Welcome Susan A. Royal, MuseItUp Author

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Susan A. Royal lives in a most unusual old farmhouse (see below in her personal bio), and In My Own Shadow is her newest novel.

Blurb:

Talk about the worst day ever! Lara lets her friend Carrie talk her into a blind date, only it turns out the handsome stranger waiting for Lara after work isn’t Carrie’s cousin after all. And, when they’re chased through a portal to another world, Lara realizes Rhys really is out of this world. 
    Lyra, her alternate in another dimension, has left clues to the whereabouts of the Book of Secrets that explains the mystery of time travel in Lara’s subconscious.  Or so Rhys thinks. Power-hungry telepaths pursuing them will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means breaking Lara’s mind. To complicate matters, Lara gets tangled up in her feelings for Rhys while exploring her connection with Lyra.

     With Rhys as her guardian, a bear of a man named Azle to guide her, and the spirit of Lyra haunting her dreams, Lara must find the Book of Secrets before it falls into the hands of those who want its power.  Only then can she return to her world safely.

 In My Own Shadow (fantasy, adventure, romance)
http://tinyurl.com/bqbxm41

Susan's first book, NOT LONG AGO, is time travel, adventure, romance, and is available at

                   >>>>>>>>>>>  http://tinyurl.com/85vgye3

 *** See the MOVIE TRAILER
- just click on the link below ***

http://youtu.be/vOIQVdWUigU

                        Both books are available at MuseItUp, Amazon, B&N, Goodreads!
                        Visit Susan's sites at . . . 
http://susanroyal.moonfruit.com   http://susanaroyal.wordpress.com
               
                                                                          

                                 A Conversation with Susan A. Royal

     

Susan, what if anything makes you unique or different as a writer?

That’s a very good question. I’d like to think I’m unique as a person, and that I have certain traits that make me stand apart from the crowd. I really don’t mind being that quirky, follow the beat of a different drummer because I'm comfortable with the kind of character I've become. The funny thing is, most writers seem to be just like that. At times my life is solitary—just me, my computer and my   music. Other times I’m more social, meeting and promoting my work, spending time with family and friends. I’m a private person and it takes me a while to decide whether or not I want to share personal things with acquaintances. Before I was published I would have said that one of the things that made me different was that I started writing so late in life, but I’ve discovered that’s simply not the case. There’s a bunch of us out there, enjoying doing things we always wanted to do, but couldn’t find the time for before our kids were grown and gone.

   

Has anything about the writing experience surprised, shocked, or disappointed you?

It’s been a roller coaster experience. And now I understand why it takes so long from the time a book is signed until it is on the market. It’s a hurry up and wait procedure, and I had no idea there were so many steps involved. I don’t know how other small presses operate but Muse is VERY thorough with their editing, and even though it is tedious and makes me want to never, ever read another word of whatever I’m working on again, I’m grateful for my editors’ keen eyes. I was delightfully surprised at having some input on my book cover, and after talking to other authors, I can truthfully say MuseItUp nurtures their authors by always looking for ways to showcase their work. The people there have given me much more than just the chance to see my book published.

     I’ve learned I write character driven stories. I love the idea of taking my characters, putting them in entirely different situations and seeing how they react. Another thing I’ve discovered is that secondary characters are lots of fun to write. My primary characters drive the plot, so that leaves the secondary characters the freedom to be off the wall.   

Where and how do you get your ideas?

My ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. Ideas usually come to me in the form of a scene and I’ll build around it. I might be listening to a romantic song, or watching a video. The way a particular movie portrays a character or a situation might spark an idea. My first published book, Not Long Ago, is a time travel adventure. The idea of being able to travel to another time in history and getting up close and personal with how it was has always intrigued me. That started me thinking what would happen if it happened to someone accidentally and they were sent back in time to the 1400s. How would they cope without modern conveniences?

     For my second book, In My Own Shadow, it was the idea of what would happen if an alternate reality actually existed. And not just another world, but someone in that world who is just like you. Someone who knows that you exist and uses your mind to hide something that ruthless people in her world will do anything to possess.

BIO: I live in a 100-year-old farmhouse in a small east Texas town that comes complete with a female ghost who harmonizes from time to time with my youngest son when he plays guitar.  I’ve never heard her, but at sometimes on a cold winter night, I’ve felt the covers moving across the end of the bed as though she’s making sure my feet stay warm. Sounds like a story, right? Some day…

     I’m married, with three children and four grandchildren who have been a wonderful support in my efforts to be a writer. I couldn’t have done it without them. My family is rich with characters, both past and present. I spent my childhood listening to my grandmother’s stories of living on a farm in Oklahoma Territory with three sisters and three brothers and working as a telephone operator in the early 20^th century.  My father shared stories of growing up in San Antonio in the depression, and through his mother’s eyes I was able to experience how it felt to be a teenager during WWII.

     My current book, In My Own Shadow, is a Fantasy adventure/romance. My first book, Not Long Ago, is a time travel adventure/romance.Both ebooks are available through MuseItUp/Amazon/B&N.  I am currently working on the sequel to Not Long Ago, because my daughter insisted there was still more of Erin and Griffin’s story to tell. And know what? She was right.

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