Susanna Carr Blog » Behind the Scenes

A Walk in the Park

Susanna — Mon, 31 May 2010 08:01:09 +0000

Writers spend a lot of time at their desk and in front of their computers, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if most writers also take long, meandering walks.

My dog loves this very muddy and gloomy trail

I think it helps clear the mind. The brain can whir, jump and make intuitive connections while the body makes repetitive movements. Whenever I’m facing trouble in the story I’m writing, I take my dog for a walk. Jake, my golden retriever, gets bored if I take the same route, but fortunately I live around some great parks and trails. I’m not sure if the trails influence my writing. I don’t think the natural surroundings show up in my work, but then, readers have figured out things about me from my books that I wasn’t aware of!

This picture is from Loop #1 of the Kirkland Watershed Park. Lots of mud, lots of bugs, and very little sunshine. That strange combination works its magic and I usually have solved my writing dilemma by the time I’m at the end of the trail.

Field Trip

Susanna — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 07:13:30 +0000

Every once in a while I need to set a Sunday afternoon aside and write as much as I can. That’s when I pack my tote bag and head for the public library.

Yesterday I spent a few hours at my local library and got a lot done. Here’s what my desk looked like:

creativity is never tidy

Going clockwise, I had

A map of the city my story is located (because I haven’t been there. Yet!) Travel guides are propping up the map.
Water and Orange Mango Cascade Ice. I normally drink tea, but when the writing streak is hot, the tea goes cold.
Notebooks. That’s right. I do it old school—pen and paper. Later I’ll type in what I’ve written and do the first sweep of rewriting. It’s an extra step, but I’ve learned not to fight my process.
My Zune with headphones. Not only does it muffle the noise around me, but I write to music to maintain the tone of the story.
My tote bag, which has a few writerly stuff like pens (mine have a tendency to dry out in the middle of writing sessions), synopsis and chapter outlines. I know a few writers who designate a tote bag for all their writing tools like an AlphaSmart, notecards, etc. They keep it by the door so they can grab and go.

As satisfying as a marathon writing session can be (even when the brain turns to mush, it’s a good hurt), it’s hard to carve out a Sunday afternoon to have a marathon writing session. I need to have the tote bag at the ready so I can have spontaneous writing sessions whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Wicked Wonderland

Susanna — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:50:31 +0000

I just received the Wicked Wonderland cover art. Getting to see the cover is always a fun moment for the writer. I think it’s because it makes the book seem more real.

When I first saw the cover, I sent it to my twin sister because she is bored, bored, bored of my shoe covers. (And she doesn’t hesitate to tell me that every time she sees my books in stores.) She pointed out that this is the first time I had a shirtless guy on the cover. I thought that can’t be right. So I looked and it turned out Jen the Twin is correct! After years of writing romance I’ve had illustrated covers, pictures of shoes, dogs, couples, and a beach scene. This is the first time I had a shirtless guy, which is one of the most common cover art for romances.

You can see the Wicked Wonderland cover on the coming soon page.

Writer in training

Susanna — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:38:42 +0000

I’m sharing some questions I receive through e-mail, Myspace, etc. in case you guys were wondering the same thing. ~

Question: Did you have any formal training in order to become a writer? Classes? A degree?

Answer: I have a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, and I’ve attended a few writing classes, but I don’t think it’s necessary when pursuing a writing career. I think it’s more important to write as much as you can, and to read the kind of books you’re trying to write.

Naughty Bits 2

Susanna — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:41:11 +0000

This month the Naughty Bits 2 anthology came out. It’s a collection of erotic short stories previously published as Harlequin Spice Briefs. My short story is “Favor Me” and it’s written under my Jenesi Ash pen name. (That means it’s not a romance.)

“Favor me” is the first story of The Mistress Diaries. Amaris Martin is a mistress with big plans. She’s smart, and if a crime threatens her luxurious lifestyle, Amaris will do whatever it takes to solve it.

One of the reasons I wrote this story is because how mistresses are portrayed in movies and television. They are shown as dumb, and sometimes docile and obedient. Every character talks and does things in front of her as if she wasn’t smart enought to comprehend or take action. I find this stereotypical and a missed opportunity for the stories. I wanted to write a story where the woman is clever and will use that information to her advantage. She also enjoys her job, her status, and sex.

But she’s not the nicest woman–especially when it comes to helping others. This isn’t a deviation from the mystery genre. There are plenty of literary detectives who won’t take a case unless they are intrigued or need the money!

Above all, “Favor Me” is an erotic short story. Like all of the stories in Naughty Bits 2, it pushes the poundaries. I hope that you will enjoy all of the stories in Naughty Bits 2! The anthology is available in print and as an ebook.

From the mailbag: Hardest part of writing

Susanna — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:01:37 +0000

Question: What is the hardest part of writing for you? The easiest?

