Susan Elizabeth Phillips Interviews Herself

Courtesy of Jen Crusie at ArghInk

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is my favorite author and I have long dreamed of having her on my blog. When she published an interview with herself on Writers Space to celebrate the release of  FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT

I wrote again, asking if I could use the interview. SEP's reply? "Go for it."

To celebrate this momentous event I'm giving away my extra copy of an older SEP book. Winner's Choice of First Lady, Nobody's Baby but Mine, or Dream a Little Dream. Rafflecopter at end of post.
 NO WAY am I giving away my brand new copy of First Star I See Tonight.  You're on your own for that one. But it's going to be a hilariously wonderful read, so you should buy it too. I've also included a link to the recipe for Oven Baked Salmon which Susan posted on her Facebook page several years ago because it's now my favorite way to cook salmon.

Here is Susan's Interview with herself.

FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT is on sale today.You can order right here. To celebrate, I'm interviewing myself. Who knows me better, right? Are you ready? [Clears throat...] SEP: Am I mistaken? Didn't you say that NATURAL BORN CHARMER would be the last of your Chicago Stars books? But now, there's a new one? SEP: Have you not yet figured out that I'm totally unreliable? SEP: Well, yes, I do know that about you, so what happened? How did we get another Stars book? SEP: Life. The changing of the seasons. The vastness of the universe. SEP: Could you be a little more specific? SEP: [Sigh] After setting HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS— SEP: I loved that book! SEP: You have excellent taste. Anyway...After setting HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS on a remote island off the coast of Maine, I was ready to write a big city book. And big city to me means— SEP: Chicago. SEP: Stop interrupting. Yes, Chicago. I've wanted to write a heroine like Piper Dove for a long time—a woman who can shoot, is proficient at martial arts, and is trained in both offensive and defensive driving. All the things I can't do. SEP: Not quite true. You're very good at offensive driving. Emphasis on the offen— SEP: You're interrupting again.... SEP: You were saying? SEP: Piper Dove is the owner of a brand-new detective agency. Her entire future depends on her first big assignment—follow Cooper Graham, the recently retired—and highly competitive—quarterback of the Chicago Stars. SEP: Knowing how much you love stirring things up, I'm guessing that doesn't go well. SEP: You are so right. And it gets even worse when it becomes blindingly clear to Piper that Graham needs a bodyguard. SEP: Uh-Oh. SEP: Exactly. No way is a macho character like Graham going along with having a bodyguard, especially a female one. SEP: Are you worried that newer readers will be afraid to pick up FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHTbecause they haven't read the other books in the series? SEP: [Body-wracking shudder] My worst nightmare. This book is completely free standing. SEP: Are you saying none of the Chicago Stars characters we've come to love will be appearing in FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT? SEP: Wrong. You'll see Heath Champion again, from MATCH ME IF YOU CAN, as well as a few other familiar faces. But those characters' stories are complete in their own books.FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT requires NO ADVANCED READING! NONE! SEP: Stop yelling. We heard you. Sheesh! Now, Susan, you're known for your subplots. I'm assuming...? SEP: You're assuming correctly. We'll be meeting a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a Chicago teenager who only wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding that Piper find her very dead husband. SEP: I have to say that sounds amazing. [Pause] Super funny and incredibly sexy. [Longer pause] Absolutely phenomenal! [Shouting] I can't wait to read it! SEP: You're pushing it. You wrote the book, remember? SEP: Work with me. Now before you run off and do whatever it is you do, tell us what you're working on next. You know we're all insanely curious. SEP: And you'll have to stay that way because I'm not ready to talk about it yet. SEP: Seriously? You, Miss SEP Blab Everything To The World are going all quiet and mysterious on us? SEP:A new persona. Now how about tending to business and reminding readers how much they're going to love FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT? Except for up-tight, humorless sourpuss readers. They'll hate it. SEP: [Dryly] You do know how to sell a book. SEP: Gotta go. Oprah's on the phone. SEP: Seriously? SEP: [Snorts] Of course not. FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT is many things, but "depressing" is not one of them. SEP: Silly me. Order right here—Unless, of course, you're an up-tight, humorless sourpuss. ☺ (If your budget is really tight, head for your local library. We love libraries.) AND...Come to see me on the FIRST STAR Book Tour! Best one yet! Happy Reading, Susan Elizabeth Phillips See why I love her? This is from SEP's Website He’s the former quarterback of the Chicago Stars football team. She’s trying to make a success of her very own detective agency. Her first job? Follow him. Let’s just say it’s not going well. Not well at all…. Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the  city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. The problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.Which is why a great detective needs a first rate imagination. “The fact is . . . I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just . . . mildly unhinged.” Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding that Piper find her very dead husband. And then there’s Cooper Graham, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants just might be an intrepid detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is. From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most. The Reviews Are Coming In! Kirkus Reviews – Starred Review “This thoroughly enjoyable novel delivers a swift kick to the heart—an essential summer read.” Now don't you want to rush out and buy it? I preordered my copy last year. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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