Interview Sue Thornton
by
Barbara Clark
It’s my pleasure to interview fellow author, Sue Thornton about her writing and her newest release from Wings ePress, Promises Broken.
1) Sue, your other books at Wings-Press have been set in byegone times, and each has paranormal elements. Have you continued that with Promises Broken? Please tell us a little about the story.
PROMISES BROKEN is a contemporary Romantic Suspense. Finding life to be lonely after a painful divorce, my heroine, Elizabeth decides to take her chances with an Internet dating service. After she meets one of the men, she finds herself trapped in a nightmare of stalking, and threats. As the story unfolds, Elizabeth discovers a part of her past she didn’t know existed.
2) What is it about the paranormal that appeals to you?
I’m a firm believer in psychic powers. There have been a few instances in my life when I’ve seemed to know things--when I shouldn’t. One example was when my husband and I were stationed in Georgia. In the middle of packing to move back to Nebraska, the phone rang. Before I picked it up, I said, “It’s my sister. Mom’s had another heart attack.” I can’t explain what happened, but I was right. I don’t get these intuitions very often, but I’m drawn to them. I explore the possibilities at every opportunity. And as I grow older, I tend to listen to my ‘gut’ instead of my head or heart. Perhaps this is what could be labeled as ‘women’s intuition’? <LOL>
3) Are you planning more books in the Dark Room series? If so, which sister will be the heroine this time?
CLARA’S LEGACY is to be released in November, 2003. It is the story of Aster, a porcelain doll maker. WHISPERS IN THE RAIN is a September 2004 release and it is the final sister’s story, Dahlia, who is a homicide detective in a small town. I am currently working on a story about a secondary character who appears in CLARA’S LEGACY. And, of course, there’s always Kiri her story is still waiting to be told.
4) Each of your books has an intriguing premise. How do you keep your writing so fresh? What sparks new ideas?
Oh boy, fresh? I can’t tell you how hard I struggle at times. But then, I let my characters take control, which they wanted to do any way. I think they keep the stories fresh. My ideas can come from a walk on a warm summer day. I met a woman from Cuba as I walked through an alley one day. She was working in this magnificent flower garden. We talked for a few minutes, and all of a sudden I had the beginning to TILL DEATH DO WE PART. On a trip to Seattle for a writer’s conference, and a visit to see my son, who is stationed at Bangor Submarine station, a friend and I visited a doll museum. Voila--CLARA’S LEGACY bloomed. My ideas sometimes come with a small price tag though. I called our local doll shop to see about learning how to make porcelain dolls. I’ve been taking classes for over a year now and I’m addicted. The dolls I’ve made will be featured on the cover of Clara’s Legacy.
5) I read in a previous interview that your characters grow and shape the story as you write. When you first introduce a character, how has he or she come into being--to fulfill a plot element, because they, in your imagination, walk up and introduce themself, or...? Can you give us an example?
I love to go to the theater. We have a community playhouse here in town and a lot of wonderful talent. I have been able to go to a play and watch these people in character and try to make them into who I want them to be--but as usual, my character may take on the physical aspect of who I portray them as, but their personality is their own. In my head they are real live people. When I’m done with the story I have a hard time putting my characters back on the shelf, but they remain there until they decide it’s time to continue their story. I guess it’s from years of daydreaming and living in an imaginary world that my characters seem to appear out of nowhere.
6) As you write, how do you keep the story flowing? What inspires you--music, pictures, or...?
I listen to a lot of music. While I wrote THE DARK ROOM--Marni listened to Celtic Music, mostly because of the Irish family she lived with (which is how I think they came into being), because I listened to Celtic music all of the time. It fed my soul. There are times when I do nothing but listen to Gregorian Chant (usually when editing). While I wrote WHISPERS IN THE RAIN, it was show tunes, GREASE, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, HAIR, JOSEPH AND THE DREAM COAT. Somehow the words keep coming.
7) Is there a quote that has inspired you to keep going? If so, please tell us.
I do not know who the author was, but this quote has run deep for me:
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
8) If a reader has never read any of your books, which one would you suggest she read first and why?
If you plan to read the Dark Room series, you need to start with THE DARK ROOM. Even though Baltimore Beauty is technically not part of the series, it is an off shoot and Kiri appears as a secondary character in several of the Dark Room books. The Dark Room sets up the story line for each of the following books about the sisters, and how they came to be. The second book of the series is Serendipitous Rose.
9) I understand you have an outside job. Please tell us how you balance your writing time with your day-to-day chores and still have time to grow antique roses and do quilting.
My time to write is usually between 6:30-7:30 a.m., before I go to work and during my lunch break. On a good day I can get about five hand written legal size pages done. On a bad day, one or two pages. Since I moved into my apartment last year, I no longer am able to have my garden, but it doesn’t stop me from keeping up on what’s new out there, or putzing in my sister’s garden now and then. My quilting time has slowed down a lot, also. My creativity towards other projects goes in spurts. I will be frantic about completing a project and work on it constantly until it’s done, then I won’t pick up the next UFO for quite a while. I have found there aren’t enough hours in my day, especially when I’m exhausted when I get home from the day job. As long as they bury me with all my unfinished projects, pens and paper, everything may eventually get done. <LOL>
10) What book or books are you planning for the future?
Too many. I’ve got a journal full of ideas. There are times when I’m working on one, and another screams at me to start it. So far, I’m working on three stories at the same time. I just completed a fourth one, TILL DEATH DO WE PART, which I thought was done, until I began adding in the next thirty-two thousand words. TILL DEATH is a paranormal romance, set in a small college town in Nebraska. I’ve got one that I’m working on, ERIE, which takes place in Ireland. It is a romantic suspense. Then there’s LAND OF A THOUSAND DREAMS, which is with one of the secondary characters from The Dark Room series. And last but not least, the second book connected to Till Death, which is still untitled.
I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Good luck with your book. We’re looking forward to reading PROMISES BROKEN.
Thank you, Barbara, for making this interview easy and painless.