Thank you so much Susannah for
stopping by Mortality Bites to talk with us today.
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:
Purchase your copy of Word and Breath
