One of this month’s featured authors is Susan Y. Tanner
I was introduced to Susan Y. Tanner’s books through the Familiar Legacy Series. The combination of mystery, romance and the point of view of the cat Trouble make these books, so fun to read.
Susan Y. Tanner has written two Trouble books and will be releasing another on later this year. She also has some historical romances with a western flare. Let’s get to know the author better, here’s my interview with Susan.
Personal
Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
These days, that’s hard to say. If you know me on fb, you know so much. My family is my heart. Barrel racing is my passion. Writing is something I can’t ‘not do’. I love cats but I’m seriously allergic to them. I once rode the Galway Trail in Ireland with fellow author, Carolyn Haines, where I fell in love with a Connemara pony I’ve never forgotten.
Physically I’m gritty. I broke my shoulder riding, threw the pain meds away the next day, and returned to work in three days. Emotionally, I hurt easily and I hide it determinedly. You’d have to know me very well to know if you’ve cut me to the quick and, even then, you might not see it.
I will say that, during the many years of my non-writing career, I kept my worlds separate. Those days I spent on coal-fired boilers in hardhat, safety glasses, and steel-toed boots, providing support and removing roadblocks for major contractors employing hundreds of craft. I still hear from former-coworkers who say, ‘I never knew you were a writer’ or ‘I didn’t know you are a barrel racer’.
What inspired you to start writing?
My love of reading was truly my writing inspiration. I was ‘that child’ scolded for ‘reading ahead’ in class while waiting for others to finish the assignment. (We were supposed to close our books and sit so the teacher would know who was finished and who was not.)
I was twelve or so when I asked my parents to send money to some company who guaranteed to teach me to write and get published. My dad told me it was a scam and I was crushed people would do that sort of thing.
When my daughter was tiny, I would hold her for hours at a time while she slept and I read. I never thought “I can write a better book.” I loved the words I was reading. It was always, “I can do this. I can write this well.” One day, I picked up a pen and started. I wrote manuscript after manuscript on yellow legal tablets. My sister typed them and I put them in a box under my bed while I raised my beautiful children. It never crossed my mind that they were publishable. I just knew I had to write.
Who is your favorite author?
There’s no way to limit this to one. Top five maybe – Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Jill Shalvis, Kat Martin, Jayne Ann Krentz (aka Amanda Quick) – but again that leaves out so many I love. I’m a huge fan of Carolyn Haines’ Pluto’s Snitch series. Her Bones books are as much fun as the Fear Familiar series (which gave birth to our Familiar Legacy stories), but the Pluto’s Snitch tales are my favorites, perhaps because of the era in which they’re written. Oh, and I love everything that Susanna Kearsley has ever written and I’m avidly awaiting the next! I also watch for new releases by Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, and Julia Quinn.
What is the first book that made you cry?
Oh, my, another really hard one. I haven’t a clue. I was a child who cried easily over books and movies … sad tears, happy tears, you name it, I had a tear for it! There’s a story I remember – a short story or novella – I’m not sure which and couldn’t tell you the title or the author or how many years ago I read it but I remember well the feelings it evoked. It was of a young wife who followed her husband place to place as he chased his dreams but the dreams always turned to dust and he moved on to the next with her following until the day he did and she wouldn’t. The final scene (as I recall it anyway) was of her carefully placing her blue-patterned china on a shelf as he walked away. That was the first time I think I realized that sometimes love just isn’t enough. Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn that lesson in real life several times over. If anyone recognizes that story and can help me find it again, I’d love to reread it just to see if its anything like what I recall!
What book are you currently reading?
I’ve always got a couple going! On my kindle, Twelve Angry Librarians by Miranda James, always so good! By my bed, Lisa Kleypas’ Devil’s Daughter.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Healing pain in others – physical, mental, emotional.
Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before (real or imaginary)?
Wales, first and foremost. It’s the land of legends and dreams. And Italy and Spain and Greece. And, like books, I could go on and on about the places I’d love to see but it’s not easy to get away when you own horses!
If you looked in your refrigerator right now, what would you find?