Answer: The hardest part of writing is the revisions. It’s painful. I think it’s because I have a set idea of how I want the story to unfold and now I have to look at it in a different way (and I usually have to make the revisions under a deadline!) The easiest part of writing is getting that spark of an idea and considering all the possibilities.

A room with a view

Susanna — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:07:29 +0000

One of the most common questions I get is about where I work. Do I have an office? What does it look like? Stuff like that. I’m like that, too. I’m always curious of people’s creative areas like a sewing room or art studio. Sometimes you can walk into their craft area and you get inspired. You’re ready to whip up a masterpiece because you feel the creative vibe.

the view from my window

My office is not like that. At all. Right now it’s a mess. As in I will sprain an ankle walking across the room if I’m not careful mess. Which is why I don’t dare let anyone in or take a picture of it.

But sometimes you don’t need a room to be inspired. Sometimes all you need to do is look out the window and view the world around you. Here’s a picture of what I see outside my window. Today it’s dreary and rainy, but I still love the view. Although I admit that there are days when I am distracted by the sight of those majestic mountains!

You Gotta Have Friends

Susanna — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:03:47 +0000

Whenever the heroine of a TV show or movie has two good friends, one of those friends is the plain or buttoned-down goody-two-shoes and the other is the trampy lush. Think of Rosie and Tanya from Mamma Mia. Or Dena and Andrea from the Samantha Who. Even Sex and the City plays with the friend stereotype. Charlotte is the goody-two-shoes, Samantha is the tramp, and Miranda seems to be the foil for those two characters.

I’m told that this stereotype is used with the idea of an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. I get it, but the idea can be stale if not done properly. And, truth be told, none of my friends are plain goody-two-shoes or trampy lushes.

So when I started writing The Year of Living Shamelessly, I knew the friends would play an important part, but I wanted to make the friends a little different. Since the setting is a college town, I thought about what types are often found on colleges. Soon Hilary became the research librarian who will go to questionable clubs as an anthropological experience and could list how things could go wrong both alphabetically and chronologically. Melissa is the athlete who has a unique talent of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person.

Melissa and Hilary aren’t trampy lushes, but I’m sure they have their moments. They are neither prim nor proper, but they follow the rules of their own worlds. They see things differently, offering Katie well-meaning, yet opposing (and sometimes bad) advice.

After all, what are friends for?

From the mailbag: Writing under the Influence

Susanna — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:02:09 +0000

Question: What do you eat or drink when you write?

I get a lot of questions about my writing process and this one cracks me up! One reason is because a couple of years ago a friend was in a panic when Coca-Cola discontinued her favorite flavor. She drank it whenever she wrote and she didn’t know how this was going to affect her work! As it turned out, it didn’t influence her writing in any way, but it just goes to show that we writers have superstitions and rituals.

Anyway, the answer is: If I’m at home, I’m drinking water in my gigantic hot pink glass. Cold, no ice. Or I’m drinking tea in my favorite mug. Tetley, British blend. Hot, no sugar, no milk.

As for what I eat while writing? I don’t because that creates crumbs in the keyboard. You don’t think this is going to be a problem until you can’t use the home row because something is stuck underneath. There’s only so much a can of pressured air can dislodge.

Does my drink preference influence my writing? I don’t think so, but it does affect my mood. There are times when I don’t think I can face a rewrite without an extra-hot mug of tea.

Red-Hot and Royal is now in Russian

Susanna — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:44:32 +0000

I received a few copies of the Russian translation for Red-Hot and Royal, and I tried using Bablefish to get an idea of what was said. Bablefish is not always correct and some of their word choices are ridiculous. And after reading Kate Hewitt’s near-disaster with the text translation page, I know it’s far from reliable!

The Russian edition of Red-Hot and Royal

Let me give you an example. This is the original summary for Red-Hot and Royal:

“Notify the royal guard… three everyday women are about to break through the gates, take on the palace and turn on the princes.

Kylee, Lauren, and Shayla are modern-day ordinary women who would never meet the requirements for fabled princesses. Damsels in distress? Definitely not. Fairest in the land? They wish. Pure as snow? Not even close. Now, these three women are about to get to know the wild side of royalty—and inspire three princes to cast the crown aside and bare it all. Their encounters are royally erotic—and the happily ever after they reach is not exactly the fairytale ending you’d expect. It’s much, much hotter. One thing’s for sure: These princes never had it so good…”

And this is the summary for the Russian edition, which focuses more on the Cinderella theme. This is the translation using Bablefish:

“Uncommon version of history about Cinderella! Cinderellas here of wholes three and, correspondingly, three princes. Moreover it is difficult to name these sensual and flattened American women the modest women: by their fervency and by love of carnal joys they literally reduce from the mind three princes, who arrived in the USA from Europe. And that the most surprising, girls by no means burn with desire to leave for them marry, although each of them — present ideal. For prince one must overcome for the hearts of its elects…”

I’m still trying to figure out what “flattened American women” is really supposed to be.