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Overjoyed and humbled, all at the same time. The first time one of my romance novels appeared on the New York Times bestselling list was in 2008, a book called ACCIDENTALLY YOURS. When your name appears on a prestigious bestselling authors list such as the New York Times and the USA Today bestsellers lists, it means that lots of readers rushed out to buy your book the very first week it was released. My readers mean the world to me, and it’s always such an honor to know they’re that eager for my next book.

After four of my Fool's Gold books hit #2 on the New York Times bestsellers list (SUMMER NIGHTS, THREE LITTLE WORDS, HOLD ME, and KISS ME), I finally sidestepped the "always a bridesmaid" curse when THRILL ME debuted at #1 in August 2015. Pretty exciting to see my romance novel at the top of the bestsellers list! Years earlier, my friend Debbie Macomber had given me a bottle of champagne and told me to open it when I hit #1. (Not if, when.) I opened it the night I got the news, and I raised a toast to Debbie and to the wonderful readers who had helped me make this remarkable achievement.

I have three new releases in 2024, starting with The Summer Book Club in February, followed by For the Love of Summer in June and One Big Happy Family in October. Each of these books is a standalone, not part of a series.

The Summer Book Club is a heartfelt, uplifting story about three women whose friendship blossoms because of their shared love of books. During the summer months, Laurel, Cassie and Paris decide to just say no to depressing books, and read lighter books that will lift their spirits. This summer, they’re focusing on romance novels written years ago, by some of the authors who shaped my own career—Linda Howard and LaVyrle Spencer, for example. What they don’t expect is that the courage of the heroines in these books will inspire them to be brave in their own lives, to reach for a happily ever after of their own.

For the Love of Summer is going to appeal to readers who loved The Vineyard at Painted Moon, I think, because while it’s a very different story, it also has very complicated, juicy family dynamics. Erica is a take-charge entrepreneur who is confident in all things—except when it comes to her daughter, Summer, who seems to prefer her “other” family. Erica is worried she’s losing her daughter’s affection to her stepmom, Allison. When Erica’s ex is arrested, leaving his second wife and toddler son destitute, Erica reluctantly caves to Summer begging her to invite Allison into their home. I was fascinated by the idea of two women who married the same man having to find a way to live together. For the Love of Summer is a story of two women falling into friendship.

And then comes what I think is my favorite Christmas story that I’ve ever written—One Big Happy Family. I love this book so much! Julie is keeping a secret from her adult children—a six-foot tall, incredibly handsome, and much younger new boyfriend. The kids had other plans for Christmas, so Julie was looking forward to spending Christmas alone with Heath. When the kids suddenly change their minds and want one last Christmas at the family cabin, Julie is going to have to suck it up and tell them the truth. With a couple of unexpected guests, and lots of surprising twists, One Big Happy Family is funny and heartwarming and will fill you with the Christmas spirit.

There's a Contact form inside the Members Only area. I respond to reader mail once a month, so depending on when your email comes in, it might be a few weeks before you hear back from me. You can also send me a message via Facebook.

And if you’re on Facebook, I encourage you to join the Susan Mallery All Access group. All Access group members essentially get a backstage pass into the world of my writing. I share exclusive sneak peeks of and insights into the books I’m working on, often a year or more before the books are published! You’ll also get pictures and posts from my personal life, and exclusive monthly challenge giveaways.

From the time I was about thirteen, I loved reading romance novels. I had never thought about actually becoming a romance writer because I thought romance 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 writing my first romance novel.

The book was awful, but the class changed my life. It was 8 weeks long and I knew by week 6 that I wanted to make a career as a romance author. 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 romance writing. Fortunately, I sold fairly quickly. My first romance novel sold in August 1990 and was published in January 1992. From that point on, I’ve never wanted to be anything other than an author. Although I write more women’s fiction than romance novels these days, romance will always be a part of my books because I find falling in love to be endlessly fascinating and infinitely variable. Every couple has a different story and a different path to finding one another.

Ideas come from everywhere – conversations, articles. Songs are a great source of inspiration for me. I’m convinced that there’s a book in every country music song, but you might be surprised at the idea that comes from a song. For me, it’s not about the lyrics or the story of the song, as much as it is about the emotions.

So yes, ideas are everywhere, but the idea is merely a spark. The tough part is fanning that spark into flames, into a full-length women’s fiction novel. I’ve had a lot of ideas that weren’t good enough to sustain a book. I either have to reassign it as a subplot, or let it go. (That is so hard sometimes!)

