Top Thirteen Things You Should Know About Suzanne Rock

If you are a regular reader of author blogs, you've probably come across the "Thursday Thirteen." This is where a blogger takes a topic and lists thirteen things related to that topic. I've seen lists about everything from romantic movies to favorite foods to exotic vacation spots. Since I'm new to Romance Books 4 Us, and it's Thursday, I thought it would be fun to do this to tell people a little more about myself. (Okay, so it isn't Thursday, but it's CLOSE to a Thursday, and someone might be reading this on a Thursday, so let's just run with it. ;) )

So here you have it - my Thursday Thirteen on the topic "All About Suzanne."

1) I've been writing since 2009. My first published book, Spyder's Web, was published by Loose Id. It's a paranormal thriller where the heroine is known as the "Black Widow Serial Killer." Pretty cool, eh? I've since gotten the rights back and self published the story.


2) Since Spyder's Web, I've written almost thirty erotic romances, spanning four publishers. About half of these books are self-published. Many of these books have hit best seller lists and won awards.


3) I drink coffee--lots of it. My Keurig goes constantly from the moment I wake up until I'm done with my writing day. I *need* that first cup in the morning or I'm impossible to deal with the rest of the day.


4) I'm a huge football fan. HUGE. When my husband and I first got married, we lived within five miles of Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. The year Tom Brady joined the Patriots, we thought it would be cool to become season ticket holders, so we paid the waiting list fee and got in line. Fast forward twelve years, two moves and two kids later, and we became season ticket holders! (Yeah, it was a long wait, but it was worth it. :) ) Every fall, you can catch us in the "cheap seats" cheering on the Patriots.


5) In addition to writing, I also teach online classes on the craft of writing and the publishing industry. I have written books on the craft of writing with Em Petrova as optional supplements to some of these classes.


6) In 2013 I wanted to try something different from erotic romance. My critique partner, Lauren Hawkeye, suggested that I try New Adult novels. Over the next two months, I wrote HOLLOW, a story about how a college student with the perfect life loses it all and rediscovers herself with the help of her fellow mental institution patients. The book was self published under the name Ava Conway and immediately started racing up the charts. One week later, an agent asked to represent me and that story. Then another agent became interested. To make a long story short, I am now represented by Deidre Knight at the Knight Agency. Hollow was pulled down, reworked, and will relaunch with Pocket Star in the summer of 2014. (Squee!)

7) My oldest daughter (8 yrs) has recently become interested in running. She drags me to her running club every Tuesday to time her mile run around the track. Her current time is 12 minutes, 20 seconds, but I know that she could shave a minute off that time if she didn't veer off the track to chase a squirrel. :p Sometimes I even run with her.


8) I'm a huge fan of the TV show Archer. My favorite character is Mallory. I love her sarcasm and wit. The person who does the voice of Archer comes from my home town, so I feel a little bit of a personal connection to the show.

9) I run a blog called "Romance on a Budget," where I talk about ways for writers to save time, money and sanity while writing. I also post excerpts of my books, give updates on various projects, and host guest blogs.


10) My best selling paranormal series is the Kyron Pack series, and my best selling contemporary series is the Ecstasy Spa series. If you are a new to me reader, I suggest starting with either of these series.


11) I've already mentioned that my favorite beverage is coffee. My favorite food is sushi. I LOVE seafood in general. That probably comes from growing up on the Maine coast and getting fresh seafood right off the dock. ;)

12) I used to be painfully shy and introverted. In high school, and took public speaking classes to overcome this. I'm much better today, but sometimes it's still hard for me to be in crowds and I tend to get rather quiet in large groups of people. I'm absolutely NOT a party person. At all. LOL.


13) For those who want to stay up to date with what's happening with my writing, I have a newsletter. For those who want to help spread the word about my books and be automatically entered for chances to win swag, books, and other cool stuff, I have a street team. You can sign up for one or both of these groups in the right side bar of my website.


Hmm, it seems that I have used up my thirteen items already. I guess that the rest shall remain a mystery--for now. :) Come back to this blog on the thirtieth of every month for more updates on my writing journey and to hear my random thoughts on life.