Romance Author Hotspot

Today, our guests of honor are Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes. It’s so nice to have you here! Hope you’re ready to party!

First Questions:

Wine or beer? (If you say club soda, we’ll have to send you to the corner…)

Fine French champagne for Bill, and beer for Susan.  (Spotted Cow, of Milwaukee fame, if you have it back there.)

Cake or chips? Are you a sugar or salt kind of person?  Chips for Susan please.  A large slice of chocolate cake for Bill.

*squints eyes * Are you old enough to drink?  We are old enough for everything.

Wait! You can’t come in yet! What did you bring us? The best read of the year!

Blurb: 

Brilliant and sassy Elizabeth Trumpet fantasizes starring on the London stage, but to become an actress in 1803 is tantamount to losing her virginity in the most debasing way.

After watching her mother die and her father lose his mind, the courageous sixteen-year-old must find a way to save her family. She scores her first acting job as a fencer—the deadly skill she learned from her brother training for the military. Blessed with talent and a rare singing voice, Lizzie pursues her career, learning from theatrical characters high and low.

When reckless actor Jonathan Faversham sets eyes on Miss Trumpet, he knows he’s found the partner of his life. But Faversham carries ruinous baggage from a dark past. Entangled in lust and ambition, Lizzie gives him her heart and they reach the heights together. Until Lizzie gets more applause than he…

From the magnificence of Regency palaces and the Theatre Royal Covent Garden to the sun-baked pyramids of Egypt and the arms of a real-life Samson, Lizzie is never far from trouble. As her brother rides to glory with Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars, great events threaten her survival. Danger lurks behind stage curtains, when a madman sets fire to take her life and she lifts a sword in revenge.

Will this once innocent girl, with her rise to stardom, be remembered for her art? Or for her shame?

What makes your characters so special?

Elizabeth Trumpet, whose back you see on that sumptuous cover is an actress with a great singing voice, fencing skills, and the guts to become a star on the London stage of 1803.

Alright, I guess you can come in. Now off to the roast!

What do you like doing besides writing and reading?

We have been actors all our lives and still love working in show business.  Susan began performing at age four, Bill a tender sixteen.  For over forty years we have appeared on the soap opera Days of Our Lives, to some acclaim.  Our two lifetimes of credits include: Broadway, recording, nightclubs, variety review, commercials, radio, film, documentary, news broadcasting, theater everywhere and very live television.  We’ve never said no to a job offer.

Is it dangerous?

Since performing risks making an ass of yourself every time you step onstage, we would say yes.  Acting is stimulatingly dangerous.

Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

Name it we’ll go, and probably it will be a return trip.  We are lucky enough to be world travelers, loving the ancient world.  So that put us in Italy and the Mediterranean scores of times.  European art draws us back to Berlin, Rome, Paris, Vienna, Prague, you know the spots. For research on TRUMPET we packed our bags and pencils for London, Cairo, Gibraltar, Waterloo and Charleston. New York and London feel like home.  We would love to see more of South America and Susan could keep going back to India for the rest of her life.

What was your first sale as an author? Was it special?

Seeing people line up at events to buy LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOURGLASS proved to us what we already knew, that television draws a crowd.  “I’ve watched you for years”, people love to tell us with shinning eyes.  It’s great to hear, but even more wonderful is “I loved the book, and it’s so well written!”  Most people don’t think of actors as capable of writing, but remember we have been expressing ourselves in public through dialogue for ages, we really know what makes a good scene and a memorable line.  “I stayed up all night to finish it or I couldn’t put it down!” sends us into positive orgasms of author’s joy.

What do you think makes a good story? 

The same ingredients that make great soap opera : characters you love and understand, a strong dose of surprise and adventure, real emotions driven by life’s laughter and tears, entangling romance and as much gorgeous description as the page can carry.

What are you passionate about?

Opera, travel, great painting and sex. 

What is one thing about you that most people don’t know?

Bill Hayes has a doctorate in education from West Virginia University.  Susan Hayes once addressed the House Judiciary Committee on prayer in schools.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Patrick O Brian.  He blends history, character and adventure into perfect novels.  Yes, he is generally read by men who love sea stories, but we reread him constantly for laughing- out- loud pleasure, craft and inspiration.   We keep two copies of his books with us at all times, and have started collecting him on E books too.

Last question: Where can our partygoers find you and your work?

Website: http://www.susanandbillhayes.com

   Twitter: @DaysHayes

   Facebook: Bill and Susan Hayes

   Other: dool.com

Thank you so much for coming!

Giveaway prizes include : Our memoir LIKE SANDS THROUGH THE HOURGLASS, Bill’s CD “This is Bill Hayes” and an autographed 8 X 10. Chosen at random from Romance Author Hotspot Interview commenters.