A Quick Chat with Sheritta Bitikofer

Sheritta Bitikofer has a passion for storytelling. Her goal with each book is to rebel against shallow intimacy and inspire courage through the power of love and soulful passion.

Her biggest thrill comes when she presents love in a genuine light, where the protagonists not only feel a physical attraction to one another but a deep emotional (and dare we say spiritual?) connection that fuels their relationship forward into something that will endure much longer than the last pages of their novel.

A devoted wife and fur-mama to two shelter rescue dogs, Sheritta’s life is never dull. When she’s not writing her next novel, she can be found binge-watching her favorite shows on Netflix, being creative with her husband, playing with her shelter rescue dogs, or painting at a medieval reenactment event.

How did you start your writing career?

I’ve always been a creative person. I’m an only child and my parents divorced when I was young, so when my mother was working or too busy to play with me, I’d play pretend and come up with stories.

My cousins lived right around the corner from me, so I’d sometimes go over there to play. These were the days before [the] internet, cell phones, electronic interactive games, etc. So all we had were each other. We came up with stories together and I found that I always wanted to keep the game going long after we were done.

As I grew up, I discovered libraries and books where I could go on adventures from the safety of my own living room. When I learned how to write, I would make these little picture books for my friends. I even came up with a play for my second-grade class to perform.

I’d done a few short stories here and there through elementary school, but middle school is when I first decided to try and write something a little longer. My English teacher was phenomenal and would have us do these writing prompts first thing before class. I remember one asked us to describe how our morning went. That particular morning, I threw up in the bathroom, so I described that in full, unashamed detail. Everyone loved it! It gave me the courage to explore the craft.

By the time I graduated high school, I had written four novels, a screenplay, and a short story that I hoped to publish one day. It wasn’t until three years after I graduated that I began to take the self-publishing route seriously. So, I’ve always been a writer. I’ve created characters that have grown up with me and helped me discover more about myself and how I view the world. I’ve developed as a person through my passion and dedication to writing and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What is your writing process?

I start with character names. I’ve tried to start with the outline first but found it got confusing because I would plot out these scenes without knowing names and sometimes my notes wouldn’t make sense.

Once I have my entire cast of characters figured out and how they’re all interconnected, I set to writing the chapter outlines. I used to do bullet points, but I’m starting to chart it all out in a three-column table so I can see notes about character development for each chapter and what kind of emotion needs to be conveyed. I never write a single word of the manuscript until I have the outline completely done and fine-tuned. Even when it’s done, something may come up in the course of writing the manuscript and things change, but I at least like to know where I’m going before I start.

About the same time, I’m making this outline, I’ll make some basic notes about how I want the characters to develop over the course of the story. Will she get over a certain fear? Will he let go of a grudge? Stuff like that. Along with the chapter map, it helps me to understand the characters, which aids me when I’m writing out their dialogue and narrative.

Then, I start writing. I like to do about half a chapter a day, which can range from 2,000 to 3,500 words. If I’ve got a good flow going, I won’t stop there and keep going with the rest of the chapter. I like to divide up my point-of-view segments that way. So, you may see that half of the chapter is dedicated to the heroine’s perspective and then the other half is for her hero.

Doing only half a chapter a day can help me reset and get into the other character’s mindset. When I’m not writing, I try to immerse myself in the next scene and get the right attitude. My day job is a blessing because I can listen to music, which will help set the mood for when I’m ready to write once I get home.

The actual writing process could take me anywhere from a month and a half to two months. The exception was when I wrote an 85,000-word novel in a little over two weeks.

Once the final sentence is written, I usually treat myself to a nice dinner out with my husband or splurge on lunch for myself. Then, I give myself a couple of days to rest and regroup.

Sometimes, I’ll work on the plot outline for another book or take some time to read or study the craft. Only then, once I’ve halfway emptied my head of the story, I’ll go back and do a first round of edits. Sometimes I’ll read it silently to myself, but I’ve found that I catch more typos when I have a text-to-speech program reading it to me. That could take me about a week, maybe two, because I’ll spend one afternoon editing two or three chapters.

Once my personal rounds of editing are done, I send it off to beta readers, editors, and carry on with the rest of the self-publishing process.

About the Book

By the Book by Sheritta Bitikofer
Genre: Contemporary Cowboy Romance with an Urban Fantasy Twist

Synopsis

When Tara Christiano slid the pretty romance novel down from the shelf at the local bookstore, she never suspected that her life would be turned upside down. It isn’t just any ordinary book. It can predict the future. Specifically, Tara’s. And when her future becomes intertwined with a handsome new face in town, she anxiously awaits each new page that is revealed, hoping Beau will become her love interest.

Beau Bremor came back to Brooksdale, Texas to help his brother get back on his feet after the loss of his wife. Helping on Daniel’s ranch is one thing, but the well-being of his little niece, Dixie, is in the forefront of his mind. She needs a mother and Daniel needs a wife. When Beau reunites with his former high school crush, a scheme formulates. But, can he keep his objective in mind while he’s falling head-over-heels again for the beautiful and witty Tara, whom he is trying to set up with his brother?

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