Happy Tuesday, Everyone!
I'm thrilled to have my friend and fellow Crimson Romance author, Susanne Matthews with us today. Susanne's romantic suspense novel, Fire Angel is featured in the new Dangerous Love bundle, available from Amazon. Susanne has agreed to a hang around for a wonderful interview about herself and her writing journey. She has also brought along an excerpt and blurb from this amazing new bundle that is selling right now for ONLY 80 CENTS!!! That is a fantastic steal.
Susanne, thanks so much for stopping by. Tell us a bit about FIRE ANGEL.
FIRE
ANGEL is a Castle meets Criminal Minds kind of story. Jake
McKenzie, recently returned from Afghanistan minus a leg, is a criminal
profiler hired to get into the mind of a serial killer who uses fire as his
weapon of choice. Jake realizes that he doesn’t understand fire well enough to
do the job on his own, so he gets the police chief to send for Alexis Michaels,
a fire and arson investigator with a reputation for solving complex arson
cases. What he doesn’t realize is that Alexis is the girl he fell in love with
at sixteen, the one who ran away, and he’s never forgotten her. Sparks fly
between them, but both Alexis and Jake have trust issues to contend with, and
they have to set them aside to work together to find the killer who has made it
clear that Alexis is his next target.
That sounds like an very exciting read. Being a romance author wasn’t your first career choice, was it?
No,
I worked over 34 years as a school teacher, most of it at the high school
level. I originally wanted to write young adult books. As much as I loved to
read romance, I wasn’t sure I could do it.
Who or what changed your mind?
My
husband. He’s always encouraging and doesn’t complain when dinner is late or
I’m so wrapped up in my writing that I forget the real world exists. I think
he’s a little in awe of my imagination at times. Since many of my novels are
romantic suspense, I can be quite devious.
Where do you get your
ideas for your blogs and manuscripts?
Inspiration
comes from almost anywhere. Sometimes it will be something that I’ve heard or
seen either in real life or on television, something in the newspaper, or just
a personal experience. I wrote a blog about a 3D movie that had me ducking in
my seat. Last year, over 3300 people visited my blog, which I found amazing.
As
far as ideas for manuscripts, I sometimes get those from the places we visit on
holidays and the places I’d like to go. I’ve used a small part of my own
ancestry in a historical novel, and my writing friends have given me lots of
plot ideas. I’m a romantic at heart, so happily ever after is the goal in
everything I write – how I get there is up to the characters.
How did you come up with the idea for this
book?
The
main inspiration for the crime in the book came from a series of unsolved arson
cases in and around Cornwall. The villain is a composite of all the people I
have met with the sense of entitlement that makes them believe that what they
want is more important than what anyone else wants. My wounded warrior hero was
my way of acknowledging that all those who serve in the armed forces lose a bit
of themselves because of the sacrifice they make. My heroine was inspired by my
daughter who has an uncanny knack of being able to bounce back from adversity
and who never quits, no matter how stacked against her the deck may be.
Wow! Your daughter sounds like a remarkable young woman. How did you come up with the title?
Angels
are seen as good and demons as bad. I had thought of Fire Demon at one point,
but decided that I liked the contrast of good versus evil better and decided on
Fire Angel. When I chose it, I had no idea how popular the title was. I’ll
check that out next time.
How does it feel to have your book chosen to
be part of the Dangerous Love bundle?
It’s
an incredible honor to have been considered good enough to have my work
showcased with the likes of Genie Davis, Janis Lee Therault, D’Ann Lindun, and
Ellen Parker. Since I just started my writing career less than two years ago,
I’m absolutely amazed my publisher has this kind of faith in my work.
What books/authors have influenced your
writing?
There
isn’t just one author who inspires me, just as I don’t want to write only one
kind of book. I’ve read all kinds of books—science fiction, historical,
suspense, paranormal, fantasy, but the thing I’ve always look for in a book was
its romantic element. I’d have to say that all romance authors inspire me, and
my personal favorite is Nora Roberts, who writes in so many different
sub-genres, and succeeds beautifully at all of them.
