Blog Tour: Interview with Susan Mallery

Welcome everyone to the 4th stop of Susan Mallery's blog tour for Already Home. The tour is hosted by Damaris over at Good Choice Reading blog. 

Welcome Susan!

OUaT: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was in college, studying to be an accountant when I took a continuing ed evening class called How to Write a Romance Novel, and I was hooked. With apologies to accountants everywhere, accounting is boring. In all of my other classes, I was dealing with columns of numbers, but in this writing class, I got to let my imagination run free. I stuck with college until I graduated, but I turned down a great job offer in order to work at becoming a professional writer.

OUaT: What kind of research did you have to do for ALREADY HOME?

I read a lot of first-person accounts of adult adoptees reuniting with their birth parents, to get ideas about some of the emotions that are, if not universal, common in some of these reunions. The situation is a lot more complex than what we see in stories in newspapers and magazines that really only gloss over the actual reunion itself. But beyond that moment in time, the people must deal with the fact that they’re essentially strangers

OUaT: Which of your characters would you invite to dinner, and why?

Oh, I’d invite Jenna over, for sure. First of all, because she’s fun and caring, the kind of girlfriend I like to hang out with. But mostly because she’s a professional chef, and I would invite her over and allow her free reign in my kitchen. Which she’d love, by the way. There’s nothing she loves more than nurturing people with delicious food.

OUaT: Can you describe your writing environment for us? (Include a picture if you like)

OMG, you don’t know how happy you’ve made me with this question! Because it gives me the opportunity to tell you about the fabulous new desk and shelves I had made. Soooo beautiful! I love wood grain, and when the carpenter first sent pictures, I started to worry that I wouldn’t be able to focus on writing because I’d spend too much time running my hand over the top of the desk. It’s just such a natural high whenever you get new furniture, isn’t it? (Or is that an unnatural high?)

OUaT: Can you tell us your latest news?

The latest, of course, is that ALREADY HOME is in stores, but since you already know that, I’ll tell you something recent that maybe you don’t know – I have an app! I don’t mean that I downloaded an app to my phone, although that was an accomplishment the first time, too. I mean that I’ve launched the Susan Mallery free app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android. It’s soooo cool! And it’s free, by the way. Did I mention that? You can read excerpts of my books, watch videos, listen to radio interviews and podcasts, and see pictures of my adorable dog in a wardrobe that rivals Paris Hilton’s. Plus, I plan to have app contests from time to time, which should be really fun.

OUaT: How much time do you take to finish a book?

About three months, but it’s not necessarily three consecutive months. Before I start writing, I plot the story thoroughly, and that alone can take a couple of weeks. Then I send the synopsis and first chapter to my editor so she can make suggestions before I start writing. Writing the first draft takes a couple of months of nose-to-the-grindstone writing, and then I have revisions and finally copy edits.

OUaT: What do you hope that readers will take from your book?

When it comes to love, there’s always room for one more person at the table.

OUaT: How can a reader contact you, or purchase your book?

I love hearing from readers! They can contact me through my website, www.susanmallery.com.

ALREADY HOME is widely available, and you can buy it anywhere you normally buy books. If you like to shop online, you’ll find Buy links on the In Print page on my website.

Summary: (from goodreads) After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.

Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex's latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….

Available: Amazon / Banes & Noble / AbeBooks

You can find Susan Mallery at: Website / Goodreads / Twitter