One of my all time favourite Christams themed books is Snowfall over Halesmere house by Suzanne Snow which I recently reviewed. Suzanne lives with her husband in Lancashire, her son is about to move to university to study teaching. Until very recently they had a gorgeous English Pointer called Piper and they were devastated to lose her over the summer at the of age 14. She was the inspiration for Prim in Snowfall Over Halesmere House.
Suzanne is about to start edits for the second Love in the Lakes book, which is Lizzie and Cal’s story about a second chance at first love, and she is continuing to write the third book. Both of these will be published in 2023. I personally am very excited for that! Her social media links and links to purchase her books are at the end of the interview.
How did you get started with writing books?
I adored reading as a child and by the time I was around eight, I already knew I wanted to write my own books and began with short stories about adventurous girls and their ponies. As I grew up, I was always drawn to romance, and I love to write about couples finding their way to happy new beginnings. I’m very grateful to everyone who helps get my books out in the world and still have “pinch-me” moments that it's actually happened. Eight-year-old me would be thrilled!
Are any scenes in the books based on real life events?
Yes, in the sense that I regularly visit events such as country shows, sports, open gardens etc, so readers will find variations of these. One example is the Helvellyn triathlon in A Summer of Second Chances, which the character of Ben is training for whilst he stays in Thorndale. It’s an extraordinary race and I was at the finish to see these amazing athletes complete their feat of endurance. My books are inspired by a love of landscape, romance and rural life and these themes always find their way into my writing. Personal events that happen to my characters are always fictional, although of course they are ones that do occur in daily life. A lot of my character research is based on creating a full life history and understanding what has happened to them in the past to bring them to the point at which readers find them. I do sometimes borrow stories for my characters, such one I heard about a man who was known for running his vehicles on fumes and this found its way into A Summer of Second Chances in the character of Edwin, who is a farmer and entirely fictitious.
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
Good question! I often have a strong sense of an actor for some of my characters, and I think Emilia Clarke would be brilliant as Daisy in A Summer of Second Chances, playing opposite Tom Burke as Ben. In Snowfall Over Halesmere House I imagine James Norton playing Max, with Jessie Buckley as Ella. You can tell I’ve thought about it!
What is your favorite childhood book?
I loved anything to do with ponies and also read a lot of Enid Blyton, which fired my imagination. My favourite book of hers was The Folk of the Faraway Tree and I still have that battered old copy on my shelves.
What other books have you had published?
My first series was Welcome to Thorndale, four books set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. They can be read as standalones but in order they are The Cottage of New Beginnings, The Garden of Little Rose, A Summer of Second Chances, and A Country Village Christmas, all published by Canelo. Snowfall Over Halesmere House was published on 18th August and is book one in Love in the Lakes.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Usually with a glass of wine and a sense of relief that it’s all come together and I’m happy with it. At that point I’m planning the next book or series so it’s a bit of time off writing to do lots of thinking. A visit to a beautiful garden and time with my family always helps!
How do you select the names of your characters?
Lots of googling, plus plenty of thinking and imagining who my characters are and what’s happened to them. Sometimes the name just seems right and it’s easy, and with others I have changed their names after I’ve started writing. All of my male main characters have three letter names, which is something I began by accident with Jon in The Cottage of New Beginnings, and I’ve carried the theme into every book since. I’m writing the third Love in the Lakes book now and the characters are called Rose and Leo.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I retrained as horticulturist a few years ago and spent five seasons planting redesigned gardens. If I wasn’t writing I would go back to that, although maybe more planning gardens rather than planting them now as it’s very tough physically. Working outdoors was a joy, even when the weather refused to cooperate. I helped plant a gold medal-winning show garden, which was equal in terms of hard work, fun and satisfaction.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I had to think long and hard about this one as there are so many with whom I’d love to spend a day! I’ve chosen Hilary Mantel because her Thomas Cromwell books are so brilliant, and I’d love to listen to her talk about the Tudor period and have her bring Cromwell to life for me. We share a birthday so perhaps we could celebrate together and talk history!
Do you have a message for your readers?
The Romance genre has wonderful readers and I’d love to just say thank you! For reading my books, getting in touch with me and sharing my writing with friends and family. When I began The Cottage of New Beginnings, I always hoped to have readers one day and they’re such an important part of my writing life. It’s a pleasure to write stories that help readers feel happy and hopeful.
Subscribers to my mailing list can download an alternative opening chapter to Snowfall Over Halesmere House, and enter my monthly reader offer. For readers who love romance and going behind the books, I host regular author chats in my Snowed In Facebook group and there is also a Snowed In page on my website for bonus content and epilogues.
