Monday 18 February 2013

Welcome to My Guest Author: Suzanna Ross

Today I welcome Author Suzanna Ross to my blog!  

Suzanna is giving away to one lucky commenter a copy of her previous release Trust In Me or a copy of her Short Story Book.  So over to Suzanna...

The Magic of Writing Friends

I’ve been trying to establish a writing career for a long time. Such a long time that I wrote in
the days before word processors – and in the days before the Internet. And I wrote when there
were no writing groups geographically close enough to join.

It was a very lonely and scary place to be.

In those dark days of being alone with my writing, my sales successes were limited: A
handful of short stories. An article and filler or two. Obviously, each hit was to be celebrated,
but they were very few and far between. Besides, even when I did make a rare sale, who was
there to tell? My family and non-writing friends didn’t understand.

Then I found the online writing community. And I did nothing but read writing blogs and
online forums for weeks. It seemed Christmas had arrived with the discovery of the like-
minded members of these groups.

My first tentative steps into blogging were ignored. But, gradually, I gained the confidence
to comment on others’ blog posts – and those comments were returned. Friendships were
formed. Eventually, these friendships developed into invitations to join private groups.

And my hit rate exploded.

Yes, I do think my writing has improved in that time – but that can be attributed to my
friendships with other writers, too. Because these friendships – some involving critiquing and
being critiqued – have increased my confidence in my abilities. And increased confidence can
only result in better writing.

I’m no longer in that scary, lonely, place. Now I have people I can tell when I make a sale.
People who are pleased for me – and who share their own successes, too.

The writing community – real or virtual – is a great thing to be a part of.

Above all, the generosity of writing friends is endless. They’ll spend time reading my work
and tell me straight if the story isn’t working. They’ll help me to find solutions to problems
that I might not see a way out of. They’ll talk about my characters as though they’re real
people. They cheer me on when I’m feeling down and talk me out of it when I’m ready to
give it all up. And, they’ll share contact details, submission guidelines – and shout if they
notice something they think might benefit my career.

Most of all, they cheer loudest of all when I place a piece of writing. At last, someone to tell
who actually cares.

Even if I haven’t met most of them in real life, these are real friends. People I turn to first
when thing go wrong – in my writing or in my real life.

And they’ve made a world of difference.

Honestly, the single best thing I’ve done for my writing is to make friends with other writers.

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today. And for the opportunity to write
this post – because it’s made me realise just how lucky I am.

Suzanna on the Web:
Website/Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads





Blurb - Hidden Heartache:



Dr Emma Bradshaw’s life is disrupted when Nick Rudd arrives back in town to take up a post at the GP practice where Emma works. The bad boy attitude is still very much in evidence, but Nick is a doctor now – against the odds – and Emma’s forced to work closely with him. Not so easy to ignore the love of your life when you have to see him on a daily basis. And Nick’s getting perilously close to breaking down the barriers Emma’s built to protect herself from the tragedy in her past.

Nick thought, as a doctor, it would be easy to command respect from the residents of his hometown – and most are pleased to see how well he’s done. But, the one person he wants to impress remains unmoved. Emma is keeping her distance. And she’s changed – the fun loving girl he knew has gone. She’s hiding something big, he’s sure, but she’s not telling. He can’t blame her – he knows he let her down badly in the past. But now he’ll do anything to rekindle the trust and love she once showed him.
Buy Links:
 





22 comments:

  1. Hi Suzanna,
    It's lovely to have you here. I couldn't agree more—the magic of writing friends has helped me through very difficult times. I am blessed to have made so many good friends through what can be a very solitary occupation.

    I love the sound of your book, Hidden Heartache. I really enjoy stories set in the medical world. Good luck with the sales!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for inviting me to join you - and huge apologies for my bad manners in arriving late to reply to comments.

      You are so right - writing friends are a blessing.

      Suzanne/Suzanna x

      Delete
  2. Hi Suzanna,

    Great blog. Writing certainly can be a lonely existence and without my writing friends, like Serena here, and my cyber friends I too would feel isolated. It is a wonderful kinship that we writers have.

