Interview with contemporary romance author Susan Zoe Bella

Romance author Susan Zoe Bella joins me today to chat about her new contemporary romance, High Point.

During her virtual book tour, Susan will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
“I am a fan of happily ever after. My novels are too!”

Susan Zoe enjoys creating contemporary, paranormal, fantasy and romantic suspense stories with a gritty flair. Her stories are her own, and she typically writes outside the box. She’s always been a leader not a follower. Writing is her mental filter and how she processes the world around her, a fictional place where she can control the outcome at her comfort level with justice and happy endings. Her imagination is her greatest strength as it carries her away from daily stress.

As a survivor of hardship and chronic disease, she takes one day at a time and treasures the simple things in life. Susan Zoe is a Christian, loves animals, and practices being kind and generous every day. When not immersed in new stories, she enjoys watching movies, Motocross and Supercross, playing Yahtzee with her fiancé, and hanging out with her loyal 24/7 companion and trained service dog. She’s not a fan of sitcoms as they don’t offer enough mental stimulation. Losing herself in an intense story gives her brain the workout it needs to manage OCD, anxiety, depression, and stress.

Her achievements thus far include The Golden Wings Award for her debut novel The Satellite, the UK Nobel Pin and Editor’s Choice Award for her poem The Lonely Man, numerous 5 Star Reviews from Fallen Angels Reviews, Coffee Time Romance, InD’tale Magazine, Goodreads and more for current and retired novels. She was also a RONE Awards Finalist in 2017.

She loves to hear from readers and chat!

In her words, “Writing is the only time I’m truly free.” She’s happiest when her intriguing characters come to life and steal her away into their worlds where anything is possible.

Welcome, Susan. Please tell us about your current release.
High Point is a unique love story that begins with a group of new adults in their early twenties. Mia is recovering from a nervous breakdown when her friend Mackie persuades her to attend a rock concert in which the lead singer is Mackie’s neighbor. Jett Castle longs to be more than a rock star. His true ambition is riding pro Motocross, but he does enjoy the fans who come to see him and his band perform. He’s loaded with charisma and is a true sweetheart. Jett doesn’t like the party lifestyle that revolves around rock and roll. He had a bad experience and is saving money to fund his true dream. When Mia and Jett are introduced, they are instantly attracted to each other, but both have been burned so they take things slow. Jett invites Mia to spend the weekend at High Point Raceway with him to get to know her better. Mia reluctantly agrees. At High Point, the adventures never stop. Mackie and Jett’s sister have their own agenda and it’s wicked. The weekend is full of drama, tender romance, danger, and fun. They share their first kiss and are tempted to take it further but… As the weekend rolls to an end, Jett asks to see Mia again but never shows up for their date. Hurt and depressed over Jett’s no-show, Mia accepts a job in California to get as far away from her past as possible. Midway through the book, it goes to ten years later. Jett and Mia cross paths in a most unexpected way and the adventure picks up again in a new way. High Point is a tender romance filled with action, drama, and a little suspense. Mia comes from a broken past and Jett has a dark secret. Everything unfolds at a steady pace and moves along with no dragging. The novel is over 95K words strong and a truly enjoyable read. There are soft love scenes, no harsh language, and a scuffle or two. The book has a conclusive HEA and no cliffhanger. I enjoyed writing it more than any other book of the eighty novels I’ve published over the years. There is the mention of child abuse, but no graphic details and it’s kept minimal at that.

What inspired you to write this book?
My inspiration for High Point is a real-life love story with a real-life Mackie and Kat. Of course, the names are changed and I added plenty of fiction. But what I wanted to do was write my love story with the only man I’ve ever truly loved. The characters are inspired by real people. It took me about a year to get this one right.

Excerpt from High Point:
“Seems you settled down,” Kat noted. “Are we cool?”

I lifted my cup in a casual toast. “One of us is.”

Jett laughed and tapped his cup to mine. “Sweet burn.”

Kat surprised me with an impressive poker face, not revealing a hint of the daggers in her eyes I’d seen earlier. She was calculatingly wicked, a dangerous force to antagonize. However, Kat, in all her puffed-up narcissism and devious tactics had never met Fringe.

“I’m glad we worked it out,” she added.

“Mm-hm,” I muttered then directed my attention to the sexy guy with his arm around my waist. “This is the first chance I got to check out your car. Seventy Gran Sport, right?”

“Yeah. You know cars?” He sounded surprised.

“I’ve always loved American Muscle.” I let my free hand glide up his bare arm to caress his huge bicep. “In more ways than one.”

He cocked one brow and grinned. “Would you like a closer look?”

“At the car?” I winked.

Fascination in his eyes deepened. “Both.”

“Mm-yes,” I purred.

We chugged our beer then set the empty cups aside. He eased me off his lap and escorted me to the beautiful Mediterranean Blue car parked several feet away. I moseyed around it, taking my time to admire the high-polished chrome wheels, trim, and bumpers in addition to flawless metallic paint on the body.

“Magnificent machine,” I gushed. “Four-fifty-five Stage One?”

