Welcome to Vision and Verse, fellow Ohio girl! I am from a small town about an hour away from Cleveland. It’s great to have you here this morning. What have you written?
I’ve written 15 novels, 10 novellas and innumerable short stories.
What is your favorite genre to write?
Most of my novels are Regency romance, but I have also gone on to write sci-fi/fantasies that include time travel.
Favorite food.
I think my favourite food at the moment are fresh, ripe mangoes.
Tea or coffee?
Tea as in an English ‘cuppa.’
Pizza or ice cream?
Vanilla Ice cream
Wine or beer or soda or what?
Living in a country that produces some of the finest wines, I have to say I like good red wine (Hautes Côtes de Beaune for example).
Where would you like to visit?
I’ve had the good fortune of travelling to many foreign countries as I worked for a company with a travel agency. I think I’d like to visit NewFoundland, though.
Favorite musical artist:
Most of the classicals: Chopin, Beethoven, Grieg, Vivaldi and so on… If not, Jon Bon Jovi!
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
I prefer silence when I write, but I love classical music when I drive anywhere.
What makes you laugh?
British/Irish ‘dry’ humour.
This is an Art AND Author website, so I am obligated to ask: Favorite work of art or sculpture.
Raboteur de Parquet by Gustave Caillebotte. I make a point of seeing it in the Musée d’Orsay every time I go.
How old were you when you started writing?
It was a very bad Regency romance paperback that got me writing when I was in my 50s. I have always been an avid reader (3 or 4 books a week), but seeing such a poor example of writing, I was sure I could do better. Having begun, I can’t stop.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
I begin with an idea for a story, but the story unwinds as I write.
Describe your perfect evening:
Playing games with the family or friends (Mah Jong, Scrabble, cards etc.) with good wine.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Anything can inspire me. A dog with a limp, a person up a ladder or two people arguing in the street.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
I have several stories being written at the same time. I can leave one for weeks and then come back to it with fresh eyes.
Who is your favorite author?
There are so many — Clifford D. Simak, Jack Finney, Anne Perry, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, Paul Gallico, Tony Hillerman, Isaac Asimov…
Best book you ever read.
No one book has stood out from being better than a half dozen others that were keepers for me!
Last book you read.
Son of the Morning by Linda Howard.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I would sew/make historical costumes.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
A French friend, who sadly died twenty years ago. I met her in London while in my 20s and through her inviting me to visit her family in France, I decided to learn French. I moved to France, met my French husband-to-be and have now been here 40 years thanks to her.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Without any real religious motivation, I think I would like to converse with Jesus of Nazareth. He is someone who has had such an impact on the world, I would like to hear what he thinks about today.
What advice would you give someone who to be a writer?
Writing is good for the soul, not unlike singing. It doesn’t matter if you’re published or not — write.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/suzybazaar
