Historical Romances by Susan Leigh Furlong
Wild Rose author Susan Leigh Furlong writes historical romance–one of my great loves. Today she shares her love of writing, history, and has some good advice for all writers.
Please welcome Susan Leigh Furlong…
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in the middle of a blinding spring snowstorm at the University of Michigan, which forced my mother to walk across campus in the snow to the hospital while in labor. I don’t remember any of this auspicious beginning, but it always makes for a good story! As a child I moved across the country six times to various big cities before the age of fourteen because of my father’s career in women’s ready-to-wear clothing. These moves always made me the “new kid,” and taught me that while new beginnings may be confusing and sometimes upsetting, you need to greet the change on your own terms.
At college I met and married my love, and moved to his small hometown in southern Ohio. I never thought I’d live somewhere so small that the stop light went on flasher at 11:00 pm, but now you couldn’t get me out of here with a crowbar! I taught first grade and fourth grade here and raised my children who did not have to change schools even once.
When did you first start writing and when did you publish your first book?
Creating stories started early in life—as is typical of most writers—even before I could actually write. I remember when I was ten, someone sent my sister and me kimonos from Japan, and I penned a play about a brokenhearted woman in love who wore one of the kimonos. My sisters and the neighborhood kids put it on.
Next came handwritten pages stuffed in my underwear drawer, followed by stories created on a manual typewriter, typing while I cooked dinner. My first computer—a Commodore 64—has been replaced by a series of computers and laptops, which my husband promised I could never fill up the storage space, but I always did.
At age 32, I performed in my first community theater play—Guys and Dolls—where I quickly realized that I wanted to play ALL the parts, which is exactly what a writer does. I write and/or direct church-related plays and sketches and perform and sing with a music and drama ministry, LightReaders. My head is always so full of stories, I have to express them in any way I can.
I’ve finished a number of books, all of which are on the shelves in my closet, but my first official published work was The Twelve Seats at the Table, a play I co-wrote about the Last Supper. Over one hundred venues have put it on across the country since it came out in 1997.
Arcadia Press published two books of mine filled with antique photos and captions about my hometown entitled Tippecanoe to Tipp City – the First 100 Years and Legendary Locals of Tippecanoe to Tipp City. All the proceeds support the Tippecanoe Historical Society.
My first fiction book, Steadfast Will I Be, was published by The Wild Rose Press in 2019. My second book, By Promise Made, also published by Wild Rose Press came out this month.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
For a long time I snubbed my nose at historical romance until I won a copy of Velvet Song by Jude Deveraux from the local bookstore. I was immediately smitten, and Deveraux’s book A Knight in Shining Armor is my all-time favorite romance book. I read all varieties of books, preferring anything historical regardless of the era, but historical romance is forever my first choice.
As I look back on the books I was drawn to as a child, they were almost always historical. My favorite childhood book was Caddie Woodlawn, and I devoured all the orange covered biographies of famous people when they were children.
If I could choose to have dinner with anyone in history, it would not be a famous person. It would be someone who lived an ordinary life. I’d love to talk to a pioneer woman who made it across the country on a wagon train or to one of Queen Elizabeth I’s servants, especially the one who put that white powder all over her face.
Where do you get your ideas?
Old documents make me sneeze and cough, but they are filled with treasures. History has so many unbelievable, but true events, throughout it. You can’t make this stuff up! It only takes a nugget of some event to get me on a roll. My favorite thing is to find an extraordinary event and drop my hero and heroine into it to see how they survive.
In Steadfast Will I Be I started with the fact that King James V’s step-father held him prisoner until he escaped at age sixteen to regain his throne. In By Promise Made, I used the story of King Henry VIII waging war against Scotland because the toddler, Queen Mary, would not marry his son.
Do you have a writing tip for other writers?
The best bit of advice I try to give myself, and that I can give to other writers, is to stop being so hard on yourself.
My son texted me something that put it in perspective. He wrote “Whether you sell one million books or only one book, I am proud of you. You wrote a book. You accomplished it.”
