Susan Dalessandro Releases a New YA Romance
Please welcome YA author Susan Dalessandro. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’ve been writing for about fourteen years, although I’ve always had stories in my head that I didn’t put on paper. I am a math nerd and have made a career in Psychometrics. I’ve been a runner since high school (an experience that factored into my writing this book) and have run five marathons. Running is where I get many of my book ideas.
What event or experience in your life affected you as a writer?
All those lived experiences as a teen that I didn’t think I’d be writing about someday!
Why did you become a romance writer?
I write YA, and I love to explore all the ‘firsts’ that come with teen romance. Those first butterflies in the stomach, the nerves, that first kiss.
What inspired the idea for this book?
Some inspiration came from my own experience, and I wanted to set the book in a small, walkable town, one like the small-town county seat a few miles from me.
Can you tell us about any other upcoming books, series, or writing plans?
I’ve finished another YA Romance, All The Secrets That Aren’t, that I’ve started querying. My current WIP is another small-town YA romance that explores broken friendships and learning to trust again.
For Gabby Patterson, a dedicated but sometimes obsessive cross-country runner, junior year is her time to shine. She has to start thinking about tomorrow: the future college recruiters and scholarship offers. But today means beating her impossibly skinny rivals any way she can. Then, eerie encounters in the woods and a cute, secretive guy with the same quirky musical tastes interfere with Gabby’s plans. Sweet CJ is connected to the forest mystery and to what’s happening to Gabby. But hard truths aren’t that easy to run from…
Available at all your favorite booksellers at BOOKS2READ
I’m a lifelong lover of books and storytelling and hold an M.A. in Applied Math, a subject that finds its way into many of my stories. I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with my husband, two sons, and two dogs. My story ideas come to me as I run in the early mornings with my dogs. Running is the perfect environment for me to think and create. My debut novel, Complex Solutions, a YA coming-of-age thriller, was released on March 16, 2021. Strong Enough, a YA novel, part of the Play Like A Girl series, came out on August 8, 2023. My latest novel, A Whisper In The Trees, a YA romance with paranormal elements, released on June 30, 2025, with The Wild Rose Press.
Zara, Thank you so much for hosting me today!