Bestselling, award-winning romantic suspense author
Susan is the bestselling author of over sixty Christian/inspirational and clean reads romantic suspense and mysteries with two million books sold. She grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books.
Today, Susan channels this enthusiasm into writing romantic suspense and mystery novels and hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com.
Much to her husband’s dismay, Susan loves to look at everyday situations and turn them into murder and mayhem scenarios for future novels. If you’ve met Susan, she has probably figured out a plausible way to kill you and get away with it. Don’t worry, she’d never follow through on it.
Susan currently lives in Oregon, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. She and her amazing husband have two beautiful daughters, two special sons-in-law and three amazing grandsons. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying her grandsons, reading, gardening or working on TheSuspenseZone.com.
Q: What inspired you to become an author?
The lifelong love of reading inspired me to want to write a book, but I never found the time to write. I’ve always enjoyed writing from creative to technical writing I’ve done in the corporate world, and I said for years that I was going to write a book, but I was so busy working full time and raising children that I never made the time. Then I had some health issues that limited my physical activity and I was forced to sit for long periods of time. So I started to research the craft of writing and began my first book. Soon I was writing as much as I could and actively pursuing publication.
Q: What is the most important thing you want your readers to take from your books?
I want readers to be entertained and yet come away from the book thinking about the characters’ struggles and how they overcame adversity. To then think about their own lives and realize they too can overcome any adversity put in their path.
Q: Do you put yourself into your books/characters?
Because of our experiences and perceptions, all authors put something of themselves in their characters, but I try to make each character different and unique which means they have to possess a variety of characteristics. If anything, I try to write characters that have features I would want to have or that I admire.
Q: Name one of the craziest things you’ve ever done.
Oh, wow, just one? There have been so many things in my life that in hindsight I see as crazy, but at the time, they were perfectly sound decisions and plans. Probably the one that stands out in my mind is when I was first married and lived in northern Wisconsin. We had a winter with seriously cold days that never ended. I mean really cold. Minus 25 degrees day after day.
One of our friends had moved to Texas and we thought it would be great to get out of the cold. So, without jobs or a way to support ourselves, we moved to Texas. When we arrived there, I discovered I was pregnant. So, both unemployed and now with a baby on the way, we found ourselves in a strange town in a strange state. It all worked out well though. My husband found a teaching job and I worked as a substitute teacher until our daughter was born.
Q: What has surprised you most about being a published novelist? 
The biggest surprise, beyond the amount of time it takes to market and promote your books, is how intrigued people are with writers. We are not so different than the average person, except that we put our daydreams in writing, but I think most people have at one time or another thought about writing a book and wish they could do so. Also, people often think, as they do of actors, that we are the people we write about. Though we do put some of ourselves in a character, they are fictional people. And they also think that writers are all wealthy. That we all receive huge advances for our work. The truth is, many writers work full-time jobs in addition to their writing to make enough money to live on.
Q: What is your typical writing day like?
I don’t really have a typical day as my writing day depends on whatever deadline I have at the moment. Let’s say that I don’t have a contract deadline, but pray that it never happens, and focus on what I would do if a day were typical.
While drinking my coffee, I start the day answering emails and posting Facebook and Twitter updates. Then I read the chapters I wrote the day before to get back into the feel for where I left off and do a bit of light editing as I read. Next I write the next chapter or as much as I can write before I no longer know where the story is going or need to do research. If research is required, I make calls, send emails, or work on the Internet until I resolve the issue. By now, it’s lunchtime, and as I eat, I read postings from various news lists or groups I belong to. This is followed by checking email, and of course, wasting a bit of time on Facebook. Okay, so maybe I do the Facebook and Twitter thing more than this, but hey, the writing business is a lonely business to be in.
I will write until about four in the afternoon, at which time I’m kind of brain dead. I work on my website or work on updating www.thesuspensezone.com until dinner, which I or my wonderful husband will cook. I take a short break for dinner, and then continue the website work. When my eyes are crossed from staring too long at the computer, I pull out a suspense book and read. Now that is a wonderful way to end the day.
Q: What is something most people don’t know about you?
Something many people don’t know is that due to both my work and my husband’s work, we have lived in nine states since we’ve been married. We started our married life in Wisconsin where I grew up–go Packers–and then moved to Texas, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Texas again (it’s such a big state you have to live there twice), Florida and finally back to Oregon to be near our daughters. We have loved every place we’ve lived but do have a special fondness for the Portland, Oregon area where our daughters and grandson live.
Q: What is your favorite book?
I don’t have a favorite book, but favorite genres. I read mostly mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense because I like a book that moves along and has a mystery to solve. As a writer, there are books that I love because of the prose, books I love because of the great/creative plots, books I love for wonderful/quirky characters, books I love for the message, and of course, books I love for the pure entertainment value. When a book includes all of these under one cover, I cannot put it down.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
Oh, now that is really tough. I can’t say that I have a favorite movie, but love to watch chick flicks. Not a big comedy person, but I do love a good thriller.
Q: What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?
I don’t think of this as an accomplishment, per se, but I am most proud of my two daughters for the women they have become and the values they hold.