“Yeah…” Something between awe and astonishment shimmered in his eyes as he gazed at me. He popped the hood. “Check it out.”

“Wow…” I peered down at the engine. “Immaculate. You could eat off that. Impressive detailing. Lots of ponies under your hood.”

He slid both arms around me from behind and leaned in close. “You’re turning me on.”

I pivoted within his embrace and gazed up into heart-melting eyes that glistened in the light cast by a spectacular full moon. He lowered his head and kissed me again. This time the kiss was deeper, more intense and laced with longing.

My body relaxed against his as my arms wound around his neck. His hands slid up my back as he pulled me closer. We kissed passionately, locked in a tight embrace. He was an amazing kisser. His scent swirled around me. Arousal mounted. I hadn’t felt desire for a man, ever.

Men in my life had taken what they wanted without my consent.

The sensations Jett invoked were both alarming and thrilling.

When we eased from the kiss, he hugged me closely and held me like nobody ever had. “This feels good. You feel so good…” he murmured against my neck. “So real and right and good.”

“I agree.” I rested my head against his chest and sighed dreamily.

We stood next to his car, kissing and holding each other on the most enchanting night of my life, following a rollercoaster of a day. We couldn’t seem to get close enough. Desperate longing emanated between us. Nobody existed except the two of us in that unforgettable moment.

A campfire crackled nearby. Stars reigned overhead.

The most perfect night. Perfect moment. Perfect kiss.

After a while, he pulled back and stared down into my eyes, tenderly brushing mussed hair off my face with one hand. “I’m glad you’re here, darlin, and that you stayed. You must be exhausted. I know I am. Ready to crash for the night?”

“Where?”

“I sleep in my backseat. That offer to hold you all night long is still on the table if you’re interested,” he said softly, gently.

“That’s an offer I won’t refuse. I’m gonna grab my purse, be right back.”

He cupped my chin with a tender albeit sensual touch. “I’ll be waiting.”

Mercy. The way he made me feel. Flutters and shivers raced through me, over me. I prayed to get through the night without losing self-control. I sauntered back to my chair and snagged my purse off the ground.

“Where are you going?” Mackie asked in a boozy slur, sloppy drunk as usual.

I took a quick look around. Kat and Bob had retreated to the back of their truck for the night.

“Going to bed…with Jett,” I replied, adding a snarky eyebrow shrug.

She glowered through heavy eyes. “Tick, tick, tick. You’re dancing with the devil on borrowed time.”

I gave her the finger then twirled away. A wonderful night awaited, and nobody was stealing it. The car door was open when I returned, and the front seat folded forward.

 He lay sprawled across the seat, shirtless, the fly of his jeans unsnapped, and both arms casually folded behind his head. He looked alarmingly suggestive.

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m working on my Gone Rogue series featuring Shook Coda, a retired FBI agent who finds himself on the opposite end of the law for the first time in his life. And also, Awestruck, a magical story about a different kind of genie and the girl who finds him.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In high school when teachers approached me to publish my work.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wrote full-time from 2006 to 2018 for publishers and as an Indie author. I released a book per month with publishers and self-published many more. I wrote under a few different names. My days began with checking emails, in which I’d find edits, galleys, and posts from author groups. I had deadlines to meet so when I wasn’t doing household chores, I was writing, editing, and proofing my books from the time I got up until bedtime. I did burn out a few times and took a few short breaks during those years. When I’m not writing, I enjoy natural disaster movies, good love stories, and sweet Christmas shows that involve dysfunctional families and relationships. I also love to spend time with my service dog.

Back in 2006, I had seven little dogs that kept me company while I wrote. I have one extremely special, loyal service dog now who is my world. I have written part-time since I got her. I’ve been training and rehabilitating dogs since my teen years. I trained my current service dog, so it’s my top priority to spend quality time with her. I do have bursts of writing, but nowhere near the insane pace that I kept back then.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write outside the box. My stories don’t follow trending tropes, which has held me back. I’m obsessive about originality and I’m extremely protective of my muses. I’m just plain weird LOL. A highly skilled editor tried to take over my muses and dictate a spinoff series, so I backed away. The worst thing that can happen as a writer is to let someone else take over your muse. I could never co-author a book.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A rock star, professional dancer, or an actress. I lived on a farm and was invisible. I never dreamed of being an author, but I was an avid bookworm, and I wrote to entertain myself because living on a farm as an only child was very lonely.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
My greatest joy in writing is when someone reads my book, and it comes alive for them like it does for me. I write for escapism, not for money. If my books bring someone else enjoyment, then that’s what makes me happy. There’s very little money to be made as an author and that’s not why I decided to start publishing. I just didn’t want to be invisible anymore. I will not likely ever make back what I spent on cover art, and I’m okay with that. It’s all part of the journey. So I want to say to readers, thank you from my heart for choosing my book from the millions out there! It makes me smile. And, if anyone wants to read my books but cannot afford them, I encourage them to email me from my website for a free copy! I’m generous by nature and would happily send an eBook in your format. I’ve given hundreds of books away over the years.

Links:
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