Interview with Theresa Rizzo: Best-selling, award winning author that I had the pleasure to chat with!

I connected with Theresa Rizzo, author of “The Lives Between Us”, and several other astounding novels.  She is simply amazing!  I know I need to read ALL of her books now.

Since this time, I have had the pleasure of reading her book, interview her and we will be doing an eBook GIVEAWAY of this book on Monday, July 13th, 2015.

As I work on the review, (You know I have a hard time when I really love a book)…Here is the amazing interview:

Q: When did you realize you were a novelist?
A: I always enjoyed creative writing. But when we had children, I wrote about them and    their escapades in my annual Christmas letter, and friends and family got such a kick out of my stories, I thought it was cool I could entertain them that way.

Q: Will all of your stories be hot topics, like in “The Lives Between Us”?:
A: Not all, but most. I like writing about things that fascinate me, but my stories always have a romance, because that’s what I enjoy. Love is the glue that holds relationships together.

My debut book, He Belongs to Me is a child custody battle story between parents and grandparents, Just Destiny revolves around a woman who fights for the right to have her dead husband’s baby. Just Beginning: The Prequel to Just Destiny is a straight romance requested by Just Destiny fans.

My next book, The Sound of Silence is a romantic suspense, but it also explores the disparity between the ultra-wealthy of Grosse Pointe and the poor/struggling neighbors next door in Detroit, right before Detroit declared bankruptcy.

Q: Do you find yourself compared to Jodi Picoult?
A: My books have been compared to Jodi Picoult’s. I think my writing style is less literary than hers, and I pretty much need to have a happy ending with my stories, and I’m not sure I would say Jodi’s books all have happy endings, but they do explore current issues and moral dilemmas.

Q: When do you typically write?  Where do you write?
A: I’m a binge writer, and I write in the mornings, afternoons or evenings or all three—or none. I write a bunch for many months on end to get a draft down, and then let it sit for a couple of weeks before going through numerous revisions.

I write all over my house. In my study, at my desk over my treadmill while I get my 10,000 daily steps in, on my family room couch, in my bedroom… pretty much wherever I feel like it. Not outside much… too many distractions.

Q: Then, I asked the “dangerous” question, that she was so kind to answer!  May I ask who your favorite authors are?
A: Oh, you ARE trying to get me into trouble aren’t you? There are so many, well, I can’t even name them all, but a few that come to mind are: Lisa Kleypas, Susan Collins—the Hunger Game series was pretty spectacular—Harlan Coban, Christine Feehan, Susan Wiggs and Jodi Picoult.

I would like to thank Theresa Rizzo for taking the time to answer these questions!  I am truly honored, and it was fun doing my very first interview with an author!