SUSAN JOHNSON
An Interview with Susan Johnsonby Mary T. Knibbe Sr.
I first met best selling author, Susan Johnson nearly twenty years ago. I was a reader, she was a new writer of romance. Since that time, it has been my great pleasure to know her as a person and friend. Please come along with me on this interview and meet the Susan Johnson I know.
Q. What made you decide to become a writer and why romance?
A. One evening, I was lying in bed reading a romance that was turning out to be wretched. My husband was watching TV beside me. In my frustration, I said, "How did this book get published?" He replied, "If you think you're so smart, why don't you write one?"Q. Do you work from an outline? I know you write your love scenes separately from the main story, but why?The reason I chose a romance was because I wanted to write about my favorite kind of hero. Additionally, I wished to invent a heroine that appealed to me. I had purely selfish motives.
A. I don't work from an outline. Generally, I start with a hero and heroine, a date in time, usually a country and go from there. There have been books that have started with an image: BLAZE, dark skin against light; PURE SIN, a man resisting a seductive woman; SILVER FLAME, a blizzard scene with a dying man.Q. How many hours a day do you write?The reason I write the love scenes separately most of the time is because they're really slow to write and since I need a sense of rapid progress to keep me motivated. I work on the story first. The love scenes are fun to do, but like choreography, require great attention to detail and a different concentration and creative energy.
A. About four, although I have every intention of working longer.Q. How do you discipline yourself to stick to a schedule?
A. Money, of course. It's my greatest motivator.Q. How long does it take to write a book or a story in an anthology?
A. A book, about four to six months; an anthology about one to two months. These are relative time frames because I love the research and at times, it's more fun to do that than to actually sit down and write.Q. You really do enjoy the research?
A. I love it. It's my own divine and spiritual realm of happiness.Q. Your books are well known for being very sensual and erotic. Why do you write this type of book?
A. It's my preference in romance stories. And while I adore Georgette Heyer, I was frustrated by the lack of anything more than a kiss between her fabulous heroes and heroines. I determined to offer those who like hotter romances another opinion.Q. How do you respond to any criticism that your books are mainly erotica, with little relationship between the hero and heroine?
A. Au contraire, I think they have a very intense relationship. They just happen to be people with powerful libidos. I'm not so sure erotica is necessarily a condemnation.Q. How much input does your editor and publisher have in determining the sensuality level in your books?
A. They tone me down occasionally.Q. Each person has their own definition of "sexy." In your opinion, what isn't sexy?
A. A polyester leisure suit.Q. Is there any subject you won't write about and if so, why?
A. None.Q. Where do you see yourself as fitting into the spectrum of romance writers?
A. On the hot end.Q. Do you see yourself as advancing the genre?
A. In terms of offering a style distinct from sweet romances...yes.Q. Would you address the subjects of adultery and rape? So many readers are opposed to both. How do you justify this?
A. If it's necessary to the historical context of the story, it has to be included. And, if one has any sense of history, you can't always sanitize the reality of the past or the present for that matter. I write about the aristocracy and if adultery had been taboo, centuries of nobles wouldn't have had anything to do with their leisure time. It was and is a fact of life. As for rape, I generally avoid the subject, but on occasion, it might be alluded to if the story requires it.Q. You seem to favor old Russia as a locale. Is there a reason?
A. My maternal grandmother was from Karelia, Finland, a grand duchy of Russia at the time. She was a nursemaid for a Russian aristocrat before she married and emigrated. When I began my first book, SEIZED BY LOVE, a story based loosely on my great-grandmother's love affair, the setting naturally was Karelia. As I began researching the area, I fell in love with the fascinating and exotic culture of Tsarist Russia.Q. You always provide such detailed facts about your work. Why is this so important to you?
A. I dislike stories with characters set in some amorphous time frame with the heroine wearing "a blue dress," for instance. As an art historian, I really enjoy all the nuances of what we call minor arts, furniture, costumes, silver, jewelry, etc. For me, it makes the story come alive and the characters more real.Q. Do you enjoy writing sequels?
A. I never intend to write a sequel, but the characters appear as my stories end and insist on being heard. It wouldn't be polite to ignore them.Q. Do you ever feel that your characters write their own story or intrude while you're trying to write their story? If so, how do you maintain control?
A. My characters do write their own stories. I'm just along for the ride. And, thank God, since I never know what I'm going to write every day. I think the important thing to realize is that I don't want control. There's control people and pleasers. I'm a pleaser.Q. Why did you decide to write anthologies, and why are you writing more of them lately?
A. When asked to write an anthology, the money was interesting and it wouldn't take long to write. I'm the laziest writer on the face of the earth, so quickness appeals to me. I'm writing more because I was asked to do the anthologies, and once I began working more I discovered I was less inundated with the guilt I used to feel thinking, "Gee, I should really start that book, the deadline is a week away."Q. Which of your books was the most difficult to write?
A. None were difficult although I had to learn how to do he said, she said in my first book.Q. Which of your books was the most fun to write.
A. I always like my newest hero. I'm a serial bigamist.Q. Do you have a favorite book, or hero, that you've created?
A. Some of my favorites are the Duc de Vec, Sinjin St. John, Andre Duras, Kit Braddock and their stories, of course.Q. In your opinion, what qualities should a hero always have?
