THE BEST & THE WORST OF SUSAN PAPE

My excitement knows no bounds this week and, still on my high from yesterday, I am introducing you to another fantastic author, in fact co-author to Sue Featherstone who I interviewed yesterday, as we continue to celebrate the launch of their second book, true #divalit, A FORSAKEN FRIEND. 

SUSAN PAPE 

Susan Pape is a former newspaper journalist with extensive experience of working for national and regional papers and magazines, and in public relations.

More recently she worked in higher education, teaching journalism at Leeds Trinity University.
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Susan and her co-author, Sue Featherstone, have been friends for 25 years, and wrote two successful journalism text books together – Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction and Feature Writing: A Practical Introduction (both published by Sage).

Their debut novel, A Falling Friend, published by Lakewater Press, has been followed by a second book, A Forsaken Friend, in what is to become the Friends trilogy.

Susan is married and lives in a village near Leeds, and, when not writing, loves walking and cycling in the Yorkshire Dales. She is also a member of a local ukulele orchestra.

With Sue, she blogs about books at https://bookloversbooklist.com/
You can find Susan on Twitter: @wordfocus

No-one said friendship was easy. 

Things can’t get much worse for Teri Meyer. If losing her job at the university and the regular allowance from her dad’s factory isn’t bad enough, now her ex-best friend has gone and stolen her ex-husband! Well, to hell with them all. A few weeks in the countryside at her brother’s smallholding should do the trick – and the gorgeous and god-like neighbour might help.

But then there’s Declan, not to mention Duck’s Arse back in Yorkshire…

It’s not as if Lee Harper set out to fall in love with her best friend’s ex-husband. But, for once, her love life is looking up – except for all the elephants in the room, not to mention Mammy’s opinion on her dating a twice-divorced man. Perhaps things aren’t as rosy as she first thought. And now with one family crisis after another, Lee’s juggling more roles – and emotions – than she ever imagined.

Maybe sharing her life with a man wasn’t such a grand idea.  
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The FRIENDS trilogy continues in this heart-warming and hilarious hoot as two best friends navigate men, careers, family and rock bottom in this brilliant sequel to A FALLING FRIEND.

A Forsaken Friend is available to buy on Amazon: myBook.to/AForsakenFriend
A Falling Friend is available to buy on Amazon: myBook.to/FallingFriend
Goodreads 

The Best & Worst of Susan

Best Book: I think my co-author, Sue Featherstone, and I are bound to say A Falling Friend – our first novel together. But if that’s not allowed, I’d have to say whatever is gripping me right now… as I often read a book and think: Wow, this is the best I’ve ever read…Currently reading H is for Hawk (great) and just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (brilliant).
 
Best Band: The Rolling Stones – without a doubt. When I was younger, you were either a Stones fan or a Beatles fan. I’m sorry to say, I was never switched on by the Beatles – those hairstyles! But the Stones…wow! I saw them live a few years ago – and was just blown away by their energy and style.
 
Best Song / Worst Song: Best song: Hallelujah when sung by the late, great Leonard Cohen. Worst song: anything that involves waving your arms in the air and doing actions. Am I thinking of the chicken song? Argh!
 
Best Holiday / Worst Holiday: Best: Vietnam and Cambodia two years ago – the scenery, people, food… all stunning. Worst: a camping holiday in Cornwall. In the rain. Having just broken up with a boyfriend. While broke.
 
Best Animal: Cavalier King Charles spaniel
 
Best Item of Clothing: Whichever pair of jeans I have on right now – with my white shirt.
 
Best Food / Worst Food: Best: Vietnamese curries. Worst: Pot Noodles or anything that comes dehydrated in a packet.
 
Best Drink / Worst Drink: Best: Ground coffee made properly in a cafetiere. Make sure you warm the pot and don’t put boiling water straight on to the grounds – let the water cool for a couple of minutes otherwise you’ll burn the coffee; Worst: Instant coffee. I’m a coffee snob, if you hadn’t noticed.
 
Best Alcoholic Drink / Worst Alcoholic Drink: Best: chilled white wine; worst: warm white wine
 
Best Friend: Oh that’s easy… Sue Featherstone, without whom…
 
Best Writing Moment: Oh that’s easy too: meeting Sue… little did I know the writing that was to come!
 
Best Word / Worst Word: Best: Absolutely; Worst: No.
 
Best Shop: Not so much a shop, more a website – Hush - casual and relaxed clothing. Otherwise it’s M&S.
 
Best Job: The one I’m doing now – writing fiction. Although this Q&A isn’t fiction. I promise!
 
Best Teacher / Worst Teacher: The best teacher – there were three: My English teacher at school who gave me my first taste of Shakespeare; a lecturer at Ilkley Teacher Training College who persuaded me to follow my dream of being a journalist rather than a teacher. The third best teacher was a lecturer at Leeds University where I did a degree as a mature student. He burst into the lecture theatre one day and declaimed: ‘Restless he rolls about from whore to whore…’ He was talking about John Wilmot, the 2nd Earl of Rochester – a poet, libertine and total rake – and, like Teri in A Falling Friend, I was hooked! Worst: The worst teacher was the headmistress of my primary school. I’d spent my very early years in Hong Kong and on returning to England, fetched up in a small village school in Yorkshire where the head was a bully who liked to humiliate anyone who had imagination or who’d lived a different life.
 
Best Time of Day / Worst Time of Day: Best: 5pm when it’s time for tea and toast. Worst: 3am.
 
Best Day Ever: So difficult as I’ve had so many wonderful best days – the day A Falling Friend was published; reaching the summit of the 214th fell in the Lake District (it took me years to climb them all); getting my BA Hons after studying for six years as a part-time, mature student while working full time, which involved lots of juggling. Picking up the ukulele for the first time – and then playing with my orchestra for the first time in a live gig.
 
Best Gadget: The battery-driven de-bobbler that I use when a favourite jumper starts pilling.
 
Best Restaurant: Kendalls in Leeds. Totally French – loud French music; candles dripping on to stained wooden tables; waiters who won’t speak English; fabulous food.
 
Best Time of Year / Worst Time of Year: Best: summer; Worst: January
 
Best School Subject / Worst School Subject: My best subject was English and my worst was physics. What is that all about? One of my wonderful nieces is a geophysicist who tries to explain physics to me, but I glaze over after she’s said: ‘It’s simple, really…’
 
Best Body Part / Worst Body Part: Best: my nose; worst: my nose. I had such a complex about my nose when I was younger that I went to the doctor to ask if I could have plastic surgery. He laughed and told me to stop being silly! I hate it, but I sort of love it too. 


OMG, I need a de-bobbler in my life! And, one of my dogs is half Cavalier so you can pop round anytime to give him a pat.