Welcome to Susan Crandall's author day

Welcome Ms. Crandall to Love Romances and More, thank you for joining us.

Thank you, Danny. I’m very happy to be here.

Did you always want to become a writer?

I’ve always loved books and reading, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I could actually write one! I’m not sure I would have had the courage to embark on this journey into writing if my sister hadn’t dragged me into it. It’s funny how that worked out. She began writing and asked me to read her work. Then we collaborated for a while. Now she’s stopped writing and I’ve gone on to publish several novels. Lucky for me, she’s supportive and not resentful.


What is the most, and the least interesting fact about writing?

Clearly the most interesting fact about writing is the research, the new things I get to learn and the amazing people I get to meet. And then to be able to come back with that new knowledge and incorporate it into my work ... well, that’s the best. I’ve been buried in concrete rubble during an exercise to train search and rescue dogs. I’ve chatted with amazing parents of children with autism. I’ve had inside peeks at my local fire and police departments. I’ve meet lots of people in on-line forums with amazing talents and hobbies ... and the spirit to share them. It has undeniably enriched my life.

The least interesting, and definitely the least exciting reality of writing, is that it’s a slow process (at least for me). I don’t sit down and have the words flow uninterrupted and flawless. It takes a lot of work to get a paragraph just right.

How did you celebrate your first release? What was it like to see your book in a bookstore? Do you have a special ritual for celebrating a book release?

The day BACK ROADS was released, my husband took me out to dinner and drove from bookstore to bookstore to see it on the shelf. Seeing it there with all of those books written by authors I’ve long admired was quite a rush. It took a while to convince myself I wasn’t dreaming.
We still go to at least one book store on release day. And it’s still a rush.


How did your family react to fact that you also write romance novels? Have your family read your books?

My family has always been incredibly supportive – even in those long years before publication. I have to admit, it took a while to convince my son that his conception of the romance genre was skewed. Everyone in my family has read my books. In fact, my husband never reads fiction, but he reads mine – but only after they come out in book (what he calls “real”) form. I’ll never forget what he said after he read the first one, “Hey, that was really good!” Hmmmm, wonder what he expected?????

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing?

Oh, yes. Given the opportunity, I’d do nothing but read and go to the movies. As for my favourites, I read most genres so the list is long. Some of my enduring favourites are: Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry (some of the best characterization I’ve ever read!); Lightning and Watchers by Dean Koontz, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman; The Talisman and The Stand by Stephen King. I’ll cut off the list for now. I could go on all day.

Your characters come to life in your books. Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? Do their lives sometimes take over a part of your life? Can you name an example? Do you have living role models for your characters?

I rarely have living role models for my characters. I did use a couple of my great-grandmothers and my mom to create Granny Tula for ON BLUE FALLS POND. I don’t envision actors or choose photographs to inspire my characters, probably because they’re so real to me in their own right and their personalities are much more prominent than their appearances. So yes, they do live with me as I write. I can’t say that they’ve ever taken over a part of my life. Their personalities and problems occupy my mind so completely the last few weeks of writing a book that I can hardly hold an intelligent conversation. I quite often get asked, “Are you mad at me?” And my answer is, “Huh?”

Where do you get the inspirations for your books?

Oh those inspirations. They come from everywhere! My stories, romantic suspense as well as women’s fiction, are about real things that can happen to real everyday people. I just open my eyes and ears every day and those ideas sneak in. I often don’t know they’re there until they’ve taken root and begun to grow.


Do you find it difficult at times to write love scenes?

I don’t write love scenes just for the sake of a love scene. They have to be driven by the characters and their circumstances, so that makes it a little easier. I have to admit, sometimes they’re a challenge. With my love scenes, as with all other aspects of my books, it’s about the emotions, the conflict, the growth of human spirit. That helps keep things individual and fresh.


What is your favorite book from the books that you have written so far? Who are your favorite hero and heroine, and why?

Now that’s not a fair question! Truly, each one is a unique writing experience. I like different books for different reasons. For example, I love PITCH BLACK because building the suspense was so much fun and I loved writing the heroine’s relationship with her adoptive son. I love BACK ROADS because it’s my “firstborn.” I love MAGNOLIA SKY because of the dog Rufus and the character Olivia. I love ON BLUE FALLS POND because of the setting (mountains of eastern Tennessee) and Granny Tula. You get the picture.
As for my favourite hero and heroine, at the moment it’s Gabe and Maddie from PITCH BLACK. I love their banter and the way they understand one another. Maddie’s personality is so different from my own, it was an adventure writing her.


Which book was the hardest to write and which the easiest?

They’re all unique experiences. Truthfully, my next book, SEEING RED (February ’09) was the most difficult. I think it’s because the plot is more complicated. But that’s nothing compared to my current work-in-progress’s plot. I have a feeling it’s going to soon surpass SEEING RED for being the hardest!
The easiest? PITCH BLACK. I just loved writing that book.

If you could change places with one character from your books, who would it be and why?

Oh my. As much as I love my characters, I’d rather live vicariously through them. I put them through the emotional wringer too much to actually want to walk in their shoes!


If you could travel through time to visit a special time period or famous person, what or who would it be and why?

That’s an interesting question. I’m a real history buff, so I’ll say George Rogers Clark. He got to see this country when it was raw and see the native people while they were living as they chose.

Do you listen to music while you are writing and if so what music is it?

No music for me. I like writing in silence.

If you could choose of your books for a movie, which one would it be and who would you as the cast?

I think they’d all make great movies! I think the two that would adapt best to the big screen are BACK ROADS and PITCH BLACK. As for the actors, I’ve always thought it would be interesting to be a casting director, so here’s my chance. I’m thinking for PITCH BLACK, the hero needs to do a really good Southern accent, maybe Josh Lucas. And for Maddie, Rachel Weisz.

Are you working on anything right now, and can you tell us a teaser about these projects?

I just finished the final proofreading of SEEING RED: On a sultry South Carolina night, Ellis Greene was the only witness to a vicious crime that left her cousin dead. Now fifteen years later, the man she helped convict is out on parole . . . and bent on revenge.
A suspect in that attack, Nate Vance left town with only one person believing in his innocence, his childhood friend Ellis Greene. Now he returns to find that Ellis has grown into a strong, beautiful woman who needs his help. But shocking secrets are starting to emerge from the murky past. What really happened that horrible night? Will the truth protect them? Or send them straight into the trap of a killer?

My current work in progress is as yet untitled: It’s been seventeen years since Abby Whitman set a fire while sleepwalking that destroyed her family’s home and left her sister permanently scarred. For sixteen of those years, Abby has been free of the sleep disorder, free of the fear that she might once again unwittingly do harm. But now she suspects her nocturnal wanderings have begun again.
Just as she seeks the help of single-father and psychologist, Dr. Jason Coble, threats begin, warning her not to tell anyone what she saw. However, she has no memory of her sleepwalking activity and doesn’t know what she witnessed. To complicate things further, an undeniable – and forbidden -- attraction ignites between doctor and patient.
Will Dr. Coble be able to unearth those moments buried in Abby’s mind before the escalating threats become a nightmare of reality … or is he more dangerous than she ever imagined?

Checkout Susan Crandall's newest release PITCH BLACK



To get more information about her books, please visit her website