For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a fourth generation Texan and I attended Stephen F. Austin State University where I majored in Business Administration, but took creative writing classes on the side because that’s where my heart was.
I have always loved reading and if it’s true that God doesn’t subtract the hours you spend reading from your life span, then I should pass the century mark with flying colors. I first tried my hand at writing when I was eleven, but the sun was shining and I had a new bike so that effort was doomed to failure.
I didn’t try writing again until I was well into my sixties. People ask me why I took it up then and my answer is simple, because my husband retired. If you don’t understand, just wait, you will.
My first novel, The Secrets on Forest Bend, won several awards. After that, I was hooked.
I’ve been blessed with two great kids and four grandkids. My late husband and I loved to travel and we saw much of the world. Kenya, New Zealand, and the Galapagos Islands are a few of my favorite places. After he passed, I thought my traveling days were over, yet I’ve since been to Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela.
I live in Spring, Texas where I currently serve as president of the Northwest Houston chapter of RWA and volunteer at a local hospital. I also enjoy speaking to book clubs and writers groups.
www.susancmuller.com
https://www.facebook.com/SusanCMuller
Twitter: @susancmuller
A frantic phone call leads Detective Remy Steinberg racing through the night toward the one place he vowed never to return. With the life of his kidnapped daughter at stake, he willingly faces shotgun-wielding drug dealers, corrupt law-enforcement officials, and a raging hurricane.
Scouring the seedy back alleys of New Orleans for information, he goes undercover at a sinister voodoo ceremony, and struggles to understand the forces of black magic that hold his daughter hostage.
With time ticking down, he battles for his life against a high voodoo priest, but can he face the two things he fears most: the swamp that terrorized his childhood, and the ex-wife he’s never stopped loving?
Detective Remy Steinberg must return to Louisiana in search of his kidnapped daughter. Can he save her before the swamp swallows her up and he loses any chance at happiness?
Q) What inspired you to write this story?
Voodoo on Bayou Lafonte is the third book in my Occult series. I had written Detective Adam Campbell’s story in The Secrets on Forest Bend, and his partner, Ruben Marquez’ story in The Witch on Twisted Oak. For my third book in the series, I picked a member of their squad to feature. Remy Steinberg had already been described as half Jewish, half Cajun, born in New Jersey and raised in Louisiana, with two ex-wives and a child. I started with a simple premise; what kind of trouble could Remy get into in Louisiana? To fit into the series, the story needed a paranormal element and what better than voodoo?
Q) How long did it take you to write?
The book itself took me about five months to write, but that doesn’t include the time spent editing and revising. After which comes picking a cover and promoting, much more difficult that the actual writing.
Q) What is your favorite thing about writing?
Coming up with new ideas and new ways to phrase them. Trying to make all the pieces of the plot come together is like working a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing?
Much the same as my favorite part, coming up with new ideas and new ways to phrase them while trying to make all the pieces of the plot come together. But the absolute worst part is promoting. I know, if I don’t try to promote my book, no one will even realize it’s there to like or not like. But I truly hate beating my own drum.
Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
I have no desire to be famous. In fact, I can’t think of anything that would make me more uncomfortable. All I want to do is write books and if people I don’t know will read and enjoy them, I will consider myself a success.
Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
Whenever my daughter visits, she goes through my pantry and fridge, throwing out things that have expired. The first time she did this, she found cans of food that were three and four years past their expiration date. Now the oldest thing is the salad dressing in my fridge. But they don’t really mean anything by those dates, do they?
Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?
Voodoo on Bayou Lafonte is the third book in my Occult series and is the last book scheduled for this series. Or is it? Each of the first three books has featured a character named Tenequa, who can flip from Tenequa the Terrible to Tenequa the Kid Whisperer in two seconds flat. She’s also Tenequa the part-time reverend. I think maybe she deserves her own book. I picture her finding a beautiful bottle that contains a djinn or genie. What do you think?
