Meet Regency Romance Author Susan Varno

Please welcome Susan Varno, author of the Regency Romance A Rebel and Her Rogue . Susan, please tell us a little about yourself.

I was born and raised in Chicago. I’ve had imaginary friends from as far back as I can remember. These included “Barbara” who lived in California. I could only talk to her on my pink plastic phone. Another was my Betsy Wetsy doll Annabelle, who I believed was wiser than myself. I often asked her for advice. Meese, Box, and Temp were three gnome-like fellows who lived in the radiator above my bed. Radiators have now disappeared from most homes, but in the 1940s they were everywhere. Our family lived in a basement apartment, so the radiator was flattened out and spread part way across the ceiling. I imagined the trio lived in the rounded corners and traveled down the pipes to visit each other. When the heat was on, the pipes hissed and banged. To me, that explained their wild parties. I told my father about this village above my bed. His imagination was as vivid as mine. Delighted, he asked me for more stories, and he retold them to anyone who would listen. Based on my descriptions, he even drew pictures of my overhead friends. His encouragement made me realize you could get attention by making up stories. I love this. In my 20’s, I wrote and published romance short stories in women’s magazines. Later I wrote columns and movie reviews for Video Views Magazine. After my husband and I retired to the Arkansas Ozarks, I interviewed more than a hundred people for feature articles and columns in magazines and newspapers. My focus was Ozarks people, culture and history.

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when a publisher told you they wanted to publish your book.

 I can tell you the exact day, Wednesday, January 22, 2020. I had entered A REBEL AND HER ROGUE in several Romance Writers of America contests. I was a finalist in the Cleveland Rocks contest. Debby Gilbert, editor in chief at Soul Mate Publishing, was one of the final judges. On September 7, 2019, she asked to see my manuscript. I replied that I hadn’t finished writing the novel. She agreed to wait. I sent her my finished manuscript on January 13, 2020. Nine days later, she e-mailed me, “Great news! I enjoyed THE REBEL AND HER ROGUE so much we'd like to publish your book.”

At best, I’d hoped she would say, but we need the following revisions. But she was satisfied just the way I’d written it. I danced a little. My heart palpitated most of the day.  I started calling people to tell them the news. My sister who had proofread the manuscript, my two sons who had seen me writing since they were children, several writer friends. Then I realized I had to write another book, preferably a sequel. More about that below.

 If it isn’t too nosy. How about the first time you kissed your true love?

This is a little embarrassing. When Richard Varno and I had our first date, he kissed me at the end of the evening. Nice kiss, but disappointing. I’d been kissed by a few men and boys before. Always a deep French kiss. Richard did not French kiss. When I knew him a little better, I invited him to kiss the French way. He stuck his tongue part way out at me. That seemed a little rude.Then he said, “That’s as far as my tongue will go out. I’m tongue-tied. It should have been clipped when I was born, but I was born at home and the doctor forgot.”Richard could speak as clearly as anyone. He just couldn’t go real deep with a kiss. However, he was good at everything else.     When our two sons were born, he instructed the doctors to make sure to check their tongues. Both of our children’s tongues needed to be clipped. 

That's fascinating. I never realized tongue-tied was a real thing. 

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?

Volunteering, which I haven’t been able to do much lately. In the past, I’ve volunteered at a domestic violence shelter, at three not-for-profit thrift stores, a historical society, at several churches, through my homeowners association, in political campaigns, and through writing clubs. Currently I’m a commissioner on the Bolingbrook Historical Preservation Commission, a member of the United Methodist Women’s organization, and I was helping with Community Outreach at our local school district. Most of the friends I’ve made in life came through volunteering. My mother was a great volunteer. When I was five years old, she started taking me with when she volunteered at the church thrift store and at church luncheons. When I volunteer, I receive so much more than what I give. 

Tell us about A REBEL AND HER ROGUE 

Sherwood Forest, 1815

Cassiopeia Valient storms, “Sir, is this any way to conduct a kidnapping?”
When Blake Forester rescues her from her crashed carriage, Cassie mistakes him for “The Gentleman Bandit,” the outlaw she hired to kidnap her and then split the ransom. Blake is her intended victim.
Blake should be outraged! Instead, he’s intrigued. Since he returned from the War, he suffers terrifying memories. So many died. Why did he survive? This diabolical damsel may be the distraction he needs to get back to living again.
After Blake reveals who he is really Lord Rayneford, Cassie’s life shatters. She vows to cease her wild, reckless behavior. This time her actions went beyond dangerous. If she has to bite back words and squeeze out smiles, she will act like a proper lady.
Thwarting her resolve, this lord dares her to join him in glorious adventures. She can’t avoid the rascal. He’s lending her father money to repair their flood-damaged estate. Demanding his cut of the cancelled ransom, the real Gentleman Bandit threatens blackmail and kidnapping. Blake and Cassie fend off the culprit only to discover the most dangerous adventure is falling in love.

What’s your current WIP?

The tagline for my next historical romance POSING AS A PRINCESS is “She’s a professional thief, and he’s the Sheriff of Nottingham.” Awesome!

     To raise money to save her brother from hanging, Ruth Fitzhenry, who is the daughter of the “Gentleman Bandit” in A REBEL AND HER ROGUE, masquerades as a German princess. King George IV has ordered the newly appointed Sheriff Weston Chandler to escort the real princess from Nottingham to London. If he finds out she’s a decoy, will he arrest her? Danger,  intrigue, some fun, some humor, some mystery. Maybe too much, I’m editing out the excess right now. Sounds like it's going to be a very fun read.

And finally, where can we find you?

Amazon book page https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Her-Rogue-Susan-Varno-ebook/dp/B08C7ZXQT2/

website http://susanvarno.com/

G-mail svarnoauthor42@gmail.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SVarnoauthor

Thank you for being here, Susan. A Rebel and Her Rogue is available for free on Kindle Unlimited. And you can buy it for 3.99. Stay safe, all. And happy reading.

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