WELCOME AUTHOR SUSAN ANNE MASON

WELCOME AUTHOR SUSAN ANNE MASON
12/18/2014 12:00:01 AM by: Patti Shene

NOTE: My apologies to Susan, whose post is supposed to have appeared on The Over 50 Writer blog. Due to some glitch, the post is appearing on the wrong blog. I hope to have this resolved within the next couple of days!

Featured book: Wayward Hearts

Author’s name : Susan Anne Mason

Publisher: White Rose Publishing/Pelican Book Group

Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Romance

Stand alone or series: 2^nd in the Rainbow Falls series, but can be read alone

Target age: Suitable for teens upward!

I AM PLEASED TO WELCOME AUTHOR SUSAN MASON. SUSAN SHARES HER WRITING JOURNEY AS SHE CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF HER SECOND CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE THIS MONTH.

SUSAN IS OFFERING AN EBOOK GIVEAWAY OFWAYWARD HEARTS. CHECK BELOW TO SEE HOW TO ENTER TO WIN.

Susan, welcome to The over 50 Writer Tell us about your new release, Wayward Hearts.

Thanks, Pat! Great to be here. Wayward Hearts is about Maxi North, an up and coming hair stylist working for a prestigious salon in Manhattan. Just when she finds out she’s in the running to become a junior partner in the company, her estranged father’s unexpected death forces her to return to her hometown of Rainbow Falls, North Dakota. While there, she must face dysfunctional family dynamics, relive her guilt over her younger brother’s death, and find somewhere for her disabled mother to live. On top of all her problems, Maxi must confront unrequited feelings for her former best friend, Jason Hanley.

Like many of us, you put your writing career on hold for several years. Was it difficult to return to writing after an extended period of time?

For me, that extended period was VERY extended. I stopped writing somewhere during high school and didn’t start up again until after my 40^th birthday. So it was completely different. I knew nothing about the craft of writing, only what I had read from authors I loved. So it took some time to really learn the craft and find my writing voic.

What was the biggest stumbling block you encountered on the road to publication and how did you overcome it?

I think my biggest obstacle was a lack of confidence and my own fear of success. Once my writing started getting better and my confidence grew, I had to learn to let go of the fear, and let God direct my path!

Tell us about the most influential life experience that led you to write faith-based romances.

Believe it or not, it was during a church service that the idea came to me quite clearly that I needed to start writing inspirational romances instead of romantic suspense. Now I love sharing messages of hope, of God’s love and forgiveness, through my characters’ journeys.

What traits do you share with your main character? How are you different? Maxi is such a fun, quirky character! I think I share her sense of humor. But she is much bolder and braver than me!

What advice would you give to new writers, especially those of us who launch a novel writing career later in life?

For me, entering contests really helped my writing career. At first, it gave me valuable insight into my strengths and weaknesses and where I needed to improve. In the end, two of my three contracts came directly from writing contests.

Also finding a mentor and critique partners who have some experience is extremely valuable. Writing can be a very solitary endeavor so creating a team to help you is so important.

Just for fun:

City or country girl?

City but I do like to visit the country!

Winter or summer?

Definitely summer! Our winters last almost 6 months so summers are precious to us!

Traveler or home body?

I’m more of a home body for sure, though every now and then I get the itch to travel.

Cake or pie?

Cake, preferably chocolate!

Thank you so much for spending time with us, Susan!

Back cover blurb for Wayward Hearts:

Hairstylist Maxi North is living her dream in Manhattan, poised to become junior partner in one of the city’s classiest salons. Her father’s death, however, puts her plans on hold while she travels home to face her past. There, she is forced to confront unrequited feelings for her former best friend, Jason Hanley, as well as her deeply buried guilt over her younger brother’s death.

Fireman-in-training, Jason Hanley knows how badly Rainbow Falls needs its own fire station. As a new Christian, he pledges to serve the people of his community and to help open a fire station as soon as possible. When his friend, Maxi, and her mother almost perish in a fire, Jason becomes involved in helping them re-build their farmhouse. Soon he finds himself wondering when his feelings for Maxi changed to something more. Will they ever be able to put aside their differences and find a future together?

LEAVE A COMMENT TO BE PLACED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN A COPY OF WAYWARD HEARTS BETWEEN NOW AND WEDNEDAY, DECEMBER 31^ST AT MIDNIGHT MST. DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR CONTACT EMAIL SO YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED IF YOU WIN!

Wayward Hearts can be purchased at:

Paperback at Pelican Book Group

ebook: at Pelican Book Group

Amazon

Susan has recently been blessed with contracts from White Rose Publishing, Harlequin Love Inspired and Bethany House. Wayward Hearts is Susan’s second contemporary romance for White Rose Publishing, releasing on December 5, 2014. Betrayed Hearts, Book 1 in the Rainbow Falls series, released in August, 2014.

Susan lives in a suburb near Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line. You can connect with her on Facebook, on her website or check out her author page on Amazon.com for her 2015 releases.