Ask the Author: Suanne Laqueur
Answered Questions (42)
Suanne Laqueur
Standalone for now. I never know what’s going to turn into a series!
Suanne Laqueur
I want Minor to have a book, too, but right now O'Hara is talking to me more than Minor is. He's so guarded and has so many delicious secrets and mysteries about his life in Wyoming. Who IS this guy...?
Suanne Laqueur
Once upon a time in my 20s, I went on a date with an incredibly sexy guy. One of those first dates that never required a second because the first was standalone perfect. At one point, I said to him, "Tell me a secret."
I never forgot how he looked and sounded when, after a tiny pause, he answered, "Once...I made love with my cousin." He didn't look regretful, arrogant or ashamed. His expression was this beautiful blend of wistful and vulnerable and the memory of something sweet but impossible. Something secret.
And hell, maybe he was laying a line on me, but I never forgot it. I was fascinated but didn't ask him for details. I just wanted to be fascinated. And as you can see, I kind of still am. But I think I have it out of my system now.
BTW, I never intended Deane and Ari to stay together forever. High school couples rarely do. They loved each other and saw what happened, which was their being related becoming an obstacle. And when they think about it, they'll wear that expression I saw on the face of my date all those years ago. No shame, no regret. Just a wistful, bittersweet, tender nostalgia for something sweet and impossible.
I never forgot how he looked and sounded when, after a tiny pause, he answered, "Once...I made love with my cousin." He didn't look regretful, arrogant or ashamed. His expression was this beautiful blend of wistful and vulnerable and the memory of something sweet but impossible. Something secret.
And hell, maybe he was laying a line on me, but I never forgot it. I was fascinated but didn't ask him for details. I just wanted to be fascinated. And as you can see, I kind of still am. But I think I have it out of my system now.
BTW, I never intended Deane and Ari to stay together forever. High school couples rarely do. They loved each other and saw what happened, which was their being related becoming an obstacle. And when they think about it, they'll wear that expression I saw on the face of my date all those years ago. No shame, no regret. Just a wistful, bittersweet, tender nostalgia for something sweet and impossible.
Suanne Laqueur
Working on it now!
Suanne Laqueur
Hey there! I would love to have the Venery series on Audible. They purchased the rights to Fish Tales but I think that was just a lucky break. To pursue produce the audiobooks myself I’d need to break contract with my audio rights agent and figure out the whole ACX thing. It’s do-able, it’s just a monumental project that makes me nervous.
Suanne Laqueur
I grew up in Croton-on-Hudson and I think I'll always want to live in sight of the Hudson. My made-up town of Guelisten is a mix of Croton, Cold Spring and Katonah :-)
Suanne Laqueur
Sort of. The main character of Small Hotel, Kennet Fiskare, is the grandfather of the main character in Fish Tales, Erik Fiskare. So it's the same family, but completely different generations and storylines. No plot points overlap. You can read one without reading the other. :-)
Suanne Laqueur
Hey Leslie, “Client Privilege” is still a thing, but not enough of a thing that I can put a listing or a release date on it in good conscience. Right now I’m working on another Fish Tale, but perhaps after that I will return to writing something else as Gil Rafael.
Suanne Laqueur
Geno's story actually started as a plot line in An Exaltation of Larks, but I quickly realized such an intense ordeal could not belong to a secondary character. Still, I felt it could be an important premise for a book, so I tried to work it into Finches and tie-in Stef as an art therapist working exclusively with male survivors...and the rest is history.
All my characters hang around in my head, narrating their post-book adventures. Except Geno. Geno came to me, told me his story, stayed to make sure it was done right, and then he slipped away. He rarely, if ever, comes back to me. A little nod or the occasional wave, letting me know he's all right. If he ever has more story to tell, he knows where to find me...
All my characters hang around in my head, narrating their post-book adventures. Except Geno. Geno came to me, told me his story, stayed to make sure it was done right, and then he slipped away. He rarely, if ever, comes back to me. A little nod or the occasional wave, letting me know he's all right. If he ever has more story to tell, he knows where to find me...
Suanne Laqueur
You bet your ass you do! “A Plump of Woodcocks” releases on February 14th and at least one of your wishes will come true!
