📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Promise of the Heart' Author Susan Berry | Author Interview | @susanberry111 #AuthorInterview #BlogTour #Interview
Since Susan Berry was a young girl, she loved to write. Her imagination was filled with stories that she couldn’t write down fast enough. But it wasn’t until her grandmother had given her a Harlequin romance novel to occupy her time on a long, boring car ride, that she fell in love with reading romance. The excitement of the characters first meeting, and the dance of the heart that followed, left Susan frantically turning pages. From that day on, Susan spent her free time with her beloved grandmother, reading the latest novels they’d retrieved from a used book store, or the local second hand shop. That reading eventually turned into the writing of her own romance novels. Novels filled with characters who have not yet found love, but eventually find a way to overcome romantic troubles with humor, wit, and the consumption of lots and lots of chocolate.
Susan’s latest book is the clean romance suspense, Promise of the Heart.
You can visit her website at https://www.SusanBerryauthor.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
TWL: Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?
Susan: Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about my newest release, Promise of the Heart. It’s the third book in the Moments of the Heart series and the continuation of the romantic love story between an independant farm girl turned city dweller and a very wealthy vineyard owner. Without giving away too much, our heroine, Maggie must now decide how much she is willing to give of her heart and for how long while navigating a dangerous game of cat and mouse. I was inspired to write the series after a visit to Picha’s strawberry farm in Washington State. I was captivated by the idea of a close-knit family facing life’s struggles together and seemed like the perfect backdrop for a romance story.
TWL: Can you give us a short excerpt?
Susan: “Jilly, hurry up. We’ve got to leave!”
The agitation in Maggie’s command was unmistakable as she stood at the bottom
of the steps.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” the cheerful, female voice called out.
“Sure you will,” Maggie muttered as she went into the living room, sat
on the couch, and picked up one of the magazines scattered on the coffee table.
Her face frowned as she thumbed through its colorful pages. Usually, she was
more even-tempered with her older sister and her lack of time management. But
not today. Today was too important.
Hearing a noise behind her, Maggie twisted her head in the hope she’d
see Jilly. But instead of her sister's bobbed, blonde hair, the orange and
white striped tail of a large cat came into view.
“Hello, George, old boy,” she greeted the cat and placed him on her lap.
George had been her constant companion since she was eighteen years old. And in
the nine years since, he’d been her most trusted confidant.
“How about you help me out and go upstairs to hurry your Aunt Jilly
along?” Maggie suggested as his cold, wet nose brushed her cheek.
George let out a meow, and then lept to the
floor as if to signal it was time for her to follow him. When the two of them
reached the stairway, George wound his body around her legs before he turned
toward the kitchen.
“I thought you were going to help me?” Maggie complained as she watched him sashay away toward his silver food bowl.
TWL: What part of the book was the most fun to write?
Susan: That’s a great question. To me, every part of a book is fun to write as the characters reveal the secrets of their lives. But nothing is more exhilarating for an author when they write with such potency that that writing leaves them emotionally exposed. In Promise of the Heart, there are several events that have so much intensity that I had to take a break after writing them. And my fondest hope is that my readers have the same experience in those moments. After all, that is why we read. To get lost in the thrilling entanglements of the characters' life journey.
TWL: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
Susan: I think one fact that would surprise people is that I wrote this book from the confines of my bed as I’m a paraplegic. To me, writing is the perfect escape from my physical limitations and takes me into a world with no restrictions—my characters can do anything my imagination asks of them. Mystery, suspense, and romance are mine to experience through the strokes on my keyboard.
TWL: What other books are you working on and when will they be published?
Susan: What’s next for me is the book, Beneath the Evergreens, that is scheduled to be released in July. It’s a heartfelt romance about a girl who grows up in an orphanage during World War II. On her eighteenth birthday she’s unceremoniously booted out and ends up being hired by a handsome logging company owner in the Pacific Northwest. The women who went to work in the logging camps during the war were called Lumberjills and the research for this book was a fascinating journey into their lives. They were a strong, independent group of women who worked incredibly hard, sometimes out-pacing the male loggers, and loved with equal tenacity. This is my first historical romance and I have plans to write another this summer.
TWL: Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?
Susan: What an interesting question. For me, the message that I hope is conveyed in Promise of the Heart is that resilience is the best recipe for a successful life as well as in matters of the heart. Romance and being in love is never smooth sailing. But with the right amount of self-assurance and perseverance, one can truly obtain their heart's desire.
TWL: Do you have any final words?
Susan: Thank you again for giving me the
opportunity to share my story and some of myself with you. And to the readers,
please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Whether it’s a comment on one of my
books, or sharing something about yourself, I’m always thrilled to hear from
you. And my sincere wish is for each of you to have a summer filled with
family, friends, and lasting memories.
Title: PROMISE OF THE HEART
Author: Susan Berry
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 203
Genre: Clean Romance
BOOK BLURB:
After a distasteful first meeting, and a rocky start to their romance, Maggie Kinsley has been happily married to Desmond for the last eleven months. And although she was often alone when he traveled for business, she rather enjoyed how he passionately greeted her when returning home.
So when he received a letter naming him as executor of a property that belonged to a deceased family friend and had to leave for a few weeks, Maggie should have been content as she kissed him goodbye. But there was something about the whole thing that made her uneasy. Why was Desmond so evasive with her when she asked him about the previous owner. And why had he insisted she not tell anyone of his plans to stay on the property. Maggie soon found the answers to her questions were more than just a woman’s intuition, but rather something that not even her wildest, darkest fears could have foreseen.
“I so enjoyed the long awaited final book to the trilogy the author so lovingly created. Maggie’s story has a wonderful ending and she’ll be in my heart and mind for a long time.” – Amazon
Book Information
Release Date: February 21, 2022
Publisher: Independent
Soft Cover: ISBN: 979-8420398647; 203 pages; $6.99; E-Book, $1.99
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wk29M8
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