#INTERVIEW with Author Susanne Dietze, and THE BLIZZARD BRIDE Review by Winnie Thomas

Chatting with Author Susanne Dietze!

First, allow our waiter to bring you something refreshing. Perhaps something warm to dash away that wintry chill?

Photo from IMBD of actor Andrew Walker looking quite a bit like Agent Dashiell Lassiter

Deb:
Do you feel there's a 'best thing' and a 'worse thing' about making the switch from historical romance to contemporary romance?  Anything you could share about that?

Susie:
I'm still writing my first to-be-published contemporary, so I'm not sure I'm equipped to have the best answer, but one thing that's stayed the same is doing research. Even with a contemporary, I've had to do my homework on my characters' professions, the setting, etc. Perhaps one of the best changes is being able to use my regular vocabulary. Don't get me wrong; I love historical phrases and words that give a story flavor. But it's refreshing right now to write without worrying a word I'm using hadn't come into being at the time my story is set. For instance, many of the words we use to describe children are pretty modern, like teenager, tween, and kid.

The worst thing? It's not really a "worst thing" but the characters can reach each other at any time on their cell phones. No need to write letters, leave each other a note, or send word with a reliable or not-so-reliable person.  A historical character who has learned juicy info, gets lost in the woods, or can't make it to an event because of an emergency can't simply make a call like a contemporary character can. And yes, characters can lose their phones or drain their batteries, but that can only happen so many times. 

Credit: Pixabay TerriC

Deb: Susie, you have been part of many Barbour novella collections! (How many?)  Which one gave you the most enjoyable research? Is there one that you'd love to have expanded in to a full novel?

Susie: I have published 12 Barbour novellas, and I have three coming out in 2020 (I also have a novella out with WhiteFire). They've all been so much fun to write, and I've loved the research. I even learned a smidgen of Swedish for my story in Lessons on Love! I'd say the one story that would've been fun to make into a full novel is Star of Wonder, my story from The Victorian Christmas Brides Collection. The hero and heroine were friends first, and they had a mystery to solve, too. It could have been fun to expand those things, as well as to spend more time in an English manor at Christmastime!

Deb:  THANKS SO MUCH, SUSIE! We are loving The Blizzard Bride!  

Please visit Susie's PINTEREST PAGE to enjoy more of the inspiration behind this popular story!

I’ve been enjoying The Daughters of the Mayflower series with each book telling the story of a descendant from the Mayflower settlers during a different time period in the United States. The Blizzard Bride focuses on the “Children’s Blizzard” in January 1888. I had never really heard much about the blizzard before, so it was interesting to me to learn more about this event. One of the reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction is that I learn more about different areas and historical happenings. Susanne Dietze did a marvelous job of creating a story around the Children’s Blizzard. The small-town setting in Nebraska is easily visualized, and the characters are colorful, realistic, and vividly drawn. Abby is independent, courageous, and capable, while Dash is heroic, helpful, and, well, dashing. Their shared background affects their current relationship, but the past needs some healing and forgiving before they can move on.

The twists and turns kept me guessing and turning pages while I tried to figure out who the bad guy was. Intrigue, suspense, and history combined with inspiration and a touch of romance made this a wonderful read and a great addition to the series.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the author and Barbour Publishing. All opinions are my own.

BackCover Blurb:
A Blizzard Changes Everything
Abigail Bracey arrives in Nebraska in January 1888 to teach school…and to execute a task for the government: to identify a student as the hidden son of a murderous counterfeiter—the man who killed her father.

Agent Dashiell Lassiter doesn’t want his childhood sweetheart Abby on this dangerous job, especially when he learns the counterfeiter is now searching for his son, too, and he’ll destroy anyone in his way. Now Dash must follow Abby to Nebraska to protect her…if she’ll let him within two feet of her. She’s still angry he didn’t fight to marry her six years ago, and he never told her the real reason he left her.

All Dash wants is to protect Abby, but when a horrifying blizzard sweeps over them, can Abby and Dash set aside the pain from their pasts and work together to catch a counterfeiter and protect his son—if they survive the storm?
 
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