Susan Palmquist, author of Sleeping With Faires, is under the microscope today. See how she does answering my questions.
Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?
As I write romances and mysteries, I’d have to say both. With mysteries, I’m much more of a plotter, making sure all the clues are in place and there are no loose ends that will have the reader frustrated and scratching their head. With romances, I have a plot outline, but most of the time I find it’s the characters who take me where I’m going. Some ideas brew around in my head months before I start a project and the story seems to write itself.
What do you know now that you are published that you didn’t know pre-published that you wish you knew?
That you need to treat this like a business and not a creative endeavor. You have to work hard, learn the ropes from the bottom up and stay the course.
Describe your book.
I like to call it a slightly paranormal romance. It’s set in modern day Ireland and is about Claire Mahoney whose life is just fine until a handsome widower named Michael Finnegan moves in next door and reminds her of what’s missing in her life. So what’s the problem you ask? Claire’s family carries a curse. If she marries the man she loves, he’ll die within a month of the wedding. But this being a romance, the two can’t help but fall in love and that’s when things get complicated.
What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?
Easy answer…Ireland, the setting of my book and my ancestral home. My paternal grandmother was born and raised in County Cork yet I’ve never been there!
What’s your favorite thing about your book?
The theme that even when things look their bleakest, there’s always hope.
What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t?
Since childhood I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano and drums.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Telling Claire and Michael’s story. It began as a short story then a novella then a novel. Although I basically knew what was going to happen in the story, these two characters took on a life of their own and it was fun to sit down each day to see where they’d take me next.
Where do you write?
In winter, the upstairs living room because it’s warmer. In the summer, it’s the family room, close to the patio door that I open so I can hear the water cascading down into the pond.
What was the hardest scene to write?
The one where Claire turns down Michael’s marriage proposal. She’s doing it for his own good, but I still felt bad having to put Michael through this heartache.
What was your favorite scene to write?
Where Michael is spying on Claire with his binoculars. He thinks she’s seen him and starts to panic. I tried to make it as funny and lighthearted as I could so I hope readers will have a laugh or at least a smile while they read it.
Author Bio:
Freelance writer by day, fiction writer by night, Susan Palmquist is the author of four novels, two paranormal romances, a children’s book and a mystery. She’s currently at work on a romantic suspense novel, a contemporary novella and two historical novellas. Learn more about Susan and read excerpts from her work at
http://www.susanpalmquist.com/Book Blurb:
When you’re in love, magical things can happen.
Buy link is
http://www.lyricalpress.com/sleeping_with_fairies
