Interview with author Susan Roebuck

Susan Roebuck is "a published author, a book lover and protector of the laurel forests in Madeira."

Originally from the UK, she's traveled to every continent, and now lives outside of Lisbon, Portugal. Impressed yet? She also has been a teacher, a translator, a journalist, a blogger and a devourer of books! Writing from a young age, she's published bits and pieces over the years.

 Perfect Score is an excellent debut novel, and I was very happy when she agreed to answer a few questions. She's my first interview for the Nook!

********

1. In Perfect Score, you have great details in regards to Sam's knowledge of animals, herbal medicine and living on the streets. The same goes for Alex's love of music. What kind of research did you do for a story?

Tons. You know the old fundamental writing rule: write about what you know? Well I broke it. I admit I’m a little like Sam in his love for animals but the only time I rode a horse in my life, it died. Well, not immediately – some days later. However, I do have friends who ride so that bit was easy. And so was herbal medicine. We have lots of woods around here and I was out one day with some friends and a woman I didn’t know very well. She went into raptures over weeds: “St. Robert’s Herb. Fabulous for cystitis. Goldenseal – who’s got a cold?”

I don’t know anyone living on the streets but I got the idea of Itinerant Dan from a story someone told me. Then I read Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London which was really inspirational and touching. I love music but have the musical ear of an ant. However, friends come in very handy and I have one who used to play in a band. But to go back to your question: I had to read many books (Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, James Herriot’s vet series are just two). And the internet – what would I do without dear old Google? I do think it took me longer to research than it did to write the book.

2.M/M stories can lead to some controversy - what drew you to writing this one?

It didn’t start out as M/M. Sam was a girl at the beginning – I swear! “Perfect Score” was originally set at the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. Alex was a musician and Sam was a girl fan. But the story evolved until the end product didn’t resemble the original in the slightest – except the date and I kept to that because I wanted to bring the problem of dyslexia to the fore and how it was so misunderstood even relatively recently. Sorry – back to M/M. It just came naturally because Sam couldn’t have withstood the hardships as a girl so he had a miraculous, overnight sex-change. In any case I believe true love can hit anyone and I have no problems with M/M. Some of my readers have told me they’d never read an M/M novel (ewwww, they say), but they forced themselves to read mine and were truly surprised by the naturalness of the romance which, let’s face it, isn’t the core message of the story anyway and it’s not at all erotic. It’s more about corruption, overcoming hardships, and two people trying to be worthy men in a worthless world (too many wwwws, sorry).

3. I know you are an avid reader, do you have a particular genre that you prefer?

I’m an eclectic reader. I read everything and my favourite is the Ghormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake. I’d like to write a gothic novel one day but they’re not very popular just now. I review a lot of romance novels for different websites but on my Kindle at the moment I have: If This is Paradise, I Want my Money Back by Claudia Carroll which was absolute rot and predictable (I hate that); The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton; Angel Time by Anne Rice: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford; Comfort and Joy by India Knight; A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

4. Do you hope to keep your writing to one genre, or will you try your hand at a variety of them?

A variety. My second novel’s well underway. It’s not M/M (and it won’t be), not terribly romantic but with a bit thrown in. It’s set between the UK and Portugal and those touchy subjects are coming up again: corruption, injustice. The main character’s got some strange powers, but it’s not fantasy or paranormal, and there’s a female bullfighter who’s very bad indeed.

Once that one’s out I’d like to get more risky. Risky, I said, not risqué.

You can find more of her musings on her blog, Lauracea and she contributes to Dream Books LLC blog with interviews, reviews and commentaries on the world of books.

Review: Perfect Score by Susan Roebuck

Review by Jax.

Book Blurb: "Perfect Score" is set in mid West USA in the 1960s and is a story about family relationships, corruption, growing up, integrity, responsibility, and being a man of worth in a society of the worthless. The two main characters are Alex and Sam. Alex, who lives with a wealthy uncle, is a blend of musical genius, stubbornness and firmly believes in his fantasy that his love for Sam is reciprocated. Sam has more direction in his little finger than Alex has in his whole body. He’s strong, yet of small stature and has developed a tough outer-coating after the knocks of a traumatic up-bringing which left him homeless. His one aim in life is to earn enough money to look after his disabled sister. He has no time for a spoiled, rich, guitar player. Sam also stutters and has what is probably a severe form of dyslexia. When Sam unexpectedly disappears, Alex begins a somewhat bungling quest to find him, only to discover that Sam has a fearsome enemy: Alex's powerful and influential yet sociopathic uncle. As Alex spirals downwards towards alcoholism, many questions need answering. Just why did Alex's evil uncle adopt him at age eleven yet deny him any affection? And what's the mystery behind Alex's father's death? Both seem to face unbeatable odds. Are they doomed to follow separate paths forever?

My Thoughts: If you have a problem with same sex relationships, neither this book nor this review are for you. However, I hope that you can push past your issues on that topic and read on.

This is a love story, pure and simple. For anyone who is looking for a 'romance' full of nothing more than throbbing manhoods, move along. While I do enjoy those, this is something sweeter. It is life, with it's pitfalls and heartbreaks, and love that doesn't erase all hurts, but makes them bearable and worth enduring.  It isn't a story that pulls you along at a breakneck pace, but one that you want to savor. I took my time reading this, not wanting to miss the details that make these characters into real people.

Sam and Alex are both amazing individuals, with strong talents and daunting challenges in their lives. There are points in the story that you can't imagine two people more different, and times when you realize they aren't so different after all. I worried for them during the rough spots, and prayed that they'd find their happy ending. It wasn't the perfect fairy tale ending that I would have liked for these friends, but music needs it's high and low notes to make a Perfect Score.

Publisher: Awe-Struck Publishing

Released: September 21, 2010                                   More info:

This PDF was received from the author for review.