I met Sheryl R. Hayes at BayCon, my local SFF convention that takes place over Memorial Day weekend each year.  Sheryl usually has an amazing crocheted dragon perched on her shoulder or some fabulous handmade dress.  She’s also an author. Talk about triple threat!

Sheryl R. Hayes can often be found untangling plot threads or the yarn her cats have been playing with. In addition to writing, she is a cosplayer focusing on knit and crochet costumes and works full time at a Bay Area water company.

Her latest book is called Chaos Wolf:

Bitten by a werewolf. Taught by a vampire. At this rate, she’s going to start a war.

Literature major Jordan Abbey ordered a double mocha latte, but it wasn’t supposed to come with a side order bite by a love-sick werewolf. When a vampire comes to her rescue, gut instinct tells her he has questionable motives. But he’s the only one she can trust to help get in touch with her inner animal.

Within a week, her smart mouth lands her in trouble with the hostile Alpha of the local pack and the stiff-necked vampire Elder. She now has less than a moon cycle to master shape changing… or else. And the besotted werewolf who started this whole mess is stalking Jordan and killing her friends. He won’t take no for an answer.

In the Northern California town of Rancho Robles where the children of the Wolf and the Bat share an uneasy coexistence, one woman makes an epic mess of the status quo.

 Did something in the real world inspire Chaos Wolf?

Chaos Wolf is the book I wanted to read, but wasn’t able to find. In most of the urban fantasy stories I read, werewolves hated vampires and vice versa.  The explanation given was it is how it had always been.  I wanted to delve into the why, and if the rift between them could be healed.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

After Montgomery disappears and is presumed to be kidnapped, Jordan goes to Marcus, Elder Vampire of the Rancho Robles Conclave for help.  She doesn’t know that Alpha Shane of the Black Oak Pack is there to discuss Jordan’s latest indiscretion. When they start arguing over who is the cause of her poor behavior, Jordan forgets herself and chews them both out. She storms out, then immediately freaks out over what she did. It was fun to write the emotional whiplash she experienced when she realizes she’s mouthed off to the two most powerful supernaturals in the city.

What was your writing process like as you wrote the book?

I had a strong idea of how the book end and rough steps about to get there, so I wrote up an outline to help keep me on track. But I left in enough flexibility that if another idea popped into being, it could be slotted in.

Then it was a matter of finding times to write.  I can’t tell you how many nights I spent transcribing scenes from scrap paper I had scrawled dialogue on during breaks at my day job.

What was the best thing that happened during your promotion of the book?

With the help of several friends, I threw a launch party at BayCon. It started around 9:00 PM and I thought I’d be lucky if we had a few people show up. I spent the evening chatting until things died down for the first time in the evening.  That was when we checked the clock and realized it was 2:00 AM.

What do you have planned next?

Chaos Hunt, the sequel will be out in October 2020. Keep an eye on my blog (https://www.sherylrhayes.com/blog) or my newsletter (www.sherylrhayes.com/subscribe) for the official release date.

You can check out her website at https://www.sherylrhayes.com

Buy yourself a copy of Chaos Wolf in paperback or for the Kindle on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Rm3LlC