AUTHOR SHERRI MATTHEWS: PRIORHOUSE INTERVIEW & SONGS FROM LUCIUS

Today’s Interview features Sherri Matthews.

PRIOR: Sherri and I have been blog friends since 2014 and she is one of the authors in Lady by the River (2017) here. She will be also be joining us in This is How we Grow (2023) and more information about that book will be coming later this spring.

SHERRI: My name is Sherri, given by my Irish grandmother, apparently, when my parents could not agree on a name. Unusual in England, where I was born and brought up, but not so unusual in California, where I raised my family for twenty years. Today, I live with my husband, and my youngest of three children, in Somerset, England. My mother lives with us in her “Granny Annex” across the garden. We are owned by two black cats, Ed and Olive. I have worked in the legal and medical fields, but writing is my passion, which is what led to my blog, A View From My Summerhouse

PRIOR: We sure had a lot of fun in those early days of blogging. I still enjoy my time in the blogosphere, but the thrill of the early days was unique. 

SHERRI: Oh gosh, yes, how could I forget the fun of those early blogging days! All those years ago, when we met over at my “Paris” post. Your lovely comments sparking a conversation that continues to this day. 

PRIOR: Those early days of blogging reminded me of so many folks, like Restless Jo, Debbie Smyth,  Dawn Miller, and Mahesh. Many more folks –  but those were the ones that came to my mind.  I am glad we initially connected over a post about Paris, such a wonderful city, and if anyone wants to check out Sherri’s Paris windows- click here. And Sherri, those were the days we both joined in with a variety of challenges. Times sure change. 

SHERRI: I greatly enjoyed those challenges and miss the fun of them. You are so right about how times change. Writing is an isolating enterprise at the best of times, so yes, I do miss the interaction blogging gives. But I have found what works for me and aligns with my writing goals.  I started writing my memoir in 2013, which was the same year I started blogging: something had to give. At first, I agonised about not blogging. All of the hard work in those early years, networking, making connections, and cultivating friendships – would this disappear forever? Everything “they” tell you not to do with a blog, I did, until my posts shuddered to a stop after my mother suffered two strokes last Christmas. Now, every bit of writing time I can grab is dedicated to finishing my memoir and other writing. 

One spot where Sherri writes. And by the way, when I interviewed Liz (post is here) – she also shared her writing area. I think that from now on I will try to ask more writers to share one of their writing spots. 

PRIOR: Oh yes, the memoir, Stranger in a White Dress. Do you have any advice for anyone writing a memoir?

SHERRI: My advice for anyone writing a memoir is to be kind to yourself. Be kind and revise, revise, and revise some more. And when you have done all that, revise again. Then, and only then, will you truly know what your story is about. Through webinars (and Jane Friedman’s site (here) is fantastic for all things writing, not just memoir, she is my mentor from afar), editorial and agent feedback, I have learned the hard way that knowing your story is one thing, but homing craft is another. Memoir is not about what happened, but about what happened and how it changed you. And how it impacts the reader – that all-important takeaway. Earlier this year, I felt my memoir still needed…something. I enquired and received a full written feedback report from a memoir consultant on the entire manuscript. She confirmed what I suspected: in an effort not to appear too reflective, I had taken out crucial, earlier scenes showing what formed my later and detrimental reactions. Six months and a last, deep dive, I do now believe the memoir is ready for submission. Wish me luck. I had no idea how long writing my memoir would take. Nine years, to be precise. 

PRIOR: I look forward to reading the memoir – when it is ready – because books sure have their own timeline. Well some books must have deadlines – while other projects have flexibility. On your blog, you have this quote that seems to remind us to focus on “doing it” rather than “forcing a time” to finish: “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. Take courage and do it.” Ezra 10:4. 

SHERRI: Yvette, I thank you so much for your friendship and support all these years. All is not lost, I have my tribe on and offline.

PRIOR: I hope that everyone keeps this in mind if they have to meander away from blogging. There are different blog modes. And if anyone wants to follow along the memoir release, the book blurb page is HERE

SHERRI:  Here are two more things to note:

• The memoir consultant I used is Marnie Summerfield Smith, anyone interested can sign up for her newsletter here: https://www.yourmemoir.co.uk/guide/  She’s UK based and so lovely. I highly recommend her to anyone starting out with memoir or further along and wanting guidance for that final polish, as I did.
• Also, Jane Friedman’s newsletter: https://www.janefriedman.com/blog/  Gives great access to classes, webinars, blog posts about all things writing, not just memoir. Highly recommended.

