Author Spotlight: Susan Vaughan
I’m thrilled to welcome Susan Vaughan to my blog with her new release Primal Obsession.
Welcome Susan, I’m so looking forward to finding out all about your new release.
Bio:
Susan Vaughan’s favorite books have always been mysteries and romances, so the mix in romantic suspense was a natural. Her stories throw the hero and heroine together under extraordinary circumstances and pit them against a clever villain. Besides curling up with a good book, Susan enjoys walking her dog, boating, traveling, and gardening. A former teacher, she is a native of the state of West Virginia, but she and her husband have lived in Maine for many years.
Blurb
I found myself asking so many questions about the Jelly Bean Jump Project. Such an intriguing title to start with. I also loved the characters and the play on the year it begins. It’s such a delightfully romantic view of lovers, loving one another so deeply. How wonderful to have such passion, drive and courage.
After hitting rock-bottom, former Major-Leaguer Sam Kincaid returned home to guide canoe expeditions in the Maine wilderness. He needs to make this gig a success. He can’t let himself be distracted by an ambitious, obsessed female, even if she’s sexy, witty and smart.
Annie Wylde, an investigative journalist, embarks on the canoe trip to keep a promise to her friend, murdered by a notorious killer called the Hunter. She struggles with nature’s challenges and fights her attraction to Sam, considering him just another egotistical jock.
When the trip turns deadly, they realize the Hunter has followed Annie into the wilderness. With her life on the line, Sam faces the challenge of his life because she’s become much more than a client to him.
I can’t wait to read this Susan, and thank you for sharing this excerpt:
“You look like you’re ready to pound somebody. The pilot? Not me, I hope.” Sam stood behind her, his mustache twitching with humor. How had he sneaked up so silently?
“No one.” She fought the urge to throw something at his arrogant face. “Maybe my brother. Maybe myself. I should have known I was heading into a northern version of Deliverance. No Chardonnay on the beach, right?”
He was too big. He dwarfed her and he stood too close, close enough for her to smell his sun-warmed skin—salty and very male. She refused to back away.
“Nope. Maine Guides aren’t allowed to provide alcohol. Too many potential problems. Drunks around the campfire.” He shrugged. “Though you could’ve brought your own wine.”
“Now you tell me.”
“I understand you didn’t expect hardship. Wilderness adventuring is asking too much of a fragile flower.” He set down the two large sausage-shaped bags he was holding.
Arms crossed over his chest, he eyed her, daring her. He seemed to see inside her with those mocking eyes, brown—no, dark gold like amber or fine whiskey, tawny like his hair and skin.
“Fragile flower, my ass. I’m a Wylde, and no Wylde ever wimps out.”
“Sure you can hack it? These woods won’t be like your nice safe city. No barista at the corner.” Challenge emanated from his pores. The man had a definite edge to him. No matter how he tried to convey a laid-back attitude, beneath that flirtatious exterior lay an angry core.
Nice safe city. If only he knew the truth. Annie gave a mental shudder at the Hunter’s last muffled words to her. “You’ll see me, but you won’t know me.”
“I’m up to the challenge.” As long as Mother Nature wasn’t in a devilish mood.
Arms crossed over his chest, he eyed her, daring her. He seemed to see inside her with those mocking eyes, brown—no, dark gold like amber or fine whiskey, tawny like his hair and skin.
Wow!
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I thought it would be a great idea to find out a bit more about the person behind the writing, so here we are, and thank you for sharing Susan.
Book research can mean travel or contacting primary sources or searching online or a combination. Whatever form it takes, I find research always interesting and often fascinating. I have to hold myself back from oversharing in my novels. For Primal Obsession, the bulk of my research was hands on. As public-school teachers, my husband and I used to leave our coastal Maine home on the long Columbus Day weekend. We rented a cabin somewhere new to us in northern or western Maine, a scenic area with hiking possibilities. But we never went into what natives call the “real Maine,” the wilderness. When the opportunity arose for a six-day guided canoe expedition on the West Branch of the Penobscot River, we took it. The trip was part of outdoor education credits for teacher recertification offering wilderness skills. I’m a reading specialist, but that didn’t matter.
