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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
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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
34 views
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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
23 views
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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
13 views
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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
7 views
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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
14 views
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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
655 views
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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
46 views
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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
11 views
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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 20, 20184 min read
16 views
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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
355 views
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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
66 views
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99 Books at 99 Cents Book Fair
Everybody loves a bargain so here's one to check out. Bookwrapt is selling 99 books for one week only for 99 cents each — and yes, mine...
Cherie Claire
Sep 6, 20181 min read
14 views
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If you are a writer, you have a story to tell
Keep self-doubt at bay! “Harry Potter” was rejected by 12 publishing houses before it found a home. Author J.K. Rowling is now richer...
Cherie Claire
Aug 21, 20181 min read
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The three romance muskateers
When writers decide to tackle the enormous task of penning a novel, it's a long road of learning, writing and then rewriting and getting...
Cherie Claire
Aug 15, 20183 min read
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Self-publishing seminar for authors
I'll be joining several authors to speak on self-publishing at the Jefferson Parish Library Self-Publishing Seminar beginning at 9:30...
Cherie Claire
Aug 15, 20183 min read
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Having a drink with Faulkner
I'm a travel writer in my day job, although I sometimes write travel stories at night and fiction in the morning so it's not a literal...
Cherie Claire
May 10, 20181 min read
92 views
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Trace of a Ghost Song List
I hear songs when I'm writing and since "Trace of a Ghost" incorporated a few supernatural elements, particularly angels, I heard plenty....
Cherie Claire
Mar 8, 20181 min read
27 views
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Tom's Wall of Alabama
In "Trace of a Ghost," the third book in my Viola Valentine mystery series, travel writer Viola visits Tom's Wall outside Florence,...
Cherie Claire
Feb 27, 20184 min read
87 views
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Traveling the Natchez Trace
Like my character Viola Valentine, I'm a travel writer. And also like Viola, the Deep South is my specialty. Last summer I had the...
Cherie Claire
Feb 8, 20182 min read
14 views
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