Suanne Laqueur
Oh thank you so much, I adore Stef to pieces. Can you imagine if he and Will met? As Val Lark would say, there would be nothing left but a smoking pile of ash with some rings resting on top.
Fun little story: my editor was horrified at the chapter when Stef and Jav are making out in Stef's office. She commented in the margin, "I'm having a hard time with this. It's just a really, really, almost unbelievably stupid thing for Stef to do." And I replied, "I know, that's the point. He has to do something stupid in this book, otherwise he's too damn perfect!"
As for the audiobook version, alas, it's not for lack of trying to get a deal, but no offers so far. I write big books (and I cannot lie), which means many hours of recording and editing. Big investment. Much expensive. And I don't have the cash flow to produce it myself at the moment. Boo.
Fun little story: my editor was horrified at the chapter when Stef and Jav are making out in Stef's office. She commented in the margin, "I'm having a hard time with this. It's just a really, really, almost unbelievably stupid thing for Stef to do." And I replied, "I know, that's the point. He has to do something stupid in this book, otherwise he's too damn perfect!"
As for the audiobook version, alas, it's not for lack of trying to get a deal, but no offers so far. I write big books (and I cannot lie), which means many hours of recording and editing. Big investment. Much expensive. And I don't have the cash flow to produce it myself at the moment. Boo.
Suanne Laqueur
Hi Julia. I love that you read the stories "out of" order. I think as long as you don't start with 3, you can read them in any order. But that's just me.
As to your question.... I'm really not sure myself. I think it was the perfect storm of unwritten circumstances: Nobody knew where to contact him. Everyone figured someone else would do it. Nobody discussed it because Erik's the elephant in the room and they don't talk about it. And Erik, being the guarded man he is, probably didn't make himself too easy to find.
What do you think, sound plausible?
As to your question.... I'm really not sure myself. I think it was the perfect storm of unwritten circumstances: Nobody knew where to contact him. Everyone figured someone else would do it. Nobody discussed it because Erik's the elephant in the room and they don't talk about it. And Erik, being the guarded man he is, probably didn't make himself too easy to find.
What do you think, sound plausible?
Suanne Laqueur
Hi Suzy, thank you so much! I don't know if Erik and Daisy will get another book. I do have an idea for a prequel-type Fish Tale, which would be Byron and Christine's story, with Erik only appearing as a little boy.
Likewise I have no immediate plans for a third Venery book... Although today I did bookmark a whole bunch of articles about women who gave birth while detained during the Pinochet regime, and how their children were "given" away to military families. Because I think <spoiler>Alex's sibling is alive somewhere.</spoiler>
Hold that thought.
Likewise I have no immediate plans for a third Venery book... Although today I did bookmark a whole bunch of articles about women who gave birth while detained during the Pinochet regime, and how their children were "given" away to military families. Because I think <spoiler>Alex's sibling is alive somewhere.</spoiler>
Hold that thought.
Suanne Laqueur
All of them?? That's like eating six cakes at once! You need a seaweed salad now. I think that's what I'll try to write next. We know I can write ten-course decadent banquets so maybe I should try writing short little vegetable sides. Wheatgrass juice shots. Would that be a thing?
Thank you so much. While I'm a tad concerned you binged my backlist, I'm flattered to death too. <3
Thank you so much. While I'm a tad concerned you binged my backlist, I'm flattered to death too. <3
Suanne Laqueur
You had me at "rereading."
Erik uses the excuse of the necklace to call her. "Just call her. Because you can't breathe without her." If she answered, it could've gone a bunch of different ways. Let's explore them, shallllll we?
1) Daisy picks up but John is home. Right there. Wrinkling eyebrows and mouthing, "Who is it?" She's torn. Erik in her ear. John in her eyes. I thought about this a good five minutes and honestly I think she would struggle a few light-headed seconds and then hang up on him. Ooh. Harsh. Okay, she doesn't hang up on him (though he deserves it) but says something like, "Oh hey, I'm not sure, this isn't a good time. Let me call you back." And then make up some excuse to John about a co-worker looking for a good massage therapist or something.
2) Daisy answers, John is not home. Think about her and Erik's state of minds. She's been through her therapy and done her hard work. Erik hasn't even started his yet, he's spiraling down.
