Today I welcome Suzanne Clay to the blog to answer a few questions
for Author Interview³.
1) Tell us 3 fun facts about your writing history
• I consistently got in trouble in middle school for writing stories on my scratch sheet of paper during exams.
• I began focusing on writing when I was a sophomore in college. I was a vocal major who kept being distracted by writing short stories, and my classical vocal teacher informed me that I had to make a choice in order to become truly accomplished. I don’t think she expected me to choose writing!
• I discovered my queerness and polyamorous nature through writing romance with those themes.
2) Describe your writing style in 3 words
Intimate, open, and sexy.
3) Name 3 of your literary influences
Nora Roberts inspires me to write productively. Ann Brashares has a flowing writing voice I learn from. And Stephen King’s On Writing gives me the drive to push myself on my worst days.
4) Share your 3 favourite books
I read a lot of YA in my day to day life! My favorites are Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson, and On the Come Up by Angie Thomas.
5) What are your 3 essential writing tools?
Scrivener, size 8 gel pens, and refillable notebooks.
6) Where are your 3 favourite places to write?
Curled up in bed with my cat Peach in my lap, sitting by the window bathed in sunlight, or on a patio on a cool Spring day.
7) Name 3 items on your writing wish list
I dream of finding the perfect agent, completing a full series, and hitting number 1 on a best seller list.
8) What are your top 3 tips for aspiring writers?
• Put the words on paper first. You can edit out the trash later—but nothing will happen if you don’t have the words down.
• Read as often as you can. Through reading, you’ll refine your own literary voice without even realizing it.
• Support your fellow authors. Being an island unto yourself will only choke your writing career.
9) Tell us 3 of your writing plans for the year ahead
I will be working on revisions for the second book in the Rough Play series—Playing House—then completing the third book that follows it, and submitting a polyamorous bisexual romance standalone to publishers.
10) Tell us about your latest release
Playing Around is a bisexual contemporary/new adult romance about two childhood best friends—Christian and Logan—discovering they’re in love during their first year at a diverse college. It’s the first book in the Rough Play series, and my debut novel.
This book was born out of several desires. One, to show bisexual characters who experience the spectrum of their sexuality without shame, meaning both Christian and Logan have a passionate relationship with their girlfriends before they become interested in each other. Two, to feature healthy polyamory and encouragement for the protagonists to explore their new relationship, meaning I feature a polyamorous vee with Christian, his girlfriend Charlotte, and Logan. And, three, to create a diverse cast of characters of different races, sexualities, and lifestyles.
Playing Around concludes in an MM HFN, and Logan and Christian’s relationship will be further developed in the next two books of the Rough Play series. I very much look forward to sharing their journey with my readers!
Suzanne Clay
NineStar Press
5 April 2019
84,000k
Contemporary/New Adult Romance
Heat Level: Explicit
NineStar Press / Amazon / Apple
B&N / Kobo / Smashwords
Logan and Christian have been best friends since kindergarten. After spending their entire childhoods together, it makes sense they would go to the same college: the first step toward making their futures intertwine forever as blood brothers.
But being away from home means discovering freedom Logan and Christian have never had before, and their journey of finding who they really want to be—and how they want to fit into each other’s lives—is a messy one.
When a double date with their girlfriends turns into a new, erotic experience, both Logan and Christian are shaken by it. Suddenly, they can’t continue to see each other in a platonic light. Exploring their curiosity feels dangerous even when their girlfriends aren’t an issue, but ignoring their changing feelings is impossible.
Suzanne is an asexual woman with a great love for writing queer erotic romance and enjoys spending her time confusing people with that fact. She believes there is a need for heightened diversity in romance and strives to write enough stories so that everyone can see themselves mirrored in a protagonist. She lives with her spouse and cat, and, when not writing, Suzanne enjoys reading, playing video games poorly, and refusing to interact outdoors with other human beings.
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