I try to give my stories an uplifting feel by bringing God’s hope...

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN ANNE MASON

BY AGNES A. ROSE

Susan Anne Mason is a Canadian author who writes romance novels with a spiritual leaning to them. Her objective is to create heartwarming stories about forgiveness and redemption. She was always a reader and a writer and those two activities were part of her life for as long as she can remember. She got her start as a teenager. Although her first novel was rejected, the author did not give up. Over thirty years later, she took up the craft again and finally got published! Susan lives in a suburb near Toronto, where she works part-time as a church secretary. She is a wife and the mother of two amazing kids, and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In addition to writing, she likes to scrapbook and to research her family history on-line. So far five of her books have been published in Poland. These are THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES (IRISH MEADOWS, A WORTHY HEART and LOVE’S FAITHFUL PROMISE), A MOST NOBLE HEIR and THE BEST OF INTENTIONS which is the first part of THE CANADIAN CROSSINGS SERIES.

Agnes Anne Rose: Susan, I am very honored that you accepted my invitation to take part in this interview and now I can talk to you. In September your book THE BEST OF INTENTIONS was released in Poland. As I mentioned above, this novel is the first part of THE CANADIAN CROSSINGS SERIES. Could you tell us something more about the book and the whole series?

Susan Anne Mason: Hi Agnes! It’s so nice to meet you. The Canadian Crossing books came about because I wanted a series where the books weren’t so tightly linked. I adored the Courage to Dream series, but I felt those books needed to be read in order which is hard for some readers. So the Canadian Crossings series is about three people who meet on a ship crossing from England to Canada, and each book is one person’s story, not directly linked to the other.

The Best of Intentions is about Grace Abernathy who is coming to find her widowed sister, Rose and her infant son. Grace plans to convince Rose to come back to England with her, but everything changes when she is met with tragic news, and she becomes determined to make sure her nephew, Christian, is safe. Grace uses an assumed name to secure the positon of Christian’s nanny and moves into the Easton estate. In the course of her new job, she is shocked to find herself falling in love with Andrew Easton, the boy’s guardian. Unfortunately, Andrew is engaged to a spoiled socialite who is sure to make a terrible stepmother for Christian. Grace has to try her best to protect her nephew. . . and her heart.

AAR: THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES tells the story of the Irish O’Leary family. Just like the above novel series, this one is also included in historical fiction. What inspired you to write about people from Ireland? Was it your Irish roots on both sides of your family tree?

SAM: You’re right, Agnes! My Irish heritage was a big part of wanting to write about an Irish family. In addition, I’ve always loved family sagas. One series that I loved as a teen was THE THORNBIRDS, a novel about an Irish family who move to Australia. It was a televised mini-series in Canada, and every week I waited to find out what was happening with Meggie. Some of the elements in that series inspired me for IRISH MEADOWS.  

AAR: Which of your Irish characters is closest to you and why?

SAM: My favorite character was Rylan Montgomery, but I would say I felt closest to Brianna O’Leary. As a young woman, I was a lot like her – quiet, intimidated by authority figures, and always wanting to please the people around me. So Brianna’s journey to finding herself and finding the ability to stand up for herself was one I could really relate to.

AAR: I read on the Internet that it took you a decade before you got published IRISH MEADOWS. Why?

SAM: That’s a complicated question! I was starting writing again for fun when my children were young, never really intending to get published. It took over two years to write one book (which was terrible, by the way). Then I discovered the Toronto Romance Writers, began to attend seminars, and got immersed in the writing world. Before that, I had felt totally alone, not knowing any other writers. I began to learn more about the craft of writing until my work was good enough to win a writing contest and gain the attention of a Bethany House editor who offered me a three book contract!

This is the Polish edition of THE COURAGE TO DREAM SERIES
Published by DREAMS
Translated by Anna Pliś

AAR: A few weeks ago I read A MOST NOBLE HEIR. I was very impressed with this book. I think that this is the most beautiful book combined Christian values and ordinary human life. What made you write this novel?

SAM: I actually got the idea while doing ancestor research. I learned that my great-great grandfather worked as a groom in the stables of a wealthy English family whose estate was called Stainsby House. After a little more research, I found that he married one of the kitchen maids from the estate and this got me imagining what their love story might have looked like. I thought it would be fun to write a story where the characters were married early in the book (instead of a romance where the couple doesn’t get together until the end), but had to find a way to keep the conflict up between the two. And what better way than to have the stable boy become the heir!

