Today I am speaking with Conrad V. Sucatre.

Good Morning Conrad, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to Fallen Angel Reviews today.

It’s a pleasure talking with you.

Conrad, I read Old School Romance. Why not tell the readers what Conrad has going on with his writing today?

I’ve completed my first novel, Gulliver, a humorous Futuristic romance. It’s a Beauty and the Beast variation, in which Beauty (Pearl) is an average size woman, but her Beast (Cedric) a twenty-two foot giant! What’s more, both of them are space aliens. There’s never been an “odd couple” quite like these two. And I think romance readers will get a kick out of my spoofing of some of the old "bodice ripper" cliches in the second half of the novel, in which my heroine, Pearl, goes to Earth.

Up to now this book’s been rejected three times, and currently some of its sample chapters are awaiting judgment at another publishing house. Friends of mine who’ve read the manuscript believe it would make an excellent Young Adult novel if I tone down some of the language. I plan on taking their advice if Gulliver is rejected again.

I noticed with your Military Career, you were in the Navy and Coast Guard? I suppose you were able to do quite a bit of traveling, enough to get some great stories?

Indeed I have. I did two different tours in Sicily when I was in the Navy. I love that island, and would go back again in a heartbeat. I tell people, if you to want to see Europe in miniature, just go to Sicily. There’s castles, ancient ruins, beautiful countryside, delicious food, operas, and festivals! Why, at the annual festival in Agrigento, it’s wall-to-wall people there. Agrigento, by the way, is the site of the Valley of the Temples, marvelous Greek temples from ancient times lined up down a road. Gloriously beautiful!

Is there a particular book that you would like to share with us today and tell us a bit about it?

If you mean one of my books, of course I’d love to plug Old School Romance, which is still on the market in paperback through Barnes & Noble, the Forbes Book Club, Amazon, and other sites on the Web. And it’s now available as an e-book through Fictionwise, under their General Non-fiction section. If you mean someone else’s work, I’d be glad to recommend any of the books put out by Vintage Romance Publishing. They’re a young company under the leadership of veteran romance writer Dawn Carrington, who’s one wonderful lady.

But if you’re referring to a book outside Vintage Romance Publishing, there’s a charming novel I read recently from Harlequin Presents, The Italian’s Price by Diana Hamilton. I got a kick out of it because it took me by surprise. You don’t normally find a genuinely sweet, old fashioned type of romance in Harlequin Presents. I liked it too because it had an Old School plot twist: Good Twin-Bad Twin, with the good twin impersonating her “wicked” sister.

And for about a year I’ve recommended a book by Kate Moore, Sexy Lexy, a thoroughly modern novel which nevertheless has an Old School-type storyline: Rich woman runs away from her fame, moves into an out-of-the-way-town where nobody recognizes her. The story’s hero, who has dyslexia, was also a fascinating character who is similar to the complex heroes of old.

As a military man, did you have a great adventure you would like to share with your readers?

I sure did! When I was a ship’s cook on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Acacia, in 1985 we struck a rock and it ripped a hole in the side of the engine room. The crew shored up the hole and we limped into port at St. Ignace, Michigan. That’s something you don’t ever forget.

What is next for Conrad and any works in progress?

At the moment I’m concentrating on getting the word out about Gulliver. I want people to know about it long before it ever gets picked up by a publisher. I’ve spent the last two or three months preparing an extensive website for this purpose alone, which is now up on the Internet: http://conradsucatre.tripod.com/

I’ve designed it to be as interactive with readers as possible; I’m including with it a weekly serial by my wife, Linda, and once that’s run its course I’ll be inviting readers to submit short stories of their own. I won’t pay anybody, but I’ll offer this for any aspiring writers who’d want to participate just for fun and practice. But their stories would have to be approved by me, of course.

Far as works-in-progress go, once I settle down with all my efforts at self-promotion, I intend to do a paranormal set in—where else?-Sicily. I have the plot outlined but haven’t done anything further on it up to now. It’ll also be another fun, Pulp-type romance for escapist reading, like Gulliver, except this will be with normal people!

How many hours a day do you spend writing?

