Anderson, Sheryl J. 1958-

PERSONAL:

Born November 21, 1958; married Mark Parrott; children: Sara, Sean. Education: Attended College of William and Mary.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Los Angeles, CA. Agent—Stan Spry, Artist International Management, 9595 Wiltshire Blvd., Ste. 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Previously worked as a development executive for GTG Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA; teacher for Act One, an instructional program for Christian screenwriters, and for UCLA's Writer's Extension Program. Also producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer, and creative consultant for television series, including Charmed and Flash Gordon.

MEMBER:

Writers Guild of America West.

WRITINGS:

(With William D. Wolfe) Message in a Minute: Lighthearted Minidramas for Churches, Judson Press (Valley Forge, PA), 1992.

(With William D. Wolfe) Message in a Minute: More Lighthearted Minidramas for Churches, Judson Press (Valley Forge, PA), 1998.

The Twelve Plays of Christmas: Original Christian Dramas, Judson Press (Valley Forge, PA), 1999.

TELEVISION PLAYS

"Rock 'n' Roles," Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), 1991.

"Money Talks," Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), 1992.

"Death of a Saleswoman," Dave's World, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS), 1995.

"The Good Doctor," Dave's World, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS), 1996.

(And producer) "The Witch Is Back," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 1998.

(And producer) "Wicca Envy," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 1999.

(And producer) "Secrets and Guys," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 1999.

(And producer) "That '70s Episode," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 1999.

(And producer) "They're Everywhere," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 1999.

(And producer) "Ms. Hellfire," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2000.

(And producer) "Give Me a Sign," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2000.

(And producer) "Apocalypse, Not," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2000.

(And supervising producer) "All Halliwell's Eve," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2000.

(And supervising producer) "Wrestling with Demons," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2001.

(And co-executive producer) "The Demon Who Came in from the Cold," Charmed, WB Television Network (WB), 2001.

"Power Play," For the People, Lifetime, 2003.

"Conspiracy Theory," Flash Gordon, Sci-Fi Channel, 2007.

(And creative consultant) "Ebb and Flow," Flash Gordon, Sci-Fi Channel, 2008.

"MOLLY FORRESTER" MYSTERY NOVELS

Killer Heels, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2004.

Killer Cocktail, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2005.

Killer Deal, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2006.

Killer Riff, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sheryl J. Anderson began her writing career as a playwright and moved on to television, where she wrote for popular shows such as Charmed and For the People. She then decided to apply her plot- and dialogue-crafting skills to writing novels, which was something she had always wanted to try, she explained on her Web site.

Anderson's first novel, Killer Heels, was published in 2004. It is a mystery featuring Molly Forrester, a Manhattan advice columnist. When Molly finds one of her coworkers murdered in the office one evening, she decides to simultaneously solve the murder and launch a more serious writing career. Aided by her two best friends, Cassady and Tricia, Molly becomes embroiled in a complicated mystery involving multiple murders, inadvertently attracting the attentions of a handsome police officer.

Critics likened Killer Heels to the television show Sex and the City, as well as other "funny, spunky, urban female sleuth novels," as Shelley Mosley wrote in Library Journal. Oline H. Cogdill, writing for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, was less impressed: she found the novel "as excruciating as the shoes on the cover look." Cogdill commented that the plot is clichéd and implausible, but praised Anderson's portrayal of Molly's friendship with Cassady and Tricia. A writer for Kirkus Reviews also lauded the "delicious dialogue between Molly and her buds," and Booklist reviewer Jenny McLarin summed it up as "a fun if slightly implausible tale." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly concluded of Killer Heels that "ample laughs help propel a well-crafted plot."

Anderson capped the success of Killer Heels with a sequel, Killer Cocktail. Molly Forrester's second escapade into the venue of crime-solving begins when her friend Tricia invites her to her brother David's engagement party in the tony Hamptons. The jollity of the occasion is marred, however, when the body of the putative bride, budding starlet Lisbet McCandless, is discovered floating in the family's pool. David is the logical suspect, say the police; Tricia begs Molly to step in, and soon the Zeitgeist columnist is involved in another murder investigation. "Naturally, it isn't too long before Molly's getting death threats, too," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor, "sending Kyle to the rescue once again." Featuring "fashion commentary, urbane asides, and witty characters," according to Rex E. Klett in Library Journal, Molly's return in Killer Cocktail is "a lighthearted romp," declared Harriet Klausner in Best Reviews, "as Molly gets into trouble with a Southampton police hunk, her fantasy male Kyle, and a killer." Offering "fashionably fun characters and well-plotted mystery," stated Sheri Melnick in the Romantic Times Online, "Anderson's latest sparkles with wit and drama."

