Headed for Trouble

FAQS ANSWERED: INTERVIEW WITH SUZ


The following is compiled from a series of online interviews. My thanks to all who posed such interesting questions.

Q: You began your career as a romance writer, but now your books are labeled romantic suspense or romantic military action/adventures. Does this influence what you write?

SUZ: No, it doesn’t. But I have to admit that I’ve used labels like those—and even the broader label of “romance novel”—to “get away” with writing exactly what I want to write.

I think labels are something that publishers, booksellers, and even readers use to help them organize the purchase and sales and selection of books. What’s this book about? Well, it’s about this man who comes to believe that terrorists targeted his ex-wife and daughter. Oh, so it’s a thriller. Well, yeah, sort of. Except there’s more. Our hero comes face-to-face with a woman he’s had a couple of brief but intense affairs with in the past, and as they spend time together, they’re finally able to begin to build a real relationship. Oh, so it’s a romance. Well, yeah, sort of, except there’s more. An awful lot of time is spent on the hero’s childhood and … And so on.

You know, the first book in my Troubleshooters series, The Unsung Hero, is really a novel about Charles Ashton, an eighty-something World War II veteran with terminal cancer. This character’s story, both his adventures as a downed pilot in Nazi-occupied France and his contemporary struggles with his own impending demise, is the soul of this book.

And yet there’s enough going on in the book so that it is a romance. And a military action/adventure.

And there’s a sweet secondary romance between two teenagers. And … it’s a lot of things, all in one book.

I could give you a log line for The Unsung Hero: “A Navy SEAL commander recovering from a near-fatal head injury spots a terrorist in his sleepy New England hometown.”

Where’s the romance? Where’s eighty-year-old Charles? Well, they’re in there—they’re the heart and soul of this book that’s most easily labeled a romantic suspense!

Q: What comes to you first, character or story?

SUZ: For me, it’s almost always character that comes first. I spend a lot of time writing books with recurring characters—people whose personalities have been solidly established in previous books. I often move former secondary characters into main character roles and devise their story by asking the question, “What type of conflict or situation would push these particular characters beyond their personal edge? How can I make them really suffer?” Because really, the best stories deal with characters who must face their personal vulnerabilities.

Here’s an example of what I mean. Say you had a hero who was a mountain climber. You could create a plot that involved him scaling a cliff to save a stranded child. You could throw in an impending thunderstorm—no, make it a hailstorm with high winds. He’s got to get up there and rescue that child—no, make her a toddler, trapped with her father who had a heart attack right there on the trail. That could be sort of exciting, right?

Well, no. Because the hero’s a mountain climber. It’s no big deal for him to scale that cliff. He’ll probably yawn while he’s doing it.

And the reader will yawn, too.

But what if the hero isn’t a mountain climber? What if he’s the opposite of a mountain climber—what if he’s terrified of heights? I’m talking Jimmy Stewart–level vertigo à la the Hitchcock movie of that very name.

Toss this hero into that scenario I sketched out above, and no one’s yawning now! When this hero rescues that child, he’s not just climbing a cliff, he’s facing his demons.

So what I do when I plot my books is figure out who my hero is going to be, what his vulnerabilities are, and what type of situation I can throw him into, to make him really suffer! The same rule applies, of course, to my heroines.

Q: Sam and Alyssa are probably your most popular couple. Where did the idea come from, to stretch their story out over five books?

SUZ: When I outlined Sam and Alyssa’s story arc, my intention was to present a traditional romance backstory in “real time.”

It’s fairly typical to find a book in which the hero and heroine have had a romantic and/or sexual encounter in the past, and have, after that encounter, gone in two different directions. But in the actual book, these two characters come face-to-face again, and are forced to work together and deal with their history, as well as any feelings that are still in play.

With Sam and Alyssa, I wanted to bring my readers along for a ride, having what would typically be that backstory play out over the course of six or seven books, as subplots.

For example, in The Unsung Hero, I introduced the two and even though they are minor secondary characters, it’s clear that they are throwing sparks and clashing.

In the next book, The Defiant Hero, there is a major romantic subplot in which these two characters again clash in a hate/love relationship that explodes, with the help of overindulgence in alcohol, in a one-night stand. Neither character is mature enough to deal with a real relationship, and the morning after is filled with regrets and additional mistakes. At the end of the book, they decide to pretend that night never happened, and go about their separate lives.

The third book, Over the Edge, takes place six months later, and the two characters again meet and are forced to work together. Again they clash and spark, and there’s another one-night stand. But this time, both are a little bit older and wiser, and they realize there could be something more between them. But the book ends with an external conflict—a girlfriend Sam dated during those six months he and Alyssa spent apart is pregnant and he feels he must “do the right thing” and marry her—that sends the pair in separate directions.