Once the trip was booked, I started pondering how to use it in a book. Like me, my heroine Annie is a novice in the woods, but she signs up for the trip partly to fulfill a promise to her murdered friend and partly to try to understand the killer. Little does she know…
When the others on our expedition learned I was an author plotting that storyline, they were happy to make suggestions, some of which I used in the book. My paddling skills were limited. I learned to paddle different strokes and to put my whole torso into it so my arms and shoulders didn’t suffer. We paddled 11 to 13 miles a day, for a total of 44 miles. I learned how to watch for hidden rocks when paddling rapids. Twice, we met rapids, not major ones, but definitely challenging to this novice. We paddled every day and camped overnight in small tents at sites designated by the state that had outhouses, which we called the lounge, close by in the woods.
Like in my book, we took turns gathering firewood and preparing the dinners brought in coolers, and of course with the clean-up afterward. We barbecued chicken and baked an apple pie in a Dutch oven. Other than paddling rapids, the biggest challenge for us all was “bushwhacking.” That’s our Maine Guide’s term for orienteering, which is using a compass to reach a particular spot on a map. On our first attempt at bushwhacking, I learned exactly why it’s called that.
Unlike in Primal Obsession, we did not have a murderer in the woods with us.
(You have sent shivers down my spine!)
Susan, after all the dark and mysterious…I’m wondering what’s your favourite writing space and time –
I prefer to write at my desk in a sort of home office doubling as an occasional guest room. I tend to make notes all day on my phone, when ideas or bits of dialogue or plot twists occur, but for the actual writing, I’m at my best in the morning.
I am with you writing in the morning, by the afternoon I am virtually comatose! So How long have you been writing.
Like many writers, I suppose, I’ve been writing as soon as I learned to read. But I didn’t begin writing seriously for publication until about 30 years ago. My first book was published in 2001.
How interesting. Thinking about the volume of work behind you already, how long did it take to complete your novel. –
I can’t say exactly, but most of my books have taken about 9 months for the first draft.
Thanks Susan, I think it’s probably fair to say all writers have different methods and speeds when they write. It always amazes me just how quickly someone can produce a book. Mine took quite a while.
Well, sadly we come to the end of our post today, but that’s not all folks – if you would like to find out more about S.H. Vaughan, please check out her links:
Social links – Facebook – Twitter – BookBub
Buy links – This is a universal link: https://mybook.to/PrimalObsession
Also, if you like historical romance, mystery and crime why not check out mybook.to/twentyone @TheWildRosePress Amazon Kindle and all good book stores.
Comments (14)
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Susan Vaughan
Thanks so much for your comment. I love that you thought the excerpt intriguing and I appreciate the wish for happy sales. Happy Reading to you!
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Susan Vaughan
Thank you, Kim. I guess you have had the same experience.
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Bryan Fagan
A morning writer from Maine. Doesn't get any better than that. This was great. I enjoy reading the inner workings of a writer's mind.
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Susan Vaughan
Bryan, Glad you enjoyed the Spotlight, and my sharing of my writing time and thoughts on working. Happy reading!
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Lucy Kubash
Enjoyed the excerpt and interview, and a cabin in Maine sounds wonderful! Best wishes for your book.
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Thank you Lucy! I am so sorry I missed your comment. It was amongst a ton of spam. Thank you so much for taking the time I will let Susan know.
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Deb
Susan - enjoyed your behind-the-book-inspiration interview. Sounds like an incredible trip, with much fodder for an amazing read. This is a GREAT book! it is a beautiful build to a romance with the rigors of a canoe trip in the wilderness and a very scary villain. I highly recommend - Congrats on your release.
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Susan Vaughan
Deb, Thank you so much for your comments about Primal Obsession. Much appreciated! I'm saving this one for future promotion.
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Deb
Susan - enjoyed your behind-the-book-inspiration interview. Sounds like an incredible trip, with much fodder for an amazing read. This is a GREAT book! it is a beautiful build to a romance with the rigors of a canoe trip in the wilderness and a very scary villain. I highly recommend.
Kim Janine Ligon
Intriguing excerpt. Isn't it funny how everyone has ideas for your book in progress. Happy sales!