These are the burning five questions we must know about Cheryl Pierson. Are you ready?
What’s weird about your name?
I have two weird things about my name that I’ve had to explain all my life. My first name is not pronounced SHARE-yl, like 99% of the rest of the world with that name. My parents must have sat around for ages figuring how to pick a name that would be just enough “off” to require a double take every time I introduce myself. It’s CHAIR-yl, with a “hard” CH—like chicken, church, or CHAIR.
The second weird thing is my middle name. (Yes my parents were on a roll here!) It’s Kathlyn. I have met a total of two other people in my life with that name. This is why my daughter is named JESSICA.
What was the car you learned to drive in?
My parents bought a ’63 Impala that I shared with my sister who had moved back home after her divorce. It was white and one of those fantastic old cars that I wish I still had. Even though it was old when I got it, I loved that thing. (I was 16 in 1973.) The car I learned to drive stick shift on was a mid-year special edition Capri. Racing red and NO air conditioning. Still the “car of my heart.”
How many states have you lived in?
Only two. I was born in Oklahoma and lived here until I was 17. My dad worked for Baroid, an oil company, and was transferred to Charleston, West Virginia, the summer before I started my senior year of high school. I met my husband there, and Fate stepped in. He worked for the FAA, whose training facility is in Oklahoma City. So we moved back out here and have been in Oklahoma for the past 29 years.
Favorite food?
Fresh home grown tomatoes. With or without salt. They even beat chocolate out!
One book you couldn’t live without?
To Kill a Mockingbird. The great American novel has already been written.
Got a question you want to ask? A comment you want to make? Let's hear it! I'm giving away a pdf copy of my short story, "EVERY GIRL'S DREAM" to one commenter today! Be sure you "follow" this blog--just click the follow button on the home page--there will be a drawing once a month from the followers list for a giveaway.
Contact Cheryl at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com
Cheryl's Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
Interesting to see you pick To Kill a Mockingbird. I once wrote a short story from Boo Radley's viewpoint. I already have EGD so I'll just comment. No questions.
ReplyDeleteChuck, I truly do believe that has to be the best book ever written, for so many reasons. Every time I re-read it, there is something else I notice about it. Your short story from Boo Radley's POV sounds VERY cool. As I got older, I wondered what Boo must have been thinking during all his growing up years, and how lonely he must have been. Thank you for commenting!
DeleteCheryl
Hey Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteI am always intrigued by that expression The great American novel. Does it mean that someone is expressing an opinion that a particular novel is The one? We don't have The great British or The great English novel over here.
Keith
Keith, I think now it has just come to be one of those things that everyone jokes about. Is there ever going to be a "great American novel" that everyone can agree is "it"? No. There are some other wonderful novels out there, but To Kill a Mockingbird just stands above the rest of them for me because of my "roots", I suppose. Oklahoma is not truly considered "southern" but we sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, and a lot of the "southern" writing really speaks to me. There is a huge difference between southern writing and "other" writing. LOL When Scout describes certain things, I can picture it vividly, as well as the social mores and "codes" of the south that are unspoken. Most everyone will agree that To Kill a Mockingbird was a great work, though it might not be at the top of their list. Something else might be what they envision as "the great American novel." Kind of like hoping to find the Holy Grail. LOL
DeleteCheryl
This is such a great idea- I can't wait to hear more from, and learn more about, everybody.
ReplyDeleteHi Troy, I'm excited about this feature, too. It's just a quick way of learning a few things about our fellow writers. I was lucky to be able to find a picture of the exact kind of car I had on the internet! LOL
DeleteCheryl
I would have been one of those crazy people who would pronounce your name wrong instead of chair-al. LOL
ReplyDeleteIsn't is funny how back when most of us learned to drive a stick shift and proud of it? Me too. LOL
I love tomatoes still warm from the garden And I REALLY love fried green tomamtoes and some sauce with cayene pepper. Yum.
Hi Sarah!