The fourth book, Out of Control, has more of a minor subplot from Alyssa’s point of view, in which she is attempting to get on with her life. Sam, meanwhile, is trying to make his loveless marriage work for the sake of his new baby.

The fifth book, Into the Night, shows Sam trying to make the best of his marriage to a woman he doesn’t love, and who truly doesn’t love him. In this book, Sam comes to the realization that marriage without love is not “the right thing.”

And the sixth book, Gone Too Far, is Sam and Alyssa’s story. Again, they’re thrown together. Sam is single again. Both are even older and wiser, and prove through their journey in the book that they have earned the right to a happy ending—which they achieve at the end of the story.

I outlined Sam and Alyssa’s story arc way back after I wrote The Unsung Hero. I suspected that telling Sam and Alyssa’s story in this manner, in an arc that spread across so many books, would be compelling.

Keep in mind that, up to Gone Too Far, Sam and Alyssa’s story was told as a subplot in addition to the main plot/main romance of each book. At the time, this was something different from a traditional romance—writing a romantic subplot that ended unhappily or without absolute closure at the book’s end. Readers were drawn to this, as I’d hoped!

Q: Were you surprised at the response to Sam and Alyssa’s story arc?

SUZ: It was my hope that I’d create a stir with Sam and Alyssa. I’d hoped that people would connect to them—I actually had no idea, though, just how strong that connection would be.

The biggest shock—to me—came when quite a few readers assumed that Sam and Alyssa’s story ended with Over the Edge. Because in my mind it was so clear that their story was far from over.

Q: Which character in the Troubleshooters books (aside from Sam or Alyssa) is the most popular?

SUZ: That would be Jules Cassidy. When I go on book tours, I do a Q&A session at nearly every signing. And one of the first questions asked—it doesn’t matter where we are—is “Will we be seeing more of Jules in future books?”

Q: You’ve been accused of “waving your rainbow flag” in Hot Target. Care to comment?

SUZ: I happen to disagree. Yes, this book features Jules Cassidy, who is gay. Yes, this book features other characters who are gay. Yes, this book goes into those characters’ backstories (their childhoods, their histories) in some detail—just as I do for all my characters in this book and in every other book I’ve ever written. And yes, the backstories for these gay characters deal with their coming out—which (as is the case for all gay people) required enormous courage.

I believe strongly that my books are entertainment. I hope you might learn a thing or two while reading them, but first and foremost, my job is to entertain you.

If I’m waving a flag in Hot Target, it’s the same flag I’ve always waved in all my books—the American flag. And that’s a flag that’s supposed to stand for acceptance and understanding. For freedom for all—and not just freedom for all Americans, but freedom for all of the diverse and wonderful people living on this planet; freedom to live their lives according to their definitions of freedom. It’s a flag that’s supposed to stand for real American values like honor and honesty and peace and love and hope.

Q: Readers enjoy the diversity of the characters in your books. Jules is gay, Alyssa is African American, Lindsey is Asian American, Max’s grandfather came from India … How hard is it to write those characters?

SUZ: Not hard at all.

Here’s the deal: The world I live in, a fairly urban, blue-collar-ish suburb of Boston, is ethnically diverse. I chose to live here, on a busy street with buses running past my house, and neighbors and friends of all different colors, shapes, orientations, and sizes, because I love diversity. I believe it’s what makes America great. (I believe that differences of opinion, too, are so important to a true democracy.)

I love meeting people who, on the surface, appear to be different from me. But it never takes long for me to recognize that our similarities far outweigh those superficial differences. Bottom line: People are people. We all tend to want the same big things—love, security, adventure, success, peace of mind.

And yet at the same time, people are individuals. It’s important to see people as individuals, without being burdened by the labels and definitions that our society imposes upon them. (Upon us!) Sure, you can define individuals by the color of their skin: a black man, a white woman. Or you can define them by their religion: a Muslim woman, a Jewish man, a Wiccan woman. There are dozens of labels we throw onto people all the time: gay, straight, bi. Democrat, Republican, Independent. New Yorker, Midwesterner, Texan.

What does this mean? To me, I don’t see a black straight Christian man who’s a Democrat from Chicago.

I see a man.

