Sue Ward Drake Writes Romance on the Edge
Romantic suspense author Sue Ward Drake writes action-packed thrilling stories. Today she shares how she weaves her own experiences into what she writes.
When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
When I was eight years old, I wrote and submitted a story to a woman’s magazine that came out in the grocery stores. In high school I wrote a fictional advice column for the school newspaper.
During my international travels, I started to keep journals, sometimes just documenting what I saw from the train window. I then moved into mysteries (my first detective story 35 years ago came out at 50 pages! LOL) and then into romantic suspense, a natural progression as I read lots of international spy thrillers as a teen. The best of my Dad’s pile was Helen MacInnis’s Decision at Delphi. Naturally, after reading that, I had to go see Delphi for myself, one of the most fascinating places on earth.
Once I focused on writing romantic suspense, I wrote and submitted three stories before I actually sold a book 39 years after submitting that first story. I’ll never forget accepting the offer from my first editor using the relay for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as there was no Internet or e-mail at the time.
Is there anything in your book based on real life experiences?
Tons! I used a lot of my experiences to flesh out those of Mitch and Cath in Walking the Edge, even the time I was held up at gunpoint on a lonely French Quarter street during the time I was teaching at a junior college in the evenings. Don’t worry. It ended fine. He ran off with my purse, but not the Spanish tests I had to administer the next day!
I like to be able to “see” in my mind where my characters are and used a lot of familiar New Orleans locations, even giving one of my French Quarter apartments to the heroine. Walking the Edge is the first in the Danger in the Big Easy series, stories about brothers fighting to keep the streets of their beloved New Orleans crime-free, and the hero lives with his brothers in an area of historical houses in another neighborhood where I once lived.
Mitch and his three brothers take care of their elderly aunt and her big house and yard. These are big guys and they need to eat, so I’ve written in some typical New Orleans food dishes I know from personal experience.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
- Write every day.
- Don’t worry if you can only take baby steps now. Everyone has to learn by writing.
- Remember you’ve lived a life no one else has and you have uniqueness to share.
- Believe in yourself and set goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know if you’ve arrived
Can you tell us about your writing plans?
Thank you for asking. I’m currently deep in the revisions for Book #2 of Danger in the Big Easy. I’m not sure of the title as yet, but this is Hal’s story, a major player in Walking the Edge.
Is there anything special you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Reading is one of the most wonderful skills a child can learn—at least it was for me. When you need a distraction from the ordinary world—and who doesn’t these days?—you can always escape into a book. I hope my readers enjoy my stories as much as I loved writing them.
Walking the Edge
by Sue Ward Drake
Ex-army ranger Mitch Guidry never should have let his brothers talk him into joining them in the Big Easy. Particularly when they have him going head-to-head with the very last thing he needs: a feisty redhead who has more opinions than even his hard-headed brothers. Loyal and overprotective to a fault, Catherine Hurley will do everything she can to stop Mitch from finding her fugitive brother…and yet, he can’t get enough of her.
Cath should be furious with the overbearing ex-ranger who shows up on her doorstep looking for her brother. Sure, Mitch Guidry is hotter than a Louisiana summer and pushes every one of her buttons, but he’s also an immediate threat to her family, and family is everything to Cath. Unfortunately, the only way to save her brother is to stick to Mitch like glue. But sharing close quarters with him while they search for her missing brother together proves to be more than a little challenging…particularly when it comes to protecting her heart.
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Learn More About Sue Ward Drake
Visit Sue at: Her website: https://www.SueWardDrake.com
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New Orleans is one of the places I want to go when we can travel again. I loved it there! Glad to learn that you’ve written a series set there.
Thank you Hannah. Here’s hoping we can all travel safely soon. I would love to hear about your favorite sights or experiences in the city.
Sue – I loved hearing about your real life adventures and how living in New Orleans helps the city to almost become a character in your book. I love novels with a lot of scenic background to ground the reader in the story. Here’s to great sales!
Thanks, Deb. Glad you appreciated all the setting details. New Orleans really is a unique city and I had think hard about all the places and customs and oddities because when you live there it’s all normal.
I agree that reading is one of the most important skills a child (or adult) can have. To prevent people from learning to read is a crime of major proportion, and consequence. Literacy programs are so empowering. I enjoyed your interview, and especially your advice for aspiring authors, like me. Thank you.
I can’t even imagine not being able to read. Best luck with your own writing. Even those of us who’ve been writing for years need inspiration every day. Thanks for visiting.
I’ve loved my brief trips to New Orleans–so beautiful and so much fun! Best of luck with your books.
Thank you. It seemed a capital sin not to use the city I know so well. So glad you enjoyed the city, they have worked so hard to preserve the historical buildings in the Quarter.
Stopped by to wave and say hi to friend Sue!
Hey, Vicki, good to see you here. Hope all is well with you.
Thank you, Zara, for inviting me to talk about my stories. I’ll be here all day to answer questions so fire away!
Glad to have you, Sue