This morning I have the opportunity of speaking with Suzanne Rock. Hello Suzanne and welcome to Fallen Angel Reviews. Please come in and grab a cozy chair, and share some conversation with us.

Tell us, Suzanne, what is a day like for you?

Thanks for having me. It's great to be here!

My typical day isn't very exciting, lol. I get up in the morning and get the kids ready for school. Then I check my emails and do all of my social media for the day. Then I take the kids to school, run errands, and exercise. By the time I'm done my husband is awake (he works night shift). We touch base and then he leaves to pick up the kids from school. I write. Then he comes home with the kids. We have family time until he has to leave for work at 6pm. Then it's homework and bed for the kids, and I write some more. :)

You have some impressive covers on your website with quite a number of books. Which book would you like to discuss with us today? The Kyron Pack Series or perhaps another?

Thank you! :) My Kyron Pack series is a favorite of fans. This series is about a werewolf pack that is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, they have become rich off the local humans and developed an empire that draws the attention of a rival pack on the east coast of the United States. A turf war develops, and the Kyron pack leader is captured. The pack members scatter. They soon realize that they'll need help from outside if they wish to overcome the threat to their lands. How these wolves find help - and fall in love - is the focus of these stories.

My newest release is a contemporary erotic romance called Velvet Steel. In it, Shane and Noah set out to seduce Kitty Velvet into selling them her family's struggling steel company on their terms. They plan a weekend of deception and sexual adventure to convince her to give up the business she had spent her life keeping afloat. As they begin their passionate getaway, things don't go as planned. Instead of putting their rival out of business, they gain deeper feelings for the feisty blond - and for each other. With their world upside down, Shane and Noah must now decide if business ambitions are worth losing a chance at something bigger than money, and more precious than owning a steel empire.

Kitty has worked hard to keep Velvet Steel afloat, but changing technologies and the growth of their rivals have made the company's continued viability almost impossible. As she embarks on an erotic weekend to distress and regroup, she develops feelings for two strangers who turn out to be the very men who had made her life a living hell for the past year. Is saving her family business worth losing her only chance at love?

Where did you get the idea to pen this story?

The idea for the Kyron Pack Series came from a call for submissions for Christmas themed stories from Loose Id. They wanted me to take a Christmas song title and write a story around it. When I saw "Up on the Housetop" I thought of two strangers on the roof. The rest was history.

The idea for Velvet Steel came from my husband. I asked him to come up with a really outrageous book title. He did. :) I said that it was good, but what would the story be about? He said that it should be about rival steel companies. I took it from there.

How long does it take you to finish a book from start to submission?

I write ideas down in an idea folder on my computer as they come to me. Then I think about them for a few weeks. Once I have the characters in my head, I head over to babynames.com and find names for my characters. Then I think about it some more, and then I plot the story.

After plotting, I know about how long the story will be and fit it into my writing schedule. When it comes time to draft (which can be anywhere from two weeks to one year later), I go over the plot and do what is known as a "fast draft." Here I write as much as I can, as fast as I can. The idea is to just get the story out on paper. It's messy, very messy. There are plot holes and character inconsistencies. Half the time my characters are just talking heads, no personality, no spark. During the first draft, I lay out the skeleton of the story. Depending on the length, this could take me anywhere from one day (~5k) to a month (~80k).

Then, if I'm not under deadline, I let it sit for at least a week. This is important, because I don't want to be too close to the story when I start the edits.

Then the story goes through two rounds of edits where I fix mistakes and add description, setting and personalities to my characters. Then, voila! It's finished.

From start to finish, it takes me ~4 weeks to write a 20-30k novella, and 6-8 weeks for a novel. If I'm not under deadline, I'll work on three stories at a time: one in edits, one in drafting, and one in the plotting stage. If there's a deadline then I'll work on one story exclusively.

While writing, how does the story develop for you?

By the time I'm drafting, I have the story pretty much laid out in my head. The most time is taken up by plotting.

Do you go from start to finish or create scenes as they come to you?

I'm a linear writer. I tend to get confused if I start jumping around.

When you choose your characters do they seem to stay with you even after the book is finished?

Absolutely! James, the hero of my first published story Spyder's Web, still stays with me to this day, and I wrote that story back in 2009. It's like the saying goes…you never forget your first. :p

What would you say is the best gift you ever received in your years?

I'm not sure about my best gift ever, but my husband gave me a kindle for Christmas. That was definitely my favorite gift this year. :)

If you could go back in time, what time period would you choose? And if you could take any dessert, or delicious drink or food, what would you take with you?

I did a lot of research for my samurai story, Honor Bound, and as a result, developed a fondness for the Shogun Era in Japan. I'd love to visit that time period, but I would have to bring coffee and my French press. I'm not a big tea fan. :)

You have been given a free vacation trip to, Africa, The Netherlands, or Hong Kong, which would you choose and why?

Africa. I'd love to go on a safari some day. :)

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that you cannot do without?

No, I'm more of a purse girl than a shoe girl.

If you were to replenish your cabinets with one junk food, what would it be?

Chocolate, but only if it didn't make my hips any bigger. :) Dark chocolate is my favorite.

You find yourself stranded on a desert island, what things could you not survive without?

My kindle and my laptop. That way I could still read and write. :)

Can you give us your website, as well as your Myspace or Facebook page?

Website, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Online Writing classes, Books on Writing (with Em Petrova), Free Reads, Kyron Pack Series (werewolf), Unholy Series (demons), Immortal Ream Series (a little bit of everything paranormal).

Suzanne, thanks so much for taking the time to be with us today. I wish you the best with all your upcoming works.

Thank you so much for having me here. It's been a blast!

Interviewed by: Linda L.