Suzanne Redfearn, author of TWO GOOD MEN
A non-linear path to bestsellerdom
A trained commercial and residential architect, she’s also worked as a copywriter, marketing manager, graphic designer, and other odd jobs. Suzanne is the #1 Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of seven novels: Two Good Men, Where Butterflies Wander, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, In an Instant, No Ordinary Life, and Hush Little Baby. Her books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have been recognized by RT Reviews, Target Recommends, Goodreads, Publisher’s Marketplace, and Kirkus Reviews. She has been awarded Best New Fiction from Best Book Awards and has been a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist.
What’s the best writing advice you were ever given?
Grab hold of ideas that come your way before you lose them.
What have you read lately that you wholeheartedly recommend?
Foster by Claire Keegan and All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.
How about an older book—five years or more?
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.
When you begin a draft, does it go straight onto the computer or do you start with a pen or pencil, or typewriter, or…..
I jot ideas in a notebook I always carry with me along with stream of consciousness thoughts but type the manuscript directly into a computer.
What do you do when you hit a wall?
I keep working but often will turn to something else on my plate, marketing or brainstorming ideas for a project in the future. Usually a good night’s sleep or taking a drive will shake something loose, and I can continue.
What are you currently obsessed with?
I’ve always wanted to write a bildungsroman novel, a novel that deals with a person’s formative years or spiritual education and carries through to adulthood—Forrest Gump, This Tenderland, Where the Crawdads Sing. It’s outside my comfort zone and is kicking my butt, but I’m determined to see it through, even if it turns out to only be an exercise to expand my abilities.
Listen to Suzanne’s most recent interview on Writers on Writing with my co-host, Marrie Stone where she talks about her non-linear path to writing and bestsellerdom.
Check out Suzanne’s website. Find her on Instagram @suzanneredfearn and on Facebook.