Cheryl was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, and lived there until the summer she turned six years old. That summer, she and her family moved to Seminole, OK. She is a "born & bred Okie" and loves living in "the land that is grand."
During the past many years, Cheryl has worked on a variety of novels, short stories and screenplays, as well as being co-owner of her own editing/teaching company. She has sold several newspaper articles to The Oklahoman, the premiere Oklahoma City metro area newspaper. She has sold six short stories to Adams Media (F&W Publications) for their Rocking Chair Reader series, as well as their Christmas anthologies, and she has also sold numerous short stores to Chicken Soup for their various collection of anthologies.
Cheryl's first full-length novel, Fire Eyes, was released May 29, 2009 in both e-format and in print through The Wild Rose Press. Her western historical short story, "A Night For Miracles," will be released on December 2, 2009, also through TWRP.
Her second novel, "Time Plains Drifter", will be released in December 2009 as well, through Class Act Books. A western with a time travel/paranormal twist, "Time Plains Drifter" is a book to watch for--and the fantastic cover was created by Cheryl's daughter, artist Jessica Pierson.
Cheryl and her business partner, Al Serradell, teach writing workshops for both adults and teens. They have worked extensively in venues in the Oklahoma City metro area, including churches, libraries, schools and career centers, as well as with the Indian Education Department of one of the major school districts.
Please feel free to contact Cheryl with any questions or comments about her books or writing in general. She loves to talk shop with fellow authors and readers!
Website
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WestWindsRomance.blogspotWestWindsMedia.com
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ClassActBooks.com
Beaten and wounded by a band of sadistic renegades that rules the borderlands of Indian Territory, U.S. Marshal Kaed Turner understands what the inevitable outcome will be for him: death. But Fate and a war party of Choctaw Indians intervene, delivering him instead to a beautiful angel with the skill to heal him. Jessica Monroe has already lost a husband and a brother to the outlaws who tortured Marshal Turner. As the rugged lawman lies bleeding on her bed, she faces a difficult decision. Can she afford to gamble with her heart one last time? For when Kaed recovers, he is sworn to join the other Territorial Peace Officers in their battle to wipe out the renegade gang once and for all. When vengeance is done, will Kaed keep riding? Or will he return to claim his future with the beautiful woman the Choctaw call "Fire Eyes?"
Excerpt:
Jessica laid the knife aside on the nightstand, surprised at the slight trembling of her hand. She'd done this plenty of times before. Her throat felt tight, like a knot had formed in it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She cleaned the blood from his lip, and he closed his eyes, allowing it. "Are you all right?"
His breathing became steadier. "Finish it, Jessica."
"But-"
"Don't wanna think about it." His dark hair fanned across his forehead, his swollen eyes shuttered, closed against her worry. His split cheek had reopened, and had begun to bleed once more.
He looked like a fallen angel, Jessica thought. A once-beautiful, perfect angel who now lay before her beaten and bruised. But not broken. He was too tough, too proud.
And still beautiful.
Through all the blood and bruises, Jessica could still see the dark planes and lines of his features, the tenacious set of his jaw. He opened his eyes slowly once more, and Jessica's breath caught at what she saw there. The pain in his ebony gaze was obvious, but beyond that, there was a concern she had never expected to see. He was worried for her, rather than himself.
She nodded. "All right, Marshal." She turned and walked to the fireplace, thrusting the knife in the fire.
www.romantictimes.com/books_review.php?book=38918
Susan Mobley says:
Pierson's novel conveys the nicely realistic feel of the Old West, wrapped around an enjoyable love story. There's a modicum of blood and violence, and the secondary characters add a good minor story thread.
Summary: The Choctaw call her Fire Eyes and see her as a healer. When they deliver a critically wounded man to widow Jessica Monroe, she knows she has to help him. The man, whom she soon discovers is Marshal Kaed Turner, slowly regains his strength and begins thinking that settling down might not be so bad.
