Harper's Happenings: Sunday Brunch 9/1/13

MY BRUNCH SPOTLIGHT FOR TODAY IS SHINING ON
AUTHOR SUSAN D. TAYLOR

First and foremost, it is a pleasure to have you here. Welcome to Harper’s Sunday Brunch Interview!

Thanks so much. I’m delighted to be here.

So, can you tell us what makes Susan D. Taylor tick? What got you started on the path to becoming an author?
A bad case of neurological complications. A mouthful but really I couldn’t return to teaching and found my life turned upside down.

What are you currently working on? Would you care to share a snippet?
I write as Susan Arden for the most part. Mmm. Right now, I’ve book 3 from the Rocky Mountain Shifters featuring a spell caster, Sherry Delacroix and Quinn Rothschild, a wolf shifter. They run the Downtown Den until havoc is unleashed by a series of events tying Sherry and Quinn together. Alternative realities intersect and what comes about are time traveling menaces of sorts seeking Sherry. It’s up to Quinn to protect her or vanish trying.

Do you include some of your own personal experiences in your books or do you prefer to use your imagination?
Definitely reality meets imaginary in the way some of the heroes come about in so far as skill sets. My husband races motocross and so naturally (he-he!), there have been some motorcycle riding hotties.

Why the multiple genres (Paranormal, Western, New Adult, Erotica, Fantasy, to name afew)? What made you choose several genres rather than one or two?
I’m ADHD and can’t hold to the same track of thought for long. Switching it up gives me the ability to grasp new ideas which really just keeps my brain active. Many people think ADHD means over-active where truly, one part of the brain needs to wake up…hey wake up…POKE stay awake. The reason behind the constant jittery movements is simply supplying stimulus to poor wiring in the neuro hardware I’ve got going on. So I’m jumping ship again in 2014 with a totally different genre. Stay tuned is all I can say if you like PIRATES!!!

Do you have a specific process or a ritual you go through when sitting down to write?
Oh yeah. It goes like this. Open eyes and turn on the computer. The rest is open to interpretation. I do plot the major point points which are fluid as required during the writing. I’ll write a portion of the story and then begin to do some character casting once I’ve gotten a feel for who these people are and how they relate to one another. I love music to get the infuse emotional boundaries and add weight or grounding to the piece I’m writing. And I work on three manuscripts simultaneously. At least. Then I let them sit. Return. Reread. And do another round of reading, editing and off to betas. Submit to my bestie proofer Barbara. Final edits and we’re ready.

Where do you find your inspiration for your plots? Do you have any tricks of the trade you would care to share?
Inspiration comes from a flash of what-if. I’ve always done that starting as a child.
Tricks: learn to think in terms of three acts. Study the craft. This may look easy but it’s not. Several readers have approached me with their manuscripts. When asked what classes or books they read, they say nothing. Zilch. I’m sorry but please we can’t downgrade the writers of the world by wanting someone to spend hours reading a manuscript if you have no idea about the process. I know this sounds harsh but that’s why indie authors get smacked. Hard. This isn’t easy, and takes tons of patience to learn the skills required. So if you’re a reader who wants to write, GREAT. Just be prepared to do your homework. Love the process. It’s not the book that brings you joy, it’s the story creation. And never give up on your dream.

What is the oddest place/situation where an idea for a book/plot has come to you?
All. The. Time. A young woman ran out in front of my car and I almost slammed into her. I didn’t. She ran off but I was WHOA. What if… Story is in process. Might see the light of day. Hardest story I’ve written when I imagined the “real” girl’s story and what came to me.

What makes a book stand out and perk your interest?
The story unfolds in 3-D within my head. Meaning the author does a bang-up job setting out the scene and emotional overlays. The dialogue is witty and hooks the other characters. I’m caught too.

We all have our favorite authors. Can you share some of yours and tell us why you like them?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Joyce Carol Oates. Dr. Seuss. Three big names with huge talent. They paint worlds with words.

We all have a pet peeve, care to share yours?
Mean spirited people. I taught special ed and biology. I adore life and believe we all have strengths to share. So what if we don’t fit in the same cubby. Hip-hooray!

When you’re not writing, what are the things you enjoy doing to relax?
Yoga. Big part of my life. And, spending time with my husband.

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Susan. I know my followers will enjoy this spotlight as much as I have conducting it. Good luck on all your future endeavors.

PLACES TO FIND SUSAN

Her Blog
Twitter or @romancebysusan
Facebook

SUSAN'S LATEST RELEASE

She rocks his world...he'll need distance from her to think straight.

Waking up after an off-the-charts night with Alana, Jonathan has 23 minutes to memorize every inch of her body, erotic sensuality, and ability to torment him before he must let her go when their business contract begins and his record company is in charge of her band and her future.

He sets her body on fire...shattering the walls she's erected.

Alana is fiercely loyal to Orion. But when fame comes knocking on her door alone, her band refuses to stand in her way. As the pressure builds to keep the band together, the only way out may mean cutting free from a man who complicates her life with his ability to melt her body, heart and soul.

Jon and Alana are blinded by their hotter-than-hell passions until they're spiraling out-of-control and there's nothing left to do but CRASH & BURN.

PURCHASE LINK FOR CRASH & BURN

Amazon

Amazon UK

The First Installment of Susan's Rule Breaker Series

An erotic rock romance...
Within Nashville's music scene, the week-long battle of the bands is cut-throat as well as a time to party hard. Orion, a five-member band gaining momentum, catches the eye of Jonathan Lansing, record label exec on Music Row.
He creates stars out of those he represents...
As the hard-ass record producer for some of the hottest bands, Lansing is accustomed to unmercifully pushing boundaries. Now, it'll take a wild night and a bombshell of a woman to bring him to his knees...
She's the one to call his bluff...
No surprise when Alana St. James--provocative lead singer of Orion--struts out on stage, everyone's attention is riveted. In turn, she notices the man seated directly in front of her with his brooding intensity, not to mention his sexy arrogance saturating the space around him.
After Orion's performance, Lansing and Alana meet-up in a less than stellar
manner. Fighting the urge to throttle one another, they discover a scorching desire.
Their painful union evolves with a wrecking-ball force, detonating into a
fiery connection. Tempted beyond endurance, Lansing breaks his rule for no client hook-ups, unleashing his wild inhibitions, and rocking both their worlds.