And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Suzanne MacPherson is a newer author who combines romance, humor, and the influence of the good old-fashioned movies of the 30's and 40's. She has written 2 books, TALK OF THE TOWN and RISKY BUSINESS. Her next release, IN THE MOOD, will be out in 2004.

I visited Suz's website and read her bio notes:

I was born in New Mexico in 1956. Me and the Aliens, and BIG bombs.
Fast Forward… 2003 Most likely I'm just like you! I live in a suburban tract house built in 1976. I have a bunch of kids, cats, and one damn dog. Oh and Dreamy Jim the husband. My 3rd and final husband. Dreamy Jim sometimes wears a kilt. HEY, if you meet me now, you can say I remember when she was in the burbs!

My first thought was, here's an author who has a down-to-earth attitude and a sense of humor. And I was right. I found it very easy to interview her. So easy, I even bothered her to ask about a common interest we have. In the last question below, Suzanne tells about her hobby collecting old pottery from the 30's and 40's. Let me tell you, this lady knows her stuff. I sent her a description of a piece I've been trying to identify for at least 5 yrs. Within minutes she replied with answer, complete with link to ebay and a pic of my pottery. LOL She also told me not to feel bad about having a hard time with it - it'd taken her 2 yrs to identify the pieces she included pics of with her answer.

Thanks, Suz!

And thanks for taking the time to tell us about yourself and your writing!

After you read the interview, visit Suz at her website: http://suzannemacpherson.com/

1. I get the impression that you like musicals and movies from the 30's and 40's. Do you have
any favorites? Who are your favorite actors and actresses from that time?


Myrna Loy, Claudette Colbert, Carol Lombard, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, were all very spunky dames! When William Powell teamed up with Myrna for the Thin Man films, that was the best. Cary Grant is my all time favorite leading man from this era. He was so funny and versatile. Gene Tierney was an actress that could take you from the prim Mrs. Muir in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, to the most wicked woman I've ever seen in a film, in Leave her to Heaven.

My top three comedy movies from the late thirties and early 1940s are Theodora Goes Wild, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, and I Married a Witch. But there are so many I can hardly pick. And we haven't even done musicals yet! All the early Judy Garland movies like Meet Me In St. Louis, right down to the early fifties hits like Music Man. Okay as you can see, I'm a total film junky. I used to work in my parent's dry cleaners during the summer and watch the 9am, 12pm and 3pm movie while I wrapped shirts in plastic.

RISKY BUSINESS was a nod to all the old detective movies like The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. I had so much fun writing that book- I will probably try and repeat my film noir fun in another books someday.

2. How did you get started in writing? Is this something you've always wanted to do?


In third grade I wrote a poem and the teacher didn't believe I didn't copy it from a book. I had to get a note from my mother. After that I was the poet-laureate of Wilkes Elementary school, and I kept writing poetry through high school. I actually won all sorts of awards and married a rather famous poet- it was like a whole literary life I lived before this one. Poetry taught me to chose my words carefully and to evoke detail in a way others can grab on to. I loved writing poetry. I published individual pieces, but not a book. I might still do that someday.

For some reason I never imagined myself as a novelist until I met Debbie Macomber. Then I knew I could do it. She was a determined woman who had made it happen in her life, and I could do that too! I devoured the romance books that caught me up - Susan Elizabeth Philips, Jennifer Cruise, Kathleen Kane - and I found my own voice within the contemporary genre without a doubt. With a dollop of my old movie history on the side, I'm sure.

I was an avid reader my entire life but never read romance before 1995 - unless you count all the classics - REBECCA, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, WUTHERING HEIGHTS--I loved Anya Seton who wrote such detailed historical sagas full of romance you'd go through three kleenex boxes for each book- like KATHERINE and THE WINTHROP WOMAN.

3. Let's talk about your family, specifically that hubby of yours wearing a kilt! What a lucky lady you are! Does he wear it often? More importantly, *wiggling eyebrows* does he wear it like a true Scot?

