We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Suzanne Groves a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Suzanne, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

After graduating in 1987 from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in English, I thought I would be able to find gainful employment as a writer. Unfortunately, newspapers and magazines were struggling given the recession, so the only job I could find was as an assistant manager for a clothing store. The pay was enough for me to cover my bills, but I was miserable…I didn’t enjoy the work and I worried I would never be able to find the path to do what I loved: writing. After working at the store for six months, I had had enough so without another job in sight, I up and quit, even as I had no savings and my parents had already made it clear I was off their “payroll”. Two days after quitting, I met my mother and one of her colleagues, Emmitt, for lunch. As we were discussing what I might do next, Emmitt asked if I had ever considered a job in public relations. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what that was, but after hearing him describe the field and learning his cousin worked for one of the largest advertising/PR firms in the Southwest, I became interested. Emmitt said I was welcome to use his cousin’s name to get my foot in the door. So I did: that afternoon, I wrote a letter to the president of the PR side of the agency to accompany my thin resume, invoking Emmitt’s cousin’s name. Three days later, I received a call to schedule an interview. Three days later, I spent four hours interviewing with various individuals at the agency. The following day, I returned to take a comprehensive writing test — another four hours’ worth. I did the best I could, not understanding the proper format for things like Public Service Announcements or press releases. The next morning, the president of the PR side called me and said while everyone loved me and my writing was solid, I clearly didn’t know what I was doing…but he’d be happy to open some doors with several smaller firms. Fighting back tears, I thanked him, then asked if there might be an opportunity to work as an intern since I wanted to learn from the best. He said he would discuss that with a few folks, then get back to me. An hour later, he called and offered me an internship — 20 hours a week at $5 per hour. Without hesitation, I accepted it. Within a month, the 20 hours per week had turned to 40 hours per week, and I was working on their largest and most prestigious account. Four months later, when it was clear I wouldn’t be hired as an account coordinator any time soon, I interviewed with another leading ad/PR firm and landed a salaried position. The risks I took opened the door to a successful 36-year career in PR and marketing. (A funny P.S. to this story: Emmitt’s cousin, whose name I used as a reference on my cover letter, was the man who distributed sandwiches to the agency’s executives.)

Suzanne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At my core, I’m a visionary and a storyteller who can find connections between seemingly disparate concepts to create new ideas, new narratives, and new opportunities. These talents provided the foundation upon which I built a successful career in PR/Marketing with myriad responsibilities including executive speechwriting, creating brand strategies, handling investor relations, working as a lobbyist, managing all aspects of magazine production, leading crisis communications efforts, and beyond. My leading strength, according to Strength Finders, is ideation…coming up with ideas no one else has considered, and I lean heavily on this characteristic as both a writer and a developmental editor.

Reflecting upon on my writing career, I’m proudest of my consistent reputation as someone equally creative AND analytical, someone who has never missed a deadline, and someone obsessed with detail.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

My father was a malignant narcissist who believed, to his core, that perfection was attainable and he parented me accordingly. From my first A-, to my first “second place”, to my body filling out in high school and beyond, his criticism was abusive, yet I continued striving to earn his praise and acceptance. I never received it. My senior year of high school, after a particularly brutal discussion, I dared to ask him why nothing I did was ever good enough…why I wasn’t good enough. His response was, “If I think you’re seven-eighths perfect, I’m only going to focus on the one-eighth you need to get there.

His obsession with how I looked, specifically how much I weighed, led me to an eating disorder and lifelong body dysmorphia. His failure to acknowledge my academic and professional accomplishments led to my obsession with achievement and my corresponding inability to accept praise even when it’s due. Being told at the age of 23 that, “You’re attractive enough, but you’ll never be drop-dead gorgeous” led to my inability to accept compliments about my appearance.

It was only when my father died in 2021, and I started learning more about him — things that were quite horrifying, actually — I finally came to the realization that PERFECTION IS A MYTH. It does not exist and should not be the source of anyone’s quest in life.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When I was young and naive, my dream was to become a New York Times’ Best-selling Author (the capitalized letters are intentional) who lived an expensive, refined life and whose name was well-known and respected such that I’d be featured in mainstream magazines. I began writing my first novel in college and throughout my twenties and thirties, I started and stopped writing at least five other manuscripts. None of them worked because I didn’t know what I was trying to say, and the plots fell flat. I was trying to emulate other authors and write what I thought would be commercially viable, but the stories lacked depth.

Writing my memoir was an excruciating process as I tearfully recounted so many memories that burn like acid to this day. However, I found great strength in using my authentic voice and telling my truths, ugly as many of them are, because I deeply believed by so doing, I would empower others to own their voices, too.

I’ve completed my first novel — women’s upmarket fiction — and am currently writing its prequel…my themes relate to the complexity of women’s friendships, the fight to maintain tradition versus embracing progress, and socioeconomic stratification. If I can touch a few lives and help people make sense of this crazy thing called life, I will have achieved my mission…to tell stories that matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://suzannegroves.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneGrovesAuthor