About Susan

Susan Mallery is the New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred romances and she has yet to run out of ideas!! She has written series romances, as well as single titles, historicals, contemporaries and even a lone time travel. Always reader favorites, her books have appeared on the Waldens bestseller list, along with the USA Today bestseller list and, of course, the New York Times list. She has won awards for everything from best single title contemporary, to best Special Edition of the year and recently took home the prestigious National Reader's Choice Award. As her degree in Accounting wasn't very helpful in the writing department, Susan earned a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction.

Susan makes her home in the Pacific Northwest where, rumor has it, all that rain helps with creativity. Susan is married to a fabulous hero-like husband and has a six pound toy poodle...who is possibly the cutest dog on the planet.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.

How did you get started writing?

I'd always read romances-starting when I was around thirteen. I'd never thought about writing one myself because I thought writers were exotic people who lived in France, wore black all the time and talked about things like dead philosophers and existentialism. While I was in college, I saw that a local adult education center was offering a class on "How to Write a Romance Novel." I signed up for that class and, the very same day, began my first book.
The book was awful, but the class changed my life. It was 8 weeks long and I knew by week 6 that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I stayed in school to complete my degree (in Accounting of all things) then walked away from a job offer to try my hand at writing. Fortunately, I sold fairly quickly. My first book sold in August, 1990 and was published in January 1992.

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas come from everywhere. Situations I find myself in, conversations I've overheard, songs. The sheik books came about because my editor kept telling me to write one. Then a friend of mine started saying the same thing. I'd always liked them, so I figured I'd give it a try. While my friend, Christina Dodd, and I were driving back from a conference in Alabama, we brainstormed several possible ideas. They turned out to be the first three books in the Desert Rogue series. Wife In Disguise, my March 2001 release came about because of a song called "By The Book" sung by Michael Peterson.

In it he talks about the wedding invitations, the photo album and how if he'd loved her "by the book" she'd still be with him today. I loved that song and played it over and over. I was in my car one day, playing it and thinking about it when I suddenly thought it would be really hard to have a relationship with this guy because he's still in love with his ex-wife. So I played with the idea of the romance with this guy and another woman. Except I always felt so bad for her-being second best. Then I had a brain flash-what if the new girlfriend WAS the ex-wife. Except how was that possible?? Wife in Disguise was born from that.

How long does it take you to write a book and do you write on a schedule?

My series books-the ones for Silhouette-generally take about 2-3 months, depending on how long they are. The anthologies go much faster. The single title books take about 5-6 months from start to finish. They are longer, with a lot more characters, which makes for more writing…and rewriting. I do have a writing schedule. I'm slow in the beginning but after the first few chapters, I generally write about 15 pages a day. And I do plot out the whole story. I need to know what's going to happen before I can comfortably move ahead. This doesn't mean the characters don't get a vote. They frequently surprise me with their actions and dialogue. Then we all have to have a meeting and figure out what happens next!!:)

Because I write for more than one publisher and write so many books a year, it's important for me to have a plan of what I'll be working on next, then to stick to it. Being disciplined is as difficult as being creative.

Help! I'm looking for an older, out of print book of yours. Which one is it and how do I buy it?

First, check out the detailed backlist on the web site. That lists all my books, in reverse order of publication--meaning the most current books are on top. There you can find hero and heroine names along with a thumbnail sketch of the plot line. That should help you figure out if you've read the book, or if it's the one you're looking for.

As to buying older books, there's the challenge. Generally the single title books can be ordered from any bookstore or at an on-line bookstore. The series books are more tricky as they come and go in about a month. E-Harlequin will keep them in stock for about three months. Amazon and Barnes and Noble are good for about six months. After that, you need to start checking for used copies or some of the other on-line bookstores. If the prices for older books is really high, try e-bay. They usually have less expensive used copies.

Why don't you just reissue your older books so your new readers can find them?

Would that I could. In truth, it's not my decision. I bug my editor all the time about various reissues, but it's not her decision, either. Series books are reissued through a complex process at Silhouette and I have no idea what it is. However, if you e-mail about a specific book, be assured I pass that e-mail along to my editor and she passes it along, and so on.

I'm thinking of writing a romance. How should I get started?

The best place to go is http://www.rwanational.org/. This is a terrific organization for both published and unpublished romance writers. There are local chapters, conferences, contests, plenty of how-to workshops and seminars.

Writers Digest has a series of "how to" writing books that are all excellent. I highly recommend those. Also, if you have access to a community college writing course, that is a good place to get started.

Do you read your e-mail yourself and do you answer it?

Absolutely. Just click on the "e-mail" button and a contact form will appear. I do read them and answer them. You can always tell how close I am to my deadline by how long it takes me to respond. Usually it's not longer than a week unless I'm out of town.