Daisy is a lot like Alex Penda: she has a moral compass that only points one way. If she were living with John, she would say so. It would break her heart and make her feel like shit, but she would not ruthlessly throw Opie over the side. I think she'd be honest, kind and firm with Erik. Convey her sorrow for hurting him and convey her hurt from his actions. Say she hoped he would keep in touch, she still wanted to know where he was. And Erik, having the same kind of moral compass, wouldn't beg her. He'd let go, then continue his downward spiral as written.
3) Daisy answers and she's single. Well then, it would probably go a lot like it did at the end of TMIL. Except Erik isn't that stable. Isn't as mature and self-aware as he is at the end. I don't doubt that shortly into this reconciliation, Daisy would boot his ass into therapy. Either together with her or alone. Or both. But they'd find their way back to each other and find the way forward. And it would've been a 200-page book instead of a 400-something page book :-)
What do you think?
Erik uses the excuse of the necklace to call her. "Just call her. Because you can't breathe without her." If she answered, it could've gone a bunch of different ways. Let's explore them, shallllll we?
1) Daisy picks up but John is home. Right there. Wrinkling eyebrows and mouthing, "Who is it?" She's torn. Erik in her ear. John in her eyes. I thought about this a good five minutes and honestly I think she would struggle a few light-headed seconds and then hang up on him. Ooh. Harsh. Okay, she doesn't hang up on him (though he deserves it) but says something like, "Oh hey, I'm not sure, this isn't a good time. Let me call you back." And then make up some excuse to John about a co-worker looking for a good massage therapist or something.
2) Daisy answers, John is not home. Think about her and Erik's state of minds. She's been through her therapy and done her hard work. Erik hasn't even started his yet, he's spiraling down.
Daisy is a lot like Alex Penda: she has a moral compass that only points one way. If she were living with John, she would say so. It would break her heart and make her feel like shit, but she would not ruthlessly throw Opie over the side. I think she'd be honest, kind and firm with Erik. Convey her sorrow for hurting him and convey her hurt from his actions. Say she hoped he would keep in touch, she still wanted to know where he was. And Erik, having the same kind of moral compass, wouldn't beg her. He'd let go, then continue his downward spiral as written.
3) Daisy answers and she's single. Well then, it would probably go a lot like it did at the end of TMIL. Except Erik isn't that stable. Isn't as mature and self-aware as he is at the end. I don't doubt that shortly into this reconciliation, Daisy would boot his ass into therapy. Either together with her or alone. Or both. But they'd find their way back to each other and find the way forward. And it would've been a 200-page book instead of a 400-something page book :-)
What do you think?
Suanne Laqueur
She appears again briefly, in the third book of the series Here to Stay and you get to catch up with what's going on in her life. I love Melanie. Her name used to be Michelle but I kept seeing Michelle Obama so I changed it. I always thought she'd be a great spin-off character for a little novella or something...
Suanne Laqueur
I only wrote one chapter from James's POV in The Ones That Got Away, and that's with him hooking up with Will for the first time. To get any further inside his head was something I just didn't want to do, and didn't know if I could do. Whatever was behind his decision, it died with him.
Suanne Laqueur
Thank you so much, I'm thrilled you enjoyed the series. When they did their first IVF, Erik and Daisy ended up with 5 embryos. They implanted 3 and froze 2. The second pregnancy they implanted the 2 frozen ones so no, they didn't have to go through egg and sperm retrieval again. But they were ready to :-)
Suanne Laqueur
Yes, the whole series will be on Audible this year! So glad you enjoyed it. I'm kind of afraid to listen... It's going to be so weird hearing my own words read. I'm kind of freaking out :-)
Suanne Laqueur
OK, wow, this is seven questions. I'll take them one at a time :-)
1) What's your inspiration for Jav & Alex's characters?
Javier Landes started out as Xavier, Xav for short, because I thought it sounded damn sexy. But after The Fish Tales, I wanted to get away from French-speaking characters. So he became Javier instead. I made him Dominican after watching Joanna Hausmann's video on different Latino accents. Apparently Dominicans speak Spanish the fastest out of all Latinos (although Puerto Ricans will vehemently and speedily deny any such thing). To contrast that, I first made Alex Penda Argentinian. His Spanish would be much slower and sing-song with a heavy Italian influence. It just made for some funny, nationalistic-pride competitive dialogue between them, with Jav speeding up and Alex slowing down on purpose. He later became Chilean.