PRIOR: Sherri, as I was putting together your interview, a few songs from the band Lucius kept me company. First, you and I both celebrate our marriage anniversaries around the same time each spring. We both found our special man and I think we can attest to the support they have offered us over the years. Such a blessing. Anyhow, my favorite song from Lucius is about “not” finding the right guy –  The Man I’ll Never Find (whew – check out this song – the harmonies are SO good).

And this next Lucius song, Nobody Knows How Loud Your Heart Gets, came to mind after I grabbed some photos from your blog.

PRIOR: One of the photos I grabbed from your blog was of the robin that showed up to comfort you during a time of bereavement. I have had a bird theme come and go in my life too (as many readers know – wink) – and so this special robin HAD to make the interview post.

If anyone wants to read a post that will tug at your heart, and show you Sherri’s signature style with words, check out her post: In The Joy And Memorial For A Friend

PRIOR: Are there any movies or TV shows that you are watching?

SHERRI: Now, Yvette, you know I can’t do this interview without mentioning the Sopranos, right? Well, since then, I have watched it twice more (a few years apart, I should add). And each time, I get more out of it. The nuances, the acting. Tony.

PRIOR: I do still think of you when the Sopranos come up. For example, we paused to peek at a sweet BMW M5 parked outside our hotel last week – and It reminded me of the closing Sopranos season when the son got an M5. Then you came to mind… The little things…..

SHERRI: Yes, the little things. And of course, Breaking Bad. But that was back then. More recently, I absolutely loved Big Little Lies and The Undoing, both with Nicole Kidman, one of my favourite actors. (Spoiler alert: Hugh Grant was particularly good at being quite evil and manipulative, I thought.) Love Reese Witherspoon too. And I love The Crown, though with all the controversy swirling around the Royal Family right now (and of course, the sad passing of our dear Queen), it will be interesting watching how it unfolds. 

PRIOR: Travel bucket list?

SHERRI: Japan, the Northern Lights, and a safari are on my bucket list. I had the privilege of traveling the length and breadth of California with my family in the years we lived there, but I would love to take a Pacific Coast Highway road trip with my husband. Also, traveling through New England is on the list – exploring the covered bridges in the fall, eating lobster on a beach in Maine. And Alaska. 

PRIOR: TBR book? 

SHERRI: Not surprisingly, I have a psychological thriller book on my TBR, The Burning Air by Erin Kelly, my course tutor. Having recently watched The Tudors series with my husband (forgot to mention that above), I am also keen to reread Alison Weir’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII, a fascinating, in-depth history I have yet to compare.  And Dave Grohl’s autobiography, Time Like His. My son and his partner had got me tickets as a birthday surprise to see the Foo Fighters in July, knowing I had wanted to see them for years but never had. But it was cancelled when their drummer tragically died. They then secretly planned getting tickets to the Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert at Wembley in September. A truly incredible event. I finally got to see Dave Grohl play.

Sherri’s husband gave her these flowers.

PRIOR: What is something about you that is not well known?

SHERRI: I  had to think about this one. My husband reminded me that my mother has a record album of 1970s smaltzy lounge music with my face on the LP cover. I was sixteen at the time, an American photographer friend of hers took the picture and sold it. I did it for fun. 

PRIOR: Can you share some of your favs?

SHERRI: Some of my favourite things:

• Mantra: “One day at a time.”
• Author: Anne Rule (true crime writer)
• Sport: Tennis at Wimbledon, Rafa Nadal
• Food: Roast chicken with Yorkshire Pudding, roast potatoes, lots of vegetables, and gravy.
• Pets: my black cats and Labrador dogs we once had.
• First car: a black, rusty Mini, which I adored.
• Band: Foo Fighters; Song: Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd; Artist: Monet.
• Household items: Second-hand piano brought over from California that my middle boy learnt to play on and I learned to play Moonlight Sonata. American-style Fridge/Freezer.
• Holiday: Christmas is a very special time for me and my family, more so since the pandemic which played havoc on us all. Also, the last two Christmases, my mother was in hospital. So this year, we are praying for nothing to go wrong. We put up a live tree every year and decorate throughout, many of my decorations are from America and hold treasured family memories of years gone by. This Christmas, as always, I will spend it at home with my husband, adult children and partners, and my mother, cooking a very large turkey and all the trimmings, then a Boxing Day buffet the day after.
• Garden: The rose arch I’ve always dreamed of with a Super Fairy multi-headed climber. It looked a dream this spring, and thankfully didn’t suffer in our awful summer heatwave and drought. And also, during what has been punishing year in many ways, there have been some wonderfully joyful moments. One of which is our resident hedgehog, two years now a regular, hibernating, foraging, nesting. This summer she raised four hoglets in our garden. With the plight of hedgehogs in the UK well known, what a joy to have our own little family of them. And they all survived. The best way to encourage them into your garden is to make a small hole in your front fence, if you have one, so they can go through to the back. And keep it as wild as you can with lots of leaves and shrubs and dark, dank hiding places. They are a gardener’s best friend, devouring insects, worms, slugs and snails. We watch ours regularly on the field camera my family gifted me last year.