AAR: Why do you combine Christian values with the plot of your stories?

This is the Polish edition of
A MOST NOBLE HEIR
Published by DREAMS
Translated by Elżbieta Zawadowska

SAM: I try to give my stories an uplifting feel by bringing God’s hope and unconditional love to the world. It’s wonderful when a reader sends me a message saying that my words spoke to her and gave her hope about a situation in her life. I find that very rewarding.

AAR: As I mentioned above, your first novel that you wrote as a teenager was rejected. Could you tell us what happened to this book?

SAM: Nothing! It’s up on a high shelf in my closet with that rejection letter! I started it when I was twelve and finished it when I was about 15. It was really a big mess but a great learning experience!

AAR: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

SAM: Many times I get a kernel of an idea from either my family’s lives or from a newspaper story and then build a plot around that. For instance, in Book 2 of the Canadian Crossings, THE HIGHEST OF HOPES, the story question came from my own grandmother who never knew her parents. Her mother died in childbirth and she was told that her father died of a broken heart. During my research, I discovered that he did not die, and in fact had remarried and had another child. It made me wonder what my grandmother would have done if she ever found out. Would she have gone back to England to find her father and confront him or pretend he didn't exist? So I had my character Emmaline do this when she finds out that her father, who she thought was dead, is very much alive and living in Canada. Emmaline is a feisty woman and of course she crosses the ocean to find him.

AAR: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

SAM: How hard writing really is! And how much work goes into editing and refining the story until it actually comes out in print.

AAR: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

SAM: I don’t hear too often from my readers, but whenever someone takes the time to contact me, I am very touched and make sure I respond to their message. As I said before, the most satisfying thing is to receive a note from someone who has really appreciated the positive message in my books.

AAR: You have also written contemporary romances. I mean THE RAINBOW FALLS SERIES and a book entitled HEALING THE WIDOWER’S HEARTS. None of them has published in Poland yet. Could you tell us a little more about these books?

SAM: These books were published by a small press in the States and I doubt they will be translated. But you never know. They are centered around the residents of a small fictional town called Rainbow Falls in North Dakota. The first heroine, Lily, is running from a troubled past. Her new landlord Nick proves to be an honorable man, something Lily has never experienced before. She has a hard time trusting him, but when she learns he is thinking of becoming a minister, she knows she could never be good enough for him.

HEALING THE WIDOWER’S HEART is a Harlequin book, about a widower and his young son who can’t get past their grief and the young counsellor who helps them heal. That was one of my favorites!

AAR: I am very interested in your writing process. Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process, please.

This is the Polish edition of
THE BEST OF INTENTIONS
Published by Dreams
Translated by Elżbieta Zawadowska

SAM: I would say it’s a combination of both. I have to give my publishers an outline of each book before they offer me a contract. I usually work with my critique partner and we brainstorm story ideas as to what could happen in each book. When I have a rough outline of each story, I send it to my publisher. However… once I start actually writing the story, it becomes more of an intuition thing, and many times my characters refuse to cooperate with my outline. Ha ha! The story usually ends up quite different than what I started out with.

AAR: What were your goals and intentions in your books, and how well do you feel you achieved them? 

SAM: My goal was to bring uplifting stories to people to give them hope for the future. And also to let them know that God loves them no matter what. I also wanted to write wonderful love stories with happy endings! Overall, I feel I have achieved this.

AAR: Are there any stories about people you met while researching your books? Could you share them?

SAM: Most of my research is done on the internet and by touring some cities for my book. I haven’t really met any people. Sorry!

AAR: What is your next project? Are you working on a new book?

SAM: I am working on a new 3-book series which will be titled REDEMPTION’S LIGHT. It is about a young woman in 1941 who wants to open a maternity home for unwed mothers. The first book is called A HAVEN FOR HER HEART and it should come out in the late fall of 2020.  

AAR: Susan, thank you so much for this interesting conversation. Is there anything you would like to add or tell your Polish readers?

SAM: Just that I am most grateful for the love and support I have received from you! I appreciate you all!

If you want to read this interview in Polish, please click here.