2% organic milk, cage-free organic eggs, real butter, white cheddar cheese, dark chocolate, mini-cokes. Sounds sad on paper, doesn’t it!
Are you a better baker or cook or take out connoisseur?
Cook for sure. I only ever bake cornbread and I’m really good with that, cakes not so much, although I can bake a seriously good pecan pie and I’ve turned out some nice cheesecakes. I live close to my daughter and we alternate cooking dinner (which is why I have so little in my own refrigerator). We love trying new recipes and just laugh and shrug over the ones that fail, but we’re always adding to our ‘favorites’ list from successes.
Which do you prefer?
Tea or coffee: I cannot start my day without coffee, but I’m a ‘one and done’ gal with coffee. After that, tea.
Hot or cold: Hot with lemon! Lady Grey is my absolute favorite but I can be happy with Earl Grey.
Movie or book:
Oh, dear. Am I really supposed to give just one again? I’m a fan of really old movies (think Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant). I’d say my all-time favorite is ‘Love with the Proper Stranger’ (Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen). I’ll let your readers go look that one up! After that Urban Cowboy or Mama Mia (you’ll notice both are heavy on music). I love music. I’m also a Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock fan, particularly the light-hearted ones like Pretty Woman and The Proposal. I don’t watch many movies, though, as there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
I haven’t seen this one but I do like Natalie Woods’ movies, I will be sure to check it out.
I have definitely seen these two. Great films.
Coke or Pepsi:
Coke. It’s my clean eating/drinking downfall. But I only allow myself one of the mini-cokes a day and that keeps me happy.
Writing/Books
What do you love most about your writing process?
Everything! That’s also what I hate most about my writing process. Everything! I loved research when I was writing historical romance. But research is just as, if not more than, critical when writing contemporary, and I find it far less enjoyable. I hate writing synopses, but they make my writing life so much easier, so I grit my teeth and do it. Characters are easiest for me. They create themselves. Plots evolve, sometimes effortlessly, sometimes not so much.
Do you like music or silence?
Absolute silence. I LOVE music but I can’t write with noise of any kind – not even good noise!
Do you have goals of certain # of words a week or when inspiration strikes?
If I can write three pages a day, I’m happy. If I write ten, I’m ecstatic. I’m often happy but rarely ecstatic. If I waited for inspiration, I’d be at the barn watching horses graze all day. That’s my happy place.
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reins of the story?
When I was writing historical romance, my characters wrote the story in a very real sense. It was theirs to write. I knew where we were going, but how we got there was frequently up to them. I gave them free rein. With the Trouble books, the characters absolutely must stay in line and keep their romance in check. The mystery plays as vital a part as the characters. One aspect can’t overshadow another.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Sunshine. When I downsized, my daughter designed and my son built my beautiful home with the most amazing expanse of windows. When the sunlight pours in, I long to be outside, preferably on a horse.
Is anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?
There was a time when I would have said and believed ‘purely all imagination’. Looking back at my historical romances, I see things that, although not based on real-life experiences, certainly reflected my thoughts and emotions at the time I was writing them. For a time, after the loss of my mother, I was truly angry with God. That comes through in a couple books to an almost painful degree. My stories set in the west are filled with my empathy for what our Natives once endured. I’m appalled by bigotry and prejudice, especially when it leads to cruelty and a desire to inflict pain on another living creature. My Trouble mysteries have backstories that are all about horses and the women who love them and allow them to reach their full potential. My non-writing life is much about horses.
If you could spend time a character from your books whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
One of my favorite stories, which remains unpublished (so far), concerns a plot to free Mary, Queen of Scots, from imprisonment at the hands of her cousin, Elizabeth of England. My time would be with Mary and I’m certain I’d be immersed in a plot to set her free.
What genres do you write?
Before I began writing the Familiar Legacy books with some really talented authors, I’d only written historical romance. The Trouble books are truly fun romantic mysteries and I’ve learned so much through the process of writing them. I’ve been asked to consider writing an additional historical romance. And I’m considering!
What project are you working on now?
I’m finishing the final scenes of ‘Trouble Action’ my third book in the Familiar Legacy series and will begin the dreaded edits immediately after the last scene is written. We’re anticipating a late summer, early fall release for this book.