PRIOR: What do you do to relax?

SHERRI: For relaxation, I go for long walks with my husband, either by the sea or in the woods.

A pub roast lunch on a Sunday is always lovely.

A cup of tea first thing with my cat, Olive, curled up beside me.

Listening to music. Reading in bed.

A glass of wine in the evenings, watching the latest Nordic thriller…

PRIOR: I know your blog is not active right now, but I like how you still keep it up and available, as a resource, and how you also add posts occasionally (when your MUSE provides inspiration).

SHERRI: Yes, one must let the MUSE lead. And Yvette, I have adopted your view that my blog is on hiatus rather than fading away.

PRIOR: I want to briefly note that the “Asperger’s Syndrome and the Love of Animals” post is your most consistently viewed post. And here is another post from Sherri that I really enjoyed. 

      Regarding the way we blog, I think there are different ways to blog after a foundation has been set. Sometimes all that early work allows us to coast and loosely check in with those we know. We might not build more of a following and we might even lose connections – but all truly is not lost. Blogging could mean posting once a year – or once every 18 months. I guess it depends on our goals and of course, depends on where the MUSE leads. In fact, this MUSE talk reminded me of the MUSE song by Lucius (here).

So let’s maybe pause the interview, have some tea, and enjoy one more Lucius song: 

PRIOR: There is a line in that “Muse” song, about how the “desert needs the rain” – and it reminded me (a little) of your column over at Carrot Ranch – where you write about the interplay of California and English living.

SHERRI: The column is called Memoir Across the Pond (here), which features stories from my Californian past to now living back in England again.  In my articles, I share about experiencing love, loss, and home – from shore to shore, with universal themes that bind us.

The “Words We Know” post has this:

“In America I found joy and heartbreak. People I loved died. I got divorced. I moved back to England with my children and the remnants of our American dream in a shipping container. But America and our life there did not leave us. My husband has observed the unique way, as he puts it, that I interact with my children when we are gathered. I am not aware of it, it isn’t obvious. But it’s intrinsic because it’s who we are.”

Read the full post here

 

PRIOR: Thank you, Sherri, for taking the time to share some of your life with us for this interview. 

SHERRI: Thank you so much, mon amie. It means a lot to be included in the Priorhouse Interview series. I’m not used to talking about myself in such ways. It has been a great exercise in taking stock and evaluating where I am in my writing life, personal goals, and hopes for the future.

PRIOR: I hope that some of what was shared here will enrich others – and maybe even edify those who needed a little lift. Because our stories can do that! We lift up others when we let them into our life. I like how you said this (on your blog) about the power of sharing: “Weaving stories from the past; making sense of the present; giving hope for the future.”

How can we find you online?

SHERRI: My links are as follows, although please keep in mind that I am not very active on any of them at the moment:

• Blog: A View From My Summerhouse
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterSherri
• Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/aviewfrommysummerhouse
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sherri-matthews/60/798/aa3
• Carrot Ranch: https://carrotranch.com/category/columns/

 Questions for readers:

• Is anyone working on a memoir or other project?

• Were you around the blogosphere in 2014? If so, what was it like and do you have the same approach now?

• Sherri shared some fun favorites and one that really stood out was the Roast Chicken with Yorkshire Pudding. I have never had Yorkshire Pudding – have you? 

• Any comments or questions for Sherri?

Thanks for joining us today. To see all of the Priorhouse Interviews  – go here.

REMINDER: The #Dickenschallenge runs until June 9th… Inviting you to read ONE novella (or more novellas) and then chat with us in June (info here) (hosts are Trent, Marsha, and Yvette)

UPDATE: The timing of this post, which mentioned a bit about memoir writing, just so happens to coincide with the start of Jacqui Murray’s A to Z challenge with the topic of Business Memoir: https://worddreams.wordpress.com/2023/04/03/atozchallenge-business-memoir/

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