A. Tenderness, understanding, a strong sense of self and a willingness to take on the world.Q. In turn, what qualities should a hero never have?
A. Being short. I'm tall. You see how personal this business is.Q. Have you ever considered writing a book about a virgin hero?
A. I thought about it briefly, decided it would be hard for me to sustain that kind of innocence in a hero.Q. Do you feel that your readers identify more with your heroines than the heroes?
A. I adore my heroes and like my heroines. I can't speak for others.Q. Do you have specific men in mind when you create your heroes?
A. No, my heroes are all personal selections from my imagination.Q. What was the biggest mistake you made as a writer when you were first beginning?
A. I didn't find an agent; didn't realize I needed one and my first contract had an option clause written for the benefit of the publisher. One quickly learns.Q. How has your writing style evolved over the years?
A. Since I didn't even know how to write tags or know what the term meant, I like to think I've improved.Q. Which authors have inspired you the most?
A. Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Dunnett.Q. Have you written any other books, besides the ones for which you are famous?
A. No.Q. Rarely do you ever dedicate a book, why is that?
A. For me, it's always a question of who might be left out, so it's easier to avoid dedications and not hurt anyone's feelings. I have a large, egocentric family, all of whom might take issue if they weren't in each dedication.Q. If any of your books could be made into a movie, which one would you like to see on the silver screen, and why?
A. Aggghh...what a difficult question. Perhaps the Russian ones, only because I love exotic settings.Q. Is there a time period you haven't written about that you would like to explore someday?
A. I fly by the seat of my pants. Usually, as I'm finishing a book, putting the last touches to my epilogue, my next characters magically come on stage. There's no rational explanation. So I'll go where my next characters go.Q. Many romance authors are crossing over to different genres. Have you ever considered writing something other than romance?
A. Probably not. Although I have some suspense stories in mind, there's very strong romance elements in them as well.Q. I find your writing fascinating in a lot of respects. You really tread the line. How do you keep your ideas fresh without technically crossing that proverbial line?
A. I never consider a line when I write. I write what I like and I write about people that fascinate me. Also, I've read very extensively about the history of the world and believe me, there's nothing new under the sun, or particularly shocking.Q. As far as your writing, what do you consider your biggest achievement?
A. Making a respectable living while having so much fun.Q. What is your family's reaction to your career?
A. They've always been my biggest cheerleaders.Q. How do you respond to a negative book review?
A. I assume it's a big world and there's a broad range of opinion. However, I always prefer my own opinion.Q. How do you feel about used bookstores and the loss of revenue to the author?
A. I'm always pelased when any of my books are sold to someone who will enjoy the them, and if a reader likes a used book, they're very apt to buy an author's new book, rather than wait until it appears used.Q. I'm sure you receive a lot of fan mail. What is the most bizarre or humorous letter you've ever received?
A. The letters I receive to tend to be emotional rather than humorous or bizarre. Readers feel strongly about my characters and tell me how they've touched and affected their lives.Q. You haven't joined the information super highway. Do you plan to have a web site or an e-mail address?
A. I'd like to put a web site together, but I'd also like to have my gardens look like Martha Stewart's and I haven't accomplished that yet either.Q. You're a very creative person, aren't you?
A. I like to think so. I paint and draw, although not as much as I'd like since I began writing. I really like to cook and I collect cook books. My gardens are a passion right now, although someone else does most of the work, but I'm designing them. I like to arrange flowers. My mother always had flowers in the house when her gardens were in bloom.Q. I have a few comments and questions from readers..."One of the things I love about Susan Johnson's books is the accuracy in the period she's writing about. I'd love to know what type of resources she uses to delve so deeply into history? I also love that she is one of the very few authors who uses footnotes to explain facts and tidbits in her books. It makes things so much more enjoyable."
A. Thanks so much for liking my fetish for accuracy. Sometime I'll take a day trying to find a name or place I recalled reading, but never while I'm writing. I work from memory then and go back later to fill in the esoteric details. My research source is the University of Minnesota library system, mostly Wilson Library, where the books are on open stacks and I can browse. They have a wonderful collection of nineteenth century books that circulate. It's sheer heaven.Q. "I have read all of Susan Johnson's books and love them. She goes into some very dangerous grounds and I wonder how she knows if it will work or not."I add footnotes at the end because often some of the research information is really interesting, but inserting it into the story would curtail the pacing. But in the notes, I can explain some historical detail at length for those readers who are interested.
A. I confess, I never think about it. Occasionally, my editors will remind me of the real world and I make the necessary adjustments, but always with a scalpel and never a meat cleaver.Q. "Will there be more books on the Braddock-Black family? By the way, Daisy was my favorite heroine. Also, will there be more books about the Kuzan family members? Do you have any plans to write contemporary novels?"
A. I may do some more Braddock-Black and Kuzan stories. There's all those grandchildren who might grow up to be intriguing. I really like Daisy too. She was based on a fleeting image of my grand daughter at the age of two. After waking from a nap in the car, Marika was carried into our kitchen by my son-in-law. She looked around her with such caution...I'll never forget that look. Daisy started with that personality.Q. In closing, how do you want to be remembered 100 years from now?I plan to write contemporaries someday. I already have a couple of story lines in mind. The modern syntax fascinates me.
A. As an entertaining read. Georgette Heyer was first published in the twenties and is as wonderful today. I aspire to that quality.
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