Author's Bookshelf: Susanne Matthews

We're bringing something a bit different to Writing in the Modern Age today. Awhile back, I had an idea for a new feature so I reached out to some author colleagues to see if they'd like to participate. I thought it might be nice to show readers a few books that have inspired authors. You might find it enlightening, and at least be able to answer the age old question, "What the heck do authors read?"

 

 

Writers are readers too! Most authors love to collect books for their vast personal libraries. The written word is fascinating to us, and many newer authors as well as those in the past have helped to shape who we are today. 

 

 

Without further ado, our guest today is Susanne Matthews, a romance author of various sub-genres. Won't it be interesting to hear about a few books that have inspired Susanne on her writing and publishing journey? 

 

 

Sounds pretty awesome to me. So, take it away, Susanne!

 

 

 

Hello and thank you for allowing me to appear on the Writing in the Modern Age blog! It’s an honor to be part of this new feature as well. Being asked to provide a list of five, maybe six books by other authors that I'd recommend seemed simple enough at the onset, but then, when I thought of actually narrowing my list of books to five, the task took on all the proportions of a diplodocus, one of the largest dinosaurs.


I narrowed my list several times before I finally pared it down to the six books I’d like to recommend today. Most people, readers included, often fail to realize that there are some excellent authors out there with fantastic stories to share, because, sadly, those authors don’t have a lot of big money promotional power behind them. The books I’ve chosen to present today, come from lesser known authors with small publishers or independent authors.
 

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00YV1O32KIf you like a story that goes on and gets more involved and intricate, then I recommend you start with The Arrangement, Book One of the Russian Guns series. I didn’t know what to expect, but within the first few pages I was caught. The sex is hot, and the story sizzles. If you’re like me, you’ll fall for Bethany-Kris’s writing style, and need to read the rest of the books in this series.
  

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00NVN9H0WRick Auterson’s, The Yellowwood Tree isn’t a romance; it’s a poignant, gut-wrenching tale of a young girl's struggle to keep herself and those she loves safe at what is probably one of the darkest periods in Indiana history. The author's combination of live action scene and narrative prose works well. He made me laugh, he made me cry, but once I started the book, I couldn't put it down.
  

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B0110H3BPMAlienne Mine, by Deborah O’Neill Cordes, is the prequel to Dragon Dawn. Humans have long been preoccupied with the idea we might not be alone in the galaxy, but most of us think Star Trek and primarily humanoid aliens. Even if you aren’t a sci-fi fan, you’ll be intrigued with the concept of an alternate universe, one where the dinosaurs didn’t die out but evolved into sentient beings. Believe it or not, it’s a love story. Read it for yourself and see.

 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00VQPBLCE
For my fourth book, I decided to offer you another book that isn’t really a romance. The Boogeyman by Lillie J. Roberts is a psychological thriller that preys on every parent’s fear—that the child you created, raised, loved, and nurtured in your heart is never coming home again. Using multiple points of view, you not only know what the killer is thinking, but you get inside the heads of those he terrorizes as well as the parents. The plot rivals anything I've seen on Criminal Minds.
  

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B0172I3QP8My fifth book is the work of Romanian author, Melinda De Ross, and is The Plot, in which she successfully tackles a number of sensitive, controversial issues, not the least of which include human trafficking. The world can be an ugly place, filled with liars and deceivers, and it takes a special person to rise above them. De Ross handles the disastrous effects of modern-day human slavery in a believable, sensible fashion, and manages to include a touching romance. Revenge can be sweet.
 
 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B017Y6RR62For my sixth book, I wanted to introduce you to an author who began writing at the same time I did. While I’ve stayed with adult novels, Christy Newton’s Breaking Free is an inspirational novel about one young girl's determination to stop being a victim. Abusive relationships are destructive—not just the bruises and the aches inflicted by words, but the fear that never leaves no matter how far away the abuser is, and when the abuser is a lawman, well, desperate times call for desperate measure. Ms. Newton has dealt with a controversial topic in a respectful and sensitive manner.

Well, I hope you consider my reading selections. There were many other books I enjoyed and perhaps I’ll get to share with you again one day. 

Perfect! Thank you, Susanne! Please tell us about one of your books...


http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01AOH6LCE


My newest release, which came out on February 8th, is The White Iris, the last book in the Harvester series. The White Carnation, book one, starts the search for the madman terrorizing Boston. In Book two, The White Lily, they get closer, but the madman remains just out of reach, but in book three…
 

Book Blurb:

 

Time’s running out for Special Agent Trevor Clark and his FBI task force. They’re no closer to uncovering the identity of the Prophet, a dangerous serial killer who has been murdering new mothers and vanishing with their infants. If Trevor can’t unlock the clues, the killer’s threats to unleash what the FBI suspects is biological warfare could mean death for all of them. His only recourse is to swallow his pride and reach out to his former fiancée, the CDC’s renowned virologist, Dr. Julie Swift.

