Author on the Couch: Suzy Shearer


 

Today’s Author on the Couch is…

Suzy Shearer

Suzy is giving away 1 copy of her latest ebook – Elephants and ever-Afters and one ecopy of Melting Her Dom’s Heart. (Both are contemporary erotic romances)

 

Me: Tell me about an experience that had a profound impact on your life.

Suzy: My late husband was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 41 and lived for 14 years with it but it was a hardship until he died 9 years ago.  I ended up having to leave work and, in his last 8 years, care for him full-time.

It was an ordeal for me but perhaps easier for him because he’d lost his short term memory and didn’t know what was happening – similar to a dementia patient. Sadly he’d also lost hearing, sight, walking and the ability to do even the simplest of things like feed himself.

Those 8 years of nursing had a profound impact on me – having to care full-time and being unable to leave the house had turned me into a recluse.

 

Me: What personality trait of yours helps you most as an author?

Suzy: My vivid imagination and the ability to put myself into my characters.

 

Me: What personality trait of yours hinders you most as an author?

Suzy: I’m now rather a reclusive so the fact I don’t mix with others now makes it difficult. I’ve actually been forcing myself out so I can get a different perspective on my writing.

 

Me: What was your high point as a writer—a time when you were happiest, on cloud nine, flying high? What happened?

Suzy: When my first manuscript was accepted by a publisher. I’d sent off two MS to two different publishers. After six weeks I heard back from the first one saying ‘no, we don’t publish this genre but we liked the story’. They gave me a list of publishers to submit to one of which was the second publisher.

In the seventh week I heard back from the other publisher and they accepted my book. I’ve been with them ever since. To have my first attempt at submitting accepted blew my mind.

 

Me: What was your low point as a writer—a time when questioned your path, a time when you felt really crappy about your writing? What happened? How did you get over it?

Suzy: It happened a few months back when for some stupid reason I decided to submit to a different publisher and was rejected – my first real rejection.

I then had doubts that my books were worth publishing even though I’d had 17 traditional published. I thought they’d only published them as a favour to me which is really idiotic.

After a few depressing weeks I realised how foolish I’d been but at the same time decided to take a month of writing to give myself a break.

Feel much better now and will get back into writing fulltime again.

 

Me: Which of your characters are you most like? Why?

Suzy: All of my heroines have part of me in them. I think it makes them more credible, more real, because they react how I would.
Some have my tattoos, my crazy coloured hair, all have my sexual preferences.  They are always plus-sized and mature like me (in age at least). If you were to scrape all the little bits together you would have a perfect replica of me except for the fact they end up with the hero while I still live alone and unfortunately have no partner.

 

Me: How many books have you written? How long does it typically take you to write a book? What’s the most painful part of the writing process for you?

Suzy: I’ve written and had published 17 books. Writing each one can take anything from a month to a year. Depends on the inspiration, whether the writing is coming easily or not.

I have no idea where the story is going to go. I usually have an idea for the start of a book then just write. Always I write chapters out of order. Like a butterfly, I flit from one to another – chapter 20, then 4, maybe 17, then 35 – as ideas come. Sometime I get an idea for the ending, or maybe the big ‘dramatic scene’ so they get written. Then, as I write, I move the chapters around as each gets finished until I finally have a completed manuscript.

The most painful part – if I don’t get blocked is my characters – most times my hero. He always takes over the story and its direction. I’ve been known to sulk because he wants things to go one way and I want another. And yes, I always verbally fight with him but invariably he wins.

 

Me: Tell me about your contemporary erotic romance Elephants and Ever-Afters.

Suzy: 

 

It’s like a clash of wills when Tobias Duncan, 57, meets Laura Keell, 55 but neither can forget the impact each had on the other. To Laura, Tobias is just like a charging bull elephant, but he still presses every button. For Tobias, Laura is everything he’s ever dreamed of.

Tobias tries everything he can to find out where Laura lives, he just can’t forget this beautiful plus-sized woman. Both try to forget, but when a chance meeting with a friend of Tobias means he can see Laura again he jumps at the chance. But there is a problem that neither share.

Tobias wants a woman who dictates the terms during sex. And Laura? Laura loves to be in charge. They drop hints over a few weeks until a rather interesting event sees Laura confess. Their romance goes from casual to sizzling almost overnight. Nothing can come between them as their love grows—that is until a tragedy strikes.

 

Me: Share with us one of your favorite excerpts from Elephants and Ever-Afters.

 

Suzy: 

I love this first meeting of the two main characters. For some reason I can always visualize it and see him roaring at her and her standing up to me. It just makes me smile.

It lets the reader know that she isn’t the sort of woman who would shrink and let a man take over.

 

“What the fuck?” a loud bull-voice screeched down at her.

Laura went to stand, putting her hands on the ground, only to have her left wrist send a bolt of agony up her arm. Twisting, she managed to get to her feet using the nearby railing. Standing, she glared across at the attractive man before her.

Before she had a chance to open her mouth, he continued yelling, “What the hell did you think you were doing?”

Never one to back down, Laura looked daggers at the man and shouted, “Me? What the fuck were you doing opening the door like a frigging bull elephant charging a car?”

Indignantly, he replied, “I did not!”

“No? Well, in that case, how was I knocked off my feet?”

She wanted to add Mr. Smarty Pants, but thought maybe it would be a bit too much.

“You shouldn’t have been there,” he said irrationally.

Laura couldn’t believe his attitude.

“What? I shouldn’t use the stairs, but you can? Come off it Tembo.” She fought the urge to slap his handsome face as she suggested, “Just admit you charged through that door without thinking of other people.”

Full of indignation he bellowed at her, “I did not!”


 

You can purchase Elephants and Ever-Afters here: 

Publisher : http://www.bookstrand.com/book/elephants-and-ever-afters

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B073HFCT2H

Angus & Robertson (Aust): http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/by/Suzy%20Shearer

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/elephants-and-ever-afters

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/suzy-shearer


You can find Suzy here: 

Website :  http://suzyshearer.wix.com/suzy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzyS

Blog:  http://suzyshearer.blogspot.com.au

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/SuzyShearer

Twitter : https://twitter.com/SuzyShearer

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sooziiis

Linkedin: http://au.linkedin.com/in/suzyshearer

Publisher: http://www.bookstrand.com/suzy-shearer

Email her at: suzyshearer@optusnet.com.au


Enter to win e-copies of Elephants and Ever-Afters and Melting Her Dom’s Heart by @SuzyShearer. #giveaway #books Click To Tweet All of my heroines have part of me in them. They react how I would. @SuzyShearer #AmWriting #AuthorontheCouch Click To Tweet Always I write chapters out of order. Like a butterfly, I flit from one to another. @SuzyShearere #AmWriting #AuthorontheCouch Click To Tweet My hero always takes over the story and its direction. He wants things to go one way and I want another. @SuzyShearer #AmWriting #AuthorontheCouch Click To Tweet

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