Even after a bad marriage, Jessica hopes Kaed might want to stay. But he's determined to catch the men that killed a young marshal and caused the death of two Choctaw girls -- which ends up putting Jessica and her baby daughter in danger. (WiLD ROSE, May, 278 pp., $13.99) HOT
-Susan Mobley
"YOU GOTTA READ" REVIEWS GIVES FIRE EYES HIGHEST RATING--YOU GOTTA READ!
yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/review-fire-eyes-by-cheryl-pierson.html
Roberta says:
Do you want to read a true western? Well, look no further. This has got to be one of the best westerns I have ever read. You have all the elements that make up an authentic western. There are marshalls, indians, bad guys, women who need rescuing, preachers and children throughout this story. You have gun fights, a family feud, and a kidnapping in this fast paced story. In the middle of everything are these two main characters, Kaed and Jessica that will leave you breathless. Kaed is what us women dream of having. He is honorable, strong, trustworthy and can show his vulnerability to the right woman. Jessica is a strong independent woman who knows what she wants and that's Kaed. Don't be surprised once you have finished this story, you are looking for other works from this author. Can't wait to see what Cheryl Pierson is releasing next.
FIRE EYES EARNS 5 WINGS AT CLASSIC ROMANCE REVIVAL REVIEWS!
www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?cat=157
Here's what Samantha Daniels had to say:
Instead of leaving US Marshal Kaed Turner for dead, Choctaw Indians toss him on Jessica Monroe's doorstep with deadly instructions to keep him alive. This is not the first time she has met such a request, but it is the first time she cares about the outcome.
A woman living alone has much to fear, and her deadliest apprehension now rests in her bed with massive injuries. Keeping the marshal alive is only the beginning. The Indians return with an even more serious demand, one she is uncertain she can oblige.
Cheryl Pierson has secured a fan! If you aren't fond of westerns, you will be after reading her debut novel, Fire Eyes. And if you love historical westerns, make room on your shelf for a new favorite.
Fire Eyes opens with a gritty setup that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. I was on the edge of my seat and gasping for breath throughout the entire book. The appearance of one character in particular kept me guessing if he was to be trusted. I rooted for Jessica when she met him at the door with a loaded shotgun, but then I chewed on my lip when she invited him into her home. What was she thinking? I did breathe easier when she kept the gun nearby. And when Kaed discovered a connection between Jessica and his own past, I read even faster. I had to know if this information would alter his thoughts. I was not disappointed, and you won't be either.
Ms Pierson does such a wonderful job with surprises and twists that I went back to reread the book immediately to see all of the hints she sprinkled along the way. The author's writing style is so deliciously easy to follow that I finished several chapters without realizing I had turned a page. And the characters, oh, my. Kaed is the kind of character I search for in every book I read, strong and virile but with flaws and weaknesses. Jessica is Kaed's match in every way, but not in a competitive, I'm-as-macho-as-the-man way. I love it when an author knows how to portray male and female characters that remain true to their gender.
Ms Pierson has done her homework. With Fire Eyes, she delivers a story that is true to the time and setting without making you feel as though you have read a documentary. I hope there are more books in production by this author because I can't wait to read them.
Professional reviewer and author Steph Burkhart has high praise for Fire Eyes! (4.5)
Pierson pens a riveting romance with lush settings and compelling characters in "Fire Eyes." Set in the American old west just after the Civil War, Pierson submerses the reader in pure action. Kaed Turner is an experienced U.S. Marshal who learns that a younger Marshal has gone after Andrew Fallon, a man whose criminal actions border on insanity. Kaed arrives too late to help Mitch Beckley. Fallon has Mitch hostage, as well as two young native American girls. Kaed is helpless to prevent their deaths. Fallon assaults him and leaves him for dead. Standing Bear, the local Indian chief, finds Kaed, barely alive, and brings him to a white woman known to Indians as "Fire Eyes."
"Fire Eyes," is Jessica Monroe, and she lives in a cabin outside of the fort near the Indians. Jessica is raising a baby who was abandoned by her father when her mother died. The Indians bring Kaed to Jessica. She springs into action, nursing him back to life from the brink of death.
Kaed and Jessica fall in love as she's nursing him. They commit to each other. Kaed's Marshal friends find him with Jessica. They tell him they are on Fallon's trail (Fallon has taken two new hostages) and while Kaed isn't fully healed, he goes with them to find Fallon. Jessica understands, but she's concerned for Kaed's well-being since he isn't fully healed.
The Marshals dogged pursuit of Fallon is not without a price. When Kaed learns Jessica's life is threatened by the ruthless Fallon, he hurries home hoping to prevent the criminal from killing his new family.
