Good morning! Please welcome guest author Suz deMello. Though I will be away for most of the day, please feel free to leave comments for Suz and I will see they get posted as soon as I return. Thank you!
~Kate
Would you tell us about your latest release?
My latest release is a writing primer, Plotting and Planning. I’m very proud of it. It’s my 2d writing treatise, and the first one, Write This, Not That! is now offered for free here:
http://tinyurl.com/o8zy7xw kobo
http://tinyurl.com/phc8b89 google
Here’s the blurb:
Suz deMello’s given us another engaging, witty writing primer, the companion and completion of her best-selling Write This, Not That! Plotting, point of view, character creation, conflict and much more are examined in this brief but pithy writing manual. A must for the serious writer who wants the basics without boredom.
Says bestselling author Kylie Brant: “Sue has written a concise manual that is valuable for both beginning and seasoned writers. Going to write a book? Read this first!”
Here’s where you can find Plotting and Planning: http://tinyurl.com/deMelloPlotting
Do you have an excerpt from your latest release you would like to share?
Here’s a tidbit about writing scenes:
Scenes are the building blocks of your story, for acts are comprised of scenes. They’re nothing more than events, most often interactions between your characters. Scenes should fulfill at least one or two of the below purposes—best if you can include all four.
•Advance plot
•Reveal or develop character
•Complicate or resolve conflict
•Express setting, mood, theme
Everything in your manuscript should have a function, even every comma or em-dash.
Would you give us a sneak peek at one of your upcoming releases?
Sure. I have a novella-length fictionalized memoir coming out in the next What to Read After Fifty Shades of Grey boxed set—it’s number 8 in the series. That’s scheduled for publication on November 23, 2014.
Based on a true story, Perilous Play details my experiences with an emotionally abusive Dom. Here’s a snippet:
We drove through The City—in northern California, The City is always San Francisco. There, Trapper stopped at a sex store.
The store was warehouse sized and very male-oriented. Everything was black leather or metal, and a little scary.
Trapper lost no time placing me in my new role, strapping bondage devices on me within seconds—wrist cuffs, ankle cuffs, gags and hoods. When he found equipment he liked and that fitted me, he left it on. The hood covered my face with holes for breathing. Even so, it was fairly comfortable, which was good since I was destined to spend a lot of time in it. I don’t always like being blinded but Trapper seemed to love to render me as helpless as possible.
Would you tell us about yourself?
Here’s my author bio:
Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello, a.k.a Sue Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several subgenres, including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance editor, she’s held the positions of managing editor and senior editor, working for such firms as Totally Bound and Ai Press. She also takes private clients.
Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.
A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.
What are your favorite genres to read and write?
I love to write historicals. I love the research, finding out about how people used to live, what they wore, what they ate—it fascinates me.
Where can we visit you online?
Here are my social media outlets:
–Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com
–For editing services, email her at suzdemello@gmail.com
–Befriend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suzdemello, and visit her group pages at https://www.facebook.com/redhotauthorscafe
and https://www.facebook.com/TheNLiterati
–She tweets @Suzdemello
–Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/suzdemello/
–Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads
–Her current blog is http://www.TheVelvetLair.com
When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?
Travel, hot yoga, hanging out with my peeps. Pretty ordinary stuff, but I believe in finding joy in the ordinary. I’m very lucky. I have a wonderful friends and a supportive family. Life is not merely good, but grand.
Social
Thanks for hosting me, Kate! I had fun answering your questions.
Thank you for being a guest, Suz!