And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Susan Crandall didn't go through her childhood nursing the dream of becoming a published author. She was more than happy to spend her time devouring the words of other authors, and did so on a regular basis. When her sister came to her confessing that she had been working on a novel in secret, Susan couldn't have been less surprised. If anyone could write a fictional story it would be her sister, who had the greatest imagination of anyone she knew.

As any good sister would, Susan gave her support by editing and giving her opinion. That turned into co-writing with her sister and attending workshops and conferences. When her sister decided to embark on a new career, Susan was hooked on writing. She went solo and the result has been the publication of 3 contemporary romance novels, and one due out in 2005, that have become known as the Glenns Crossing Series. She also recently won the 2004 RITA for Best First Book with her debut book, BACK ROADS, from Warner books.

Susan has taken time for an interview that will tell us a little more about her writing, her books and her family. When you are done you can visit her at her website:

http://www.susancrandall.net/index.shtml

Also, take a moment and visit the Time Warner book site, where Susan is the featured author this month.

http://www.twbookmark.com/romance/index.html

1. Your books are set in Glens Crossing, a small community in Indiana. You live in a small town, also in Indiana. How much of the town that you live in shows up in your writing? Do you consciously try to include or avoid that?

I'm sure anyone who's been to my hometown will recognize many landmarks. Glens Crossing is a hybrid of many small towns, but it most resembles Noblesville from the days when it was much smaller than it is now. Today, Indianapolis is creeping its way in and our population is about four times what it was when I was growing up. When I write about small towns, I just try to immerse myself in the feelings of how it was to grow up in a community of 8,000 people.

As far as it being a conscious decision, I actually try to make differences between Noblesville and Glens Crossing. But, as you know, a writer writes what they know and everything on the page is a blend of their own experiences and studying the world around them. For MAGNOLIA SKY, I traveled through northern Mississippi and gathered bits and pieces from many small southern towns - it was a great trip.

2. While you live in the same small town that you grew up in, you did spend several years in Chicago. That's quite a change in environment. What was it like being the cliche 'small town girl in the big city'?

As I said, Indianapolis is very close to my hometown, so I had lots of "citified" experiences before I went to Chicago (I worked in Indianapolis, the malls were there, etc.). Living in Chicago was much different, of course. One of the things that was so striking at the time was the mix of large ethnic groups - a great pool for a budding author to study. But there were too many people and too many cars for me. I was very happy to return to Indiana. The most lingering effect was probably my desire to live out in the boonies on a deserted road where my car is the only one using it.

3. You mention at your website that you got started in writing by helping out your sister in her quest to become an author. "But after four novels and countless workshops and conferences, Sally moved away and embarked on another career." Tell us about the four novels. Were they ever published? Would we be able to get copies of these books?

Sally and I wrote all over the map. One was a historical, one a contemporary suspense, one a suspense set in WWII, and a ghost story. Of these, the ghost story came closest to being published. It won several contests and had publisher interest, but we were shopping it when dark paranormals were really on a down swing; everyone wanted light and humorous paranormals - not my forte. Alas, all four are all currently sitting in a drawer. I'm sure if I went back and looked at them now I'd find plenty of improvements that need to be made. Maybe I'll do that someday, but right now I'm focusing on my contemporary women's fiction stories.

4. Do think it is easier or harder to write on your own?


Crazy as it sounds, it's both. It was really nice to have another mind totally focused on the story in progress, someone to brainstorm with and work through the rough patches. On the other hand, writing alone I don't have to compromise and am free to follow my instincts completely. Sally still helps me by being a sounding board and reading for me, but we're doing it long distance now.

5.Tell us a little about your family. Let's start with the hubby. *G* How long have you been married? What does he think about having a romance novelist for a wife?


Bill and I just celebrated our thirtieth anniversary (keep in mind, I was only 18 when we were married, so I'm not as ancient as it might sound!). I think what makes our marriage strongest is that we're best friends and partners in everything. He's very supportive and proud of my achievements. He's not a fiction reader, but has dutifully read all of my novels and admits to being impressed. He was surprised at the depth of the stories (I wonder what he was expecting when he opened the first one?). MAGNOLIA SKY is his current favorite. But then, he hasn't read PROMISES TO KEEP yet!

6. You have two children. How old are they? I'm guessing they must be at least teens, since ' For the past eight years, we have had a rock band of one form or another in our basement.' LOL Boys or girls? And (I love asking this question) what do they think about your writing??

My son, Reid, is 24. He's our rocker (vocals and guitar). He just finished college last December and has been touring nationally with his band (Blue Sky Goodbye) since then. They're signed to a record label out of California and do a pop rock kind of thing. I love their music (I know, I know, I'm a mom, of course I love it. But they're really good!)

My daughter, Allison, is 21 and a student at Indiana University. She's majoring in biology and psychology and is considering veterinary school. She's very academically gifted (this is backed up by her gpa, not just mother's pride!).

Reid hasn't read one of my books, I think he's afraid - and that's okay. He does make sure that every female he comes across has a copy though. So I'd say he's proud, in a guy kind of way. Allison reads them and likes them, although she admitted some parts were a little weird to read when written by your mother. She went to the RWA national conference with me in New York last year and did lots of PR for me. She admits openly that she's proud. I guess my family is almost as proud of me as I am of them!

7. What is a normal day for you? Do you have a regular writing routine? I know some authors are very regimented in their writing, while others may write for hours and then stop for a time.

My typical day is filled with procrastination. I've found that I'm useless in front of the computer in the early morning, so have abandoned doing anything other than e-mail and research before lunch. Before around two o' clock, I do mostly regular junk that has to be done (laundry, grocery shopping, post office runs, etc.). By then, my brain has finally had enough diet Coke to kick in and I write. I'm not very regimented at all. I have to be in the mood, or I can't write anything. So I tend to write in about 2-3 hour blocks that extend into the late evening or early morning hours, with breaks between. Since my children are on their own, I don't have to plan around getting a dinner ready for the family. Bill is usually never home before seven, so we normally grab a bite out. I admit to dust collecting on my stovetop and very strange things growing in containers in my refrigerator.

I think that's one of the things that I love about writing - the freedom. I write when the fires are burning and just ponder on things the rest of the time. The story is never far from my mind, no matter what I'm doing. When my husband calls and I'm lying on my bed with my eyes closed, I can honestly say I'm working.

8. I contacted Shannon, who reviewed MAGNOLIA SKY here at the site, to ask her what war Luke was in. I couldn't find a specific mention of it in any of the blurbs. She thought it was during the Gulf War - Def Leppard was playing in one of the scenes and that seemed to be the time period. *G* Is this the right war?


Actually, Luke wasn't in a "declared" war at the time of the incident. He was special ops and on covert missions, so he spent his time deployed all over the world. This complicated his feelings about the loss of his fellow soldier because he could never tell how bravely the man died.