Author Suzanne Simonetti Shares Her Latest Book Inspiration
Writing a book takes loads of time, motivation and inspiration. In my experience, there are also significant servings of coffee, which also lead to bathroom breaks, but let’s not get sidetracked… In this interview with Suzanne Simonetti, we learn what fueled her writing journey, how she managed her time in order to meet essential deadlines, and how she conjured the holiday spirit in the process.
Books by Suzanne Simonetti
Just in time for the holidays, Suzanne has released her cozy holiday novel:
A Cape May Christmas Story
Rita Abernathy’s lifelong dream has come true: She and her husband Charles are the proud owners of a one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Victorian home in the historic district of Cape May. For years, they made treasured family memories in the quaint coastal town, spending time at the beach during the summer and experiencing true Christmas magic during the holiday season. Rita believes the Cape May magic has returned to their lives at just the right time.
But things aren’t as cheery as they seem in the Abernathy’s magnificently decorated Victorian home…
Rita’s grown sons are two years apart in age and vastly different men. Chase is a single online travel blogger with a following worthy of his larger-than-life personality. Paul is a disgruntled family man, worried about losing his job. With the help of her daughter-in-law and sassy six-year-old granddaughter, Rita vows to bring her estranged sons together again.
Patti Kelley is a local pastry chef, widely known for her succulent croissants. Chase lends Patti a hand the night of the Christmas parade and falls in love with the sights and tastes of the seaside paradise. Soon, Patti’s fancy coffee isn’t the only thing brewing inside that bakery …
Will the magic of Cape May be enough to heal this fractured family in time for Christmas?
Q & A with Suzanne Simonetti: Behind The Books
Tell us where you’re from, and what sparked the idea for your book.
I was born in the Bronx and grew up in the Hudson Valley, NY. I wrote this book because seeing Christmas through the eyes of Cape May help me to fall back in love with the season. There is a comforting charm here unique unto itself. I hope my readers are filled with the wonder I discovered when I first experienced that magic of Christmas in Cape May for myself.
Writing a book is a process with highs and lows. What challenges did you overcome to get your story written, and what tools or practices helped you achieve the goal?
From inception to publication date, this book took one year to enter the world. Even for a 30,000-word novella, time was my biggest factor as I had to allow for the editing process, which included developmental, copy, and proofreading. When I write, I utilize the Pomodoro Method which means I work in 25-minute increments of uninterrupted time. By the end of the day, I keep track of how many pomodoros I have accomplished as a way to quantify my effort since word count isn’t always an accurate reflection.
Tell us about the people, places or things that inspire your creativity…
In January of 2015, my husband and I bought a home on Cape May Island, NJ which is set at the tip of the state where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Delaware Bay. In 1976, the town was preserved as a historic district which lends itself to the strong Victorian presence. The area is filled with artists and creators of every variety: photographers, musicians, performers, sculptors, painters, writers, poets, dancers, surfers, and beyond. In addition to the flood of inspiration from the townspeople, the town is wrought with history—and ghosts! Cape May is a notoriously haunted town; I have some personal stories I am collecting for future pieces.
Is there any section chapter or line from your book that you’re most proud of?
“Aging had a way of providing the space and encouragement a woman needed to speak up for herself.”
~ Rita Abernathy
I enjoyed writing the touching scene between Rita’s two sons—Chase and Paul—which takes place toward the end of the story. The brothers had been estranged and were mending fences. I think my most proud chapter is the one between Paul and his wife, Shannon. Paul saves his big news because he didn’t want to steal Shannon’s thunder who also had some great news of her own.
What are your next projects, writing or otherwise?
This is a bold admission, but I am working on the sequel to my debut novel, The Sound of Wings. It takes place years into the future so we catch up with the main characters and where they are in their current lives. I am excited and trepidatious to dive back into that story line. I aim to release that one in Spring 2025.
Find more cozy Christmas books here…
About author Suzanne Simonetti
Suzanne Simonetti is the USA Today bestselling author of The Sound of Wings. She lives on Cape May Harbor with her husband, Joe. Her latest book A Cape May Christmas Story: A Celebration of Family and Love in America’s First Seaside Resort is Simonetti’s love letter to the seaside paradise she now calls home.
