Many of you have asked about the cover models for Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered. I appreciate you sharing my interest in knowing more about the gals and guys pictured on front, and what it was like on their photo shoots.
Following that thread, I'd like you to meet Cheryl Hendrick, the model on Rekindled. Isn't she a doll! :) She's joining us today to share how she came to be the model for Rekindled and what that experience was like.
Welcome, Cheryl, and thanks for chatting with us. A few questions...
Q: How did you come to be the cover model for Rekindled/Revealed?
A: The art director at Bethany House suggested I would be a good fit after seeing the photo on website where I work (www.thedesignworksgroup.com), and possibly from other covers I’ve been on. Steve Gardner, the photographer, also thought that I would be a good fit according to the character’s description.
Although I’ve been featured subtly on several covers, the only other cover that I have prominent placement is The Ultimatum by Nancy Moser. However, the look and feel is so different that you would never be able to tell it’s the same model.
Although I’ve been featured subtly on several covers, the only other cover that I have prominent placement is The Ultimatum by Nancy Moser. However, the look and feel is so different that you would never be able to tell it’s the same model.
Q: Can you tell us where the photo shoot took place and if anything exciting or interesting happened during the photo shoot of Rekindled?
A: The photo shoot took place at a lookout point between Bend and Sisters, OR. It’s a beautiful, wide-open expanse that epitomizes the dramatic beauty of Central Oregon. To capture the scene in its most natural state, however, meant three people needed to hoist me over barbed wire fence—dressed in nearly 20 lbs. of awkward, tight-fighting, period clothing. Did I mention that this fiasco took place at a scenic viewpoint along the busiest main highway through Oregon? …Not the least bit embarrassing.
Q: Can you tell us anything special about the dress you’re wearing on the cover of Rekindled?
A: I believe the dress was rented from a vintage clothier out of Hollywood that is used heavily in cinematic productions.* The shoot took place after my regular workday at DesignWorks, and I was able to change there at our studio. It took about 30 minutes to get dressed, and then, of course, I had to model my vintage attire to the entire studio.
I’m sure it was entertaining for the designers that normally see me in straight forward, no nonsense, business suits to be squished into a fluffy, incredibly restrictive full fledged gown.
*[Tamera here: Yes, that's right! This dress is custom to that period and was actually worn by Jane Seymour in Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Fun tidbit!]
Q: What other kinds of modeling/acting have you done?
A: Strictly book covers and a couple interiors.
Q: How long have you been modeling and what’s your favorite thing about it? And likewise, what’s your least favorite?
A: My favorite thing about modeling has been to send the photos along to my mom. She acts like I’m a celebrity – it’s hilarious. My least favorite thing is to be bossed around during the shoot: “Look down and to the right, no – MY right!”
Q: Do you know the other models on the other Fountain Creek Chronicles covers?
A: I actually know the model, DeAnna, for the cover of Revealed. She works at another local design studio alongside my boyfriend and the love of my life, Russ.
Q: Who is the man standing so mysteriously in the background of the cover of Rekindled? Did you know him before the photo shoot?
A: His name is Ben and at the time he was the photographer’s assistant—a strapping young man used for a number of different shoots.
Q: Before you arrived at the photo shoot for Rekindled, were you familiar with the plotline of the book or the female character that you portray?
A: Not in the least bit. It’s always a surprise.
Q: What modeling jobs are you currently working on?
A: None at the moment, but I never know what the week will bring. Because I
(1) live within a block of PixelWorks Studios (our primary photographer), and
(2) work at a graphic design studio that specializes in book covers; so I could be pulled into a shoot at any given moment.
(1) live within a block of PixelWorks Studios (our primary photographer), and
(2) work at a graphic design studio that specializes in book covers; so I could be pulled into a shoot at any given moment.
Q: Is there a ‘dream modeling job’ that you’d love to undertake someday?
A: Not really. It’s been very rewarding to have a small place in a reader’s heart and mind and I think the emotional connection with a book cover is far more significant than a magazine ad. I’m not really a model anyways—just a normal person who occasionally gets hurled over barbed wire fences in period clothing.
Q: And lastly, we have to ask... Have you read Rekindled?
A: Not yet—but I have a copy and fully intend to! I’ve heard great things about the Fountain Creek Chronicles series and can’t wait to learn about who I’m supposed to be!
A few months ago, we hosted DeAnna Pierce, the model on Revealed's cover who portrayed Annabelle Grayson. Click here to read her interview.
If you'd like to leave Cheryl a comment, you can do that below.
