Interview & Review & Giveaway: Desperately Seeking Suzanna by Elizabeth Michels

Please welcome author Elizabeth Michels as she promotes her latest book, Desperately Seeking Suzanna. Enjoy her interview after my thoughts on the book

Giveaway Details: The publisher has generously offered one copy of Desperately Seeking Suzanna for a giveaway.  To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below. (US and Canada only, please)  Good luck!


Author: Elizabeth Michels
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Date of publication: March 2014

Her Cinderella Moment…

Sue Green just wanted one night to be the pretty one. But a few glasses of champagne and one wild disguise later, she's in some serious trouble. Who knew the devastatingly handsome face of Lord Holden Ellis would get in the way of her foot? And how exactly did all that high-kick dancing start in the first place? At least she blamed it on her new persona—Suzanna—so Society's most eligible bachelor will never find out the truth.

All Holden wants is the truth. Who was that vixen who seduced him so thoroughly, then disappeared? The only one who seems to have any answers about Suzanna is Miss Sue Green. She's promised to help him find his mystery woman, but she's not being all that helpful. And the more time Holden spends with Sue—witty, pretty, and disarmingly honest—the more he realizes he may have found exactly what he's been looking for all along...

My thoughts:

Desperately Seeking Suzanna is the second in the "Tricks of the Ton" series by Elizabeth Michels.  I reviewed the first book, Must Love Dukes last month.  The sequel is a fun book and I definitely enjoyed it.   We met Holden briefly during the first book and there were references made to him trying to find a mystery woman.  This is his story.  Holden and Sue's story-line runs at the same time at Lily and Devon's. Normally, I'm not too much of a fan of that as some of the scenes are repeated and that can get boring. But, while there were a few shared scenes between the characters, no ground was recovered in this case.  In fact, you probably could read both as stand alone books and not feel lost.   I really felt badly for Sue.  Her mother was a real piece of work, as was Holden's.  At least they had that in common.  I liked the chemistry between the two and loved watching them fall in love.  This is a great series.  The next book features Katie Moore, who we had a glimpse of in this book.  I'm looking forward to reading it in July!

Kari & Autumn: What inspired you to become a writer?

Elizabeth: Reading books, lots and lots of books.  I’ve always been an avid reader of historical romance.  But, it wasn’t until I was put on bed rest while I was pregnant with my little boy that I considered writing these books I enjoyed so much.  That was when my husband noticed for the first time how many books I was consuming, mostly because I was stuck on my left side and he had to hand them to me.  He suggested I write one, after all I loved reading them, so why not write one?  I hate to admit when he’s right, but he was right.  I started writing during baby nap times, and now 5 years later, I’m here on this fabulous blog celebrating the release of the second book in the Tricks of the Ton series, Desperately Seeking Suzanna. Telling stories is the best! I love it!

Kari & Autumn: Where do you come up with the ideas for your books?

Elizabeth:I always begin with the characters.  In Desperately Seeking Suzanna, Holden came to life about a month before Sue jumped onto the scene and began talking too much.  I got the idea for Holden from a comment a friend made over coffee one day.  And Sue actually came from my prolonged childhood disappointment that my maiden name only had one syllable.  If you’ve ever had a John Doe sort of name, then you understand the lack of glamour in one syllable.  *grins* Only Cher can make one syllable work, but I digress. 

I began with Sue’s name, simple, average in every way, Sue Green.  And, the plot unfolded from there.  The plots for my books always spiral out of who the characters are and what they would do in a given situation.  What would an ordinary, one-syllable-name-bearing girl desire?  To become the exotic Suzanna, even if it’s just for one night.  Of course, that one night turns her life upside down and marks the beginning of Holden’s quest to find Suzanna—a quest that always brings him back to Sue.   Let’s just hope he isn’t too late by the time he puts the pieces together.

Kari & Autumn: What exciting projects are waiting in the wings?

Elizabeth: Funny you should ask… Until last week I was working on what I thought to be book 4 in the Tricks of the Ton series—Evangeline Green’s story.  I had everything organized, cross referenced, and filed away under what E. Michels is writing next.  But, then my advance reading copies of How to Lose a Lord in 10 Days or Less came in the mail and everything changed. 

My family stole one copy as soon as they spotted the box of books on the kitchen counter and began passing it around.  A few days later they had an intervention with me over takeout boxes of Chinese food.  They begged me to write the story that you see glimpses of in the third book—they asked for Roselyn Grey’s story.  You may know her older brother better since he’s Devon Grey, Mad Duke of Thornwood and the hero of Must Love Dukes.  I whined to my family.  I’m a planner of all things in life, so of course I complained over the change of plans, which was why they caught me with my mouth full of fried rice for this discussion. 

Now, it’s a week later, I’ve calmed down, and I’m so excited about this new addition to the series!  So, my 6 book Tricks of the Ton series just turned into a 7 book series and I’m furiously writing Roselyn’s book with Evangeline waiting for her turn.  I’m pretty sure she’s tapping her toe and giving me the evil eye right now, but she, Isabelle, and Victoria will have their time in the sun soon enough.

Kari & Autumn: Who is your favorite literary character and why?

Elizabeth: I’m completely in love with The Great Gatsby.  Gatsby has pulled himself up from a meager background with hard work and a cunning mind to the point of possessing ultimate wealth.  He’s charismatic, has style, and everything he does, he does for love.  I only wish I could rewrite the ending of his story so he gets to live happily-ever-after, throwing parties with Daisy at his side. *dreamy sighs*

Kari & Autumn: Just for fun, if you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

Elizabeth: I would love to be a giraffe.  They always look so elegant as they stretch up to eat leaves from the tree tops.  And, because they can see long distances with that long neck of theirs, they seem wise to me.  Or perhaps, that’s just this 5’-2” girl dreaming of height.  Either way, they’re adorable.

Thank you for hosting me here on the TBR Pile! This has been so much fun! Now, let’s talk books.  How tall has your TBR pile gotten? What’s your favorite book? What are you looking forward to reading?  Let’s chat.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After tip-toeing her way through school with her focus on ballet steps and her nose in a book, she met a boy and followed him a thousand miles away from home to Kansas City, Missouri, before settling down in North Carolina. She attended Park University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design. Elizabeth is a lover of happily-ever-afters; she invites you to read her stories, get lost, and enjoy. 

For more information, please visit http://www.elizabethmichels.com

To Purchase Desperately Seeking Suzanna:

Amazon

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Books-a-Million

Chapters/Indigo

IndieBound

iBooks

Sourcebooks