Well, at least an hour a day, and that includes all the work I did for Gulliver’s web page, and with interviews like this. The rest of this week I’m going to utilize that time getting the Gulliver site on search engines and cleaning up some of my other neglected web pages, like the My Space page I have. http://www.myspace.com/conradsucatre Unfortunately, I don’t know how to multitask. I’m from the generation where you did things one step at a time. So I’ve let some of my web pages slide while I built the one for Gulliver. I’ll be spending the rest of this week updating all my other pages.

Do you have a character that is especially close to your heart?

Pearl, the heroine of Gulliver. She’s a very complex character and I had a blast writing her. She’s in the tradition of the old Pulp magazine romance heroine, who can also be a “bad girl” without being unsympathetic. Pearl’s outspoken, adventurous and has a Southern accent to boot! (Her mother was from the deep South before she left Earth.) And don’t forget, Pearl’s also a half-breed alien. You can’t get a more fun character than that!

What is the best advice that anyone ever gave you?

To be honest, I can’t think of any. I know that sounds bad, but I’ve pretty much gone my own way in everything I’ve done. I’ve made both good and bad decisions through life, but I’ve generally walked my own path. Recently I’ve listened to friends and associates who think my writing style is better suited for the Young Adult romance and adventure market. I’m going to follow their advice for sure, because I’ve come to agree with it. (My proofreader, Roberto Harrison, was key in convincing me of this decision. And I’ve promised to plug his work, so if anyone wants to utilize his excellent talent, e-mail me at RomanceAdventure@aol.com and I’ll put you in touch with him.)

This is the first case I can remember where I went with other people’s opinions on my career. That’s not being egotistical, just a statement of fact. When I was in the service, I went from the Navy to the Coast Guard, then back to the Navy again, based on my own judgement. Of course, on day to day decisions, I always consult my lovely wife, Linda, who is often a better judge of things than yours truly.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

X-Box. My whole family have been gamers since the ancient Atari years, but I’ve really gotten hooked on X-Box since their Star Wars Episode 3 game came out.

I have found that some authors listen to music while they compose. Is music your solace while writing or do you have another comfort as you write?

Old Time Radio. I listen to all the old shows over the Internet while I’m typing—Jack Benny, the Shadow, Flash Gordan, etc. There’s a host of Old Time Radio networks over the Web, like Olde Tyme Radio, Brando Classic Radio, The Glowing Dial, Yesterday USA and a multitude of stations on the Live 365 network. I think you can guess by now how absorbed in the “good old days” I am.

Was there any one person or event in your life that finally inspired you to sit down and write your first book?

When I walked into a used book store in Ferndale, Michigan, and found some crumbling old Pulp romance magazines from the 1940s, that changed the course of my life completely. From them I was inspired to run a fan magazine, Romances With Attitude, for seven years. And then I put everything I’d discovered about older romance into a book, Old School Romance. The one person who got me published was Dawn Carrington, bless her heart. I wouldn’t be interviewed now if she didn’t give me my start.

Do you have a favorite movie that you could watch over and over again?

That’s easy: Star Wars.

Conrad, do you have a website other than http://hometown.aol.com/1as301578868/index.html or http://www.geocities.com/heathpublishing/index.html that you would like to share, a blog or my space, perhaps?

Certainly: http://www.myspace.com/conradsucatre
And http://conradsucatre.tripod.com/
And here’s to where people can buy Old School Romance as an e-book: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook42832.htm?cache
Or as a paperback: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=1q6iVN6Dx0&isbn=0977010724&itm=3
And of course here's the link for Vintage Romance Publishing:
http://www.vrpublishing.com/

Do you have any indulgent behaviors one might find surprising? What’s your favorite comfort food?

Another easy answer: Hominy and hominy grits. I don’t know why but hominy products are my favorite foods, outside of peanut butter.

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Only I owe everything to my Wife and Kids. They’ve supported me in all my projects. My Daughter in fact was my business partner with our old fanzine, Romances With Attitude. She even got her picture in the Oct. 2001 edition of Romantic Times, on page 5, right above a picture of Fabio! And without the computer wisdom of my two sons, I wouldn’t know the first thing about the Internet.

Conrad, thank you for spending time with us today, and I wish you success in your writing. We look forward to reading more of your books.

Interviewed by: Linda L.