Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt!
This hunt has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors. If you complete the loop and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you’ll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes—all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.
If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue (IN RED) at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn’t hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go…
Author Susan Sleeman
It’s my great pleasure today to be hosting Susan Sleeman on my blog. You can tell Susan 
has a quirky sense of humor by visiting her blog (just read the description of Nipped in the Bud, Book 1 in her Garden Gate Mysteries). She also knows how to poke fun at herself by revealing funny/embarrassing things that have happened to her.
SUSAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. Her first romantic suspense title, High-Stakes Inheritance earned a spot on the ECPA bestseller list and The Christmas Witness was named a finalist in the 2011 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. In addition to writing, Susan hosts the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com. To learn more about Susan visit her Website – www.SusanSleeman.com, Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SusanSleemanBooks or Twitter – www.Twitter.com/SusanSleeman.
Haven’t you ever wondered how authors come up with their characters? Today, Susan is going to take us on her journey of story characters:
How Story Characters Are Born
Many people ask me how a character is born so I thought I’d share my process using the main characters of my May release, No Way Out.
This may sound odd, but I begin by interviewing my characters to discover their personality. Some of the characters, like Cole Justice in No Way Out, don’t readily share and I have to get bossy and really pry. But once I know what makes them tick, I search the Web for pictures of actors whose appearance best represents the character. To make that easier, as I watch TV and movies, I keep
a list of actors by the personality type that I think they embody, locate their pictures on the Web, and put them in a file for a handy reference.
For an example, let’s look at No Way Out -
Cole Justice is rebellious, strong-willed, and—as I mentioned above—not one to share his feelings. He’s former military and a former U.S. marshal, where he hunted down and arrested fugitives from the law. That means he has to be rugged and tough. It also means I didn’t want a man who was a clean-cut Mr. GQ. I needed a guy who looked a bit scruffy and tough. One who could stare down a fugitive in a dark alley and not blink. I chose Martin Henderson for this role. Ignoring the fact that he’s playing a doctor in this picture, how’d I do? Does he fit the character?
Alyssa Wells is his opposite. Though she’s running for her life in No Way Out, she’s still the quintessential mother of seven-year-old twins. She bakes cookies, puts her children first, and is warm and kind. She’d be a stay-at-home mom if her husband hadn’t died and left her to raise the twins. I see her as the girl next door and think Rachel McAdams in this photo very much fits that part. Can you see her in that role? I hope so.
If you’d like to see how well I succeeded in choosing my characters, check out my BONUS prize on my blog (it’s your next stop!) I’m giving away FIVE sets of the first three books in The Justice Agency series, (Double Exposure, Dead Wrong and No Way Out).
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