Suzanne Redfearn

How did you become a writer?

I didn’t realize I was a storyteller until I was in my thirties. I always loved to read and would make up elaborate daydreams that would last for hours, but it wasn’t until I actually sat down and wrote out one of my ideas that I realized how much I wanted to share my stories with others. My first story was nothing more than a bucket-list endeavor to prove I could write a novel, but after I finished, I realized how much I love writing, and then I was hooked.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

The first book that truly moved me was THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton. It was the first time I got so entirely lost in a story and the characters, I couldn’t get it out of my head. The next great moment in reading was when I was in college and read Ayn Rand’s ATLAS SHRUGGED. Her ideas resonated so strongly with me and I realized novels could change perspectives. A few years later, I read, THE POWER OF ONE by Bryce Courtenay, and it was the perfect combination of both—a story and characters that stayed with me and a theme that altered the way I looked at life.

When and where do you write? 

I used to write at Starbuck’s, but with the pandemic, my routine has been changed to buying my coffee at Starbuck’s and writing in my car in the parking lot where I still have access to Wi-fi. I know it's strange, but I find it hard to focus at home where there are distractions. I write every day and always in the morning. I find, if I skip days, I lose my mojo and it’s hard to get back in the groove.

What are you working on now? 

I was working on a new novel, but then I got the opportunity to write an Amazon Original Story (a short story only 7,000 to 10,000 words long), and so I have switched gears to work on that. I’ve never written a short story, and I am finding it challenging but exciting.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

Every day I suffer from writer’s resistance, the reluctance to sit down and do the hard work of writing, knowing it will hurt my brain and make me feel like I am an untalented imposter who has no right to call herself an author. But never once, have I sat down, and not had words end up on the page. They might not be very good words, but all of it is progress that leads me forward, so I am not a big believer in writer’s block.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

If you want to be a writer, you need to write. The more stories you tell, the more chance you have for success.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Make your characters likable. They can have flaws, but readers want to root for your protagonists (and sometimes even the antagonists).

Suzanne is the bestselling author of four novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, In An Instant, and Hadley & Grace. Born and raised on the East Coast, Suzanne moved to California when she was fifteen. She currently lives in Laguna Beach with her husband where they own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza & Beer. In addition to being an author, Suzanne is an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. When not writing, she enjoys doing anything and everything with her family—skiing, golf, tennis, pickleball, hiking, board games, and reality TV. She is an avid baseball fan. Her team is the Angels.