Q & A with Connie Suttle

My Q&A with Connie Suttle, mentioned in my early post.

What was the inspiration for Blood Wager?

I was writing one of the Saa Thalarr books (the 12 I wrote before Blood Wager) and there are lots of vampires in that series. I wanted one of them to tell a joke, starting with "Two vampires walk into a bar." I never did come up with a punchline. What I did come up with instead was the seed for Lissa's books--the Blood Destiny series. Three years later, one of my son's best friends from college actually came up with a great punchline. Here's the joke:

Two vampires walk into a bar.

"We don't serve your kind in here," the bartender snarls.

"Are you sure?" asks one of the vampires.

"O, positive," the bartender replies.

How long did it take you to write it?

I didn't write Lissa's story right away; I wrote down the story idea, stuck it into a notebook and finished the Saa Thalarr series. Nine months later, I'd been thinking so long about Lissa that the first draft was written in 10 days. That was in 2009. It took me two more years, writing the rest of that series and rewriting and revising the first one before I felt comfortable publishing it :)

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

That's a tough question. I always thought about writing, but never thought I'd be any good at it. It wasn't until 2007, When my husband almost died and I spent 6 weeks in ICU watching him breathe on a ventilator that I started writing seriously.  I haven't stopped since then.

What is the best part of being a writer?  The worst part?

The best part of being a writer is connecting with other people. I write what I love, so it is gratifying to know when someone else enjoys it too.  The worst part? DEADLINES :)

Will you write in only one genre?

Actually I write fantasy, Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy, with a little mystery thrown in.

What other books do you want to write?

too many to count, lol!

How do you keep track of your ideas?

I write a lot of notes on scraps of paper. Sadly, a lot of stuff stays in my head.

How did you find your assistant Joe?

Joe and I have been friends for more than 40 years, and we met through a mutual friend. He and I work very well together :)

It was a pleasure talking to you via Email Connie, Thank you!