It is my very great pleasure to be talking to our latest author, Suzanne Smith. Her e-book The Brute and I. The is available to pre-order now at the sale price of $1.99 until the release date July 30th. It will also be out in paperback at the same time. You may well have seen Suzanne around, as she has been making friends on social media, introducing herself, and her book. We are all very proud to have her book available. I read it the other day and really enjoyed the story. You can read chapter one by clicking here.
It is great to meet you, Suzanne, would you like to tell us a bit about your background?
I grew up on the northwest side of Chicago. I attended Wells High School, then North Park College, where I graduated with a BA degree, my major in psychology. Currently, I live in River Grove, a small suburb just outside of Chicago. My days are spent managing a very busy dental office in Chicago’s Gold Coast area. My nights are mostly quiet ones, spent in the company of my two rescue cats, Zilly and H.K. and my dog Sammy, with an occasional night out with friends.
How long have you been writing? And what inspired you to become a writer?
I started writing about four years ago, mainly as a hobby to keep me busy after retirement, only a few years away. The hobby took a serious turn when I enrolled in my first Yellow Highlighter Class, offered online by instructor Laurie Sanders. There, I learned about Deep Point Of View, the most crucial element in character development. Before I took that class and the many other YHC that followed, I was more or less just dilly-dallying around. The words I wrote were pretty but empty. Under Laurie’s very patient guidance, my words took on a whole new meaning, and my characters really came to life. Added to that was the glorious feeling of freedom that writing gave me. Freedom to travel back in time or move forward in time, whenever I wanted. Writing soon became less of a hobby and more of an obsession.
Where did the idea for The Bruit and I come from? How much of the story is drawn from the real world?
Though the characters in The Brute and I are fictional, many of the problems they face are drawn from real life. In the poor yet diverse area of Chicago where I grew up, alcoholism and drug abuse were far too common. Almost every member of our community was affected by at least one of these things in one way or another. I don’t find writing an easy process, the ideas coming easily to me, I find I have the beginning and end of the story figured out easily enough, but it is the bit in the middle that slows me down. I guess if even one reader told me they felt that reading The Brute and I was time well spent, I would consider that success enough.
What is your writing process like? Do you have a routine for writing or is it something you pick up and put down during the day?
I do not really have a definite writing routine. I’d like to say that I sit down every day at a certain time and write for a certain number of minutes or hours, but I don’t. There are days when I don’t write at all, and there are days when I do nothing but write. Sometimes it’s not only my busy schedule that stops me writing, but it’s also more than I have to organize my thoughts in my head before I can put them on the page. This makes it very hard to determine how long it will take me to write a book. Also, some books take longer to write because they require more research than others.
What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
My tastes are varied. I enjoy reading romance and the sub-genre, paranormal, erotic, sweet, dark, historical. I enjoy all kinds of romance. Occasionally I like to pick up a true crime book, like House of Evil, about the torture and murder of 16-year-old Silvia Likens, and sometimes a biographical work like The Honest Courtesan about the writer Veronica Franco.
Have you got any writing tips you would like to share?
My writing tip is to write what you want to write about even if the subject is a taboo one. Your passion will show in your work and give your words power and meaning. Do not compromise. I absolutely believe in writer’s block. But I think that trying to force your way past it is a losing battle. It’s like staring at the clock when you can’t sleep. It doesn’t help. I say relax and let writer’s block run its course. It will subside. Most important of all, never give up.
Would you like to talk about your next book?
My current work in progress is set in New Orleans circa 1870. It is the story of a disfigured man, think Phantom of the Opera character, who falls in love with a whore. The title is Monsieur Renault. I’m enjoying writing it very much. I hope once it’s finished, my audience will also enjoy reading it.
Thank you for coming in for a chat. I am sure your readers will love your story as much as I did.
I would love to know what you think. If you have anything you would like to add or share, I’d love to hear your comments here on the blog, the BVS Facebook page, or my Facebook page. We have a twitter page too, and we are always happy to follow people that follow us.
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Our latest releases.
A Woman’s Secret by C.L. Koch is out now!
Her Lover’s Face by Patricia Elliott is out now! Click here to read the Prologue and Chapter one.
Naval Maneuvers by Dee S. Knight is out now! Click here to read Chapter One.
Perilous Love by Jan Selbourne. The e-book is out now! Click here to read the Prologue and Chapter one. viewbook.at/Perilous-Love-PB
Patrick by Callie Carmen. Click here to read Chapter One.
Coming soon.
A Bride for a King by L.J. Dare is available to pre-order now! Release date July 19th Click here to read Chapter One.
The Brute and I by Suzanne Smith. The e-book is available to pre-order now at the sale price of $1.99 until the release date July 30th. Click here to read Chapter One.
Shadow Visions by Gabriella Hewitt, release date to be confirmed.
Home by Keren Hughes, release date to be confirmed.