DeleteNo, not crazy--that's just how most people say it. And that's why my daughter's name is JESSICA. LOLLOL One of these days, driving a stick shift will be a lost art. Now that I think of it, that's one of the rare things I could do that my mom didn't know how to do. LOL Oh, yes, those tomatoes. Is there anything better than one fresh from the garden? And fried green tomatoes...WONDERFUL STUFF. I'm getting hungry now!
Cheryl
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorites, too. Great book, great movie.
ReplyDeleteTry explaining why you're named Livia in a small Texas town, and why there is no O in front of my name.
Livia, I bet that WAS tough! We named our son Casey and it was that year that everyone decided it would be cute to name their daughters Casey. LOL He came home from school saying there were two girls he knew named Casey and people were saying his name was a girls' name. The next day when he went to school there was a new girl named MICHAEL. So, after that, he was just fine.
DeleteI love the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird, too. Did you know they released it for the 50th anniversary this year? I bought it for myself for Christmas--it's all re-mastered. I'm going to pick a day and just sit and watch it by myself so I can cry when I want to. LOL
Cheryl
Cheryl, I've been spelling my name since day one, and I've passed the honor on to my eldest daughter. I named her Aerin, after my favorite heroine, Robin McKinley's Aerin from The Hero and the Crown. Warrior princess to the end. The odd spelling of my name has paid off, though. They might not be able to pronounce it, but they remember it. ;)
ReplyDeleteSiobhan, I even know how to SAY your name! I worked with a woman a few years ago named Siobhan.I think that's a lovely name. I really like Aerin, too. My mother's family was Irish and Native American, and my dad's was Scot, Irish and NA. I had not really gotten into genealogy much when I had my son and named him Casey. After he was born, we were at a family gathering and some of the old aunts came up to me and told me how glad they were that I had named him a "family name"--Casey. I just smiled and nodded. Then I went home and called one of my relatives and asked them about what was going on--we had several ancestors who came from Ireland named "Casey" as their last name. I never knew that. It kind of gives me the chills. LOL Thanks so much for coming by today! I hope you'll become a regular follower! I've got you entered in the drawing.
DeleteCheryl
We had a '65 Impala with a 396. :)
ReplyDeleteLove this feature, Ch-ch-cheryl. (I have to put up with a "qu." For some reason, that's hard for must people to deal with, either in saying my name or spelling it.)
I can't read pdfs, so don't enter me, but I hope a bunch of people stop by and read your five fun facts.
Jacquie, I thought of that after I put it up as the giveaway. If I draw your name I have something else for you! Now, when are you gonna sign up for YOUR Friday Five? Got lots of slots open! (Weren't those old cars FUN???)
DeleteCheryl
Hi Cheryl (with as 'hard' c! :) )
ReplyDeleteOne has to wonder sometimes what was in our parents' minds when they gave us the names they gave us! I have no idea why my parents gave me the first name Hywela with the middle name Lyn, and then proceeded to call me 'Lyn' all my life
(although I think using one's second name is fairly common in Wales) However it's quite handy now as I use both names as my pen name and I think it's more memorable than if I'd used my second name a'Lyn' and my surname!
Fascinating to learn more about you!
Lyn, I remember when I first met you and I absolutely LOVED your name! Then I noticed everyone else was calling you Lyn, so I did too. My parents did the same thing yours did. They named my sister Mary Annette (which I always thought was dumb because when you say it fast, it's 'marionette')LOL But they called her Annette from the day she was born. Thanks so much for stopping by today and commenting. I've got you entered in the drawing!
DeleteCheryl
Loved the book, To Kill a Mockingbird too! So many folks agree with us. I learned to drive stick shift on a hearse. Yes, my dad was an undertaker. That's quite a large vehicle to maneuver, especially when Dad kept telling me not to take the corners too fast because the coach was top heavy and would roll over! I'm still not sure if that's true, or if I was just driving too fast and he was scared!!
