Stitches Thru Time: Author Chat with Sherrinda Ketchersid

Welcome, Sherrinda! We’re tickled to have you on Stitches Thru Time. And congratulations on your new release Lord of Her Heart!

I’m excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Good! Let's just right in. Historical romance encompasses a huge range from Biblical era to the Vietnam War, but one of my personal favorites is the medieval period. Castles and chivalry, knights and kings, the occasional damsel in distress, it’s all fascinating. What prompted you to write in this era?

I think my love for medieval stories began when my dad drew pictures of knights and fair maidens for me and my sisters to color. He loved the era and even wrote a medieval fantasy novel published by Thomas Nelson. When I decided to fulfill my dream of writing a book, there was no question what era to write. Little did I know at the time, medieval stories were not ‘the rage’ in the Christian market. Thanks to my publisher, Smitten at Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, who took a chance on my story, I will now see my dream of being published realized.

How fun is it that your dad had a medieval book out too? Speaking of the occasional damsel in distress, your heroine, Jocelyn, could have been one … and yet she’s not. How did you balance this take-charge lady with the constraints of that era?

Good question. Yes, it wasn’t easy for women in the middle ages, but the more you read into the history of the times, you find women who rose in prominence and did amazing things. What I love about Jocelyn is her love for her father and her memories of home drove her to face her fears, doing everything within her power to get home. The difficulty for me was to make Jocelyn likable in the midst of her fierce determination. She was a wee bit too sassy in the early draft. My hope is that I balanced Jocelyn’s kindness with her sass to where readers like her as much as I do.

No romance would be complete without a swoon-worthy hero and Malcolm certainly fits that mold. Why are readers going to fall in love with him?

I immediately want to ‘heave a sigh’, because Malcolm is every woman’s knight in shining armor. He knows his strength and abilities, but his focus on chivalry and his care of Jocelyn softens his warrior personality. I think what I love most about Malcolm is his sense of humor. While powerful in mind and body, he allows his humor out to play, which delights Jocelyn—and me—to no end. I’d be remiss not to mention that he is a good kisser.

A good kisser goes a long way in a romance! There’s also a bit of a mystery in this romance as well as a really nasty person. I love a story with a good nasty in it! Let’s not give any spoilers, but tell us if you had fun writing this into the romance.

Boy, did I have fun writing my villain! In fact, I got so carried away with making her horrible, I had to tone her down. It was fun to think of ways my villain could frustrate Jocelyn, and I had trouble limiting the number of bad things my villain orchestrated. I was thinking of the evil Ursula in The Little Mermaid when I should have been thinking more in the line of the step-mother in Cinderella. Yes, the step-mother was mean, but not over the top crazy like Ursula. I had to learn to make the villain nasty, but believable.

Of course, we’re going to recommend that everyone read Lord of Her Heart! But I think this one would also appeal to the YA market. It’s a clean read, so mothers and grandmothers can feel good giving their teenage girls a copy … after they’ve read it, of course. ;)

Is there anything you’d like to share with our STT readers before you go?

If you haven’t read a medieval romance, I’d encourage you to try one! There are a few clean and Christian medieval authors out there, such as Tamara Leigh, Jody Hedlund, and Melanie Dickerson (just to name a few). It’s a fun time to explore and get lost in. Thanks for having me!

Thanks for stopping by and giving us the skinny on your book, Lord of Her Heart. I know our readers are going to want to connect with you, so we'll list your social media contacts here: Image may contain: Sherrinda Ketchersid, smiling, eyeglasses and text