Leena Hyat caught up with Susan in March for this interview.

Susan's Bio: When anyone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up I always said, 'Something connected with English and Music.' After having my first books accepted by Harlequin, I can now say that I have been lucky enough to make both those dreams a reality. When I left school I studied Music at the Royal Northern College in Manchester, as well as Trinity College London, and later the University of York. My career as a professional singer was happy and varied, and included many thrilling moments such as singing the Messiah as a member of the BBC Singers under the baton of Sir Charles Groves with the Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra. I was also a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company for two years, and presented the Children's television programme 'Play School'. With my own cabaret act I began to indulge my love of travel and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sail into New York on the QE2. It was during a trip to Malta that I met my husband, Steve, and my life became centred on love, marriage, and children.

Three children later I lost the urge to travel too far from home and became a full-time music teacher. It was when my eldest child, Sara, had a terrible asthma attack in Venice that I felt compelled to put pen to paper in order to share her story with other sufferers and their careers. When Sara's asthma was back under control I still felt the urge to write. It occurred to me that all the wonderful tuition I had received from many dedicated music teachers was basically an aural tradition and could so easily be lost. This propelled me into writing a series of non- fiction music books.

But all the while, and especially when I was writing the harrowing account of Sara's illness, I found myself turning to Romance. Reading and writing romantic stories lifted me more than I can possibly explain, but I never thought of having one published until a chance encounter with Penny Jordan changed everything.

We both attended a costume ball on the theme of Pride and Prejudice, in aid of The East Cheshire Hospice, and Penny had offered this lot in the charity auction that followed the dinner: "Be An Author For A Day. Spend a day with a local author." Already one of Penny's fans, I couldn't believe my eyes, and was thrilled when my husband, Steve, bought the lot for me.

And so Penny and I met. We hit it off immediately and have since become great friends. Penny has been a constant source of encouragement to me. The warmth that comes through her books is a true reflection of the woman who writes them.

So for me only the balance has changed - now I listen to beautiful music whilst writing romance -- definitely a dream come true.

Writerspace: Please tell us about your debut novel, A SPANISH INHERITANCE.

Susan: When I visited the beautiful small Spanish island of Menorca two years ago I really didn't want to leave. That set me wondering-- If I was a young single girl, and the Spanish father I had never met had just left me a large, but crumbling estate facing the Mediterranean with sugar sand beaches, and orange groves clustering around a big old house, what would I do? Knowing nothing about agriculture my first thought would probably be to sell it right away-- But what if I fell in love with island and thought - "Why can't I make a go of it here?' What then, if I met my devastatingly handsome neighbour, Ramon and fell for him too-- but the fresh water I need to restore my orange groves runs across his land. Ramon wants my land and is determined to buy me out. But I've made my mind up to stay - and no-one, not even Ramon is going to drive me away--

Writerspace: I understand prior to becoming a romance author, you were a professional singer. Could you please tell us what made you decide to switch tracks and pursue a career as a writer? And why did you choose romance as your genre?

Susan: You're right Leena, I had a most wonderful career as a professional singer and wrote several non-fiction music books during this time including, "Teach Yourself Singing'. But my crossover to full-time romance writing is the stuff of fairy tales-- I attended a charity event in aid of a local hospice and after dinner there was an auction to raise more money. Imagine my excitement as a romance fan when I read the name Penny Jordan offering herself as one of the lots - "Lot 4 Spend a Day with an Author.'' My wonderful husband, Steve bought this day for me. And yes, I still have that envelope in my study where I can see it now as I write to you.

Writerspace: How long did it take you to become published?

Susan: I met Penny for thefirst time in 1998. We became great friends, and with her encouragement I started to submit manuscripts to Harlequin Mills & Boon. I Got The Call in March 2002

Writerspace: What did it feel like when you got The Call? Do you remember what you were doing and what went through your head when you realized you'd 'made it'?

Susan: Boy, can I remember getting TheCall!! I had a hint from my editor early in March to say she thought this might be the one! Yes, there had been others! She said I would hear for sure the next afternoon. By 3pm on March 10th I was wrapped in a blanket curled up in a miserable mess having just eaten a whole box of chocolates.I was so excited when I grabbed the phone I squished all the remaining chocolates in my hand all over it- it hasn't recovered yet

Writerspace: Let's talk about the delicious hunk in your novel, Ramon di Crianza Perez! What or who inspired his character?