Pierson's writing is crisp and sharp. Her beginning grabs the reader immediately, holding them in the moment. Her dialogue is authentic, evoking the old west with little effort. Pierson's descriptions are rich with emotional metaphors. Her love scenes are tasteful, full of passion.
Pierson writes in a point of view that shifts between characters within scenes. Known as a "Lonesome Dove" perspective (after the same novel) this point of view can be confusing to readers, however, the romance genre is generally forgiving of it.
Pierson's characters are real with strengths and weakness that the modern reader can identify with. The supporting cast compliments the main characters. The plot moves fast, unraveling the romance between Kaed and Jessica at break-neck speed. If anything, their romance happens too fast for the reader to enjoy it. "Fire Eyes" is a story that brings the American west alive. It's a perfect book to curl up next to the fireplace with, taking the reader on a rich, romantic adventure to the past.
LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS GIVES FIRE EYES 4 BOOKS!
longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/fire-eyes-by-cheryl-pierson.html
Here's what Camellia had to say!
Widow Jessica Monroe, named Fire Eyes by the Choctaw chief Standing Bear, earned the Indian's respect when she stood firm against him and his warriors. Even though he saw the fear in he eyes, he also saw determination and courage burning even brighter in them.
Adept at healing, Jessica helps other when she can, but holds herself away from pain, laughter, and love. She and Baby Lexie sense a change in theirs lives when Standing Bear brings the nearly dead Marshal Kaedon Turner to her cabin.
Kaedon, in an effort to save Standing Bear's two granddaughters, takes on a fight he knows he cannot win but one he cannot walk away from either. Tough as a boot, he survives unbelievable abuse before Standing Bear arrives. At Jessica's his bloodlust subsides when vaguely in his pain-hazed mind he hears her say, "I'm here, I care", then he feels her light kiss. To him "she looked into his soul" and became his Angel.
Fire Eyes, full of strong characters, takes the emotions on a rollercoaster ride from unspeakable cruelty of Fallon's Brigade to the sensual, deep love--soul mate love of Kaedon and Jessica. Kaedon heals too fast for reality, but with all the happenings, one hardly notices because there is too much excitement to be bothered.
The secondary story involving Tori and Lily is heart stopping, while the story of Kaedon's fellow marshals and their loyalty to each other is one that shows a part of human nature so admired, that part that says I am my brother's keeper.
Cheryl Pierson creates a spellbinding story that keeps the reader turning pages.
PNR PARANORMAL REVIEWS' KAREN M. NUTT HAS HIGH PRAISE FOR FIRE EYES!
U.S. Marshal Kaedon Turner tries to save an impulsive marshal and two Choctaw children from Fallon and his band of cutthroats, but he's captured and beaten within an inch of his life before a war party of Choctaw Indian's rescue him. They deliver him to Jessica Monroe or Fire Eyes as the Choctaws have named her.
Jessica Monroe lost her husband to Fallon's Brigade and realizes what torture Kaed has endured. She's determined to save him, caring for him day and night, while she also cares for her adopted baby girl. An immediate attraction grows between the two. Jessica fears the lawman may break her heart for she knows that he must leave her once he's well enough to ride again.
Kaed never thought he'd fall for the beautiful woman with the gentle touch, but he must leave her and go after Fallon. He learns from his fellow Territorial Peace Officers that Fallon has captured two more girls and he is determined to find them before it's too late.
Fire Eyes is a wonderful story full of characters you'll love and those you'll hate. Jessica and Kaedon's destined love for each other will warm your heart, making you wish for a happily-ever-after for them. Fallon and his Brigade are vicious in every respect and you can't help but hope they get what they deserve. I found the secondary story with Lilly and Tori heart wrenching as they cling to each other and pray that they can escape from Fallon's clutches. Kaedon's fellow marshals were also a wonderful addition to the story, as the author portrays how their friendship and loyalty shape their lives. I have to say that Frank Hayes, who is young and still learning the ropes, is my favorite marshal.
Ms. Pierson has created a soulful tale about love, loyalty and friendships that last a lifetime.
(For those who like a bit of the paranormal in their story, there's a touching moment that is sure to make you smile.)
Fire Eyes
The Wild Rose Press
ISBN 1-60154-470-7
buy this book