posted on July 31, 2014 by Susan Wiggs

Something Old Is New Again

by Susan Wiggs

The Lily and the LeopardBack in 1990 or so, I was homeless. Not without a roof over my head, but without a publishing house. I had published several books, but had no publisher for my newest endeavor.

I was in love with the idea, though, and determined to see it though, publisher or no. I had this vision for a passionate historical romance set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses.

In due time, THE LILY AND THE LEOPARD was published, and published well. The cover art looked great–remember “step-back” covers with the illustration inside?–reviews were good, and readers responded to the star-crossed Liana, a French noblewoman, and Rand, the English knight.

The Mistress of NormandyI’m happy to let you know that the book is back in print. It’s got a new title, THE MISTRESS OF NORMANDY, and new cover art. Fans of GAME OF THRONES will feel a nudge of familiarity with the houses of Lancaster and York–the real-life inspiration for the rival fantasy families.

Are you a historical romance fan? Game of Thrones fan? Please chime in below, or on Facebook or Twitter to let me know what you think.

One person who comments will a copy of THE MISTRESS OF NORMANDY!

susanwiggs.com


Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs

Using blunt scissors, pages from a Big Chief tablet, a borrowed stapler and a Number Two pencil, Susan Wiggs self-published her first novel at the age of eight. A Book About Some Bad Kids was based on the true-life adventures of Susan and her siblings, and the first printing of one copy was a complete sell-out.

Due to her brother's extreme reaction to that first prodigious effort, Susan went underground with her craft, entertaining her friends and offending her siblings with anonymously-written stories of virtuous sisters and the brothers who torment them. The first romance she ever read was Shanna by the incomparable Kathleen Woodiwiss, which she devoured while slumped behind a college vector analysis textbook. Armed with degrees from SFA and Harvard, and toting a crate of "keeper" books by Woodiwiss, Roberta Gellis, Laurie McBain, Rosemary Rodgers, Jennifer Blake, Bertrice Small and anything with the words "flaming" and "ecstasy" in the title, she became a math teacher, just to prove to the world that she did have a left brain.

Late one night, she finished the book she was reading and was confronted with a reader's worst nightmare--She was wide awake, and there wasn''t a thing in the house she wanted to read. Figuring this was the universe''s way of taking away her excuses, she picked up a Big Chief tablet and a Number Two pencil, and began writing her novel with the working title, A Book About Some Bad Adults. Actually, that was a bad book about some adults, but Susan persevered, learning her craft the way skydiving is learned--by taking a blind leap and hoping the chute will open.

Her first book was published (without the use of blunt scissors and a stapler) by Zebra in 1987, and since then she has been published by Avon, Tor, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Mira and Warner Books. Unable to completely abandon her beloved teaching profession, Susan is a frequent workshop leader and speaker at writers' conferences, including the Romance Writers of America conference, the PNWA and Maui Writers Conference. She won a RITA award in 1994, and her recent novel The Charm School was voted one of RWA's Favorite Books of the Year. She is the proud recipient of several RT awards, the Peninsula RWA's Blue Boa, the Holt Medallion and the Colorado Award of Excellence.

Susan enjoys many hobbies, including sitting in the hot tub while talking to her mother on the phone, kickboxing, cleaning the can opener, sculpting with butter and growing her hair. She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jay, her daughter, Elizabeth, and an Airedale that hasn't been groomed since 1994.

http://www.susanwiggs.com

9 thoughts on “Something Old Is New Again”

  1. Thank you for your books!

  2. Michelle Branting says:

    My favorite, and first, Susan Wiggs book! My copy came from the Stars and Stripes book store on Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Love the story and have re-read it many times. My book is very well worn.

  3. I am enjoying your book called “Apple Orchard”. I would love to have a copy of “The Mistress of Normandy”.

  4. Karen Owens says:

    I am a huge fan of yours! I just saw The Mistress of Normandy was out and was considering purchasing it! 🙂

  5. Jessica says:

    I love the dedication you have to your gift. You have stories you want to share with others and you will do what it takes to get the stories out there. Thank you for sharing your talent.

  6. Virginia Lloyd says:

    Love the fact that you are doing what you started doing at the age of eight! Love your books!

  7. C. Grieve says:

    Thank you for the joy that I find while reading your books. I do not need an escape from life, as mine is quite lovely. However, the moments spent consuming each new release are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your gift.

  8. Shannon Johnston says:

    I adore historical romances! They used to be all I read, but
    “The Firebrand” was the first book I read of yours, I became a big fan and when you went contemporary, I followed along! 🙂 Thanks for broadening my horizon!

  9. Karen Douglas says:

    I believe I read the original book in the 90’s. As I mature, I get to reread lots of my favorite books because I can’t remember, but that title sticks in your mind “The Lily and Leopard”. Just gave “Summer Hideaway” to a friend recuperating from knee surgery. She hasn’t put it down. (I didn’t tell her that it was part of a series. tee hee) Thanks for all your wonderful stories and the good feeling that your books always leave me with.

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