Roberta Fernandez is...On the Writing Block!

Sherry Ickes

21 hours ago4 min read

Welcome everyone! But first, who is Roberta?

Roberta Fernandez, a board-certified hypnotist, didn’t know she had a story to be told. With a lot of time on her hands during the Covid-19 lockdown, she used hypnosis as a creative tool for writing her first two books. Roberta

enjoys developing relatable characters and watching how the story evolves. Like her readers, she can’t wait to discover what will happen next!

Who are two authors that have inspired your writing?

Dan Brown and David Baldacci. Brown is brilliant in weaving together his story

and keeping the mystery and thrill to the very end. I think I’ve read everything

Baldacci has written. My favorites were his early works – so diverse in topics and I

still think some of his best. I love the way he moves the story along, though I’ve

noticed that his style has changed to include more detail as he’s traveled to set his

novels.

How much research do you conduct for your storylines?

In A Knock on the Door, I created a fictional town that was based in a general area,

choosing the town’s name from its history of barrel makers or coopers. I also had

to research certain items to fit in the timeline of 2015 when the story takes place –

were they still using CD’s. I had to push it back a few years, as I couldn’t find a

way to fit USBs into the storyline. When I did that, I had to research popular

musicians of the day, and also some historical events to fit into Lori Crawford’s

history. Once you make one change it can effect many of the story elements.

In my second book, And the Two Shall Meet, I had to do a lot more research on the

history of the Triad and the Mafia, including some Italian swear words. I’d been

careful in the first book to keep things G-rated, but it’s inauthentic to think that an

Italian mob boss is going to say “Geez, do that again and I might have to harm

you.” To soften the blow for A Knock on the Door readers, I chose most of the

harsh language to be in Italian.

In what stage of your writing, did you determine that your book was to be a

standalone, or a series?

I wrote A Knock on the Door during Covid. I fell in love with the characters and

how they grew, and so did my readers, so I knew they had more to tell. A series

was inevitable and necessary. Their evolution was still prominent in And the Two

Shall Meet and the story couldn’t end there, so I’m currently writing the third book.

I’ll decide when to end the series, either through audience feedback or my lack of

ideas on where to take them. Once the audience loses their love or gets bored with

characters, it’s time to move on. I learned from Baldacci that there is a risk in

writing a series. If your reader doesn’t connect with the characters in the first book,

they aren’t going to buy the rest. I won’t say which, but my inability to connect

with the characters in one of his series, is why I have to say I’ve read almost all of

his work.

It can also be challenging to have readers of the second book be able to pick up the characters' history when they may not have read the first book. In the second book, I purposefully have the main characters launching a book they wrote called A Knock on the Door, and managed to set that stage in just a few sentences, so there’s no need to have read the first book. My guess is that if readers start with And the Two Shall Meet, they will soon be buying A Knock on the Door. Successful series are a great way to get readers hooked on your writing.

How much is based on real life versus made up?

What you know and have experienced as a writer usually finds its way into a story.

Those who know me will see things in my life in A Knock on the Door in several

of the characters and scenes. There’s a little less in And the Two Shall Meet, aside

from my love of the Sopranos – lol! I’m a hypnotist and I’m bringing that into the

third book.

What is A Knock on the Door about?

Lori Crawford's world is turned upside down when her husband dies in a car accident. After twenty-five years of marriage, she thought she would forever live an uncomplicated, happy life with Jack. But just as Lori feels she’s coming out on the other side of her grief, Jack’s assistant at Spring Ware, Rita Johnson, discovers information that convinces her that Jack was murdered.

The two women vow to bring the perpetrator to justice. But time is running out, and their names are on someone’s kill list. The truth takes them down a path they never could have suspected. They set out to bring down one of the most powerful men in the country: the director of the National Security Agency. But who will believe them? And how many more will die before they do? Now, they have to decide if they have the courage—and the ability—to finish what they started.