Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Welcome Guest: Suzanne Rock

Okay... it's time for another author to be raked over the coals. Give a warm welcome to Suzanne Rock!

Tell me five things I probably don’t know about you and that most folks wouldn’t guess.

Five things, eh? Let me see… I have to think about this…

1. I’m obsessive about spreadsheets and charts. I love the elegance of numbers and graphs and use spreadsheets in almost everything I do. From 'to do' lists, keeping track of my writing, promotional schedules – you name it and it's probably in a spreadsheet on my computer, lol.

2. Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning coffee. I'm not really a morning person and need that little extra something in the morning. I also need a second up mid-afternoon to keep me going. On some low-energy days I can go up to 4 or 5 cups a day… Okay, fine. I'm addicted to coffee. I'll admit it, lol.

3. I have trouble walking. The entire driveway can be clear except for a miniscule patch of ice, but I'll manage to find that ice and slip and fall on my face. It drives my husband crazy. *G*

4. I’m a recovering video game addict – sort of. When I was younger I was known for staying up all night to play video games and then calling in sick to work the next day because I was too tired to go, lol. When the World of Warcraft came on the scene I knew I was a goner. My husband intervened and I quit video games cold turkey -- didn't play for years and years...until the Wii came on the scene. I resisted for a while, but I finally picked one up a few weeks ago. While I haven't skipped work, I've been known to skip meals due to my Wii Tennis addiction. I have a writer friend who is on level 2400 and I'm determined to beat her. :)

5. I love red wine. I find it relaxing and it looks much classier in your hand than a beer, don't you think? California Cabernets are my favorite.

Fill In the Blank: It really annoys me when __________

It really annoys me when I have to wait. For anything.

Not the best personality trait to have in this profession, since you are waiting on something all of the time. I've had to learn the value of patience, but sometimes it's still hard. I'm part of an 'instant gratification' society and it can be frustrating to wait three weeks for a contract or three months for a response on a manuscript.

Write me a paragraph using the following three words: Tiny, Candle, Flying

Being a fairy was the worst thing in the world.

Celeste sat on the table and watched the orange and red flames of the candle flicker in the moonlight. If only she could fly, then maybe the other fairies would accept her. She wouldn't be called 'tiny wings' anymore. She wouldn't be left out of the fairy games, either. If she could fly, then tonight, when all of the others gathered over the great lake, she could be part of the ancient ritual that would bring forth spring.

“Be patient.” her mother said. “Wings take time to grow.”

Well, she was tired of being patient. All of her friends had full grown wings and were able to join the others last year. Now she was all alone.

Celeste stood up from the table, the motion causing the orange flames of the candle to flicker. There was time yet until the ceremony. She was going to try one more time. Maybe this time she'd succeed.

Gathering her courage, Celeste closed her eyes and focused on happy thoughts. This was the core of fairy magic. Soft music filed her ears, music only a fairy could hear. It was the signal that the other fairies were gathering at the great river. Excitement filled her chest. She could do this, she knew she could.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her foot, then stepped off the table. Celeste screamed as she tumbled end-over-end through the air toward the ground. This wasn't right, shouldn't her wings be flapping? Why wasn't she flying?

Then, suddenly, the magic poured through her, a giant whoosh of energy vibrating her body. She stretched and contracted her back muscles, moving her small silky wings in unison. Her descent halted and she hovered inches above the ground.

She was flying!

Celeste concentrated on moving upward. Flexing her back, she focused on a point above her head. Slowly she climbed inch by inch until she was eye-level with the candle on the table.

She did it! The music became louder, signaling that the ceremony was about to begin.

“Wait for me!” Joy filed her heart as Celeste made her way to the great lake.

Being a fairy was the best thing in the world.


I have a new release, Cria, which is about a tribe of Jaguarundi-shifters deep in the Brazilian rainforest. Here's the blurb:

Deep in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, an ancient breeding race begins…

Ever since she was jilted by her lover, Aleta had been subjected to humiliation by her Jaguarundi tribe. Not anymore. She is determined to emerge from her final Cria unmated, and finally be free of tribal traditions and her over-bearing father. Aleta has plans -- bigger plans than her father’s desire to see her marked by some oafish warrior in an outdated breeding competition. After the Cria she’ll move to the city and start fresh, leaving her clan -- and her broken heart -- behind.

Unfortunately, the past is unwilling to let her go.

Forced to abandon Aleta when he went into exile, Luiz knows that this Cria will be his last chance to reclaim what is rightfully his. When a surprise encounter doesn’t go exactly as planned, he realizes it will take more than a little seduction for Aleta to forgive the sins of the past. The race is on, and the battle of wills has begun. Everyone knows that in the Cria anything can happen, and with the stakes this high, all bets are off.



For more information on this and my other releases, visit my website: www.SuzanneRock.com

Bio: After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne Rock needed a creative outlet. She tried scrap booking, cooking, crocheting, painting, and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her lap top and never looked back.

When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.

I can also be found on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Suzanne_Rock
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suzanne.rock
Embrace the Shadows Blog: http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com
Embrace the Shadows Fan Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/embrace_the_shadows
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2982868.Suzanne_Rock

2 comments:

Suzanne Rock said...

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Marianne! It's great to be here.

Brandy said...

You had me pulling for Celeste! *G*