2) Do you speak Spanish?
No.
3) What was the purpose in killing off Roland/Meredith—a faster way to get Val & Alex together?
It was partly for convenience yes, otherwise I’d have to develop the parental relationships and that would be like another 300 pages in an already long book. Also partly to give Alex, Val and Jav the common experience of being orphans.
4) Can I get Alex's recipe for Dulce de Leche? You take the label off a can of condensed milk. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place the can on its side, making sure it’s covered by the water at all times. Simmer 3 hours, adding more boiling water if necessary to keep the can covered. Remove with tongs, let cool completely before opening.
5) Was it hard writing the intimate scenes between Jav & Alex?
Yes, at first. I had to really dial into what that experience might be like from both sides. When I relaxed and let go of preconceived notions of masculinity and gender and just let the action flow between two humans, it was a bit easier. Still a challenge, though.
6) How did you do your research for the male escort business?
I read a bunch of books but most of the research was done online. I lurked around a lot of forums where sex workers were discussing the trade. I needed a lot of personal, psychological details, though, and three different escorts I met were nice enough to answer questions I sent them. Since I started publishing, I find experts, no matter the field, love to be consulted. Tell them you’re writing a book and they’ll enthusiastically help you out.
7) Is Guelisten based on a real town?
Two towns, actually. Katonah, NY with its beautiful houses and picturesque-as-f*ck Main Street; and Cold Spring, NY which sits on the Hudson River and is also Norman Rockwell’s wet dream. I moved the location a bit northward to Poughkeepsie so the town could be by the Mid-Hudson Bridge. I love bridges.
1) What's your inspiration for Jav & Alex's characters?
Javier Landes started out as Xavier, Xav for short, because I thought it sounded damn sexy. But after The Fish Tales, I wanted to get away from French-speaking characters. So he became Javier instead. I made him Dominican after watching Joanna Hausmann's video on different Latino accents. Apparently Dominicans speak Spanish the fastest out of all Latinos (although Puerto Ricans will vehemently and speedily deny any such thing). To contrast that, I first made Alex Penda Argentinian. His Spanish would be much slower and sing-song with a heavy Italian influence. It just made for some funny, nationalistic-pride competitive dialogue between them, with Jav speeding up and Alex slowing down on purpose. He later became Chilean.
2) Do you speak Spanish?
No.
3) What was the purpose in killing off Roland/Meredith—a faster way to get Val & Alex together?
It was partly for convenience yes, otherwise I’d have to develop the parental relationships and that would be like another 300 pages in an already long book. Also partly to give Alex, Val and Jav the common experience of being orphans.
4) Can I get Alex's recipe for Dulce de Leche? You take the label off a can of condensed milk. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place the can on its side, making sure it’s covered by the water at all times. Simmer 3 hours, adding more boiling water if necessary to keep the can covered. Remove with tongs, let cool completely before opening.
5) Was it hard writing the intimate scenes between Jav & Alex?
Yes, at first. I had to really dial into what that experience might be like from both sides. When I relaxed and let go of preconceived notions of masculinity and gender and just let the action flow between two humans, it was a bit easier. Still a challenge, though.
6) How did you do your research for the male escort business?
I read a bunch of books but most of the research was done online. I lurked around a lot of forums where sex workers were discussing the trade. I needed a lot of personal, psychological details, though, and three different escorts I met were nice enough to answer questions I sent them. Since I started publishing, I find experts, no matter the field, love to be consulted. Tell them you’re writing a book and they’ll enthusiastically help you out.
7) Is Guelisten based on a real town?
Two towns, actually. Katonah, NY with its beautiful houses and picturesque-as-f*ck Main Street; and Cold Spring, NY which sits on the Hudson River and is also Norman Rockwell’s wet dream. I moved the location a bit northward to Poughkeepsie so the town could be by the Mid-Hudson Bridge. I love bridges.
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Nov 02, 2025 12:37PM · flag