    Best wishes

    Margaret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Margaret

      Thank you so much for your comment. And I so agree :0)

      Suzanne/Suzanna

      Delete
    2. Hi Margaret,
      Yes, I also agree. I've made so many wonderful friends through my writing and also my editing, people perhaps I would never have met otherwise. Writers are very generous people. Where else would you find people cheering when their colleague gets a promotion (sells a book)? In most communities, the *colleagues* would be bitter or disappointed. We always celebrate all successes and commiserate when we don't quite make it.

      BTW it's also unusual how we become close friends with people we've never met.

      Delete
  3. Hi Suzanna,
    So true. Writing friends can become the very best of friends and we can share it all with them - real life and the crazy place inside our heads. They understand us. After a tough couple of weeks I thank God for good writing friends like Serena.
    P.S. Your book sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Louise. And I love that phrase 'the crazy place inside our heads' - I think it's a perfect description.

      :0)

      Suzanne/Suzanna

      Delete
    2. Hi Louise,
      You're absolutely right. It's been more than crazy, and having our friends support us is actually what got us through.

      I can't wait to read your book, Suzanna!

      Delete
  4. Hi Serena, Hi Suz,

    Suzanna, I can say for a fact that as a writing friend you are one of the best. You're critiques are usually spot on and the few stories I've sold have benefited hugely from your input. My Indian love story Deepika's Deception is one such story. I don't know if you know that I actually ended up getting it publihsd in India. I'm thinking about trying to have a crack at the Australian market now with it as well as the British market.

    Serena, did I tell you that Suz has sold quite a few stories to THAT'S LIFE in Australia?

    Thanks Serena for hosting Suzanna on your blog this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maria

      Aw, and you're a terrific friend, too.

      Deepika's Deception is such a lovely story - I'm smiling now just thinking about it. And I'm not surprised it was published.

      Suz x

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    2. Hi Maria,
      No, I didn't know that Suzanna has sold to That's Life! I know a few people who read it religiously.

      Good luck with your story, Maria. I liked your article about Clothing where East Meets West (I can't remember the title).

      Delete
  5. Hi Suzzanne!

    Congrats on you rnew release! And you are so right. I've made some great friends online which would probably be for life-long!

    I'm also so thankful to the net and the opportunity to connect with like minded people!

    Thanks to my lovely friend Serena for hosting you today!

    Nas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Nas.

      You're so right - the internet has opened up all sorts of opportunities to meet people.

      And I'm very grateful to Serena - I agree, she is very lovely. :0)

      Suz xx

      Delete
    2. Hi Nas,
      It's always lovely to see you here. And where would we be without our friends or the internet! And now I have a lovely new friend, Suzanna :)

      Delete
  6. Hi, Suz
    I can't imagine now how hard it would be without friends like you.
    I'm sure sharing each other's ups and downs and all the in betweens, cracking the whip and having it cracked, is what keeps writers going.
    Thanks for having such a lovely guest, Serena (she's a great writer as well as a lovely person).
    xxPat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Pat
      Aw, bless you - thank you for lovely words.

      And thank you, Serena, too.

      xx

      Delete
  7. Hi Pat,
    That is so very true. Our writing friends are the ones who prod us when we need it and are always there for the good times and bad. I can see that Suzanna is a lovely person and I will get around to reading her book because it sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you Serena and Suz. What a lovely post from a very lovely writer. I don't know how I didn't go mad in the days before I found the wonderful writing friends I have now. Only other writers seem to really "get" writers :-)

    I've read Hidden Heartache and it is lovely - I couldn't put it down :-) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thank you, Teresa :) And thank you for the lovely words about the book, too. xxx

      Delete
  9. Don't know what I'd do without my writing friends, Suz xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Serena and Suzanne,

    It was interesting to discover I'm not alone in how I feel and the romance writing community are wonderful supportive people.

    Thank you for sharing your story.

    Cheers,
    Margaret

    ReplyDelete