Susan: Ramon-- all I can say Leena is, you should have been with me twenty five years ago this May 1st when I met my husband on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta! I had a professional singing engagement there and some people who had heard me sing before brought Steve along- but Monday was my night off! We met on Monday, by Friday we were engaged and three months later we were married - and yes, Head Office keep asking me to write that one-- but I wonder whether it's just too fantastic to be credible!

Writerspace: When it comes to research, do you make it a point to travel to the destination in which you base your stories? Or is your research done mainly via reference books and the Internet? How much time do you put aside for this purpose with each book?

Susan: I do a lot of research for each book. But as much as I use the Internet and reference books there is nothing quite the same as visiting a place.

Writerspace: What comes to you first, the character(s) or the plot? When you have the first, where do you go from there? Is there a specific process you follow to flesh out your story, or do you just let it come to you bit by bit as you write?

Susan: Stories come to me in different ways-- a snatch of conversation, a newspaper article, someone I see or hear about. There is only one constant and that is a very detailed synopsis once I have the story worked out in my head - that's not to say that sometimes the characters don't take over from me and work out their own destiny!

Writerspace: Now that you've crossed the threshold into the world of published authors, when you look back on your journey to get to this point, is there anything you would have done differently if you had known all you know now about the business?

Susan: The only thing I would have done differently now that I am published is to have worked with a detailed synopsis from book one. It's so easy to get side-tracked-- there are so many possible paths you can take in a story, and if you think about it carefully before you start to write you can work out which paths are the best.

Writerspace: What satisfies you about your writing?

Susan: Everything satisfies me about my writing. It is a passion for me. I love the way romance brings women together. We feel the same, we share the same emotions, it is a real sisterhood. So whether I'm reading one of my fellow authors' books, or writing one of my own - I just love it.

Writerspace: How do you handle life's interruptions?

Susan: I couldn't write without life's interruptions- what would I have to write about? I love people and always have time for my three children and my husband and my pets, as well as friends - both those of long-standing, and the many new friends I've made through writing.

Writerspace: What was the best piece of advice you ever received in terms of your writing career?

Susan: The best piece of advice I received was from Penny Jordan, my good friend and mentor. She told me to "read, read, read, and never give up.

Writerspace: What advice would you like to impart to aspiring writers today?

Susan: My advice to new writers endorses Penny's, and I would also say, praise is great, we all need it, but criticism can be helpful too. I know it stings - but, even if you think someone is just taking a poke at you for no good reason, ask yourself, do their comments hold a grain of truth that can help me? (You don't have to tell them they helped!) And finally, don't try and reinvent the wheel unless you're quite sure you have a ground-breaking idea- in other words, research your intended market properly

Writerspace: What are you working on at the moment and what can readers of Harlequin Presents expect from you in the next two years?

Susan: I'm just finishing a book about two doctors working on an immunisation programme in Peru. Xavier is a proud Spanish doctor from a powerful and wealthy family, and my heroine is an English doctor called Sophie. They are both intensely strong and passionate characters and clash head on from the word go. But they both have a past full of pain and only they can help each other-- In summer 2003, THE FRENCH COUNT'S MISTRESS tells the story of a determined young woman who means to open a guest house on the estate of a French aristocrat whatever he thinks about it! And for Christmas, a real fairy tale romance between an Italian Prince and a young lawyer called Emily, THE ITALIAN PRINCE'S PROPOSAL... Prince Allessandro is hot stuff- and then some! But you'll need a large box of chocs, and some tissues too!

Writerspace: Susan, thanks so much for taking time to chat with me about A SPANISH INHERITANCE. I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly looking forward to your next release!

Susan: Leena, thank you so muchfor giving me this opportunity to speak to your readers-- as you know I'm coming to the USA in the summer and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible!

Writerspace: Susan will be visiting ~

New York-- 16th July - 19th July
Tucson--20th July - 27th July
San Diego-- 29th July - 4th August
San Francisco--5th August - 7th August