Do you have any other books coming out this year?
I do! I’m excited that Secret Staircase Books, a fiction imprint of Columbine Publishing Group, will publish Fire Across Texas and Winds Across Texas, as well as A Warm Southern Christmas, in both print and e-book. This is the first time these titles have been available in e-book so that’s pretty huge for me.
To learn more about Susan and her books:
Familiar Legacy books by Susan Y. Tanner
Trouble in Summer Valley by Susan Y. Tanner
Familiar Legacy #4
Publication Date: October 9, 2017
Genre: Mystery and Romance
DIVORCE, BETRAYAL, MURDER – Avery Wilson knew starting over would be hard, but she never expected to be in an all-out war with her ex. What was he planning next? Her goal of equine rehabilitation for wounded veterans on her Alabama horse ranch was slipping from her grasp, and her precious horses were in danger.
Dirks Hanna had what should have been a simple mission – evaluate Summer Valley Ranch for federal funding. But something deadly was happening in Summer Valley. The beautiful – and headstrong – equestrian was targeted for harm with danger in every direction. And, intertwined with that danger, was a multi-faceted black cat who somehow appeared at the scene of every disaster.
Trouble had arrived at the ranch anticipating bitter human emotions to run high, but the black cat finds his paws more than full with murder and two very stubborn humans who refuse to see they are meant for each other.
Turning for Trouble by Susan Y. Tanner
Familiar Legacy #7
Publication Date: July 9, 2018
Genre: Mystery and Romance
DUST, GLORY—AND MURDER—at the Rodeo. Malone Summers ‘has what it takes’ to ride horses to big wins in the rough and tumble world of rodeo. Once young and headstrong, she’d chased her dream with a wild rodeo cowboy destined to break her heart. Now she’s riding high–until she finds a frightened young stowaway named Joss in her rig, and the murders of rough stock riders begin.
Cade Delaney has a past heartbreak of his own. He’s ready for a second chance with the only girl who ever turned his head or stole his heart, but while Malone is a risk-taker in the arena, she’s not willing to put her heart on the line again when Cade reappears in her life.
Trouble, the sleek and talented black cat detective, finds himself in the world of rodeo and murder when he takes on the job of guarding Malone against the mounting danger around her. Young Joss is connected to the murders, but how? Trouble has to help the humanoids determine what role Joss plays in the dangerous events and then help them see the truth their hearts fight against.
Another book by Susan Y. Tanner
Winds Across Texas
The Bellamys of Texas #1
Publication Date: March 14, 2019
Genre: Historical Romance
Held five years in captivity by the Comanche, Katherine Bellamy and the child she brings home are shunned by polite Texas society. Her brother Ford wasn’t a man to settle down—he’d gone away, seeking a life of adventure, trying to forget the girl who waits at home.
When Kate sets out to find Ford and bring him home, she encounters Slade, a mercenary soldier and Texas Ranger who rides the plains, seeking revenge for the deaths of his wife and infant son. Sparks fly whenever the two are together, but Katherine fears that Slade will discover her greatest secret.
As their attraction becomes impossible to deny, Kate wonders—can they build some semblance of a normal life together? Will either of them want to try?
Praise for Winds Across Texas:
“Action packed and poignant. ..builds tension from the very beginning and will keep you turning pages until the very end. Ms. Tanner’s straightforward style never allows for a dull moment.” —Linda Sandifer, author of Embrace The Wind“Susan Tanner captures the fierce independence and adventurous spirit that marked the developing West. A heart-touching read.” —Elizabeth Leigh, author of Prairie Ecstasy
Enter here to Win:
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoy learning more about Susan Y. Tanner and her books.
Don’t forget to enter both the above giveaway for (2) Trouble in Summer Valley and Turning For Trouble both by Susan Y. Tanner. Reader’s Choice of ebooks or Paperback (PB in US Only) and (3) Kindle Editions of A Box of Trouble.
And look for my reviews of the Familiar Legacy Series throughout the month.
#MarchOfTrouble
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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