Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Susette Williams Never Meets a Stranger

Welcome Miners. You most likely don't recognize my name as I'm new to the Diamond Mine and this is my first official post. I'm thrilled to join the team and introduce you to some great reads.

So, without, further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Susette Williams. As a fellow hopeless romantic, I have to ask how you met your husband?

My husband and I actually met in a donut shop and actually went on to start our own. We were only twenty years old! I can’t imagine many twenty year olds doing the things we did at that age.

My husband likes to tell people about when he first asked me out. He said, “If I wasn’t so shy, I’d ask you out.” My response, “Huh?” Yep, I didn’t hear exactly what he said so he had to repeat himself. We still laugh about that to this day.

With six children to care for, how do you find time to write?

If anyone tells you it gets easier when your children get older—they’re lying! I started writing when our twins were ten months old—they turned nineteen this year and it has not gotten any easier trying to find time (or peace and quiet) to write. Stress is probably a bigger inhibitor of writing, and we’ve been under a lot of stress. (Two family members in the house in walking boots, one recovering from a broken bone, the other still recovering from surgery he had in January; and my second grandchild is due shortly. There’s more stress than this, but you get the picture, it all adds up and can be mentally taxing!)

[Side note, Susette and her family could use prayers while they've got so much happening right now]

In the beginning of your Mail Order Brides collection, you mention you and your husband ran a bakery in House Springs, MO (the setting for the books) for more than eighteen years. As a fan of sweets, I have to ask, have you shared recipes in any of your books?

The recipes I have shared in my Amish books were not from the bakery, except for maybe the crumb topping I use for apple pies. We have experienced some odd things over the years in the bakery. We had a person come through the drive thru on a horse, a plane land on the highway and taxi into our parking lot (they came in and got a cup of coffee), and we had a car drive into the building (nobody got hurt thankfully).

You’ve written several different genres—historical, Amish, cozy mysteries, contemporary, and children. In addition to writing, what is your research process? And do have a preference or favorite genre?

I have a wide interest, which is evident by the various genres I write… and have yet to write, but will get around to one day! Some of the things my children went through, did, or said, inspired story ideas for children’s books.

Historical was actually a genre I thought I would never write, but researching information about the city I grew up in (St. Louis) and hearing the locals talking about the area I moved to after marriage, intrigued me.

I struggle with the fact that I want to write so many different things, but unfortunately, I can’t write it all fast enough!

Your mother, husband, and children say you’ve never met a stranger. What’s one of the more unique initial meetings you’ve had? I won’t even ask which book it ended up in.

My husband and I went out to eat yesterday and he said the server needed a good tip because we didn’t know his life story. He then told me I was going to eventually give up writing and become an interrogator if I kept getting detailed information about people’s lives.

I can’t think of anything specific that is unique. Although, my husband had a wrong number phone call from someone whose house was on fire. He got them away from their home on the phone and drove to find their house to make sure they were safe. The police and fireman weren’t too sure about how or why he ended up there. Sometimes God puts us in situations to be there or to pray for a person. I had a wrong number this past week in which I was able to pray for a situation the person and their loved one was going through. I’m trying to be better at asking God to show me what I am supposed to do or learn in different situations. Sometimes it is harder to focus on others when we are going through storms in our own life, but often that is when God has something for us to learn or do, which may just be being available to meet someone else’s needs. When you’re giving and doing, the weight of your own burdens is lifted it seems.

I enjoy books that make me smile at parts because my dad has a healthy sense of humor. There were several scenes in your Mail Order Brides collection that made me laugh. My favorite was how Caleb obtained his bride. I’m sure there is a lot of laughter in your home, but have you used some of those experiences in your books?

My sense of humor has come back to bite me, because my children can be just as ornery. I love making people laugh, even if it is at me. I told hubby,  my next profession will be a stand-up comedian. LOL

Since you didn’t mention Maid for Murder, I’ll assume you haven’t read that book yet. That was probably the most fun book I have written because I got to let loose on my humor. I read a book one day that I loved, but it had a couple questionable scenes, that I threw the book away and couldn’t recommend it to anybody. I told myself that one day I wanted to write a book that would have readers feeling so embarrassed for the character that they would have a hard time reading. Bailey was my attempt, and to be honest, I still didn’t make it as zany as I had hoped.

Is there one of your characters you relate to more than the others? One that has some of your characteristics or likes and dislikes?

Bailey [from Maid to Murder: Deadly Business]! I used to be bad with the sarcastic comments and one-line zingers. I’ve actually mellowed over the years. While I do have plans to write some more serious books, I think you will usually see a hint of humor somewhere. In one book I still have to finish, the humor comes from a secondary character. While things in life may be serious or solemn at times, not ‘all’ the people around you are in the same mindset, so I don’t think it should be that way in books either. Humor has helped us to get through some really rough times in life.

Thank you for spending time with us today, Susette. I enjoyed reading your Mail Order Brides collection and look forward to delving into some of your other books. It's been a pleasure getting to know you.

Susette Williams is the mother of six, and has been married to her husband for 32 years in September. She loves writing various genres; anything from romance, mystery, and suspense to name a few. She usually can't resist the urge to let her ornery sense of humor shine through in one of her characters and has always believed that laughter helps you deal with the obstacles life puts in your way.

Connect with Susette:

AuthorSusette Williams
AmazonAuthor Page

Don't miss out on the Kindle Countdown Deal (Aug 26-27) and get the Mail Order Brides Collection for only $0.99. Four brides for four brothers in four novellettes. Here's a peek at the first story in the collection:

Jessie’s Bride ~ Book 1

Jessie Kincaid doesn’t plan to follow in his three older brothers’ footsteps, which seems to include being bachelors. There might be twice as many men as women in their town, but there are still other ways to go about finding, or competing, for a wife.

Jessie begins writing Sarah Engle in hopes that she will become his mail order bride. Even though there are miles between them, he feels connected to her. He sends her money, along with a stage coach ticket, to come see him so that they can be married.

Not everyone is happy with their decision to wed. When the preacher said, till death do you part, did he mean literally? Or can a mail order bride and her groom truly have a happily ever after ending?

Posted by Suzie Waltner at 6:30 AM Labels: Amazon, Amish fiction, children, Christian Fiction, Family, Historical Christian Fiction, Historical Christian Romance, Humor, Mail Order Brides, marriage, self-publishing Susette, so glad you could stop by the Mine! Welcome! We're so pleased you're here.
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