ReplyDeleteJ Q, what stories you must have to tell about learning to drive a hearse!LOL I remember driving with my dad and when I was coming to a stop, he'd say, "SHUT 'ER DOWN!!!!" LOLLOL Oh, yes, To Kill a Mockingbird is such a wonderful book. I use that a lot when I teach workshops on writing. Thank you for coming by today! Please follow the blog to be eligible for many more giveaways throughout the year! And welcome to Western Fictioneers!
DeleteCheryl
I love this post, CHAIRyl. I so agree about TKAM. That's why Lee never wrote another LOL. Although...I AM a Little Women addict...I have an aunt and cousin named Tanya...family name. It was highly annoying LOL.
ReplyDeleteI think that is so odd, don't you? Look at Margaret Mitchell--one book. Harper Lee--one book. And so many more--I'm always amazed to think that Carson McCullers wrote her debut novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter at the age of 23. I remembered that you were a Little Women addict! LOL No one in my family is named after me, and I'm not named for anyone. But I did meet a woman on one of the loops who has the name Kathlyn, and is named for her grandmother.
DeleteCheryl
I know what it is like to have a name that people can mispronounce... I have a lot of people prounounce is as Kath-a-leen. I sometimes get a little cranky and tell them "Excuse me there is only one 'A' in my name.. And I get spellings of Kathalean..
ReplyDeleteTo Kill a Mockingbird is a great book.. Another of my fav books is Anne of Green Gables...
Kathleen, my niece's middle name was Kathleen and I had an aunt who ALWAYS mispronounced her name just like what you're talking about. There are so many great books out there, aren't there? Thank goodness--we're so blessed to have so many wonderful books to read out there, to truly be able to say, "I'll never be able to read every book I want to read." Thanks so much for coming by!
DeleteCheryl
Great answers,Cheryl prnounced "Chair-yl" I have to make myself say it that way when I read your name. Even if you have a rather common name, people just love to mispronounce it--Celia becomes Cecilia, most often. My parents and all relatives pronounced it Celie--and to this day around any of them, I'm Celie Ann.
ReplyDeleteOur book club re-read to Kill a Mockingbird last year, and it's the only book in 35 years as a member--give or take a few years of laying out--that every member adored the book. Would you consider it a classic? Our moderators asked that question--the unanimous answer, "No." Why? I don't remember.
I enjoyed this--nice break from other mundane stuff I'm doing.
Celie Ann would be a great character name for a story! I love your name. Oh, I would be interested to know why your bookclub members wouldn't consider TKAM a classic. Maybe because it came along a century later (or two) than the classics we think of? I'm glad you took a break and stopped by!
DeleteHugs,
Cheryl
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed everything about this interview except the favorite food part. Its winter here in Wyoming and it lasts a long time. Now all I can think about is a luscious fresh tomato, which I will not see for six months.
ReplyDeleteOGR, I love tomatoes more than anything. I ate so many of them one year (I think I was 10) that I broke out in a rash all over my body from the acidity.I will eat a huge plate of them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I would be perfectly happy to have tomatoes only for at least one or two meals a day. LOL I'm so sorry that you will have to think about a luscious fresh tomato for the next 6 months. Here in Oklahoma, the fresh ones might be along a little sooner than that. We can dream, can't we?
DeleteCheryl
Hey Chair-Girl without the G,
ReplyDeleteI forget about your pronunciation until you mention again. Ya know, as a grown up, you have the ability to change that if you want. Not saying you should, just saying that you have Options.
Love 'maters. yum.
Enjoyed your post!
Maggie, I figure I'll just keep it now--it's been this long. LOL My older sister used to say, "You could call yourself Kathy!" Maybe if we moved somewhere or something, but growing up in a small town where we all knew each other it would be too weird to go to school one day and announce, "I'm now Kathy, the person formerly known as Cheryl." LOL Thanks for stopping by, Maggie!