Do you ever experience writer's block?
Sometimes.
I think at one point or another, every author hits the wall. When I do, I go for
a walk, do housework, or read for a while. Then, I’ll go back to my own work
and re-read the last couple of chapters. If that doesn’t work, I’ll set that book aside
and work on something else until the muse puts me back on track.
Do you write an outline before every book
you write?
No,
and I feel absolutely guilty about that. It’s one of my 2015 resolutions to at
least get a basic plot outline done before I start. I’m working on a series
novel this year, where I have to incorporate information from other books in
the series. I’ll need an outline to stay on task. All the years that I taught,
I religiously preached the need for an outline only to realize that I’m basically
a pantser. I have an outline of sorts, but the characters usually take me away
from it quite quickly.
I do the same thing, Susanne. Outlines are great, but my characters have their voice too. Do you have a favorite character?
One?
No. All my characters are as real to me as any of the people outside of my
writing world. I create them on the page the first time they’re mentioned in
the story and then they take on a life of their own. If there are children in the story, they will
behave initially like my grandchildren do. If it's a teenager that character
might take on a composite persona of any of the thousands of teens I’ve taught
over the years. I tend to imbue my female characters those characteristics of
my daughter that I admire most. The males tend to be caring but not
overbearing, since I’m not big on controlling men. If there is one in my
stories, he won’t be the hero. My
characters control the flow of the plot, taking it where it needs to go,
suffering and falling in love along the way. In a way, each one is special,
whether they’re the heroes or the villains.
Book
Blurb: Dangerous Love
Love saves the day in this quintet of thrilling
romantic suspense novels. Indulge in the sheltering embraces of a few good men
(and women!) with these taut and compelling tales of intrigue.
- Fire
Angel: Criminal profiler Jake McKenzie has returned
from Afghanistan minus a leg and his sense of confidence-until Alexis
Michaels is next on an arsonist's murder list.
- Executive
Impulse: Detective Kate Flynn finds her
life in danger, her car sabotaged, her jogging route booby trapped, her
condo on fire. And worse still-she's fallen in love with the man who may
be part of the plot.
- The
Way You Love Me: Self-confident surgeon Melanie
Sweet was never afraid of men until she suffered a brutal trauma-can an
ex-Navy SEAL security expert working undercover help her heal?
- Mississippi
Blues: When Trey Bouche found his best friend Jace
with blood on his hands five years ago, it shattered their friendship and
his relationship with Jace's sister, Summer. As startling truths are
exposed, Trey and Summer try to rediscover the love they lost.
- Starr
Tree Farm: Laura returns home a year after
her husband's death and becomes a target for her husband's murderer. Will
her childhood-playmate-turned-devilish-man unravel the secret before it's
too late?
Alexis bit her lip; anxiety and regret drove her thoughts.
How many people would recognize her and see her as the ungrateful niece who had
run away from her benevolent uncle?
What would she do if she were recognized? She would be
forced to let Captain Peters know; he might be annoyed with her for not saying
anything earlier, but he had pleaded with her to take this case. Probably because no one else wanted to go to
this remote place so close to Christmas, she guessed. He would have to
accept it; after all, he had been adamant that she was the only one who could
do this particular job.
The Paradise Motor Inn hugged the shores of the Amable du
Fond River, upstream from the timber slide that bypassed the nearby rapids. The
slide had been built around 1850 to accommodate the logging industry in the
area. The river cut through the igneous rock of the Canadian Shield, dropping
over 800 feet along its 52 mile route to empty into the Mattawa River near
Calvin. The area sported three provincial parks and was popular with canoeists
and campers.
