Q.  GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART features some very interesting characters—are they based on anyone you know in real life?

A.  The characters in GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART are based on people I know, even me. (I have big feet. I had eleven freckles, etc.) The paradox is: No one—and yet everyone—will recognize themselves. To use a quilting metaphor: every person I meet, everything I see or do, everywhere I go, all these experiences get tossed into a huge mental "patchwork quilt bag." When I'm plotting or defining character I take out different bits and pieces. I arrange and rearrange them until they form a pattern that interests me and works for the story. So, in a way, aren't we all patchwork quilts?

Q.  There's a theme about second chances in the book—both in life and in love—is this a theme you personally find compelling?

A.  Second chances—both in life and in love— is a very compelling theme for me. But I believe we often make our own second chances. And if necessary third and fourth . . . well, you get the idea. Never give up. Never quit trying. If one way doesn't work, stop and reassess and try something else. I think the idea of letting our chances pass us by is infinitely sad, which is why the lesson of Minerva and Bim in GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART speaks so profoundly to Sydney and Eric.

Q.  GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART is tied to an earlier book SWEETHEART, INDIANA but can be read by itself. What made you want to revisit the setting and characters for a second book?

A.  GOODNIGHT, SWEETHEART is a stand-alone story, but I hope readers will enjoy both this book and SWEETHEART, INDIANA. From the messages left on my website (www.SuzanneSimmons.com) I'm not the only one looking forward to a return visit. Sweetheart, Indiana is a "patchwork quilt" of all the small towns and big city neighborhoods I've lived in—and I've moved seventeen times! I have a very strong feeling for place in a story. It becomes another character. In fact, I once wrote that we each have special places in this world. I can recall a hundred. But I'm not going to tell you where mine are. I believe that each of us must discover the special places for ourselves.

Q.  Do you have any favorite characters, or characters you enjoy writing the most? Were any characters especially difficult to write?

A.  I do have a favorite way of dealing with characters. I love the idea of an older couple or even an historical man and woman echoing the challenges faced by my hero and heroine. I suppose it's a form of mentoring, learning from the past (and from its mistakes), seeing the connection from generation to generation. Personally, I have learned the most in my life from other people's mistakes. They showed me what I didn't want. I had to learn for myself what I did want.

Q.  What are some of the biggest influences on you as a writer? Do you have any favorite writers or books you can share?

A.  I have always been a voracious reader. I own thousands of books myself. I'm reading more nonfiction than fiction right now. I also love watching documentaries. Favorite books? My list would fill a book! Everything and anything from an Amanda Quick historical romance to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, from Jennifer Crusie's sassy contemporaries to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I've just finished reading an Elizabeth Lowell romantic suspense and a Stella Cameron historical romance and I stayed up half the night finishing both. Next up is a Christine Feehan and The Egyptian Book of the Dead. My taste in reading material is eclectic, to say the least.

I'd like to share one final thought: reading and writing is a lifelong adventure. I can't wait to see what's next!

Suzanne Simmons
April 2005