Killer Deal shows Molly's career advancing (slowly) when her editor Eileen Fitzsimmons assigns her to interview Gwen Lincoln, the wife of the late advertising chief Garth Henderson. Gwen is, of course, the police's favorite suspect; Henderson was a notorious philanderer, and he and Gwen were in the middle of an acrimonious divorce when he was offed by an unknown party. Soon new suspects emerge, thanks to Molly's investigations, explained Sue O'Brien in her Booklist review, ranging from "an angry client to a new business partner to Henderson's employees." Killer Deal, wrote Pat Cooper in the Romantic Times Online, is "a charming combination of Sex [and] … the City and Murder, She Wrote, with overtones of Nick and Nora Charles." "The bright lights of the city keep the gloom away from this tale and lighten the atmosphere," declared Anne K. Edwards in New Mystery Review. "Although Molly has a positive relationship with a boyfriend who's downright wonderful, it's her relationship with her friends that provides strength and encouragement," stated Oakland Tribune writer Kathleen Grant Geib. "In this female- oriented story, it's clear who rules the emotional roost." "Fans of this killer of a series," declared Harriet Klausner in the Midwest Book Review, "will root for the unsinkable Molly Forrester."

In Killer Riff, Molly finally achieves her long-sought goal of moving from columnist to features writer. Anderson's fourth venture with Molly and her companions features rock music producer Russell Elliott as the corpse. Elliott supposedly died from a drug overdose, but his relationship with his (also recently dead) client Micah Crowley throws another light on the matter. The answer may be on some recording tapes featuring some of Crowley's best work—tapes that no one can locate. In the course of the story, Molly encounters "Elliott's surviving extended family members as Elliot had several wives, which has left his will tied up in probate wars," stated Harriet Klausner in the Midwest Book Review, a situation that has given several people incentives that could have led to murder. Molly is soon busy once again, "handling strange family dynamics, finding the mysterious tapes," Sandra Martin wrote in the Romantic Times Online, "and flushing out a killer." "In the end," concluded Lynne Maxwell in Mystery Scene, "Killer Riff proves to be a classy requiem for life in the fast lane."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2004, Jenny McLarin, review of Killer Heels, p. 1350; July 1, 2006, Sue O'Brien, review of Killer Deal, p. 36; November 15, 2007, Sue O'Brien, review of Killer Riff, p. 21.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2004, review of Killer Heels, p. 203; June 1, 2005, review of Killer Cocktail, p. 610; October 15, 2007, review of Killer Riff.

Library Journal, June 1, 2004, Shelley Mosley, review of Killer Heels, p. 108; July 1, 2005, Rex E. Klett, review of Killer Cocktail, p. 56.

Midwest Book Review, August, 2006, Harriet Klausner, review of Killer Deal; January, 2008, Harriet Klausner, review of Killer Riff.

New York Times Book Review, August 21, 2005, Marilyn Stasio, "Essay: A Girl's Guide to Killing."

Oakland Tribune, January 25, 2007, Kathleen Grant Geib, "Lady Sleuths."

Publishers Weekly, April 19, 2004, review of Killer Heels, p. 44; June 5, 2006, review of Killer Deal, p. 41; October 22, 2007, review of Killer Riff, p. 38.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 5, 2004, Oline H. Cogdill, "Chick Lit Lite," p. K2964.

ONLINE

Best Reviews,http://thebestreviews.com/ (September 2, 2008), Harriet Klausner, reviews of Killer Cocktail and Killer Heels.

Hollywood Studio International Web site,http://www.hsifilms.com/ (September 2, 2008), "Sheryl J. Anderson, Noted Television Writer/Producer and Novelist, Signs with Artist International Management," and "Sheryl J. Anderson Joins ‘Flash Gordon’ Staff."

Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (September 2, 2008), author profile.

Mystery Scene,http://www.mysteryscenemag.com/ (September 2, 2008), Lynne Maxwell, review of Killer Riff.

New Mystery Reader,http://www.newmysteryreader.com/ (September 2, 2008), Anne K. Edwards, review of Killer Deal.

Romantic Times Online,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (September 2, 2008), Sheri Melnick, review of Killer Cocktail; Pat Cooper, review of Killer Deal; Sandra Martin, review of Killer Riff.

Sheryl J. Anderson Home Page,http://www.sheryljanderson.com (September 2, 2008).

SpiritRestoration.org,http://www.spiritrestoration.org/ (September 2, 2008), Tara Hornbacker, review of The Twelve Plays of Christmas: Original Christian Dramas.