About Suzanne Jenkins:
Suzanne writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women’s fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are a reflection of American fantasy with historical reality. Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads.
What inspires you to write?
I’ve written stories since I was a small child. Life experiences motivate me. An example… I wrote my first story at about age seven, whenever it is that a small child is able to write down thoughts on paper. My grandmother took me along to visit her aging father, a Greek poet of some renown in the small resort town on Lake Michigan where I now spend summers. My family was struggling. This was post Korean War, my father was home from the Marine Corp after serving overseas. Vivid memories of running out of fuel oil in the winter and crowding around the gas oven to stay warm, or hearing my parents talk about money in the middle of the night added to the atmosphere of my mother saying out loud that we didn’t have food in the house. Let me preface this by saying I was a chubby little kid.
I wrote a little story about my family being poor and the impact it had on me. I was a very insecure kid. My grandmother read it and showed it to her father, who gave it back to her and in Greek said, “She doesn’t look like they don’t have enough to eat.” Lol! I didn’t show anyone else my stories until about six years ago when I published Pam of Babylon. I had to reach age sixty to get to the place where I didn’t really care what anyone’s opinion of me was. ME, not my books. I’m like a vicious tiger mother about my books.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m a dive right in and start writing, writer. I do take notes when I’m not near a computer. My phone is loaded with notes. There are several works going on at once. If I get stuck, I like to move on and keep writing. I’m stuck on two books in two series right now. They are complicated, and I want to bail, but my followers want to read the books so I must push through.
My husband and I travel coast to coast to see our children and he will listen to me for hours and offer suggestions, especially for my sci/fi books, which he reads. The others are really not his genre so he passes. 🙂
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t but it’s a good idea. I’ve started doing a chapter in my books in which the protagonist gets a chance to talk in the first person. I also occasionally publish letters from my protagonists on my blog.
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t stop writing, and don’t compare yourself to other writers. Keep reading, too.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I just knew intuitively that it was time to self-publish. I have a friend who did it first and he advised me. His help saved a lot of time. I don’t understand those who are intent on traditional publishing and then bemoan the rejections. It’s almost punitive. I have friends in both situations and the traditionally published have to self-promote just as much as I do. It’s work no matter where you land.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it will keep growing exponentially. It’s so exciting. I’m so happy I didn’t have to wait to publish. I have a support system of my cover-maker and a format gentleman and proofreaders whom I cherish; if I’d waited, they’d be too busy for me!
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Women’s fiction/romance, Crime fiction, Romance/historial Psychological thriller, Science Fiction
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Suzanne Jenkins Home Page Link
Link To Suzanne Jenkins Page On Amazon
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.
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