Hello, RomConInc!
Thanks so much for having me over today. I’m thrilled to be here. Seriously. You can’t imagine how thrilled I am. Because being here, as a debut author? I am living the dream, baby.
I mean that, too. I’ve wanted to be a romance novelist all my life. Some people feel called to write Important Books. Books That Will Change Your Life. Books Oprah Approves Of.
I am not one of those people.
Me? I like stories where the characters don’t have to suffer throughout the entire book only to die at the end. Not that I’m opposed to Great Suffering in books. Life is full of it, and I’ll admit that happy ever afters are better when you earn ‘em. So when Great Suffering must occur (as it sometimes must), I like it to be rewarded with excellent sex and a heart-felt declaration of lasting love. Is that asking so much?
And if somebody does have to die for the plot to resolve itself, well, fine. But it better not be anybody I’m going to miss. (I suggest the villain.)
Call me a cock-eyed optimist, but I think people like uplifting stories. I think we like to finish a book and feel good. The sales numbers bear this out, too. Romance rules the paperback market, and why? Because it delivers something utterly unique and at the same time remarkably undervalued to the market place.
Faith.
I don’t mean the churchy sort of faith, either. I mean a rock-solid, bone-deep belief in love as a sort of magic. Because that’s what love is, isn’t it? The oldest and most powerful magic there is?
Love is a force beyond knowing or predicting. It transforms sex from an energetic workout into a soul-deep connection. It creates families out of strangers, turns houses into homes. This is why, to me, the relationship is the most interesting part of any story--the relationships within the book, of course, but also my relationship as a reader to the characters themselves.
I don’t need every book I pick up to be a romance, but I do demand the author provide me with somebody to love. I mean, come on. I spend enough of my day tolerating unlikeable people. Don’t we all? (Honk if somebody almost ran you off the road today.) Why on earth would I choose to spend my precious leisure time with somebody I dislike?
When I pick up a book, I want to escape into a world where things make sense. Where, even when bad things happen, goodness wins out in the end. Sacrifice is rewarded, the good guys triumph and people who are brave enough to love get loved right back. Stellar sex is a nice bonus but what I really want is to see a character go from lost to found. From alone to connected. From unknown to beloved.
On one hand, it’s not a lot to ask from a work of fiction.
On the other hand, it’s everything.
But that’s me. (Never let it be said I lacked an opinion.) Now I want to hear from you! What’s your brand of book? Do you love a good heart-pounding romantic suspense? Or are you more a romantic comedy type? Is the Happy Ever After a must-have, or are you flexible? Do you mind when a beloved character dies (ack!) or do you roll with it because, hey, it’s fiction. No actual people were harmed in the making of this manuscript.
Tell me about what you require from your reading and you could win your very own copy of my debut novel, MONEY, HONEY! I tried really hard to deliver everything I just told you I love, but if you need a little more info, here’s what you can expect: a heroine with a stiff upper life, a tragic past and terrible clothes. A hero with fabulous clothes, deadly charm and a dangerous secret. And a knife wielding, revenge-obsessed psycho killer looking to settle a score with the both of them.
And nobody you love will die at the end. Promise.
For more info (and an excerpt!) you can visit me on the web: www.susansey.com. 
2009