My hubby wears his kilt to formal occasions, and on Robert Burns day. He wore it to our wedding- his outfit cost more than mine that day! We got married at The Highlands Inn in Carmel, CA and his brother played the bagpipe. Here's the big secret-- an old girlfriend of his found out at the wedding reception when she flipped up the back of his kilt to see if he was "sans"! He wears a very sexy black thong under there... hey that wool is hot! So from the back, its a bit of a shock! We'll call that a Half Monty. We had to carry the flipping girl off after that ( I locked her in the coat closet till we cut the cake so I wouldn't kill her in front of the other guests.).

4. You have a son and daughter - what do they think about mom writing romance?


I actually have THREE sons and a daughter. The oldest is 26 - he is a chef and we consult on food in the books and he gives them to all his girlfriends. He is going to write a cookbook in the near future. The next son is 20 and he is an English major at Evergreen U. He is going to be a professor, and he is so, so smart. He proofs the books for me sometimes because his English is just way so much better than me...mine... um... how does that go? He also speaks fluent French and Spanish and he does all my language consultations when my heroes whisper some phrase in another language to the heroine. He's also a tennis buff, so all the tennis scenes and the French phrases in my upcoming book he helped write.

The two youngest are the cutest things you've ever seen- Mike is 11, Mary is 8 and they are my biggest fans. They aren't allowed to read the books yet of course, but we talk about ideas, and we do this annual "sign and shop" at our local Safeway for each new release, where they get all their friends moms to buy the books- we do about 30 book sales per hour so far. I mean wow, you'd think I was famous instead of like... not. LOL By the way having a girl after 3 boys is just heaven. She and I curl up and eat chocolate and watch all those old movies together. She is a true romantic. Actually, they all are---raised on romantic comedies and musicals!


5. So far, your books have been contemp. Do you have any plans of writing a more historical book? Maybe one set in the 30's or 40's? *Thinking about those old movies you like lol*


I have a time travel that starts in 1942 and moves into the present, but haven't taken the time to sell that puppy yet. I'd love to do a thirties or forties book! I know it won't be for Avon, but perhaps some other projects will come about. In the meantime I get to read Alice Duncan's STRONG SPIRITS about Daisy the fake medium in the twenties. :~)

6. Do you still live in New Mexico?


I only lived there one year- as an infant. My father was involved in all that nuclear stuff. I left, glowing, and live now in Washington State, where the rain has washed off some of the radiation I hope.

7. Tell us a little bit about your book coming out in 2004, IN THE MOOD?


IN THE MOOD -That’s a Glen Miller song title from the forties and I’m honored to be able to use it! I’ve been biting my nails waiting for a cover, but nothing yet. They said something about a big ice cream sundae and two straws and some lips, but who knows. IN THE MOOD is the story of single mom Allison, assistant manager of the Bellevue Tasty Freeze, her genius son Ethan, and her chance encounter with Dexter Needham III, a very wealthy ice cream lover.

There is a very big twist to this story, and lots of fun when Allison’s crazy best friend Bunny drags her to a house party at the Needham’s summer house on Grand Island.The whole house party theme is a very old one, done many times in classic comedy movies. My favorite scenes in the movie The Lady Eve with Barbara Stanwkye posing as a socialite to seduce Henry Fonda are done “house party” style.

My friend Linda Needham, a fellow Avon author of historical romance, allowed me to borrow her family name and a few zany relatives to boot for this book. It’s going to be a fun read!

8. What do you like to do when your not writing? I know the kids probably keep you busy *G*, but do you have any hobbies?


I am an avid antique nut and ebay is my friend. I collect vintage pottery from the thirties and forties (of course!) - Abingdon, Weller, Hull, McCoy, and these odd Royal Copely pieces. LIKE THIS<G>

Oh brother! This is pottery collector lingo! I'll have to use that in a book. I also love to garden, and I am obsessed with house plans. I am going to write a book about a "home improvement" moment!