M.M.:First question, when did you first start writing stories?

S.K.: The moment I could talk. Literally. I was drawing comic books before I could put words together and I wrote my first novel at age 7.

M.M.:As a published author, would you recommend writing as a profession, or do you consider it more of a hobby?

S.K.: Only have it as a profession if: A) you’re independently wealthy. B) a serious glutton for punishment. C) you have the hide of a rhino.

That being said, I am a professional writer which makes me a poor masochistic behemoth.

Seriously though, I believe that writing calls you, not the other way around. It has been my master from the moment of my birth. There is nothing else I have ever wanted to be or to do. Everything in my life up to the point Ive been published was simply a means to buy me the tools I needed to write down my stories. So for me it is more than a hobby, more than a profession. It is my life. It is who and what I am.

M.M.: What does it mean to you, personally, to be able to transpose ideas onto paper, and turn them into stories that people want to read?

S.K.: See above. I cant live without writing. Believe me, I have tried. My people are a part of me and I cant function without them. I have truly embraced my madness.

M.M.: What writers, if any, have influenced your own writing?

S.K.: None really. Except possibly Hesiod. Ever since I read the Theogony, I’ve wanted to create my own pantheon. If not for him, I doubt the Dark-Hunter series would be the same.

M.M.: Do you have a specific genre you prefer to write in, and why?

S.K.: Not really. I follow whatever stories or characters who are talking to me at the time. Because of that, I’ve published in almost every genre and sub genre.

M.M.:What type of books do you enjoy reading, in your spare time?

S.K.: Again, Im eclectic. Ill read any and every thing I can lay hands to from technical manuals to classics to genre.

M.M.: I hear you have your Ph.D. in History? And if so, should I refer to you a Dr. Kenyon?

S.K.: Please don’t. I haven’t been in a classroom in over a decade and haven’t kept up with my field except vicariously. I’ve never been into titles or one-upmanship or power trips. Im Sherri to everyone, except my kids. Im mom to them (then again, even my baby calls me Mama-Sherri were not sure why).

And I’ve always wondered, why is it lawyers all have doctorates and they’re not called doctors too? Sorry, ADD kicking in. Suffice it to say, titles as a rule make people uncomfortable and I wasn’t raised that way.

M.M.: Speaking of names, I understand you used to go by a pen name. Is that true and if so why?

I’ve gone by many over the years. Mostly because Im extremely prolific and I write in so many genres and sub genres. Not to mention I got married and took my husbands name.

My current schizophrenia is limited to two incarnations: Sherrilyn Kenyon and Kinley MacGregor. Thankfully, both are alive and well and will hopefully continue on as such for years to come ;)

M.M.: All right, now if I may, shift gears a bit and take a look at you career as a novelist. Your new book is "Devil May Cry (A Dark-Hunter Novel, Book 11)." Can you give our readers a brief synopsis of the novel?

S.K.: Ooo yeah, what was it Mark Twain once said? Forgive the length of this letter. I didn’t have time to make it short. Im Southern, brevity isn’t in my nature, LOL. But Ill try.

An ancient Sumerian god, Sin was one of the most powerful among his pantheon. . . Until the night Artemis stole his godhood by trickery and left him one step from death.

For millennia, this ex-god turned Dark-Hunter has sought only to regain his powers and seek revenge on her. If only life were that simple.

Unfortunately he has bigger fish or in his case, demons, to fry. The lethal gallu that were buried by his pantheon are now stirring and they are hungry for human flesh. Their only goal is to destroy mankind and anyone else who gets in their way. Lucky Sin is the only one who can stop itthat is if a certain woman doesn’t kill him first.

Trust of any kind died in him the moment Artemis tricked him, but now he must rely on another woman or see an annihilation of biblical proportions. Enemies have always made strange bedfellows, but never more so than when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Now a man who knows only betrayal must trust the one person most likely to hand him to the demons. Artemis may have stolen his godhood, but this one has stolen his heart. The only question is will she keep it or feed it to the ones who want him dead?

M.M.:Where do you hope the "Dark-Hunter" series will go from there?

S.K.: I have no idea. We’ve already been the #1 best selling book in the US and that was an incredible feeling. My goal for all my series is simply to entertain my audience and I hope we will continue to do so for years to come.

M.M.: Do you have another project that you are working on now, or is there something coming in the near future we should know about?

S.K.: There’s the Lords of Avalon books which are published under Kinley MacGregor. Those are to Arthurian legends what the DH are to vampires. Then there’s the League series which will be republished starting next year. Those are set in space and revolve around a ring of assassins. Then there is Nevermore which is currently a secret until we launch the web site.

Devil May Cry hits the streets August 7th followed by Upon the Midnight Clear (A Dream-Hunter novel) on October 30th and then The Warrior (Kinley MacGregor) which is a medieval historical. My Lords of Avalon comic books should be hitting the shelves this fall and the Dark-Hunter manga will be out hopefully in 2008.

M.M.: If any of our readers wish to, how might they reach you, and where are your books available for purchase?

S.K.: My e-mail is sherrilynkenyon@charter.net and all my books are in print and available from any bookstore (if they don’t have them on the shelf, they can be ordered). And please feel free to stop by the web sites: sherrilynkenyon.com, dark-hunter.com, lordsofavalon.com, kinleymacgregor.com, crynevermore.com, or livetheleague.com

M.M.: Do you have any words of wisdom you would like to share with a potential young writer who may be reading this interview?

S.K.: Never give up. Never surrender. Always believe in yourself and in your work and don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t have the talent to make your dreams happen. If you hear the voices in your head and you feel them in your heart, then you are a writer and you can achieve publication.

M.M.: All right. Sherrilyn, thank you again for your patience. We really appreciate you taking the time to be with us. Continued success with your books, and let is know if and when something new pops up on the charts.