Two years ago, Julie ended their engagement after Trevor abandoned her when she needed him most. Now, faced with the possibility of the greatest epidemic since the Spanish flu, she has to put her faith and her safety, as well as that of countless others, into the hands of a man she doesn’t trust. Can they set aside their differences to stop the Prophet, and in doing so, will they find the love they lost?

From the streets of Boston to the wilds of Alaska, this thrilling conclusion to the Harvester Series takes several turns you won’t see coming!

Sensuality Level: Sensual

 

Here is an excerpt.

 

Stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders, Dr. E.J. Swift, Julie to friends and family, eased her stiff muscles. As a virologist, she studied pathogens that invaded the body, altering cells, sometimes for only a few days but at others for a lifetime. Curing a viral disease was good; eliminating and preventing it, even better.
Leaning back in her office chair, she released the clip that held up her long, auburn hair and ran her hands through the messy, tumbling curls, rubbing the sore spot at the back of her head.
I should get it all cut off. It spends more time yanked up and tied than down.
Reaching for the mouse, she scrolled to the top of the document she’d just finished, and sighed. This brief had taken forever to complete—not that it was complicated, but she felt unsettled today, the way she had when she’d suffered a case of the heebie-jeebies prior to those vicious Colorado snowstorms of her youth.
As if there’s a storm anywhere near here.
The last thing she should be doing this gorgeous late July afternoon was sitting in an office, writing an information brief on the effectiveness of last year’s flu vaccine, but her cousin Ellie was up to her elbows in virulent mosquitoes, and the prospect of an afternoon at the pool alone, waiting for Ellie to finish for the day, didn’t appeal. Julie had gone up there on Wednesday night, and the newest creep in 3B had hit on her endlessly. That apartment belonged to some export company, and the tenants changed regularly—all of them the same basic version of jerk. When she’d finally told him she wasn’t interested, the muscle-bound asshole had made a nasty comment before moving on to the new woman in 4C.
And she’s welcome to him.
It wasn’t that Bozo-Bob wasn’t attractive. Julie simply wasn’t interested. He reminded her too much of Trevor, her ex-fiancé who’d trampled her heart to bits.
Face it, girl. Everyone reminds you of Trevor.
In the two years since their breakup, they hadn’t spoken, not even after she’d returned the sapphire engagement ring he’d given her and asked him to contact her so they could discuss what had gone wrong between them. He’d signed for the package, but he hadn’t called.
Trevor knew she needed to compartmentalize—talk things to death, as he put it—but that was just the way she was. If a new recipe for lasagna required a three-paragraph analysis and review, why wouldn’t a failed relationship? You needed to know what went wrong to avoid making the same mistake. Every good researcher knew that.
Hell, she couldn’t even bring herself to cut her damn hair without making a pros and cons list, shifting points from one side to the other, and evaluating everything in the light of her hypothesis. Everything was about process. If you did things in the proper order, you succeeded—if you didn’t, you failed.
Try as she might, she couldn’t close that chapter of her life, which was ridiculous because Trevor certainly had
- See more at: http://www.crimsonromance.com/romantic-suspense-novels/the-white-iris/#sthash.1TcRe6p0.dpuf

Stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders, Dr. E.J. Swift, Julie to friends and family, eased her stiff muscles. As a virologist, she studied pathogens that invaded the body, altering cells, sometimes for only a few days but at others for a lifetime. Curing a viral disease was good; eliminating and preventing it, even better.
Leaning back in her office chair, she released the clip that held up her long, auburn hair and ran her hands through the messy, tumbling curls, rubbing the sore spot at the back of her head.
I should get it all cut off. It spends more time yanked up and tied than down.
Reaching for the mouse, she scrolled to the top of the document she’d just finished, and sighed. This brief had taken forever to complete—not that it was complicated, but she felt unsettled today, the way she had when she’d suffered a case of the heebie-jeebies prior to those vicious Colorado snowstorms of her youth.
As if there’s a storm anywhere near here.
The last thing she should be doing this gorgeous late July afternoon was sitting in an office, writing an information brief on the effectiveness of last year’s flu vaccine, but her cousin Ellie was up to her elbows in virulent mosquitoes, and the prospect of an afternoon at the pool alone, waiting for Ellie to finish for the day, didn’t appeal. Julie had gone up there on Wednesday night, and the newest creep in 3B had hit on her endlessly. That apartment belonged to some export company, and the tenants changed regularly—all of them the same basic version of jerk. When she’d finally told him she wasn’t interested, the muscle-bound asshole had made a nasty comment before moving on to the new woman in 4C.
And she’s welcome to him.
It wasn’t that Bozo-Bob wasn’t attractive. Julie simply wasn’t interested. He reminded her too much of Trevor, her ex-fiancé who’d trampled her heart to bits.
Face it, girl. Everyone reminds you of Trevor.
In the two years since their breakup, they hadn’t spoken, not even after she’d returned the sapphire engagement ring he’d given her and asked him to contact her so they could discuss what had gone wrong between them. He’d signed for the package, but he hadn’t called.
Trevor knew she needed to compartmentalize—talk things to death, as he put it—but that was just the way she was. If a new recipe for lasagna required a three-paragraph analysis and review, why wouldn’t a failed relationship? You needed to know what went wrong to avoid making the same mistake. Every good researcher knew that.
Hell, she couldn’t even bring herself to cut her damn hair without making a pros and cons list, shifting points from one side to the other, and evaluating everything in the light of her hypothesis. Everything was about process. If you did things in the proper order, you succeeded—if you didn’t, you failed.
Try as she might, she couldn’t close that chapter of her life, which was ridiculous because Trevor certainly had.
 

