What first led you to become a writer?

First, I’ve always loved to read. Maybe some of that came from my mother, who also loved to read. I have wonderful memories of the two of us, curled up in chairs, silently reading. Even though we weren’t making conversation, there was a connection between us. I was always impressed by authors, and I wondered how they came up with their fictional stories. I loved how writers could transport me to a different place, help me see the scene they were seeing, and create characters that seemed like friends by the end of the book.

So in the back of my mind, I silently wondered if I could write a novel. Once I retired in late 2018, I started to give serious consideration to trying to write a book. Then when the pandemic hit, we were all forced to stay at home. So, it seemed like the perfect time to try my hand at writing. I love clean and wholesome romance novels and movies, and it felt like the world needed more happy endings.

A funny story about my writing a romance novel: I was an Executive Director at a large bank for the last ten years of my professional career before retiring in late 2018. I worked for the CEO of the bank, and when she heard I had self-published a book, she assumed it was on leadership or some aspect of operational management. When she heard the book was a romance novel, she told me that she scratched her head for a minute, but then she smiled and said to herself, “of course, Susan always loves a happy ending.”

Tell me about Cassidy and Jack’s relationship. What was your favorite part about writing them?

Cassidy went through a terrible heartbreak during her college years. After that experience, she struggled to trust her judgment and had even more difficulty trusting men. Nevertheless, Cassidy immersed herself in renovating her crumbling inn and getting her business off the ground. Both her personal and professional life was centered around the inn. She thought that was enough, or was it?

Jack also had heartbreak in his past, and he focused on his writing career, leaving little time to pursue a serious relationship. He also tended to be a bit of a recluse, which became a challenge when he had a string of best-sellers and needed to do book tours.

I loved writing their story. It allowed me to take two people whose lives normally wouldn’t have intersected and find creative ways to get them together. Of course, I use a bit of mystery and humor to introduce mix-ups and misunderstandings that keep them apart, but true love has a way of finding its target.

If you had to write a one-line movie slogan to describe the book, what would it say? What actor/actress would you pick to play Cassidy and Jack?

After a disastrous romance, Cassidy is done with men. But when a mysterious guest arrives at her lakeside inn, things get interesting at Crystal Lake Inn.

For my book trailer, I had to describe what I thought the characters looked like. Although we couldn’t use the images of actual actors, I suggested similar looks to a 30-35-year-old Debra Messing for Cassidy and a 30 -35-year-old Brad Pitt for Jack. (hey, I can always dream big, can’t I?)

Do you draw inspiration from any real places you’ve been in creating your setting?

I enjoyed creating a fictitious town and lake: Crystal Lake, in the fictional town of Lakeview, Maine.

I picked Maine for several reasons: I’ve been to Maine for work and vacation. In addition, our son went to the University of Southern Maine, which is where he met our daughter-in-law, who is from Maine. They now live seven or eights months of the year in Maine.

Maine has beautiful scenery and gorgeous lakes that glisten in the sun, and I could see the inn I created nestled along a beautiful lake, hence, the setting in Maine.

What’s your favorite sentence/quote from your book?

Several of my readers told me they laughed out loud when they read the book’s last line. It’s become my favorite. Of course, it won’t make sense out of context, but I was so excited when I found the perfect way to end the book, and my readers seem to agree. “The few words printed on the plaque summed it all up perfectly: ROOM #5 – DO NOT DISTURB”.

What’s been your favorite read by another author in the past year?

Pamela Kelley’s Nantucket Beach Plum Cove series, was fantastic. I fell in love with her characters and the settings on Nantucket Island.

Kay Correll‘s Parker Women series stole my heart over the past year. She introduced us to multiple generations of strong, independent, yet caring women. Love eluded some of them for years, but cupid has a way of finally finding the way to all of the Parker Women.

Since I Chair the Board of Trustees for a non-profit that administers foster care and adoptions in Philadelphia, I also read books written by former kids from the “system,” especially those who have made it out of the historical cycle of the underserved. For example, last week, I read HomeBoy by Jawara Griffin. It was an in-depth look at his difficult childhood. Jawara is now an attorney, works for the Federal Defender for the District of Nevada, and is a fellow board member. Some of his story brought tears to my eyes. I have a few similar books in my TBR pile also.