Romantic Suspense
Date Published: May 16, 2014
Sometimes we must revisit the past to embrace our future.
Twenty-four years ago, the murder of a Chicago police officer changed Joey DeLuca’s life. He lost his best friend and first love, Meghan McConnell, when her mother whisked her out of town. Now, on the eve of another officer’s death, Meghan is back and about to step into his life again.
There is very little gray in Joey's line of work as a Lt. Detective--it is either black or white, right or wrong. But Meghan’s insistence on finding answers to her father's murder threatens those beliefs and throws his marriage to CPD Detective Andi, his career, and the entire DeLuca family in jeopardy when new revelations come to light.
Can Joey save his marriage, solve the murder, and keep his family together all at the same time?
The third book in the DeLuca Family Series, TRUE blue can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
The hardest part of
writing the book is sticking to it during the middle. It’s fun in the beginning
when the excitement is there to start the project. As I get closer to the end,
the excitement builds again. I actually have to force myself to slow down at
that point and take my time in order to get the story right. But writing the
middle is truly the most difficult part. That’s when I really have to sit
myself down and keep to my writing schedule. One thing that helps me do this is
the road map that I follow which I create before I start the writing and where
I outline the key actions and turning points in both the romance and the
suspense story. Because I write suspense novels, I feel I need to know where
I’m going as I write. Of course, that doesn’t mean that surprises don’t happen
along the way!
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
My musical taste is rather
eclectic, just like my taste in reading. I have anything from the classics and
show tunes, to James Taylor, Carole King, and the Moody Blues, to Maroon 5 and
Lady Antebellum. I love Carole King’s “I feel the Earth Move.” Listening to her
belt out the song really gets me into the mood to write a love scene.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
I have both. I have two author friends whose opinions I
trust who I swap chapters with as we write our novels. When the first draft is done, I have a couple
of other people who read the entire draft and point out any obvious story
problems. Then, when I am ready to submit it to my editor, I give it to a
couple of other beta readers to get their input. That way I can combine
comments during the process. There is
nothing like a true reader to get input into whether a scene works or doesn’t
work.
What book are you reading now?
Since it’s summer, I am
catching up on my reading. Currently, I have Mary Higgins Clark’s Daddy’s Gone A Hunting, and Tracie
Ingersoll Loy’s Deep Into the Night
cued up on my Kindle.
How did you start your writing
career?
I have been writing ever
since I was able to put pencil to paper and put words together. I wrote a
melodrama in fifth grade for a Girl Scout Drama Badge. Complete with hero,
heroine, and dastardly villain, it wasn’t very different than the romantic
suspense I write now. I took journalism and creative writing classes in college,
did some freelance feature writing, and wrote my first novel when I was home
with three children under five as a way to keep my sanity. I then went on to
write two more novels, but the need for a real job while the kids were in
school kept me from continually pursuing publication. However, when my youngest
daughter said she was going to graduate college early and get married, I
decided it was “now or never.” I set out to write the best romantic suspense
novel I could. Five months later, I had heartbeats.
After two submissions, I had a contract with Berkley Publishing and at the same
time it was nominated for Best Romantic Suspense in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest.
heartbeats ended up being book one in
the DeLuca Family Series. I followed it with ICE blue, and now TRUE blue.
In between the writing of the DeLuca Series, I also wrote another suspense
novel, freefall.
Since TRUE blue just came out and I have spent the last couple of months
getting it ready for publication, I don’t have another release scheduled just
yet. However, I do have another story that is bouncing around in my head which
I am getting antsy to start writing. This one will be a paranormal suspense
novel--a time travel, set on the northeast coast of the United States
Thank you for spending
this time with me. For more insight into
my writing and my novels, please visit me at www.susanrae.com
Happy Reading ,
Susan Rae
Susan Rae grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Columbia College, Missouri with an emphasis in creative writing. She penned her first melodrama in fifth grade for a Girl Scout Drama badge. Complete with hero, heroine, and dastardly villain, it wasn’t so different, really, than the romantic suspense she writes now.
“I love writing romantic suspense because it allows me to combine a sexy, passionate love story with a gritty suspense tale—in my opinion, the best of both worlds. It also allows me to express my appreciation for the outdoors in the settings that I recreate on the page.”
Freefall, Susan’s second novel, takes place in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine Forest and beautiful Door County. ICE blue returns to the busy streets of Chicago and the shores of Lake Michigan to continue the story of the DeLuca family which began in her award winning first novel, heartbeats. InTRUE blue, the third book in the DeLuca Family series, Susan was thrilled when it became apparent that her characters must take a trip to Montana’s majestic Glacier National Park.
When she is not sketching characters, you might find Susan on the golf course working on her handicap, or traveling around the country seeking out new settings for her novels with her husband and empty nest puppies, Ginger and Nikute. To read more about Susan’s novels and the writing life, please visit her website/blog at www.susanrae.com
GIVEAWAY
Always the suspense. I love romantic suspense novels and like a lot of action. From in interview it sounds like Susan struck it big with her debut novel and I hope it keeps on going.
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