DeleteCheryl
Cheryl, my mom named me from the heroine of a book she read when pregnant, then forgot the name of the book. I love To Kill A Mockingbird. I somehow missed that the movie had been rereleased, but will look for it. Loved knowing more about you, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline, my mom had younger twin sisters named Marilyn and Carolyn. Also, the funny story about my mom's name--she always said her mother let her younger sister name Mom "El Wanda"--it seems the younger sister had read a romance novel where the heroine was named El Wanda. In going through a lot of her stuff and finding out bits and pieces which we all kind of "put together" after she was gone, we figured out she was born Wanda Lou. But the courthouse burned when she was a young teenager, and when her aunt went with her to sign an affidavit as to her identity, Mom changed her name to El Wanda and my great aunt went ahead and signed the affidavit. Ever after that, people called her El Wanda. Oh, yes, I wish you lived closer and we'd have a To Kill a Mockingbird movie night. You have to buy the CD and the Bluray disc all together--they don't sell them separately, so it cost something like $24 at Wal Mart. Thanks so much for coming by, Caroline, and for your interesting story about how you got your name. Don't you wish your mom had kept that book for you?
DeleteCheryl
AND MY WINNERS FOR EVERY GIRL'S DREAM ARE........
ReplyDeleteSIOBHAN and J Q!!!!!!!!!!
If you will e-mail me at fabkat_edit@yahoo.com I will be glad to send you your prize! Thanks so much for coming by and commenting, and joining in the fun here at Western Fictioneers!
Cheryl
Cheryl, last night was date night but I was sick so we stayed home and had a movie night. I was too brain dead to pick out a movie so I told my husband to surprise me. Well, he certainly did. He ordered the Blu-Ray version of TKAM! I was ecstatic. Couldn't get through the bonus features before the meds kicked in, but I want to watch those today.
ReplyDeleteBut here's what astonished me--my husband had never seen the move or read the book! Can you imagine that? So it was great fun watching his reaction. Of course he loved it. :)
Jacquie, you have sure got a winner! My husband would no more watch that with me than the man in the moon. I sure hope you're feeling better today. And I'm so glad he loved the movie--Iloved both the movie and the book--who else could have played Atticus Finch as well as Gregory Peck? He was so perfect.
DeleteCheryl
Cheryl, my family is from Oklahoma, too. In fact I just sold the last piece of my grandparents' old homestead. I've never had to explain my name but I do have an unusual middle name. RaElle. Pronounced Ray-Ell. My dad had a friend named Ray who was dying at the time and hoped for a boy to name after the friend.
ReplyDeletecharraddon@pobox.com
Cool, Charlene! Who knows--our ancestors may have been neighbors at one time. I've never heard the name RaElle before. My best friend from all my childhood years until today has an odd name--DaNel. She has been called everything from Daniel to Dan'l (like Dan'l Boone)LOL Thanks so much for commenting!
DeleteCheryl
My cousin's name is Sheryl with a 'sh' so it is natural for me to pronounce your name with a 'ch' as in cherry. It's a lovely name both ways. My name is unmuckupable (unless people call me 'Windy'). I agree with the fresh garden picked tomatoes. We have some in our veggie patch right now. Mouth watering just thinking about them. The book I can't live without... I guess that would be Roget's Thesaurus but I feel as if I'm cheating when I use it. Silly eh?
ReplyDeleteHi Wendy, and welcome to Western Fictioneers! Thanks so much for the kind words about my name--I just have gotten to where I answer to either one. LOL I remember how I used to beg my mom to change my name to Wendy after I saw Peter Pan. She was so beautiful and knew how to do anything. My dad would tease me and say, "I'd rather change it to Princess Tiger Lily!" LOL Made me so mad, because I was perfectly serious about it. I cannot wait for summer and those tomatoes. I've gotten by so far on buying the "campari" tomatoes at Walmart and eating those. But nothing compares to homegrown.You should not feel as though you're cheating when you use Roget's Thesaurus. I depend on it more and more the older I get...LOL Thanks again for coming by. We look forward to seeing you often, Wendy.
DeleteCheryl