DENISE: You and I must be on the same wave length. I'm gathering info about Italian families for my first mystery. So tell me, are your characters in your novel "Trattoria" all from your imagination or fragments of real people's personalities?

SUSAN: There are definitely fragments of real people in a couple of the personalities. They've been chiseled and exploited for maximum benefit to fit the story, so they aren't really recognizable as the original person anymore, but there was inspiration from experience for some of the characters, definitely.

DENISE: So you set us up with "what happens when a charming, out-of-work actor is hired to wine, dine and romance an attractive young woman? He falls for her sister! Gotta ask, why does she hire Danny to fill the void in Val's life when she's attracted to him? Great conflict, but it's must bug the hell out of Lucy.

SUSAN:  Lucy isn't initially attracted to Danny. She's a very work obsessed person who's not really interested in romance at this juncture in her life. And though Danny is physically attractive, she's not lusting at first sight. When she first sees him, she sees nothing but a prospective employee and match for Val. Though she is bugged by the fact that he doesn't seem to be attracted her, either.

DENISE: More important is the family's trattoria, which is in financial trouble. Like most family-owned businesses is it one of the most important things of their lives? Does this family stick together at all costs?

SUSAN: The restaurant is definitely the glue that's holding them all so close as the story starts out. They have to literally work side-by-side on a daily basis for long hours. But this is a sort of forced close proximity, and as the trouble increases, they have to choose whether or not to stick together. It might be time for some of the siblings to grow up and move on, or they might realize that their family is important enough to them to stick by each other no matter what.

DENISE: What do you love about the book's characters?

SUSAN: Ah, well, I love Danny, because he's so shallow and such a player, which is kind of funny and sad with his advancing age. But it's also charming to watch someone like that finally get knocked off their feet when they're least expecting it.

I love Cy because he's so rough and kind of a jerk on the outside. But his flaws aren't really nefarious, and with his high-strung temperament, he can be kind of funny.

I love Val because she makes the most severe changes. She's the baby of the family and has to grow up, finally.

And Lucy is cool because she's scared. And unlike her brother Cy, who's great at putting up a tough facade, she seems vulnerable but has a lot of determination.

DENISE: Who is Randolph Masonly and why should we hate him?

SUSAN: He's a casnio mogul who's trying to build a new resort. But he needs the land that the trattoria is on to build. He's ambitious, but also ruthless. His business sense is sometimes eclipsed by his arrogance. And his power is something he uses to gain any advantage he can over the family. He's sort of like the Wal-Mart of Vegas.

DENISE: Wow! Your other novel "24/7" sizzles like the red hot cover. Heather Froeschl from BookReview.com said, "This novel is sizzling hot. This is no light romance; it is a gritty, exciting work of fiction. It is near perfection with its no holds barred sex scenes, emotional roller coaster plots and action packed Vegas settings." Now that you have our interest, tell us about the card counter and charming casino dealer. What brings them together? What's haunting him? Are they good for one another?

SUSAN: Marina is the card-counter, and although she's got a happy-go-lucky exterior, there's a bit of lonliness to her existence. Miguel, he's a guy who's looking for a second-chance in life, but in the meantime, the daily grind might wear him out. They have an immediate sexual chemistry, but it's very quickly that they sense the emptiness in the other. Whether or not they're good for each other is debateable. They fill the gaps in each other's life, definitely. But they also feed each other's weaknesses to a sometimes dangerous point.

DENISE: Tell us about your many "must be 21 to access" short stories. Pick a few and tell us what they're about? Who published them? Do you prefer short stories to novel length?

SUSAN: I like both lengths. Sometimes, I'll write a short story when I'm trying to develop a prototype for a character or a plot for a novel. But sometimes I just like the quickness and sharpness of that form. But I also love to be able to stretch in a novel, too. They balance each other out. My short "I, Candy" won the Spirit award at the 2005 Moondance Film Festival, and that meant a lot to me. That story is about an aging singleton, Marie, who gets fed up with getting passed over by men for her prettier friends. But when she ponders diving into the plastic surgery pool, it might mean that she also cut out the real her inside. I'm partial to it because it's different, told in the second person, but very few people even notice that as they read it. Then there's "Neon Nights," which I've always liked because it's got a rather sharp pulp/noir edge to it. I've been dancing around that character and situation for a while, and I'm fairly certain it'll be expanded into a novel, possibly the next one I tackle.

DENISE: So you love poker and Las Vegas. What do you love about Vegas?

SUSAN: Viva, baby. Viva. I love that it can bring out the extremes in people so quickly. That's why it's an ideal setting for fiction: because seemingly "normal" people can just go off the deep end in a matter of hours. So it's a really fun place, but it's got that dangerous edge to it, too.

DENISE: What are you currently writing?

SUSAN: I just finished my third novel! It's tentatively titled MUTUAL HOLDINGS, and it's due for an early December release from Magic Carpet books as a Barnes & Noble erotic romance. It's about an accountant who lands a huge and glamorous account. But the lure of money might cost her true love.

DENISE: Who does your website?

SUSAN: I do! So if you see any glitches, let me know and I'll try to get it fixed!

For more information about Susan's books, log onto her website!

Now available from Zumaya Publications -- 24/7

Now available from Mundania Press -- Trattoria

Or support gottawritenetwork.com by clicking on Trattoria's Amazon.com link below Susan's picture.

Interview conducted by Denise Fleischer