Interview with Susan Phelan ~ The Cure ~ A Cerridwen Press release -- Interviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt

On behalf of The Road to Romance and myself, I would like to welcome you Ms. Phelan. Susan Phelan is a new voice in the field of romance. The Cure is her first book, which was released January 2006 by Cerridwen Press.

I would like to start this interview off with a short blurb of this uniquely fresh and excellently written paranormal book, The Cure.

CHANCELLA TREMAINE, a respected cellular biologist, has willfully sacrificed any sort of personal life in her quest to unravel the mystery of vampirism and the secret to restoring mortal life. Having just penned a book on the subject, Chancella finds she has attracted quite a bit of attention, but no one could have guessed what her controversial reanimation theory would lure out of the shadows…

World-weary vampire VALIAN DE MORTENOIRE has been putting one undead foot in front of the other for two hundred years, disillusioned with his much-overrated immortality but unable to get a release from its empty existence. Upon learning of Chancella’s work, he seductively offers himself up as an inhuman specimen and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test her hypothesis.

Frightened but intrigued, Chancella’s logical side wins out and she eventually agrees to work with the dangerously attractive Valian. But their arrangement is soon complicated by their mutual attraction to one another, as well as the arrival of Valian’s age-old enemy - the vengeful JACK, who wants Chancella for his own dark intents.

Despite their pain, passion and power - will any of them have the courage to test and be healed by The Cure?
Janalee - Ms. Phelan, could you tell the readers a little about yourself and what you do when you are not busy writing?

Susan - Certainly! I was born in Edmonton, AB, the youngest of four children to my parents Tom and Betty. For as far back as I can remember, I used to write little stories or poems. I also loved dancing, which I studied and taught for many years, as well as playing the piano. However, there was a freedom to writing, which I couldn’t achieve with other art forms. Today, I work full-time as an editor of an international tourist magazine. I also continue to teach piano and in between all that, manage to get some quality walk and play time with my collie Sadie and my cat Tess.

Janalee - Where did you come up with the fresh concept for The Cure?

Susan - As with all my books, I don’t really plot out a linear storyline ahead of time. I only start with a feeling, a character, a scene and away I go. From there, the work just seems to unravel itself.
With The Cure what I did have was a feeling - one of tremendous disillusionment and sadness, which I credit to 9/11. From that, sprung the character of Valian and from him, his quest for mortality and an end to his existence as he knows it.

Janalee - How long did it take you to write The Cure?

Susan - I am not tremendously disciplined, sometimes even going weeks between writing spells, so it took me several months to get out the first draft and another month or two to rewrite and edit it. From beginning to end I would guess about six to eight months.

Janalee - Do you have a favorite book or author you have come across lately?

Susan - Funny you should ask. I just received a copy of James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces for Christmas and I absolutely devoured it in two days. Excellent work.
Janalee - The Cure is a paranormal love story, but will you try your hand at another genre field in the future?

Susan - That’s already in the works. While I have another five vampire novels planned, I have great interest in the areas of fantasy and contemporary mystery, and my current project, tentatively entitled LOVE BYTES, is a futuristic paranormal murder mystery. Who says you have to stick to just one?

Janalee - Ms. Phelan, what are your views regarding sex in the romance genre field today?

Susan - To tell you the truth, I don’t read romances so I couldn’t accurately comment. From my point of view, I don’t mind reading (or writing) detailed, explicit sex scenes if there is a well thought out and intricate storyline leading up to the scene (s). However, for me, sex strictly for sex sake bores me to tears.

Janalee - Do you do anything unusual or different that the readers might not know about you?

Susan - Yes, I raise and race pet gophers. HA! Just kidding!! Unusual - hmm….I don’t think so. There are those who think my affinity for vampires is strange but there are plenty of us out there so if that is strange, at least I’m not alone!

Janalee - How much research background did you have to do for The Cure?

Susan - I did a fair bit on New York City - a common locale for a few of my novels - as well as some reading and investigation into the world of cellular biology. Right now I am doing a lot of research on police procedure and investigation protocol for LOVE BYTES, but I never research ahead of time. Rather I begin writing and then as a scene demands more information, I stop, research, find what I need and then incorporate that into the flow of the scene.
Janalee - What is the kindest thing another author or reader said about you?

Susan - Oh gosh, that’s tough. I’ve received wonderful reviews from several different sites as well as many kind and flattering emails from readers. One comment that does comes to mind - perhaps because it was one of the first - was the editor of our local newspaper on the occasion of an early freelance article who said my writing revealed good instincts and a natural talent.
Janalee - Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Susan - Again, another early experience in the world of freelancing came from one publication that actually rejected the query I sent. Mind you I knew they would. When I first began freelancing, I had sent out a movie review of American Psycho to several different local publications including a monthly religious newspaper. I knew the material was wrong for that particular paper but it was the only sample of my writing that I had at that point. In response, the editor wrote an exceptionally kind and encouraging letter, which I have posted up in my office:
"Thank you for sharing your writing with me. It’s not the sort of thing we are looking to publish but your material is good and I hope you find a market for it. Even if you don’t, I encourage you to keep on writing and to develop your talents further. Who knows what doors will open for you?

I have never forgotten that. And boy was he right. That’s some five years ago and I’m in a radically different place now then I was, but I wouldn’t be if I had taken that rejection to heart and stopped writing.

Janalee - Have you always wanted to write?

Susan - Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I recall writing as a child. In elementary I won an award for a limerick about this kite that wore rollers (I still have that in my office!) and a book report on a Nancy Drew novel. In junior high I specifically remember writing a frightening story about a nightmare that comes true for one poor unfortunate cuss. Throughout my teens and 20s, I often wrote little chapters and starts to stories - many of which I still have - however the ability and desire to follow through and finish one never really took hold until a few years back.

Janalee - Chancella is a wonderful name for the main female character in The Cure. How did you come up with her name?

Susan - I am a real stickler for characters having unusual names. I guess it stems from the fact that if you say any ‘normal’ name to me - I.e. David, Frank or Tom - there is a good chance that I will have an immediate association linked to it, as will the reader, and I hate that. I don’t want the reader (or myself, the writer) coming into the story with any residual baggage, preconceived ideas, or memories associated with that name. So I look for something they haven’t heard before. With Chancella, I was searching for a meaning - something that would reflect her importance to Valian. When I discovered that her name meant sanctuary - it all clicked. With other characters, sometimes it is not the meaning, but rather the sound. I just liked the sound of Valian’s name as is the case with the hero of LOVE BYTES who is named Devante.

Janalee - Do you have any new or upcoming books to be released?

Susan - Yes, I am presently under contract negotiations for the futuristic paranormal murder mystery I mentioned earlier which is tentatively entitled LOVE BYTES; as well as a single-author anthology of vampire stories. Please check my web site regularly for updates.

Janalee - Ms. Phelan, you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Susan - Yes, keep writing and don’t be discouraged by rejection. Also, find your own rhythm. I used to think I wasn’t really a writer just because I didn’t sit down everyday for X amount of hours or didn’t create a book a month. But I’ve grown very comfortable and accepting of my own tempo, and the fact that I am always drawn back to the page confirms that I am, indeed, a writer.

Janalee - Where can the readers find out more about you, Ms. Phelan?

Susan - Information about myself, my books and more is available on my web site www.susanphelan.com or on my publisher’s site, www.cerridwenpress.com 

I would like to thank you, Ms. Phelan, for sharing your time and talent with The Road to Romance and the readers. It has been a real pleasure.