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

 

Purchase Links:

 

Amazon Universal link:  http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01AOH6LCE


Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-iris-susanne-matthews/1123273304

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-white-iris

Publisher:  http://www.crimsonromance.com/romantic-suspense-novels/the-white-iris/

 

Fascinating! Thank you for stopping by to give us a glimpse of your bookshelf, Susanne!  :)

 

About the Author:

 

A former high school teacher, Susanne Matthews lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, the inspiration for all her heroes. When she’s not writing, she enjoys camping in summer and romantic getaways in winter. 


Author Links: 

 


 
Susanne's Books:
 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01AOH6LCE
 
http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Blue-10-Cop-Romances-ebook/dp/B019JE11E6/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455593957&sr=1-15&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
  
http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Fling-10-Vacation-Romances-ebook/dp/B0195QNTQG/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_14?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-14&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4

 
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Day-Ever-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B019D70HE4/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_24?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-24&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Come-Home-Christmas-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B01976J9UO/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-18&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Her-Christmas-Hero-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B017TGEVAC/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_22?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-22&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Lies-Hearts-Braden-Book-ebook/dp/B0184FUC5U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594161&sr=1-2
  
http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Dark-Wealthy-Famous-Heroes-ebook/dp/B01699HCA6/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-17&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/White-Lily-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B015P79XZ0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594161&sr=1-1
  
http://www.amazon.com/Eloisia-Episode-Two-Secrets-Tales-ebook/dp/B015JEOETO/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_23?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-23&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4

 http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Past-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B014X8XLLY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594161&sr=1-5
 
http://www.amazon.com/Eloisia-Episode-Stowaway-Tales-Book-ebook/dp/B0145HD7XU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594204&sr=1-11
 
http://www.amazon.com/Theres-Always-Tomorrow-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00YVRPQNE/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_21?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594101&sr=1-21&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Angel-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B011JEHMMY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-4
  
http://www.amazon.com/All-Love-Susanne-Matthews/dp/0996329048/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594161&sr=1-7&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/White-Carnation-Harvester-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00UMBE2KG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594161&sr=1-3

 http://www.amazon.com/Food-Love-Mya-OMalley-ebook/dp/B00T98IXR6/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_25?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455594233&sr=1-25&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4


http://www.amazon.com/Price-Honor-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00PWUB52A/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-12
 
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Choice-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00OJB5EPW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-6
 
http://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Magic-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00NZET216/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_19?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455595816&sr=1-19&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/His-Watch-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00MIMHNFI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-8
 
http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Sight-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00E6EBAKU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-9
 
http://www.amazon.com/Captains-Promise-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00KQ5P30G/ref=la_B00DJCKRP4_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455595379&sr=1-20&refinements=p_82%3AB00DJCKRP4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Crimson-Romance-Susanne-Matthews-ebook/dp/B00J0HEAL4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1455594312&sr=1-10


 

5 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for having me here today. It was fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Susanne!!! (and a lot of great authors)!! Thanks so much for including The Boogeyman on your bookshelf!! If you have tried Susanne's The Harvester Series, you're missing out on some suspenseful, entrapping tales wrapped up in a romance!! Pick them up!

    Dottie/Lillie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Susanne, Thank you so much for your kind words about Dragon Dawn and Alienne Mine. It's an honor to be included with such wonderful authors. I look forward to reading your Harvester series. It sounds quite compelling! May you have much success and many sales!

    ReplyDelete

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