Susan Ann Mason Talks About Irish Meadows

I met Susan Anne Mason earlier this year at a writer’s conference and she shared with me how entering a writing contest led to her debut historical fiction manuscript being published by Bethany House. They were so impressed with her work that they offered her a three book deal! She is a talented author and you will want to keep your eye out for this trilogy in the “Courage to Dream” series.

Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance sprinkled with faith.” She particularly enjoys exploring the themes of forgiveness and redemption in her stories. Irish Meadows is her first historical novel and won the Fiction from the Heartland contest sponsored by the Mid-American Romance Authors chapter of RWA. Susan lives outside Toronto, Ontario, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

Q: When you are writing, what treat do you like to keep you going?
Susan:Herbal Tea and Almonds (or M&M peanuts if handy!)

Q: Tell me about why / how you chose the genre you write in and what about it appeals to you?
Susan: I once said I’d never write historicals — too much research! But in 2007, I started investigating my family’s roots to find out more about my mother’s side of the family. The Ancestry website became almost an obsession with me. I became addicted to the thrill of solving mysteries. During this time, I pieced together some amazing stories, and added my own imagination to some of the facts I found. I ended up writing my first historical romance. The next book after that was “Irish Meadows”!

Q: If you were to pick one character out of your books that could materialize and become a real live person, a friend, who would it be and why. (Please state which book the character comes from)
Susan: I think it would be Maggie Montgomery. She is Rylan Montgomery’s sister, whom we meet near the end of “Irish Meadows” when Rylan travels home to Ireland. Maggie is the heroine in my next book, “A Worthy Heart”. She is spunky and kind and very loyal. Plus I love listening to anyone with an Irish accent!

Q: Please give us one fun fact about yourself.
Susan: I studied French in University and used to be a translator at Nortel. But please don’t ask me to speak it now!

www.susanannemason.com