Author Interview and Giveaway with Susannah Noel

Thank you so much Susannah for stopping by Mortality Bites to talk with us today.  

 

Susannah Noel is the Author of Word and Breath (Wordless Chronicles).

 

 

Susannah wrote her first paranormal novel when she was twelve years old--a time-travel romance written in a spiral-bound notebook that eventually starred all her friends. Since then, she has been writing romantic fiction of all varieties, including paranormal, contemporary, and historical. She can usually be found working on her laptop.

She has a PhD in British literature and teaches at a university in Virginia. She is currently working on the second Wordless Chronicle.

 

You can find our review of Word and Breath HERE.

 

 

 

THE INTERVIEW:

 

1      MB:  I like that books are now being labeled New Adult. We needed a space between YA and Adult. What do you think about the New Adult category?
 

 

SN:  I really like the New Adult category. I think there has always been some crossover between YA and Adult, and the New Adult category provides a natural space for it. I also think the 18-22 age range is a really exciting time in real life, so it’s fun to explore that age in fiction.

Riana, the main character of Word and Breath, is living in a different world than ours, so her situation is a little different than a 22-year-old’s from our culture. She started her job as a Reader at age 14, so she’s been working in her career a while. But she’s still trying to figure out who she is, how to have adult relationships, and what she wants from life, so in many ways she really fits into the New Adult category.

 

         MB:  This book is amazing! Why in the world did you self publish? Agents should be knocking down your door!

SN:  LOL. Thank you! I’ve actually had agents before, and they’ve been wonderful to work with. But the message I consistently received from publishers—when I approached them directly or through agents—was that my writing is great but my books aren’t the right “fit” for them. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard that!

I wrote this book several years ago and queried agents with it. Several of them really liked it but weren’t sure they could sell it. This was before Hunger Games and before dystopian literature became so popular, so the book was really in between niches in a lot of ways. A few months ago, I reread the old manuscript and thought it still had a lot of potential. I’d been wanting to try self-publishing and thought this was a good book to experiment with. So I prepared the manuscript for publication and released it to the wilds. It’s been really fun so far.

 

           MB:  I loved that this was a new type of paranormal book. How did you come up with Soul-Breathers?

SN:  I’ve always loved paranormal characters. There is so much an author can explore about real life through vampires, werewolves, and other creatures that aren’t quite human. But I wanted to do something particular with my book, and none of the regular paranormal creatures really did what I needed them to do. So I just made one up to suit my needs!

Mikel tells Riana in one scene that Soul-Breathers are like “revved-up” humans. That’s what I was trying to convey—they have mostly human characteristics, just intensified a thousand-fold.

 

4       MB:  Are we going to be seeing a love triangle in the next book?

SN:  Well, love triangles are always tricky! J I will say that Connor is going to do an increasingly poor job in hiding his feelings for Riana, and Mikel isn’t going to appreciate it. At all.

 

5       MB:  I don't think I will ever get enough of this series! How many books do you have planned?

SN:  I’ve got three books planned out, and I think that will be enough. I don’t like to extend series past the point of developing characters, and I think the arcs for these characters will be completed after three books. I do have a few ideas for other books set in the same world, so I might look into that for the future.

 

6       MB:  Oddly enough I'm hoping for a HEA for Largan. I liked him. Will he still be around in future books?

SN:  Yes, Largan will be a significant character in all three books. In fact, the four perspective characters will be the same throughout the series. I like Largan too. It’s funny. He started as just a stodgy bureaucrat, intended mostly to develop plot elements I couldn’t get to in any other way. But he took on a life of his own, and there’s a lot I really like about him now. I’ve got plans for him in the future!

 

7       MB:  Are there any spoilers you can give us about the next book?

SN:  I don’t want to give too much away, but the titles are chosen very carefully.  Connor always represents the “Word” side of the equation, and Mikel represents the other side. So there might be a few hints there.

In general, Riana and Connor will keep working on the language-mystery, and Mikel will keep trying to be a part of Riana’s life without getting sucked into the rebellion. That will get harder and harder for him to do.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for having me as a guest on Mortality Bites!

 

 

You can find Susannah at the following links:

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Purchase your copy of Word and Breath

 

Amazon

 

 

 

One winner will receive one e-book copy of Word and Breath.

This one is International!

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form below
check out my Giveaway Policy.

 

 

 

 

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Review: Word and Breath

Title: Word and Breath
Author: Susannah Noel
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Source: Review copy from Author 

Format: Ebook

Summary from Goodreads:

Riana has learned how to stay out of trouble. She spends her days studying written texts in the government’s Office of Readers, and she spends her nights taking care of her sick sister. She always—always—follows the rules. Despite her low profile, she has mysteriously become a target. Someone has kidnapped her sister. Someone else is trying to kill her. And someone has sent a Soul-Breather to beguile her out of her secrets.

Her help comes from the mythic leader of an underground rebel movement. A man who used to be her friend. A man who has silently loved her for years. He disappeared from her life without a word, and now he expects her to trust him again.

Then there’s the Soul-Breather, a man who can taste her spirit with only a touch. He makes her feel things she’s never experienced before, but she doesn’t know if the feelings are real. Hired to deceive and betray her, he offers to help her instead.

Without both men, she can’t rescue her sister. And she can’t discover the world-changing knowledge—buried in her memory—that has made her a target in the first place.

Review:

Word and Breath is unlike any book that I have ever read.  The layers in this book were just remarkable.  Susannah Noel did her homework when writing this novel.    The world that she created was dangerous and fun all at the same time.  Her characters were witty, charming and just plain fantastic. 

While I was reading this book I felt like I was watching one of those old time black and white movies set in a dystopian world.  The suspense was slowly killing me while I was reading.  Even when I thought I had it all figured out something subtle would happen that would change it all.  Everything and everyone is revealed at just the right moment.  Even the bad guy has a noble motive!

I don't think I have ever been so engulfed in a story.  I felt like I was right there and I even tried talking to the characters more than once to give advise on what I thought they should do next.  Good thing they didn't listen to me.  I would have gotten everyone killed!  (Yes that's right I was talking to fictional characters in a book, but they didn't talk back so I guess I'm still okay!)

The paranormal aspect of the book came in the form of a Soul-Breather.  This is a new species to me but I quickly fell in love with them.  The idea of being able to taste someones spirit with one touch was sexy as hell.  I loved it!

Word and Breath is filled with mystery, suspense and lots of romance.  I am impatiently awaiting the next novel in this series.  I have to know what the answers are and how this amazing group of people are going to change the world.