Feature on Susanne Hampton, Falling For Dr December Giveaway!

This week's Feature on Author is on Susanne Hampton and her latest release Falling For Dr December. She came with giveaways!

  Susanne Hampton on the web:

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What inspires you to write?

Everyday life provides inspiration for my writing.  Although there is much sadness in the world in which we live, there are also love stories.  Everyday a couple fall in love while others meet for the first time and begin their journey to 'happily ever after.' For a lucky few it’s smooth sailing but for most there are some rocky patches due to miscommunication, past hurt and obstacles they must overcome to be open to love.  These are the journeys of my hero and heroine. 

I cannot imagine not writing.  Even when I try to take a break for a few weeks between books, plots and characters come into my head and I feel the need to tell their story.  I love what I do and I feel blessed that I can create these worlds where, although there are struggles, the hero and heroine will always find everlasting love. 

Tell us about your writing process.

I am a planner but I also allow the characters to lead me in the process and sometimes I am surprised how the story which take a turn that I hadn’t planned.  I like to write everyday but find if I write too late at night I stay awake into the early hours still thinking about my story so I prefer to stop around 7:00pm.  I always have a synopsis and like to know a lot about my characters before I start the first page.  Once I have drafted their journey, I find images on the internet of people I believe most closely resemble the hero and heroine and I paste them to the first page of the manuscript I’m writing.  Often I will look back at them so that I can understand how they would react or look during different situations, even how they would like to dress.

Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?

I think the characters do come alive and as I said, they do guide the story.  If I had planned for them to react in a particular way in a scene and I find that it wouldn’t be a natural reaction for them, then I am lead by what they would say and do more than how I would see the situation.

What advice would you give other writers?

Keep at it.  My first manuscript for Mills & Boon was both mailed and rejected in 1994 and I was offered my first contract in 2013.  It was a nineteen year journey that I must admit I paused a few times for various reasons but I think tenacity is important with any goal.  Stay with it.  I look back and I am so grateful that my first book was rejected because I have come such a long way and developed as writer over the years.

What is your favourite genre to read? Is it different to what you write?

I do like to read something that is different from what I write at times particularly when I am writing a book to a deadline. I don’t want to be overly influenced by another medical writer during that time but once I have sent off the manuscript I love to relax and read Mills & Boon books.  Now I know so many of the Harlequin writers, it is fun to read their books.  As I have a deadline looming this month,  I am rereading Sidney Sheldon.   I spent my teenage years enjoying many quite varied authors,  including Sidney Sheldon, Mario Puzo, Danielle Steel, Barabara Taylor Bradford, Jackie Collins and Nora Roberts but always looked for the romance element in the story.

Tell us about your book...

In my third book, Falling for Dr December, I am thrilled to introduce you to the New England town of Uralla, located three hundred miles north of Sydney. The name originates from a local Aboriginal word, Oorala, meaning ‘a camp’ or ‘a place where people come together’ and it is where my brother and his family live. In late 2013, the wedding of my very handsome nephew Myles to his gorgeous fiancé Anne gave me the opportunity to travel to Uralla and experience a true country wedding.  Myles, along with my other equally handsome nephews, and his groomsmen, Ben and Eric would all be more than suited to the role of my hero, the tall dark and handsome, Dr Pierce Beaumont. The wedding reception was held in a farm building on the Samaurez Homestead property and it was one of the loveliest weddings that I have ever attended. Dancing on a cobblestone floor, open paddocks surrounding the celebrations, and gingham trimmed jam keepsakes were just a part of an unforgettable evening.  The town inspired me to write, Falling for Dr December, as I wanted to capture the wonderful feeling of a close-knit caring community like Uralla. It is a town where you literally do not have to lock your front door because everyone in the street is either family or a friend.   I readers fall in love with the town and the people as they read the heart-warming story of Laine Phillips and Dr Pierce Beaumont.

Buy Links:

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One Kindle copy giveaway of FALLING FOR DR. DECEMBER to one commenter!