Susan, welcome to Writers on Reading! Congratulations
on your newest romance, Irish Meadows, released this month. I was privileged to read the first pages in a contest you formerly entered, so I can say it looks like a sumptuous read, folks! Sue, with
several contemporary, and now a historical romance, to your credit, when you’re
browsing for a book, do you find any theme draws your attention more than
others?
I love
themes of redemption and forgiveness, for example, when a character with a less-than-stellar
past, who has newly committed to leading a Christian life, struggles to find acceptance
and love. I seem to portray these themes in my writing and love to read it as
well.
A definite theme there then. One we
can continue to look forward to in your writing I hope! What do you look for
when choosing your next reading adventure?
I usually
look for new releases from my favorite authors, but if looking for something
totally new, I go for the story premise on the back cover and/or an intriguing front
cover!
Well, that leads me right into the
question I planned to ask next: As a writer, you should know better, but as a
reader, you know we all do it—and you just said you did it too! So, when did
you last “judge a book by the cover”? How did it work out?
I ordered a
book that I had really admired the cover of—it was a mansion set in fall foliage.
The book sounded a bit out of my usual brand, more like a mystery with some
romance, and I ended up being disappointed in the story. The mystery aspect was
fine, but the romance (my most important criteria) didn’t end up materializing.
Releasing
Irish
Meadows
this month, and Healing the
Widower’s Heart last February, must have put you on a pretty
tight time schedule. Do you find time to read during the months you spend
writing a book or with deadlines ahead is it either/or for you? If so, what did
you read while working on Irish Meadows?
If not, did you treat yourself to a good book when you sent this one off to
your publisher?I normally read every night before I go to sleep no matter what I’m working on. But I honestly cannot remember what I was reading when I wrote Irish Meadows. I wrote the bulk of it during November Novel Writing Month in 2011. So that was a while back!
Indeed
that was a while ago. From what I’ve heard Irish Meadows had a bit of a journey
getting into our hands. What was the last book you absolutely couldn't put
down? Why?
I recently read a few stories that had me reading into the wee hours of the night. Always on My Mind by Susan May Warren (love her writing!), Love’s Fortune by Laura Frantz (another favorite author), and I just finished To Win HerFavor by Tamera Alexander (so good!! Tammy’s characters stay with you for days!)
Well,
those are some books to add to our reading lists. Happily I’ve read Love’s
Fortune. I love Laura Frantz, too! (Though I’ll argue that her first two were a
tad more to my tastes.) When I’m judging books by their covers, Tamera
Alexander’s certainly stand out, but I just haven’t had time to get into such
thick books, so they’re still waiting for me—some already sitting on my
bookshelf. Sounds like you’ve had some great reading lately—how about long ago?
Were you the kind of kid/teen who loved reading? Which novel do you first
remember reading?
The first
books I read were The Bobbsey Twins.
I think I was about six. I’d get a book for Christmas and disappear to read it!
After that it was the Nancy Drew Mysteries series!
Aw…I so fun to think disappearing like
that. Really brings your childhood reading experiences to life. And the Nancy
Drews…I don’t think anything will ever compare to the wonder and joy of
grabbing another unread Nancy Drew off the bookshelf. So, when did you know you
wanted to write? Did any or multiple books influence this desire?
As my
dedication in Irish Meadows mentions,
my Grade 6 teacher first gave me the idea to write a book. I wrote a messy
mystery/adventure during my teens. Then life got too busy, and I stopped writing.
Many years later, I picked up a Nora Roberts romance (I had never heard of
her!) and got totally hooked! I started reading all the Nora Roberts books I
could get, and then the ‘writing bug’ hit again!
How fun! I think we’re all gonna be
glad it struck you again. LOL Has any book stuck with you recently? What
created the lasting impressions?
Since I’ve
just finished To Win Her Favor I’ll talk about that—another masterpiece by
Tamera Alexander! Her hero, Cullen McGrath, is strong and noble and kind—very
swoon worthy to be sure. Tamera gets his Irish brogue down perfectly. Her
heroine, Maggie, trains and rides racehorses. She is spunky and spirited! Set
in the south, with plantations and newly freed slaves, the characters just leap
off the page. It’s amazing how the theme of racial intolerance is still so
relevant today. People could learn a lot from reading this book!
More than a pretty cover then. With
summer in full bloom, what is on your to-read list? And what is your ideal
summer reading experience?
I have KarenWitemeyer’s latest A Worthy Pursuit, and I’m looking forward to Susan MayWarren’s The Wonder of You, as well as Christine Johnson’s Love’s Rescue.
And I just got Elizabeth Camden’s Beyond All Dreams from the library!
My ideal
reading experience is lying on a quiet beach in the shade, waves lapping
nearby, with my toes in the sand!
That
is an ideal summer reading experience and some great books to share it with. Is
there a book you are looking forward to rereading?
Meant to beMine by Becky Wade. I loved that book!! On the secular side, I want to reread The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, which I originally listened to
in the car.
Thanks
for visiting with us, Sue! It’s so fun getting to know your reading habits!
Folks, you can continue to connect with Susan Anne Mason—and find out more
about her books!---at the links below---but first her bio!
Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance
sprinkled with faith.” She particularly enjoys exploring the themes of
forgiveness and redemption in her stories. Irish
Meadows is her first historical novel and won the Fiction from the
Heartland contest sponsored by the Mid-American Romance Author chapter of RWA.
Susan lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her
husband, two children, and two cats. She is a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Learn more about
Susan and her books at www.susanannemason.com.
Webpage: www.susanannemason.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.mason.127
FB Author page: https://www.facebook.com/susan.anne.mason.333
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