Quick Six with Susan Sey
Woot!!! Susan Sey is visiting today and she’s winding up her Money, Honey! blog tour with us today. Susan’s 
debut is fabulous and Susan herself is so fabulously fun that I’m betting her visit today will make you want to run to the store and get your hands on Money, Honey! Cuz, really, it rocks!!!
Welcome to the Money, Honey Blog tour, in which author Susan Sey celebrates the July 6 release of her debut novel by counting down the Top Ten Most Common Reactions an ill-groomed stay at home mom receives when confessing her secret career as a romance novelist.
Hello, Tawny! It’s lovely to be here with you today, discussing the #1 response —yes, we’ve finally reached the #1 spot!— on my Top Ten list! (If you’re interested in the other nine, feel free to check out www.susansey.com for the details.)
And the #1 response is?
“Romance? Really?” Thoughtful pause. “I’ll bet that’s fun.”
I love this one. And why? Because it *is* fun. It really, truly is.
Now I know this is supposed to be a Quick Six Friday, so I’m going to put all the reasons I love writing romance into six little nuggets. Ready? Here we go:
Writing wardrobe: pjs or sweaty workout clothes?
Um, people have actual workout clothes? They don’t just roll out of bed, throw on their runners & go out for a jog? Oops.Under deadline pressure: Snacks or Caffeine?
Diet Coke, baby. Mainline me.When you fall in love with your own characters: Hero or heroine?
Mmmm, I’m hero-centric, all the way. I enjoy spending time with my girls, of course, but I fall head over heels for my boys. And Patrick, Money, Honey’s hero? He’s something special. I still have a soft spot for him. (Don’t tell my husband.)
Favorite research subject: gorgeous clothes or hot cars?
Oh, it’s the clothes. Undoubtedly. Liz, my heroine in Money, Honey, is a no-nonsense sort of girl. She’s an FBI agent who spends Saturday nights cleaning her gun and watching Star Wars movies on TV but she also has a secret thing for vintage cocktail dresses. My hero is the well-dressed sort himself, & he’s astonished and immensely gratified by Liz’s little secret. He has a lot of fun getting Liz into—and out of—some gorgeous dresses.
Favorite Research Subject, part II: Food or shoes?
Okay, this is toughie but I’m going to go with food. There’s an awesome pair of shoes in Money, Honey but there’s also this scene where Patrick surprises Liz with an intimate dinner for two catered into his suite. Let’s just say researching and choosing the right wine was worth the price of admission for this writer.
Least favorite research subject: Secret Service or FBI?
Secret Service. No question. I’m not a big fan of telephoning strangers but call the FBI office, tell them you’re a writer & they’ll put you right through to their community relations officer. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Call the Secret Service just one little time to ask a few questions about the sort of weapons their agents might carry, & I’m pretty sure you’ll end up on a watch list or two. They call it the SECRET service for a reason, people. Apparently it’s quite secret, & they want to keep it that way.
So how about you? If you could spend a day researching—on somebody else’s dime, of course—one topic, what would it be? Wine? Clothes? Cars? Books? Chocolate? Bread? (I’ve always sort of wanted to work in a bakery, myself. I picture myself as a cupcake queen for some reason.) Offer up your secret ambition, & you could win a copy of Money, Honey for your very own!
Hi, Tawny! Thanks for much for hosting this final stop on my endless blog tour! I’m so looking forward to hearing what people would do with their one day of research on somebody else’s dime!
Hi Susan
I’m so excited you’re visiting and can’t wait to see the responses. I’d love it, too, if you’d tell the readers a little more about Money, Honey!
I don’t have a secret ambition (unless you call wanting to be retired one!), but I enjoy “researching” (for lack of a better word) contests. There are contests for just about everything (including a copy of MONEY, HONEY, which would be a lovely addition to my family — until passed on to my girlfriends, of course)! You DID mention chocolate up above, which made me think that checking out brownies wouldn’t be bad either! My mind is definitely wandering…. I think I’ll go bake some brownies. Thanks!!!
I got to research fabulous resorts that my hero *might* want to whisk the heroine away to — I narrowed it down to two: http://www.haciendadelcerezo.com/ and http://www.lasventanas.com/en/gallery.cfm
Warning: even just visiting those site will risk losing a chunk of time & drool.
Alas, he never takes her (their HEA needs more terra firma than that) and so I can’t go & charge it as a tax deduction. Next time, maybe.
Oh, and I forgot to add — the chilly response you got from the Secret Service has to be down there in the depth of the deep freezer along with the guy I spoke to at Alison Grodner Productions. That’s the company that does Big Brother. I wanted to talk to someone on the production side, but the receptionist made it perfectly clear that was NEVER going to happen.
At least the Secret Service has a national security excuse for its rudeness!
