We recently connected with Sherrie Hansen and have shared our conversation below.
Sherrie, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?
When I opened my B&B and Tea House, I made it a goal to take a vacation to Europe every 3 to 5 years. My motivation came from my father, who was a farmer. For years, when our family went on vacation, something would invariably happen at home – pipes would freeze in the barn, corn prices would surge, whatever – and the vacation would be cut short. I can still hear his voice, maybe 6 or 7 days into the 10 day vacation, saying, “Get in the car. We’re going home.” Then I got married and moved to Germany. The first time my parents came to visit me, I wondered how he would handle being so out of touch with his business for almost 2 weeks. This was before the days of internet and cheap long distance or messenger capabilities, so my dad had no idea what was going on at home. And there was nothing he could have done about it if he had. Changing the return date on their flight home would have been too expensive. And he was a different person! For the first time, I saw him relax, laugh, and have fun. I saw a side of him I had never seen. My goal to get out of the country, where no one could find me, forget what was going on in my business, and relax worked perfectly. Working long hours and saving money to go on my next trip kept me highly motivated in my business. The far away locations I visited became the basis for several of my novels and inspired plot lines based on castles, legends and historical tales. I eventually started traveling to Europe every 1 to 2 years, and I’ve now written 20 novels set in Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Provence as well as various states in the US.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
After living and traveling in Europe for 3 years and then Colorado Springs, CO for over a decade, I decided I wanted to move back to the Midwest to be nearer my family. I had always wanted children, and finding myself divorced, in my late thirties, with no immediate prospects of remarrying, I thought I would like to be a part of my nieces and nephew lives and enjoy being Auntie Sherrie if I wasn’t going to be a mom, I had been working in the property management field, renting apartments and commerical office space in restored Victorian houses. The year before I moved, I had coordinated the renovation of several properties with a million dollar budget. The question was how I could use my skill set and support myself in a small town in a largely rural area. I came up with the idea of a B&B and Tea House, started experimenting with a menu, bought a dilapidated Victorian in Northern Iowa for $18,000, and went to work creating the Blue Belle Inn. I never wanted to have a restaurant, instead, preferring my guests to feel like they’d been invited to a special company dinner at a friend’s house. I served unique foods – dressed-up casseroles and homemade baked goods with regional and European specialties. Creative decorating and hospitality were two of my strengths and they both got put to good use. Thirty odd years later, I sold the property and published a cookbook that will hopefully bring back memories to my customers and help my legacy live on.
I started writing novels late at night when I finally got off work and in the slow winter months. I attended Writer’s Retreats and Conferences when I could to learn the trade. A publisher read the first chapter of NIGHT & DAY in an online contest and offered to publish it. I think the thing I’m proudest of is that I’ve written the novels I wanted to write rather than conforming to a particular genre or set formula. I combined faith and family conflicts with spicy characters and steamy scenes. I hovered between romance and mystery and set many novels in Europe. My novels are character driven, and since no two characters are the same, they are unique, true to real life, and honest, My novels may not be on the bestseller list, but they consistently get rave reviews and delight readers. I hope the people who find my books like unraveling a mystery but are also fascinated by the mystery of love. I think they are open to books with Christian characters (some not) but don’t specifically gravitate toward Christian fiction. I think they have been hurt or are lonely and somewhat cynical and are looking for healing or a second chance. I think they want to be restored and to believe. I think they want to believe they are beautiful and that good things can happen to them. They are hungry for hope, joy, peace and love. This also describes many of the travelers who discovered and frequented my B&B and Tea House, bringing about a lovely full circle.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect of my business is making people happy. I love hearing my guests ooh and aah over the unique meals I prepare, and to pamper them with culinary treats that make them feel loved and special. I think my cooking style could be called “elevated comfort food,” that brings people joy. (I am fortunate enough to still get to cook for small, private events, public events at church, and for cooking classes and book-signings.)
I feel like my books also give people comfort and inspire them to keep hoping and dreaming when they encounter difficutlies. The murder mysteries I wrote for the Blue Belle Inn made people laugh and forget their own problems for a time.
For me personally, I love that I get to use my myriad of talents. I used to tease that I wasn’t talented enough in any one area or capable of earning a living with a single skill, but that the smattering of talents I was able to utilize in my business suited me perfectly. I’ve been able to set my own schedule, do things “my way” and cultivate a grateful following of customers and fans. When I have a new idea, I can run with it and see what develops. It’s extremely satisfying, and I would encourage anyone who’s thinking of going down a creative path to dream big, work hard, and not be afraid to share your gifts with the world.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Throughout my thirty plus years in the B&B and Tea House business, I faced several economically difficult times when I had to come up with new ideas to draw people in so I could pay my staff and keep the business thriving even during those slow periods. I think I was somewhat of a trend-setter, being one of the first in my industry to introduce horse-drawn sleigh rides, cooking seminars, house concerts, writing seminars, craft and quilting retreats, wine tastings, and our very popular murder mysteries. They not only brought in new customers and kept my staff busy, they generated a lot of good publicity which brought in even more business. In addition to writing novels, which sold well at the B&B, I painted paintings to sell, sold mugs and crafts like Celtic Crosses that I made, rounded up public speaking engagements, and hosted Christmas and Mother’s Day teas and other special events. I knew from the beginning that I couldn’t survive without diversifying since the town I was located in had only 1000 residents. Coming up with unique offerings like our Seasoned Pork and Parmesan Stuffed Pumpkins kept me and the Blue Belle on the “cutting edge” of things and helped the business thrive.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BlueBelleBooks.com
- Instagram: @SherrieHansenAuthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SherrieHansenAuthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrie-hansen-b86a47b/
- Other: https://sherriehansen.wordpress.com/ https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sherrie-Hansen/author/B007YXQJ4W https://www.pinterest.com/sherriebluebell/