Inspirational Mondays - Author Interview

My second inspirational author is Susan Laine. I have had a lot to do with Susan since she and I are collaborating on a paranormal story (she tells you a little more about it below). Suffice to say we have learned a lot about each other through the process! Over to you Susan:

My vices include chocolate and gay porn, and I’m only moderately ashamed of the former. I live in Finland, I’m an anthropologist, and I’m a right-brained kinda gal who has a thing for cowboys. I’m a strange, unusual sex fiend-eccentric trapped in the body of a quiet, good, meek girl next door.

Tell us about your latest book

Mending Fences is my third cowboy story for Siren Publishing. It’s the story of Clayton, a rodeo cowboy who gets outed as gay in front of his fiancée, and as a result he loses control of his life. He becomes the unofficial spittoon of the small town of Snow Lake, and worst of all is that he believes he deserves the hangovers, the beatings, the general contemptuous behavior from everyone. Scene is set for Jesse, the town sheriff, who wants to show Clayton that he deserves better and to be happy—and that Jesse is the guy he can achieve those things with.

What makes a great hero?

A hero can be a man or a woman, but I suppose if we are talking about a man, there are certain qualities that give him heroic luster. He should be smart enough to know his own way in life and his own heart, kind enough to treat people well (even if they don’t extend the same courtesy to him) and rise up against injustice and evil, strong enough to face adversities without losing who he is or being deterred from loving who he wants to love, and innocent enough to believe in true love and happy ever after. Sexiness comes from within, a glow of self-confidence, so a six-pack is not a requirement J

Do you have anything in common with your characters?

Not really. They do their own thing. One or two personality traits we might share, but beyond that… I do tend to over-analyze things sometimes, so Jordan Waters from Sounds of Love did have that in common with me. But other than that, nope.  

What’s the strangest (bravest, funniest etc) thing you’ve ever done?

Other than becoming an erotic romance author? J Just kidding. Well, I don’t know about strange, but one funny thing happened to me on my very first trip to a foreign climate, Mallorca of all places. I was just a kid back then, and I was going to the hotel pool first thing in the morning. I swam all day, my sister and other patrons joined me, and I had a great morning. Then it was time for lunch, and everybody got out of the pool. My sister pointed at the pool as the waters calmed and said, “Hey, look, someone’s glasses are on the bottom!”. I slapped my face with my hand hard and yelled, “Shit, they’re mine!”. I’m not sure if I cursed, but something to that effect. So, listening to the chortles of my family and other hotel guests, I dived for my glasses (intact, thank goodness), and spent the rest of the day blushing so badly that people thought I’d gotten severe sunburn.

What are you currently working on, or what’s on the horizon?

I’m working on a collaboration piece with Jennifer Denys, the author of this blog, on a paranormal MMF story set in Finland, and we’re close to the finish line J I’m also working on two contemporary MM stories, one paranormal MM, and one MM cowboy story. One man in an erotic book? Great. Now add another, and it’s bliss!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I read (all writers do) and I watch detective stories, scifi and fantasy on TV and DVD, but I only watch comedies and I only read romance. I hate chick flicks. Sorry, but I do, and won’t be caught dead watching one of those. Gimme action and stuff being blown up and earth crumbling away on a natural disaster or alien invasion, and I’m high as a kite! I like to walk in the woods (nature’s important to me), swim (at the lake near my cottage), slalom (though it’s been a couple of years), and doing the dishes (it’s soothing and gives me inspirations as my thoughts wander). Though I admit lately all these activities have taken a backseat as I’m firmly rooted in front of the computer ever since I became a published author.

How can you fans find you on the internet?

My website is at http://www.susan-laine-author.fi/ and my email is susan.laine@hotmail.com. I keep my links to all the other places where I can be found on the internet on my website, so check it out.

Thanks for having me here, Jen J

 

You are very welcome Susan. Next month's inspirational author is Tatumn Throne.