Three Sisters
Susan Mallery
Interview:
With more than 25 million books sold worldwide, New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery is known for creating characters who feel as real as the folks next door, and for putting them into emotional, often funny situations readers recognize from their own lives. Susan’s books have made Booklist’s Top 10 Romances list in four out of five consecutive years. RT Book Reviews says, “When it comes to heartfelt contemporary romance, Mallery is in a class by herself.” With her popular, ongoing Fool’s Gold series, Susan has reached new heights on the bestsellers lists and has won the hearts of countless new fans.
Susan grew up in southern California, moved so many times that her friends stopped writing her address in pen, and now has settled in Seattle with her husband and the most delightfully spoiled little dog who ever lived. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com and www.facebook.com/susanmallery.
1) Who would you cast as your main characters if Three Sisters was made into a movie?
Oh, I’m so bad at this game, but I’ll give it a shot. I could see Reese Witherspoon as Deanna, a wife and mom who’s wound a little too tight. Deanna’s life appears perfect from the outside, but that appearance of perfection doesn’t come easily. . . and it doesn’t come without a price. Boston, a fabric artist, should be played by a funky actress with a great depth of emotion. Maybe someone like Toni Colette, but with an American accent. Anne Hathaway could play Andi. She’s smart but sees herself as the family screw-up, and she has an amazing capacity for love. I think Anne Hathaway has the right combination of intelligence, heart, and vulnerability.
2) To celebrate your Blackberry Island Novel series, you’ve created a whole menu of sweet and savory dishes that include blackberries. Why blackberries? And how do you come up with so many delicious recipes?
Blackberries are abundant in Washington, so Blackberry Island seemed like a natural fit. And once the island was named, the theme of the recipes was a no-brainer.
My assistant and I both come up with recipes and then we test them for each other. At one point, her husband said, “Couldn’t she have named it Red Meat Island?” I sent them a box of Omaha Steaks.
3) You’re stranded on a desert island (perhaps an undiscovered island off the coast of Seattle?) and you only have three books in your suitcase, what are they?
Can I bring three pads of paper and a box of pencils, instead? I have more stories in my head than I can find time to write. I could entertain myself and the monkeys for years! (If I’m going to be stranded on a desert island, I want it to be somewhere tropical.)
4) Three Sisters is the second book in the Blackberry Island Novel series. Do you sometimes find yourself beginning to write the next book before you finish the one on which you’re working? If so, what do you do to remember all your ideas?
With my writing schedule, I always have several books at different stages of production. I have the one I’m writing, one I’m editing, one or more that I’m plotting, and one that is fully plotted and ready to be written. And of course, one that I’m promoting, which I wrote about a year before it came out. It’s a very odd way to live, with part of my brain in the future at all times. You know how in January, you sometimes write the previous year’s date? Well, I sometimes write next year’s date!
I create a file for each story as soon as the concept exists. Then, whenever I have an idea, I can put it in the file and let it go, which allows me to re-focus on the book I’m writing.
5) What’s next for the Blackberry Island Series?
I’ve finished writing the final book of the Blackberry Island trilogy, which will be out next year. It’s so much fun – Nina’s dating dry spell is about to be broken by two guys.