INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN PAGE DAVIS

 

 

Susan Page Davis is the author of more than 40 books. A native of Maine, she now lives in Kentucky with her husband, Jim. She’s a past winner of the Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, and the Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction.

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN PAGE DAVIS

S.S: How long have you been writing?

I started seriously writing fiction in 1999. Before that I had been working as a news correspondent for about 20 years, and writing nonfiction magazine articles. But I started writing stories as a child.

S.S: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do? If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?

Yes, I do write full time now. Besides news correspondent, I’ve been a teacher, a farrier, a waitress, and a clerk in a fabric shop.

S.S: Tell us about the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?

When the acquisitions editor at Heartsong Presents telephoned me and said he was buying my first book, Protecting Amy. That was in 2003.

S.S.: Who has been your greatest supporter as an author?

Definitely my husband, Jim. He has read and edited all of my fiction before I sent it out.

S.S:  Why suspense? Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?

I do write other genres. Suspense and mystery are dear to my heart, but I’ve also written a lot of historical novels and romance.

S.S:  Tell us about your current release.

What a Picture’s Worth is part of the Creative Woman Series. The books are written by different authors, and this is fourth in the series, but can be read on its own.

One of the most successful vendors in Shannon’s craft market is Fredo Benson, an eccentric and moody painter. All goes well until Shannon goes to his loft one evening to turn out lights and discovers detailed sketches of her home—sketches of the gardens, the mansion she inherited from her grandmother, and most concerning, items from inside the mansion.

That night her craft store is broken into, but nothing appears to be stolen. The following morning, Fredo doesn’t show up for an art class he was to teach. Shannon takes her 19-year-old son and goes to Fredo’s apartment, where they find the artist dead. Do his sketches hold clues about his reasons for stalking her?  And how is his death connected to the store break-in? Who was Fredo really working for?

S.S: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?

I hope they won’t be as foolish as Shannon is at one point and try to “go it alone” when they should ask for help. I also hope they will see that God can help us work through difficult relationships, though sometimes it takes a while.

S.S: Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

Shannon, the main character. She smart and savvy. As an artist, she does fine beading work and is learning silversmithing. As an entrepreneur, she’s running a successful business, and as a mother she’s doing a great job with her college-age twins. Shannon also has a knack for solving mysteries.

S.S: Who is your least favorite character in this book? Why?

I’d have to say Shannon’s mother, Beth. They were estranged for many years—in fact, Shannon thought her mother was dead. I found it a bit hard to relate to Beth.

S.S: What are you working on now?

I’m writing another mystery. This one is in Guideposts’ Secrets of Blue Hill Library series, and my book will be called Gone in a Flash. After that I’ll be writing a new western series for another publisher.

S.S:  Now let’s get a little personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.   

I’d like to visit my daughter in England, and I’d like to have a beautiful flower garden (but I’m afraid that last one won’t happen unless I get someone else to do it for me).

S.S:  What is the silliest thing you have ever done?

My three sisters and I have done some pretty silly things, and I’m talking about as adults. We try to get together for Sister Week (or weekend) once a year. In Arizona, we pretended we were on the Amazing Race and had tasks to perform. In Concord, Mass., we carried a little teddy bear everywhere to represent the sister who couldn’t make it that time and took pictures of the bear at the Branson Alcott’s School of Philosophy and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and everywhere else we visited.

S.S.: Where can readers find you on the internet?

My website is at: www.susanpagedavis.com and my FaceBook page is: www.facebook.com/susanpagedavisauthor

S.S.: Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Today I’m giving away a copy of What a Picture’s Worth. And just to make you smile: one of my 2014 books, from a different publisher, will be titled A Thousand Words. In both cases, the title was suggested by the editor, not me.

If you'd like to win a copy of Susan's book, just leave a comment, along with your contact information, and she will pick a winner on Monday!