Suzanne Simonetti is a USA TODAY bestselling novelist who grew up in the New York suburbs just outside of the city. After earning a BS in marketing, she spent several years writing press releases, until she left her corporate job to focus on her passion for crafting fiction. She lives on Cape May Harbor with her husband. When not on her paddle board or yoga mat, she can be found at the beach trailing the shoreline for seashells, scribbling in her notebook, and channeling dolphins for meaningful conversation. The Sound of Wings is her first book.
I was that kid who stared out the window while the teacher clacked around in high heels at the chalkboard scribbling away. How I wish I could travel back through the pages of time and whisper into the ear of that distracted little daydreamer: “There is a place in the world for you.”
I would tell her that she could navigate new dimensions of time and space, if only she dared to hurdle the boundaries of her own insecurities, into the land of her own creation.
Facing the Page
My stories are character-driven. I love to explore the many layers of human nature.
When I am writing, the room I am sitting in falls away as I become immersed into the story with the characters. I wish to provide a sense of escape for my readers from their own lives as they join me in this new world of my creation.
Inspiration
My fiction explores the many layers of human nature. By taking a closer examination of a person’s psyche, I am able to better understand the ways in which we connect to one another and the roles we occupy in the various relationships we sustain over the course of a lifetime.
This journey of sketching characters and creating plots from the ocean of my life experiences and imagination, leads me to a place of deep gratitude, healing, and self-discovery. My characters are fictional borne from the recesses of my imagination, yet there is a tiny piece of me in each one.
Becoming Unstuck
There are times when I can get snagged on a scene and not sure how to proceed. When that happens, sometimes it’s best to step away from the ever-demanding blinking cursor and find another creative outlet. I find a certain freedom in cooking—I also LOVE to eat and have a mad passion for food. I have a collection of charming and colorful cookbooks, but admittedly, I rarely follow recipes. When I become stuck on the page, I will often throw on an apron, stand in front of my opened pantry and let the ideas whet my appetite. Then, I’ll pull out a cutting board and one of my Wusthofs and start chopping vegetables.
In our twenty years together, my husband, Joe, has come to love my new creations: not just on the page, but also on the plate. He will marvel, “This is DELICIOUS!” and snap a photo with his iPhone of the meal before him. What an honor that is for me. Then, he’ll often say, “Add this one to the list!” to which my smile fades as I realize I will have to try to recreate this meal I just developed from scratch without having written down a single ingredient, step, or measurement. I suppose it is more about me needing the discovery and escape of trying new things to find what may work and what doesn’t—much like my writing.
Living the Dream: Life on Cape May Island
Joe and I always loved traveling to the Cape May and Wildwood Crest area. Years ago, my book research brought us to our favorite summer vacation spot during the holiday season; a time when the town is aglow in holiday spirit and dressed to perfection with glitter and lights, straight out of a Normal Rockwell painting. We found ourselves sniffing around and came to purchase a second home which soon became our main stay. Situated around the block from the USCG base, we are a mere100 yards from the Fisherman’s Memorial. There is a little harbor beach—when it isn’t gobbled up by high tide—which serves as a launch for kayaks, paddle boards, and the like.
I take yoga at the Cape May Yoga studio on West Perry Street above The Magic Brain Cafe—one of my favorite places to grab a coffee and a cheese scone. In the warmer months, I will ride my bicycle to the studio and join the group for beach yoga. Sometimes the dolphins—which are abundant in our area—grace us with a miraculous performance not all that far from the shoreline.
Every guest who visits me can expect to be taken to the Schooner or Raw Bar at The Lobster House; on the Thunder Cat Dolphin Watch; and to Peter Shields Inn to end the night in style.
