From time to time, I “discover” new authors that I just have to share with others. Susan is one such wordsmith, and I’m pleased to provide a stop on her Blog Tour this month.
Hi Susan! I’m so glad to be visiting with you today.
Thank you, Pam, and thanks for the guest spot. I am delighted to be here.
Here are some questions our readers want to ask:
Your fabulous debut novel, WHISPER CAPE, is a romantic fantasy adventure that comes across so believable, it seems like reality. What real-life experiences, if any, inspired some of the scenes?
You’re kind, thank you. As you stated so well above, the story is pure fantasy—well paranormal fantasy. The only thing I can think of that would even be remotely true to any of my life experiences would be the setting. The beach house that Cael rents, is forged from The Little River Inn in Mendocino, California where my husband and I spent one of our wedding anniversaries. It’s a little different, but I’ve tried to keep the view and the surrounding area as true to my memory as possible.
Not every reader comes away with the same response to a book, but WHISPER CAPE‘s fans seem to all agree on one aspect: Cael is a to-die-for hero. Describe, if you can, how you created this luscious man and how your understanding of him evolved from the beginning.
Believe it or not, this is not a very easy question to answer. I would have to say that Cael is a combination of every good quality of every gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He is my fantasy man. I’m a sucker for blue eyes. Green or even gray isn’t bad either. Heck, a beautiful man with dark dreamy eyes … I’ll take him. A rock hard body, with muscles in all the right places is a must. But I wanted a man with the opposite color of Addison’s and I gave her golden brown eyes. I wanted a man with a sensitive side, but someone with enough arrogance and strength that he could kick the crap out of any bad guy or demon as well. The fact that he can take a girl anywhere she might like to go at the blink of an eye is just a bonus.
Writing habits. Most readers and writers like to know how an author progresses through the writing of a great novel. In the case of CAPE, did the story come to you wholly formed, or did it sort of construct as you wrote? How long did it take to write, and what was your writing pattern like?
I wish I could tell you that I have great writing habits and that I do it all a certain way, but each story I write, I do it differently, depending on how I’m relating to the characters. With Whisper Cape, I had no idea what the story would be like. I only knew I wanted to write a novel and I wanted it to be paranormal but different from anything I had ever read or heard about. Basically, I let Addie and Cael run the show.
Talk a little bit about the cover: there is special significance to the background photo?
The cover is actually a picture I took at The Little River Inn, I think I mentioned it above. When I saw the ghostly or angelic figure in the center form by the rocks, I knew I had to include that setting somewhere in the story.
One of the things I like best about WHISPER CAPE is Cael’s ability to teleport Addie around. To me, being embraced tightly to the man of my dreams while traveling through spacial dimensions is an exciting prospect. Authors have favorites, too, and I’d like to know yours. What scene(s) do you yourself swoon over in this book? (C’mon, we all do it…)
You make me laugh. Yes, we do. The idea of traveling somewhere at the blink of an eye has always intrigued me and I’ve always wished I could do it or knew someone who could. There are many scenes in this story that I loved writing. A particular one that comes to mind is the scene in the kitchen after Addie almost kills Cael. I wrote that scene right before dinner one night, and when I finished, I was so excited and pleased with it, I rushed upstairs and reenacted the entire scene in our kitchen for my husband. He stood there smirking at me the whole time. I felt rather silly afterwards. I liked writing the scene with Addie and Gerry when she is being a complete bitch outside on the back deck of the bar and he is trying really hard to understand why. Gerry is one of my favorite characters in this story and I am having a lot of fun with him in the sequel.
Whisper Cape was a very emotional story for me for some reason. There are a couple scenes that actually make me cry when I read them now. It’s silly, I know, but I get so emotional. One is the scene with Cael’s mother explaining everything to Addie and I have to admit some of the love scenes shock even me with the amount of emotion I poured into them.
During the editing phase of WHISPER CAPE, a scene concerning a child’s prophetic vision (of the main characters in an intimate setting) came to be questioned. If a book is obviously aimed at adult readers, should the author consider whether such a scene may be offensive, or stick with their inclusion for the sake of story?
I think that is entirely up to the author. I don’t think any scene should ever be deleted if it changes the story. Breena is a very bright young lady and when I wrote Whisper Cape, I hadn’t taken her age into consideration. In fact, originally, she was much older, somewhere around fourteen. But the story took a different path and Breena had to be a bit younger. It didn’t really affect the story either way, so abiding with what my editor had suggested wasn’t a problem for me.
Butler as Gerry
WHISPER CAPE is a very satisfying read. At the end, one can’t help but wonder what’s up next for Cael and Addie, because of their unique powers and evolving relationship. Further, secondary characters such as Gerry and Maia have so much potential for a story. You know my next question, right?
I adore Gerry. I have said before that Gerard (Gerry) Butler, my all time favorite, is welcome to play Gerry in my story when they make it into a movie. Yes, there is another story in the works involving Maia and Gerry as well as all the other characters. There’s really not much I can say about it, except Maia is implicated in a nasty murder involving one of Gerry’s past lovers.
And your answer brings up another question. Although we see it a lot, one of my favorite questions to explore is… if your book was to be made into a movie, aside from the luscious Mr. Butler, whom would you cast in your starring roles? [Note: this interviewer already knows the answer for Cael, but I’d rather Susan share her selection!]
Dapper as Cael
If you don’t mind, I do believe I’m going to have a little fun with this question. I do have a couple of men in mind who could definitely play Cael. Here is a picture of Marco Dapper; and/or my other pick is Henry Cavill (Ed. Note: YUM.) HA! It’s almost too hard to tell them apart. Yes, they both have brown eyes, but with contacts…
For Addie, I have to pick Ashley Greene I loved her in Twilight as Alice. She has a beautiful soft voice that goes so well with her personality, and she can act tough when she needs to. Of course, my husband disagrees with me and he would like to see Megan Fox. I have a couple picks for Maia. One could be January Jones if she dyes her hair and the other could be Kate Beckinsale. Both women have extraordinary talent and can play tough when they need to. You don’t see much of a tough side to Maia in Whisper Cape, but stay tuned.
Ashley as Addy?
After you’ve finished your next paranormal romance, are there other genres you’ve thought about dipping a toe into?
Funny you should ask. I am working on edits for a young adult novel called, Allusive Aftershock, a story of disaster, jealously, hate, and of course, love. I don’t think I could ever write a story without love.
Well, you’re probably exhausted from your tour, so I’ll leave you to pour a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest of us will just have to kick back and wait for your next awesome book! Thanks again for visiting me at Beacon Street Books! I know our readers have enjoyed this time with you, and I hope they will visit your website!
Thank you so much, Pam. I loved your questions and enjoyed answering them.
What’s up next for Susan? Tomorrow her train pulls into author/blogger Angela Kay Austin’s terrific blog where Susan will be revealing WHY she writes romance! Click on over on Sunday for a visit! http://angelakayaustin.blogspot.com.
And thank you to our readers, for tuning in today! Please take time to check out my review of Susan’s dynamite premiere novel. Don’t forget to enter to win an “e” copy of WHISPER CAPE by Susan Griscom — contest will be open for all of President’s Day weekend — and if you don’t get lucky this time, you can click here and support this talented author yourself!