About Susan Griscom:
I write paranormal and contemporary romance from sweet and innocent to hot and steamy, erotic. I live in Northern California with my always inspiring and supportive husband. We have five kids together and eight grand kids and believe me, they keep us plenty busy.
I love being outdoors when I’m not writing, and sometimes go sit outside to write if it’s not too hot or cold. I enjoy skiing (both snow and water), kayaking, camping, bike riding, and reading. We live close to Tahoe and I enjoy going up there at all times of the year and have been known to do a little gambling. My favorite is video poker, but only if I’m sitting at the bar. I don’t really like sitting at a big machine. I miss too much of what is going on around the place because people watching is a necessity.
I’m usually quiet and maybe a little shy in social gatherings, so if you ever see me at an author/reader event, please come up to me and introduce yourself. I’d love to meet you.
What inspires you to write?
Life inspires me. Sometimes writing is an outlet, a release for emotions building up, whether they are happy or sad, they get poured into my books. Other authors inspire me as well. I like to people watch and certain situations get me thinking about how I might incorporate that into a story. The news is also a great place to find inspiration.
Tell us about your writing process.
Before I begin a new story, I like to clean my desk. Getting rid of clutter and starting with a clean desk makes me feel better. I’ve outlined and I still do to a point. In the past, I was a complete panster. I still don’t know how exactly my stories are going to get to the end, but I find it important to have an ending in mind. I can always change it, but it helps knowing my characters have a goal. It also helps to figure out my character arcs and where and when they will take place in the story. As I mentioned, I can always change things, but having an initial point of reference, helps keep me focused.
It’s also helpful for me to find pictures of characters before describing them and I will post them on Pinterest. Another thing that helps me is having a cover. I usually wait until I’m well into the story before having a cover made, because I like to have my cover be meaningful to the story, but once I have that cover, I’m more motivated to finish the book.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
If I’m writing from a male’s POV, I picture him being in the room with me, talking to me. I also picture me as the female he might be talking to. I’ve been known to dream about my characters and wake up in the middle of the night with thoughts that can’t wait until morning because they will be forgotten by then, so I will get up and write them down.
What advice would you give other writers?
Follow your dreams and never give up. Keep writing. Don’t read bad reviews, but if you do, remember that every author gets them and go visit your favorite author’s pages on Amazon or another review site and read their bad reviews. They get them too and it helps bring some perspective.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
After a couple of years of query letters to agents with no bites, my first book was picked up by a brand new very small press publisher. But shortly after signing, I’d realized they weren’t the right fit for me as KDP and Createspace were just coming on to the scene for self-published authors and I asked to be released from the contract before anything was even started. I enjoy having complete control of my work and earnings, though I’m sure I’d consider one of the big publishers when the opportunity arises.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
This is a tough question. I can only hope that it keeps getting better and better for indie authors.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary, Adult, New Adult, and Young Adult Romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Susan Griscom replacing old interview https://bookgoodies.com/interview-with-author-susan-griscom/ Home Page Link
Link To Susan Griscom replacing old interview https://bookgoodies.com/interview-with-author-susan-griscom/ Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
