Slyce: Brothers and Sistah’s, please welcome our sister Sherene Holly Cain to “The Interrogation Room”!! Welcome my sister :-). Are you ready?
Slyce: What inspired you to become an author?
SHC: My grandfather used to always tell me, “Girl, you read so much in the dark, you won’t be able to see when you grow up”. When he passed away, he came to me in a dream and said, “Why haven’t you written that book yet?” I said, “Grandpa, I’m not a writer. My degree is in Psychology. I didn’t study Journalism, Literature, or English and I don’t have the training to be a writer”. He said, “Yes you do. You’ve read about a thousand books haven’t you?”. It took me five years to take his advice seriously and actually want to speak to the hearts and minds of people. I had no publisher but I stepped out on faith and started writing my first book in 2012. By 2014, I published my first book, “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart”. My stories caught people’s attention. But more than that, they gave people hope, an escape, a laugh, a good cry, and sometimes inspiration because my characters mirrored them and what they were going through in their lives.
Slyce: What is the name of your publishing company?
SHC: I’m signed under Torica Tymes Presents.
He’s a great publisher who allows you to be creative, yet gives you advice, feedback, and encouragement that you need. He is always available for his authors. Thanks Torica.
Slyce: In what genre do you write?
SHC: Urban fiction/African American Romance
Slyce: Have you penned under another name?
SHC: No. I thought about it but it made me feel like I was hiding. I am not ashamed of anything I write. I have, however, considered dropping the Holly Cain and just calling myself Sherene.
Slyce: You wrote a book titled “She Said It’s Your Child”. What was this book about?
SHC: While it does deal with some traditional baby mama drama, this book is mainly about a young couple who were having problems conceiving a child. Since the husband couldn’t give his wife a baby, they decided to utilize the help of his brother to donate sperm. But lies, deceit, lust, and betrayal caused a turn of events that quickly turned their dream into a nightmare. This book is a must read for anyone who believes that love wins in the end, but only after it’s taken you through hell and high water.
Slyce: Is the book a series or a standalone?
SHC: It’s a 3 part series which is complete and available on Amazon now.
Slyce: How important are interviews?
SHC: Interviews are very important because they allow you to introduce yourself as an author, get to know your current readers, and gain new ones.
Slyce: How important are reviews?
SHC: Reviews are important to the extent that the reviewer provides honest and direct feedback on what they like or don’t like about your book. But more often than not, authors are faced with bad reviews by people who mean them harm by giving them bad reviews out of jealousy, anger, and fear.
I have had many disappointments because it was blatantly obvious, someone had a problem with me as a person and was utilizing the review to retaliate. I do realize that not all bad reviews are reflective of that and have been able to polish my skills as a result of a so-called bad review because it was honest and made me look at some of my shortcomings as an author. On the other hand a “good review” was nice but didn’t give me the information I needed to develop my skill as a writer.
My hope is that reviews will be monitored so that authors don’t have to be subjected to abuse while they are trying to get the feedback they need to become more successful.
Slyce: What does the term “Building a Brand” mean?
SHC: I believe it means stamping your signature on what you do to the extent that when people see it, hear it, taste it, read it, they know it is undeniably yours.
Slyce: Do you feel a new author should have a “Team”?
SHC: While it is always good to have people who ride for you, with you, and believe in what you do, this is often not a reality for most new authors. A good team is not always the people you feel should have your back, but an array of strong supporters from far and wide. I advise any new author to keep an open mind when it comes to teamwork because it isn’t always accessible and at the end of the day, you may have to stand on your own two feet.
Slyce: What was one of the biggest mistakes you made as a new author?
SHC: Believing that everyone in my circle was just as proud as I was about my debut novel.
Believing that someone would help or mentor me along the way.
Character development, grammatical errors, focusing on either 1st or 3rd person, juggling my writing career and a nine-to-five job, fitting in at my publishing company were some of the things I struggled with when I became a new author. Not knowing these things could be very detrimental to a newbie and I learned them through trial and error, the hard way.
Slyce: What advice would you offer to those aspiring to become an author?
SHC: Be true to yourself, believe in your talent, tell a story that people want to hear but tell it with passion and in a way no one else can or will. Find out whose riding for you (there’s a lot of good publishers, authors, and mentors who want to see you make it. You just have to find them) and work with them so that you can enhance your skills.
Slyce: What goals would you like to achieve as an author?
SHC: Of course I would love to be a household name and eventually see my work on the big screen. But more than that I want to empower those that read my books. I want them to see that there are solutions to the problems they have, abuse is never an alternative, and you can always persevere if you believe in yourself.
Slyce: Is there anything else cooking in the lab for Author Sherene Holly Cain?
SHC: Always. As a matter of fact, I’m working on screenplays for some of my books and at the request of my readers, I’m writing a spin-off to “She Said It’s Your Child”. I don’t have a title yet, but I’ll keep everyone posted.
Slyce: Do you write for the passion or the profit?
SHC: While it doesn’t hurt to have extra money in my pocket, I definitely write for the passion. I can’t think of anything else that brings me more joy. It’s a labor of love and my daily reward is satisfaction.
Slyce: How can our viewers contact you?
SHC: Follow me on Facebook: Sherene Holly Cain – https://www.facebook.com/sherene.holly or Author Sherene, or Author Sherene II, Authoress Cain
Twitter: Sherene2009
Instagram: Sherene Holly Cain
Email: enerehs2008@yahoo.com
Goodreads: Sherene Holly Cain
Amazon Central: Sherene Holly Cain
Slyce: I’d like to thank guest Sherene Holly Cain for joining us in “Super Sunday-Interrogation With A Twist”!! Thank you my Sister. You were wonderful!!
Everyone please go purchase “She Said It’s Your Child” (the series) by Sherene Holly Cain. Also, remember to check out her page on Facebook at: 
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BOOKS:
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