about a quest of four 13 year old boys surviving the savannas of Africa.l learned about Africa throughout a friend that came from South Sudan and also documentries and story’s on Africa.
HBR: What types of books are your favorite to read?
I like family stories and adventure stories
HBR: What do you hope to inspire in your readers when they read your book?
I hope to inspire them to enjoy historical events as well as adventures and I also hope they try some of there own things in life.