That is the point. You created. You are a writer even if you are the only one who reads it. Something I love the most is a series of stories I wrote and printed out for my granddaughter every year from the time she was born until she was twelve. And no one reads them now but me. I love them, maybe because she is my granddaughter, but also because I did it for her. No one else is able to say that.
Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Yes, it’s great to see a book in print. Yes, it’s great to hear from other people that they love your work, and rotten to hear from the naysayers, but the point is that it is your work. Not theirs. In reality, it belongs to you and to no one else.
BY PROMISE MADE BY SUSAN LEIGH FURLONG
Hugh Cullane, accused of murder and sentenced to hang, is forced to deliver a message of betrothal to four-year-old Queen Mary of Scotland. He faces death yet again when, in rejecting the proposal, the queen’s guardian orders his severed head sent back to England in a jar.
Trained to protect her queen at all costs, Katherine Payne can show no mercy to the handsome messenger, despite the way his stolen kiss unsettles her single-minded sense of duty. Trapped between the English and Scottish armies, she must escape with Mary. Hugh joins her as men chase them, determined to murder the young queen in their own quest for power.
EXCERPT:
Although this wasn’t his first kiss, it somehow mattered more than any other kiss he’d ever had.
He kissed her again. His tongue darted along her teeth and then into the juicy cavern of her mouth. She did not refuse him as he suckled her tender lips. She responded to his kiss, pulling him near, offering more of her mouth. She moaned quietly and ever so slightly eased her body closer to his as her hands worked their way up his back.
Pausing briefly in the most delicious kiss he’d ever had, he whispered, “My name is Hugh Cullane.” He brushed his lips against hers again. “What should I call ye, my beautiful princess?” Softly he licked her lips with his tongue.
“Call me whatever ye wish,” she said, locking her fingers into his hair and snapping his head and shoulders away from her with unexpected strength. She swung her right fist squarely into his jaw, and after a quick jerk of her knee into his groin, he fell to the ground, coughing and gagging. With one last powerful kick to the ribs, she ran madly away around the hill.
As he struggled to take a full breath, a sharp jab of pain bit through his side. Letting his head drop to the ground, he rolled over onto his back.
“Oh, my Lord!” he said aloud between coughs. “I do believe I have offended the lady.”
By Promise Made is available on:
Amazon | B&N | iBooks
Learn more about Susan Leigh Furlong
Susan Leigh Furlong was born in the middle of blinding spring snowstorm at the University of Michigan, which forced her mother to walk across campus in the snow to the hospital while in labor. Susan doesn’t remember any of this auspicious beginning, but it always makes for a good story! As a child she moved across the country six times to various big cities before the age of fourteen because of her father’s career in women’s ready-to-wear clothing. At college she met and married her love, and moved to his small hometown in southern Ohio, and you couldn’t get her out of there with a crowbar! She taught first grade and fourth grade and raised her children who did not have to change schools even once. Creating stories started early in life—as is typical of most writers—even before she could actually write. Then came handwritten pages stuffed in her underwear drawer, followed by stories created on a manual typewriter. Her first computer—a Commodore 64—was replaced by a series of computers and laptops, which her husband promised she could never fill up the storage space, but she always did. At age 32 she performed in her first community theater play—Guys and Dolls—where she quickly realized that she wanted to play ALL the parts, which is exactly what a writer does. She writes and/or directs church-related plays and sketches and also performs and sings with a music and drama ministry, LightReaders.
Her love of history led her to write two plays about her now hometown, followed by two historical non-fiction books published by Arcadia Publishing. She loves to do the research even though old books and documents make her cough and sneeze! Susan first discovered romance novels when she won a copy of Velvet Song by Jude Deveraux at the local bookstore. She reads all varieties of books, but historical romance is forever her first choice.
The shelves in her closet are filled with her unpublished stories and books, but Steadfast Will I Be and By Promise Made are her first published by The Wild Rose Press.
Loved getting to know you better and a wonderful excerpt!
Great excerpt and the message from your son. You created. Love it!