Hey Tawny and Susan — found a few minutes at my dining room table/desk and of course had to say hello! I’m a sucker for the location research. My best trip was one to LA to research a book I was writing about a Hollywood director. Got to visit the set of Grey’s Anatomy and meet Dr. McSteamy. Then I went to Miami to research my faerie book. But hmmm…neither of those books sold…maybe I should give up the traveling? Nah!!
My secret ambition would be to research and review LUXURY hotels around the world!
Hey, Susan and Tawny! Great Quick Six *g*
Let’s see…for my last book I researched homemade truffles which was very enjoyable indeed (although I’m still working on making homemade caramel that doesn’t turn gritty.
For my current book, a few trips to the vineyard are in store but I’d also like to research restaurants. Yes, my research focuses mainly around food and drink
Not surprising, is it? *ggg*
Congrats on the release of Money, Honey!!
I’d like to find out all about wine. Everything from how and where to grow the grapes to selling the finished product. It always looks so fascinating when they show it on television.
Can I research various spas around the world? Someone’s gotta figure out which one is the best!
Laney4 wrote: You DID mention chocolate up above, which made me think that checking out brownies wouldn’t be bad either! My mind is definitely wandering…. I think I’ll go bake some brownies. Thanks!!!
Laney, your mind works about like mine! A to B to hey, did somebody say chocolate??
Hope you enjoyed the brownies, & I hope you get lucky with today’s contest!
Cheryl C wrote: My secret ambition would be to research and review LUXURY hotels around the world!
Nice work if you can get it! Make sure you steer clear of hurricane season!
Beth wrote: For my current book, a few trips to the vineyard are in store but I’d also like to research restaurants. Yes, my research focuses mainly around food and drink
Oh, Beth, you’re my kind of girl! If you need a hand with that vineyard trip, do let me know, won’t you?
Leni wrote: I’d like to find out all about wine. Everything from how and where to grow the grapes to selling the finished product. It always looks so fascinating when they show it on television.
It does, doesn’t it? I don’t know if I have the palate for it, but I’d sure like to try! Are you a wine afficianado now, and if so, do you have a favorite red you’d suggest? I’m stuck in a rut & I’m declasse enough to pick my wine because it has a cute label. Help?
Magdalen wrote: I got to research fabulous resorts that my hero *might* want to whisk the heroine away to — I narrowed it down to two.
Oh. Oh my. I’m…I’m…I think I might be in shock. I want to GO. NOW.
Magdalen also wrote: I wanted to talk to someone on the production side, but the receptionist made it perfectly clear that was NEVER going to happen.
Yeah, sometimes the receptionist is the hardest a$$ in the place. I suppose that’s a good thing if you’re the one who’s after privacy. But as an innocent researcher caught in the cross fire? Ouch.
Though so far I’m still able to get through airport security, even after my little brush with the Secret (and I mean SECRET) service.
Kirsten wrote: My best trip was one to LA to research a book I was writing about a Hollywood director. Got to visit the set of Grey’s Anatomy and meet Dr. McSteamy.
Okay, all I can say is a) don’t ever stop taking these trips, no matter how many books you do or don’t sell. And b) please take me with you.
Jen X wrote: Can I research various spas around the world? Someone’s gotta figure out which one is the best!
Well, of course the world needs this info! Somebody’s got to do the dirty work, why not you?
Congrats on the release, Susan. I think I would enjoy eating desserts and exotic cuisine in the name research.
Oh, books, definitely! I could hook somebody up with some romance recs!
Ooh, chocolate, nice idea. But me, well, I’d love it if someone sent me to the International Space Station, or even more so, Mars. Okay, so I’m no scientist (at least yet, still hoping that’ll change one of these days at my oh so old age of 33), but still, I’m cheap, and I can help out!
Lois
Love all of your answers Susan!! I am a huge fan of the Secret Service as well!! Any guy with a gun usually works for me!!
As for research…..I would love researching the San Juan Islands in Washington. They look gorgeous!!
Jane wrote: I think I would enjoy eating desserts and exotic cuisine in the name research.
A food critic! Why didn’t I think of that? Can you imagine ever getting jaded with being served fabulous food? sigh.
Chelsea B wrote: Oh, books, definitely! I could hook somebody up with some romance recs!
Wouldn’t it be nice to write off those book store bills, too? Business expense, you know.
Lois M wrote: …but still, I’m cheap, and I can help out!
I love this! I’m picture your job application to NASA with a little postie note on the top: “But seriously, you guys, I’m cheap! I could help out! You’ll never know I’m there!”
And trust me, 33 is NOT old. You have plenty of time. Go get that degree, then send us a postcard from outer space.
Laura Cann wrote: As for research…..I would love researching the San Juan Islands in Washington. They look gorgeous!!
Nice choice! I wouldn’t mind knowing more about them myself.
Great answers, but for me it would be my family history… find out so much that I have no clue about… I want to know more about little things I heard about… more details!