And that man has dozens upon dozens of individual characteristics—both those superficial yet easily labeled differences, as well as differences such as his love of mocha ice cream (Mocha Ice Cream Lover! There’s a label!) and his dislike of peanut butter, his ability to do complicated multiplication in his head, his inability to spell, his fear of tornados, his musical talents, his need to check in on his children before he goes to sleep at night even though he knows they’re all right, his undying love for the woman he first met at a party in college that time he was so drunk he threw up on his best friend’s shoes and she wouldn’t have anything to do with him for months but he knew she was the one so he didn’t give up.…

If you take the time to look beneath the labels and generalizations, you will always find a person who is more like you than not. (When Sam sat down and talked to Jules—really talked to him—he realized they were more alike than different.)

This is why, to me, things like skin color and background and age differences aren’t that big of a deal in terms of a romantic relationship, and why diverse characters aren’t hard to write.

Q: Let’s talk a little more about that—about looking beneath the labels and generalizations—as well as the facades that people create to hide behind. This seems to be a theme that runs throughout your books.

SUZ: That’s absolutely right. One of the themes that I frequently tackle in my books is about how we deal with perception and facades. We present ourselves to the world in a certain way, and people identify us, judge us, and label us. This happens all the time in our society. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it requires little effort.

My goal with my books is always to grow tolerance and acceptance. To encourage people to look beyond the things that they expect to see, to try to see individuals instead of stereotypes.

Sam Starrett, for example, starts out as an alpha male who has some preconceived notions about other people—particularly about Jules Cassidy, who is gay. Sam is a little homophobic and Jules freaks him out. He doesn’t see Jules-the-individual, he sees one of those creepy-to-him gay guys.

But at the same time, Alyssa Locke is doing the very same thing to Sam. She sees a white guy from Texas, with his cowboy boots and Texas drawl—a good ol’ boy, or a “cracker,” if you will. She jumps to some conclusions about him. Redneck. Small-minded, racist … When, in truth, he’s nothing of the sort.

Throughout Sam’s journey in these books, he comes to know Jules. He works with Jules and learns that Jules is worthy of his respect and admiration. He gets to know Jules as an individual, and the two men become friends. Real friends. At the end of the story arc, Sam is no longer homophobic. His ignorance about what being gay means is replaced with understanding—and acceptance and friendship.

Likewise, Alyssa’s assumptions are changed as, through her story arc, she discovers who Sam truly is.

Q: But at the same time, Sam has to stop hiding. He has to reveal himself to Alyssa.

SUZ: Yes, he does. You know, I think the ultimate human story is that of finding a true connection with another person—finding real, honest love. The thing about that is, in order to find such a real connection, you’ve got to be willing to reveal yourself completely, which takes true courage.

One of my favorite scenes in a movie is in Bridget Jones’s Diary, where the Colin Firth character says to Bridget, “I like you very much. Just as you are.” What an incredible moment!

We come from a society that infuses us with dissatisfaction and fear. Not only are we taught to believe that we’re not good enough, but we’re taught that we better pretend to be something better or we will be made fun of, or worse—ignored.

We also, as a society, are quick to label. Like I said earlier, we feel more comfortable putting people into categories—defining people in easy-to-understand ways. She’s a lawyer. He’s a science teacher. She’s Jewish. He’s Latino. She’s the mother of three. He’s a grandfather.

But the labels we give also judge. He’s an ex-con—he’s dangerous. She’s well-endowed—she’s a slut. She’s blond—she’s a ditz … etc., etc.

Of course, not all labels and judgments are negative. He’s a Harvard grad—he’s a good job candidate. She’s a nun—she’s kind and forgiving. But just like negative assumptions, these positive judgments may or may not be true!

Everyone who lives and breathes and walks the earth—and I’ll include my characters in with that group, since I try my best to breathe life into them—has to deal with the labels that others in our society have put on them. They also have to deal with the labels that they put onto other people. Plus they have to try to see the truth behind the labels that the rest of the world puts on other people.

And they themselves can take advantage of others’ needs to label and define—by playing into others’ expectations. For example: Cosmo Richter is a Navy SEAL. He’s tall and muscular with exotically colored eyes and striking features. He looks dangerous, and he’s quiet—he doesn’t talk much.

He also keeps what he’s feeling to himself—he’s very private. People look at him and see his lack of reaction and think, Yikes. He doesn’t feel a thing. He’s like a dangerous robot. And Cosmo lets them think that. He finds it’s easier to go through life protected by that shield—people who are a little bit afraid of him tend to keep their distance from him.

Right?

But what happens when Cosmo finds someone to whom he’d like to get close? What does he have to do to connect with her? He’s got to reveal himself, to unpeel.

It’s this unpeeling of layers that truly fascinates me—because no two people unpeel the same way. Some reveal themselves voluntarily and hopefully, while others resist, kicking and screaming. Some never really unpeel completely (like Nash in Flashpoint)—but they try. And sometimes that’s enough for the people who love them—just knowing that they’re trying.