Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherrie Hansen

Hi Sherrie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I owned and operated a B&B and Tea House, The Blue Belle Inn, in a beautiful Victorian house for 31 years. Two years ago, after experiencing some health issues, including a broken back, I realized that I couldn’t keep going on the way I had been without adequate help. I sold the B&B and moved with my husband to a picturesque acreage about a half hour away. Since then, I’ve been trying to cobble together a business revolving around my novels (I’m a published author of 22 novels and the Blue Belle Inn Cookbook), and a variety of crafts and paintings that I’ve been doing in my “free time.” I’m re-branding myself under the title Out of the Blue, since everything that is happening now and from here on forward is an offshoot of what I did at the Blue Belle Inn. I’ve been sewing and selling Scottish and Irish Wool Patchwork Pillows and Wee Fairy Folk made from wool remnants I brought home from our travels in Scotland and Ireland, I’ve been painting with a new, loose style and a bold, brightly colored brush strokes, and I recently finished my 4 books Highland Homecoming series, Highland Heather, Alpine Meadow, Love in a Mist, and Traveller’s Joy. I still do some catering for a few faithful customers and play the piano at the church where my husband is the pastor. I love being able to do this and that at my own discretion when I’m in the mood and have adequate time and energy. Although I’m glad I’m no longer working full time and running a business, I miss being active and feel compelled to continue earning money so we can travel and make those occasional splurges when we wish.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Is life ever a smooth road? I am very blessed, and in general, things have been going wonderfully, but yes, there are struggles… too many doctor’s appointments and responsibilities blocking the calendar and not enough time to relax, write, and create… marketing challenges and a declining market for luxury items. Finding people who love to read my kind of novel and collect artwork or upscale decorating items is a challenge. At the Blue Belle Inn, I had ready-made, enthusiastic customers walking through the door every day. Now, I have to work hard and pay dearly for each customer–and it takes a whole lot more effort to go to them than it did to sit back and let them come to me. The fun part is having the time to paint and write and travel–things I had trouble carving out time for when I owned the B&B and Tea House.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I’m most known for the 22 novels I’ve written–mysteries, romances, and romantic suspense stories set in Denmark, Scotland, France, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and various locations in the USA – and my Blue Belle Inn B&B and Tea House Cookbook. I also paint bold, colorful florals and landscapes, sew Scottish and Irish Wool Patchwork Pillows, and make Wee Fairy Folk and Celtic Crosses with glass beads, seashells, and mosaics. I write music, and play the piano, too. I think what sets me apart is that my music and each of the items I write or create is distinctive and different from what anyone else is doing. Someone told me once that they never wanted to be accused of being normal. I liked the concept and ran with it, especially with my books. My books are written against a backdrop of faith and family, but some have steamy scenes, because life includes all of the above, and I wanted to be true to my characters and the challenges and conflicts they face. I wanted them to be unique, and real. My books also hover between the mystery and romance genres, which makes them harder to market. They’re not quite cozy, but they don’t fit into the inspirational or Christian fiction category. My books were once called “The Thinking Woman’s Fiction.” They’re perfect for those who like honest characters who seem so real that you are heartbroken when the book is done because it feels like you’ve lost your best friends.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?

I love my life – I get to do the things I love — write, paint, play the piano at church, travel abroad, photograph sunsets and Northern Lights, cater special events, and just enjoy life, friends, family, and my husband. But I get to do it on my terms, when I feel up to it. I also get to sleep in once in awhile, and spend a periodic day in my nightgown. Being “semi-retired” is great! I feel very blessed.

Pricing:

• Paintings $50 – $200
• Celtic Wool Pillows $39 – $49
• Novels and Cookbooks $14 – $25
• Celtic Crosses $8 – $18.50

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.BlueBelleBooks.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueBelleBooks
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/sherriebluebell/

Image Credits

Sherrie Hansen