Readers…we have a treat for you.  Get to know the lovely, Susan Mallery just a little bit better!  Got a question for Susan?  Post a comment and ask!

Susan, your novels always have multiple plot lines and characters from interesting places. When you start writing do you already know how they will end up in Fool's Gold or does it come together as you write it down?

I’ve tried working without knowing the plot ahead of time, but when you do that, you have to spend a lot more time on revisions. I don’t enjoy revisions. When I’m doing revisions, I think longingly of the next story I get to write. So I write a thorough plot ahead of time so I know who the characters are, where they came from, and where they’re heading. They still surprise me sometimes, though, once they take on a life of their own!

Have you ever wished you could vacation in Fool's Gold with the people in your books?

I would love to take a vacation in Fool’s Gold! This is a town that knows how to party. They have festivals celebrating everything from Cabin Fever Days to their Má a-Zib heritage. (In the 14th century, a matriarchal tribe of Mayan women got tired of men trying to sacrifice them all the time, so they broke away and moved to California.)

I would stay at the Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort. There’s a five-star restaurant there, a world-class spa, and 24-hour room service. Who could ask for more?

Do you ever model characters after people you know in real life?

Not really. Of course, as a writer, I do observe people in real life, and some of those observations work their way into my fiction. But specific characters modeled after specific people? No.

However, I do something fun on my Facebook page from time to time. (www.facebook.com/susanmallery) I ask my fans to help create a character or develop character traits. Then I ask them to suggest character names. I choose the first name I like the best, and then I give the character the same last name as the fan who made the suggestion. Annabelle Weiss, a librarian in Fool’s Gold, is one of those characters. Annabelle will be the heroine of one of my 2012 books.

Which character in ONLY MINE is most like you and why?

I think I’m most like Nevada Hendrix, the heroine of ONLY HIS, which will be out in October. Nevada is passionate about her career, sensible but still emotional. She helps her mom with gardening when the occasion arises, but she doesn’t like it. I’m completely jealous of Nevada’s master bath. It’s my dream bath. I like to think I dress better than her, though. At least, when I go out in public, I do. She’s an engineer, and she lives in work boots. I enjoy a prettier shoe.

What sparked the idea for the reality show in the book? Are there any reality shows that you never miss or that you just can't stop watching?

My favorite is Project Runway, which is a competition that involves actual talent, rather than a dating competition, which just seems sort of wrong to me. So you have Hollywood producers who choose 20 guys for you, and the rules are that you’re supposed to fall in love with one of them? And get engaged? (And yet, I still feel compelled to watch from time to time.) Along the way, you’re going out on a date with a different man every night – or a group of men – kissing them… and that gives you enough information to commit your life to one of them? Really???

The reality show in ONLY MINE is called “True Love or Fool’s Gold” is a dating competition with a twist. The producers choose a number of couples, and each couple dates only each other. Things don’t go as planned with the couples or with the show. I think readers who do or don’t like reality TV will enjoy following along with the secondary relationships of hero Finn Andersson’s younger brothers.

What kind of guy in the book is your type? Finn, Sasha or Stephen?

Definitely Finn, the hero of ONLY MINE. Finn is a man, not a boy. He owns a charter company in Alaska. In addition to piloting the planes, he runs the business, and he has single-handedly raised his younger brothers since they were 12. Finn is strong, protective (maybe overprotective), and he’s a man who knows what he wants… or at least, he thinks he does.

Can you tell me about any upcoming projects we can look forward to? We are all dying to know what to expect from Dakota’s sisters. Are the other triplets getting their own novels next?

Yes! Montana and Nevada’s stories will come out over the next two months. ONLY YOURS is a beauty & the beast story, with Dr. Simon Bradley playing both roles. He is the most physically stunning man that Montana Hendrix has ever met… on one side of his face. The other side of his face is scarred. But the scars run deeper than that. It will take the love of a happy woman and a tiny dog to teach the good doctor to open his heart.

What can I say about ONLY HIS? Every time I think of this story, two words come to mind… but I can’t tell you what those two words are without revealing a big secret. I will tell you that the two words made my editor kind of nervous at the synopsis stage. When she finished reading the book, she called me, laughing so hard she was crying, and said I had pulled it off.

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