Thanks very much for inviting me to answer your questions, Lauren, it was a lot of fun and maybe one day I’ll actually get to meet Hilary Mantel!
Facebook page
Facebook group
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Her books can be found here on Amazon
Thank you so much for the fantastic interview, it's been great getting to know you!
I adored reading as a child and by the time I was around eight, I already knew I wanted to write my own books and began with short stories about adventurous girls and their ponies. As I grew up, I was always drawn to romance, and I love to write about couples finding their way to happy new beginnings. I’m very grateful to everyone who helps get my books out in the world and still have “pinch-me” moments that it's actually happened. Eight-year-old me would be thrilled!
Are any scenes in the books based on real life events?
Yes, in the sense that I regularly visit events such as country shows, sports, open gardens etc, so readers will find variations of these. One example is the Helvellyn triathlon in A Summer of Second Chances, which the character of Ben is training for whilst he stays in Thorndale. It’s an extraordinary race and I was at the finish to see these amazing athletes complete their feat of endurance. My books are inspired by a love of landscape, romance and rural life and these themes always find their way into my writing. Personal events that happen to my characters are always fictional, although of course they are ones that do occur in daily life. A lot of my character research is based on creating a full life history and understanding what has happened to them in the past to bring them to the point at which readers find them. I do sometimes borrow stories for my characters, such one I heard about a man who was known for running his vehicles on fumes and this found its way into A Summer of Second Chances in the character of Edwin, who is a farmer and entirely fictitious.
If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
Good question! I often have a strong sense of an actor for some of my characters, and I think Emilia Clarke would be brilliant as Daisy in A Summer of Second Chances, playing opposite Tom Burke as Ben. In Snowfall Over Halesmere House I imagine James Norton playing Max, with Jessie Buckley as Ella. You can tell I’ve thought about it!
What is your favorite childhood book?
I loved anything to do with ponies and also read a lot of Enid Blyton, which fired my imagination. My favourite book of hers was The Folk of the Faraway Tree and I still have that battered old copy on my shelves.
What other books have you had published?
My first series was Welcome to Thorndale, four books set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. They can be read as standalones but in order they are The Cottage of New Beginnings, The Garden of Little Rose, A Summer of Second Chances, and A Country Village Christmas, all published by Canelo. Snowfall Over Halesmere House was published on 18th August and is book one in Love in the Lakes.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Usually with a glass of wine and a sense of relief that it’s all come together and I’m happy with it. At that point I’m planning the next book or series so it’s a bit of time off writing to do lots of thinking. A visit to a beautiful garden and time with my family always helps!
How do you select the names of your characters?
Lots of googling, plus plenty of thinking and imagining who my characters are and what’s happened to them. Sometimes the name just seems right and it’s easy, and with others I have changed their names after I’ve started writing. All of my male main characters have three letter names, which is something I began by accident with Jon in The Cottage of New Beginnings, and I’ve carried the theme into every book since. I’m writing the third Love in the Lakes book now and the characters are called Rose and Leo.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I retrained as horticulturist a few years ago and spent five seasons planting redesigned gardens. If I wasn’t writing I would go back to that, although maybe more planning gardens rather than planting them now as it’s very tough physically. Working outdoors was a joy, even when the weather refused to cooperate. I helped plant a gold medal-winning show garden, which was equal in terms of hard work, fun and satisfaction.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I had to think long and hard about this one as there are so many with whom I’d love to spend a day! I’ve chosen Hilary Mantel because her Thomas Cromwell books are so brilliant, and I’d love to listen to her talk about the Tudor period and have her bring Cromwell to life for me. We share a birthday so perhaps we could celebrate together and talk history!
Do you have a message for your readers?
The Romance genre has wonderful readers and I’d love to just say thank you! For reading my books, getting in touch with me and sharing my writing with friends and family. When I began The Cottage of New Beginnings, I always hoped to have readers one day and they’re such an important part of my writing life. It’s a pleasure to write stories that help readers feel happy and hopeful.
Subscribers to my mailing list can download an alternative opening chapter to Snowfall Over Halesmere House, and enter my monthly reader offer. For readers who love romance and going behind the books, I host regular author chats in my Snowed In Facebook group and there is also a Snowed In page on my website for bonus content and epilogues.
Thanks very much for inviting me to answer your questions, Lauren, it was a lot of fun and maybe one day I’ll actually get to meet Hilary Mantel!
Facebook page
Facebook group
Website
Her books can be found here on Amazon
Thank you so much for the fantastic interview, it's been great getting to know you!
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