Alexis stared at the escarpment that edged the gorge. The
first fire had been located in the forest just upriver. It was lucky that the
fire had not spread to the trees—forest fires were as dangerous in Canada as
they were in California. The locals said it was arson, but until she saw the
scene herself, she would not know for sure. Accidental fires had been mistaken
for arson in the past by inexperienced fire inspectors, and innocent men and
women had been jailed because of misinterpreted evidence. Dismissing the idea
from her mind, she walked towards the reception office of the motor inn.
She opened the door and entered. She wanted a drink, a meal
and hot shower—in that order. The desk clerk, a handsome man in his early
thirties, looked over his shoulder at the sound of the bell. There was
something familiar about him that tickled her memory; she wondered fleetingly
if they had met years ago. Even though she had sworn off men after her last
disastrous relationship, she felt a flicker of interest for this one, a
familiar coil of heat teasing her, as if her body remembered something her mind
had forgotten. She chose to spend most of her time alone, but she could be
flexible for this guy. He stood, limped over to the counter, and smiled at her.
He was gorgeous, tall, topping her five foot nine inches by
at least six inches. He was muscled, but not in that overblown bodybuilder way.
His short chestnut hair spiked gently on top. He was clean-shaven with a Kirk
Douglas dimple in his chin under sensuous full lips. What struck her most about
him were his eyes, familiar eyes that she couldn’t place, deep blue like
Moraine Lake, the popular glacier-fed lake in the Rockies, the kind of eyes in
which a person could drown.
“Hi,” she said surprised by the catch in her voice. “Alexis
Michaels; I have a reservation. I’m a little late.” She winced—three hours was
more than a little late.
He stared at her a few moments as if he’d lost the ability
to speak. She tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look.
“Sorry,” he stammered. “We’ve been expecting you; not to
worry, your reservation was guaranteed.” His voice, once he’d found it, was as
smooth as fine whiskey.
“Welcome to Paradise. Everything is ready; if I could just
have your credit card?” He had an incredible smile. His eyes crinkled at the
corners involving his whole face in the gesture of warmth and welcome. Why was
it that a man’s wrinkles were sexy, character building, while a woman’s just
made her look old and frumpy? Crow’s
feet—isn’t that what they’re called? Another example of the inequality of the
sexes, she thought. They never
advertise wrinkle cream for men!
Alexis handed over her agency credit card, signed the paper
authorizing the expense, and pocketed the large brass key he had given her.
“Generally, we can’t use the electronic locks on the cabin
doors at this time of year; there’s too much moisture from the ice and snow.”
“That’s okay.” She smiled. “I don’t know how long I’ll be
here, and if the weather changes. . .”
He offered to help with her luggage, but she thanked him,
and said she could manage. She usually traveled light; besides, she didn’t plan
on taking everything out of the car tonight. Her duffel bag, camera, and
computer would do; the rest she’d unload in the morning. She inquired about the hours for the restaurant attached to
the motor inn.
“We stop serving dinner at nine, but snacks are available
until eleven,” he said. “We open for breakfast at six.”
She nodded, thanked him again, and went out to the car.
Having that piece of eye candy around to admire and drool over might help her
deal with the stress that she was sure would surface while she was here; in
fact, just seeing him made her feel better. The headache she had anticipated
thanks to the horrendous drive seemed to have disappeared, and she felt more
relaxed than she had all day. Who says
candy isn’t good for you? Maybe once she had dinner, she might look up her
so-called partner.
She pulled the key out of her pocket and checked the number.
“Great,” she sighed. As luck would have it, her assigned
cabin was the one furthest from the motor inn itself. It looked ominous
outlined as it was against the trees, with the low fog hovering above the stone
walkway—a setting straight out of a gothic novel.
Susanne, thank you again for sitting in for an interview. It has been fun getting to know you a little better. I have my copy of DANGEROUS LOVE and can't wait to get lost into the amazing stories.
To find out more about Susanne Matthews and her books, here is her bio:
About Susanne Matthews:
Susanne Matthews was born and raised in Eastern Ontario, Canada. She’s an avid reader of all types of books, especially those with a happily ever after. In her imagination, she’s traveled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.
