Five Secrets of Best-Sellers

Susan On Writing, Scribbles

Best-selling story will have a hero or heroine who is both strong . . . and damaged . . .

J.K.Rowling, John Grisham, Karen Kingsbury, Tom Clancy, Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkein, Robert Ludlum: all best-selling authors, from different genres, markets, even eras. How? What sets their stories apart from others that make them a must-buy for readers?

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Where I Get Inspiration

Susan Books, On Writing, Scribbles

I get inspiration everywhere—the news, Facebook posts, sermons, radio talk shows, conversations. It’s always about a question, something that makes me think . . . what if?

I got the story about Izzy (My Foolish Heart), the talk show host to the lovelorn from a Brad Paisely song,

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Why It had to Be Jace

Susan Book Excerpts, Books, On Writing, Scribbles

We were sitting in the cold grass on a hill above the field, the temperature hovering near forty degrees, the air brisk and still enough to hear the screams as they lifted from the pile of high school football players.

Horrible, gut-wrenching screams, and the crowd went silent, our hearts in our throats as the coaches ran out from the sidelines.

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