Crushes: The Secret Inspiration for Romance?

I met Suleikha Snyder on twitter and instantly bonded over books, Bollywood and Bengali food...as well as random exchanges. She's got a bubbly personality that just makes you take notice & smile. She's also directed me to some excellent multicultural reads, so when her second multicultural romance, SPICE AND SECRETS, featuring passionate characters from exotic Bollywood released...well, I had to introduce you to Suleikha :) Enjoy!

Here's Suleikha!


What inspires me? What kick-starts the ol’ writerly engine in the dead of winter? This is going to sound completely cheesy, but there is nothing like a good crush — or a bad crush — to fuel my creative process. To fuel *me*, in general. I know, how Taylor Swift of me, right? But here’s the thing: Falling in love involves a ton of passionate emotion, and when there’s nowhere for it to go, I channel it all into my stories.

 
The saying goes, “write what you know,” and I might not know the “happily ever after” part (yet!), but I tap into the emotions along the way when I experience them. The first blush of infatuation, the throes of a mad passion, the devastation of heartbreak…if you look back at what I’ve written over the past two years, it’s like a Da Vinci Code-esque map of my highs and lows, all spurred on by someone that caught my eye. That someone might be Jeremy Renner or Ryan Gosling or a person in my “real life,” but whoever it is, they wind up being my unwitting research assistant in matters of the heart.
 
 
Jeremy Renner

I love — and hate — all those big emotions, and I couldn’t do what I do without them.

 
My November release from Samhain, SPICE AND SECRETS, is all about overcoming the fear of taking chances, of putting yourself out there to be hurt. Do I know how that feels? You bet. Not in the same context, not with the same kinds of people — former ingĂ©nue Priya and brash talk show hostess Sunita are drawn to archetypes that I don’t rub elbows with on a daily basis — but I’ve let that doubt run through my veins, and I’ve worn that emotional armor.
 

I know, I know. Mystery writers don’t kill people, erotic romance writers don’t have kinky threesomes but, I gotta admit, for me, there’s just something to falling in love while I’m writing love…
 

I’m giving away one electronic copy of SPICE AND SECRETS in the format of your choice to a lucky commenter, so please share your thoughts! Am I a little crazy, or is this just my spin on LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE…putting my emotions into my writing, instead of my cooking?
 
 
 
Here's more about Suleikha: 

Editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek, Suleikha Snyder published her first romantic short in Ravenous Romance's 2011 TOUCHDOWNS anthology. 2012 brought a bevy of releases, including Suleikha's first novella from Samhain Publishing, SPICE AND SMOKE, a Wild Rose Press short story called HEART MURMURS, and a short in Cleis Press' June SUITE ENCOUNTERS anthology. Suleikha lives in New York City, finding inspiration in Bollywood films, daytime and primetime soaps, and Hell's Kitchen wine bars.

 

16 comments:

  1. Morning Suleikha,
    What a wonderful way to use crushes as opposed to hiding them away. Good luck with Spices and Secrets, it sounds like a winner.

    morgankwyatt(at)juno(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Morning, Morgan! Thank you so much! Hiding crushes only leads to my angst. This way, it gives my *characters* angst. ;)

      Delete
  2. I heartily approve of most of your crushes, as you know! And you have such a brilliant writing voice so keep on using those crushes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for being a guest on my blog Suleikha! Wishing you all the best with the new story :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for having me, Rashda! I'm glad to be here...and your mention of Bengali food has me wishing for some garam rosogolla!

      Delete
  4. I think you make a great point that a sexy visual can be great inspiration! My writing partner and I often have a picture of our characters. She pins them above her desk.

    Best of luck on your book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Stephanie/Alicia! I know a lot of people use fantasy casting as inspiration, and it really seems to work for them!

      Delete
  5. Fascinating post, Suleikha! I like your method. I've been known to do the same thing at times. I love to feel that strong emotion as I'm writing it. :)
    author (at) vondasinclair (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Vonda! It's a real rush for me, channeling all those feelings into my writing. Nothing feels better than sitting down and typing up a storm while riding an emotional high.

      Delete
  6. I don't think you are crazy, but you might be a little unusual, Suleikha. In the years since I began reviewing romance novels (I don't admit to READING them yet, but that is another story.), what has surprised me the most (beyond the fact that so many are quite well written) is the fact that virtually every single romance novel author I know of claims to be quite happily married (or happily in a long term relationship), frequently crediting and thanking their loyal spouses for their patience and support and inspiration.

    I haven't seen any statistics on the subject, but I think I've actually run across more romance novel author widows, still mourning their lost beloveds than single or divorced romance novel authors still searching for their HEA's.

    Makes you wonder what else shown in the movie "Romancing the Stone" was somewhat unrealistic....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, FredTownWard...there's so much dismissal of romance as a genre in your first paragraph that I can barely get past it to your musings about married novelists vs. ones without HEAs. It's sad that you can't admit to reading romance and that it surprises you to find that they are well written...and also sad that you think "Romancing the Stone" is an accurate representation of a romance writer's lifestyle on ANY level.

      Delete
    2. The problem with going through life keeping a sharp eye out for hidden insults and secret slurs is that you are absolutely guaranteed to find them,...

      whether they were intended or not, whether they exist or not.

      I would suggest reading some of my romance novel reviews and seeing whether you can find any dismissal of the genre as opposed to opinions about the individual books themselves, coupled with attempts at self deprecating humor.

      A good place to start would be my review of Mina Khan's own "A Tale of Two Djinns": http://www.amazon.com/review/R1US3MU23XJLVU , which to the best of my knowledge, she was pleased with.

      Delete
    3. I'm not entirely sure how "what has surprised me the most (beyond the fact that so many are quite well written)" is "hidden" and "secret." If your initial comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, it missed the mark.

      Delete
    4. It was neither "hidden" or "secret" but rather a reference to the scales falling from my eyes upon actually reading some romance novels after having avoided them for so long in response to the stereotype, as parodied in "Romancing the Stone".

      You are free to go around with as gigantic a chip on your shoulder as you wish, but though it may win you some fights (that you will mostly have started), I doubt it will win you many readers or your chosen genre more respect.

      Delete
  7. Thanks for commenting, everyone, and thanks for hosting me here, Mina! I just chose the winner of a copy of Spice and Secrets via random number generator at Random.Org, and it's Vonda Sinclair!

    ReplyDelete