The Summer Book Club actually started with the title, which is unusual for me but not unheard of. Daughters of the Bride started with the title, too—and coincidentally, both books are set in Los Lobos, California. When I knew I wanted to write a book titled The Summer Book Club, I asked myself what kind of books I would want to read in a summer book club. The answer, naturally, was romance novels. I also knew The Summer Book Club would come out in February, when I felt readers would be starting to get really tired of the long, dreary winter, so I wanted to craft a story that was the ultimate feel-good. This is such a happy book! The characters are dealing with some very real, relatable issues, but the story is told in a lighthearted way. I had so much fun writing it!

The spark that led to For the Love of Summer was a question—what if your ex-husband’s new wife had to move in with you? How would that make you feel? Would you be able to get along? I put Erica and Allison into the most uncomfortable position I could imagine, and then watched them from a most unlikely friendship. Although this is a standalone, I have the feeling that readers will be begging for a follow-up. I already have some ideas, so stay tuned!

One Big Happy Family came to me when a phrase drifted through my head. “Whatever you do, don’t come home for Christmas.” I just thought about how so many women practically kill themselves trying to make Christmas perfect for their families—decorating, making cookies, choosing (and then wrapping) the perfect gifts—so that it might be a relief to a mom when her adult kids make other plans for the holidays. In Julie’s case, she’s low-key joyful about the canceled family plans because it means she can get some quality alone time with the handsome younger man she’s been keeping a secret from her kids. But then, I wondered, what would happen if the kids suddenly decided they wanted a family Christmas, after all? Julie is a mom first, and a loving one at that, so she would never say no. But it does mean that her secret boyfriend won’t be a secret much longer. One Big Happy Family is complicated and funny and heartwarming, and I just can’t wait to get it into your hands.

The single title romance novels and women’s fiction books take about 3-4 months from start to finish. They are long with intricate plots and a lot of characters, which makes for a lot of writing…and rewriting. I do have a 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 so many romance novels and women’s fiction books each 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, and just as important.

You can see a complete list of my books, in order of publication, listed by series here. Most of my single title romances are available in print, so you can find them wherever books are for sale. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it, they should be able to order it for you, or you can definitely order it from websites like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

You’ve come to the right place! All of my books are listed in order on my Printable Backlist. Or you can sign in to the Members Only area for a list that shows each series separately and in order. That’s particularly helpful with the Fool’s Gold romance novels because there are several novellas that are interspersed throughout the series. The list in the Members area shows all of the Fool’s Gold books in order, as well as Wishing Tree, Happily Inc, Mischief Bay, Blackberry Island, Hometown Heartbreakers, Desert Rogues, the Buchanans, the Marcelli Family, the Bakery Sisters and the Lone Star Sisters.

Your first step should be to check my Freebies page, where I've posted a list of all of my heroes and heroines. You can look up the name of the character to see whether I've already written a book for him or her. (You'll find the name Rafe Stryker on the list twice. Different characters, same name—I don't know how I did that! Clearly the name stuck in my subconscious. So embarrassing!)

I never say never when it comes to writing stories for people who have made an appearance in my books. Many of the characters who’ve captured your imagination have also captured mine, and these people have a way of sticking with me so long that I finally surrender and give them a book of their own. I'm also very much influenced by my readers. I want to write books you love, so I want to hear your ideas! After my 2008 Bakery Sisters series, I heard from a reader who wanted a romance for Raoul, a troubled teen in SWEET SPOT. Raoul is the hero of FINDING PERFECT, the third book in the Fool’s Gold romance novels.

Almost all of my books have been published in print, but the novellas are too short to print on their own. Most of these novellas have been printed in an anthology at one time or another. Look at the Novellas and Anthologies section of my Printable Backlist. When you see a book title followed by the ~ symbol and another title, that means the novella was printed in an anthology.

If you don't have an e-reader such as a Kindle or a Nook, you don't have to miss out on e-book exclusives! Several companies offer free software that will let you read e-books on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Just do a Google search for "read ebooks on my [name of device]," and you should get several results. If you've enjoyed the free excerpts on my website or the short stories in the Members Only area, then you will probably enjoy reading e-book novellas on your computer. And hey, the software is free, so it's worth a shot!

Yes—lots. To see all of my available audiobooks, visit the Audiobooks page of my website. Each audiobook has links to make it easy for you to buy from Audible.com and from Apple Books.