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Interview – Susan Sage
When did you start writing books, what moved you to start writing?
I began writing novels about twenty years ago, though I think I penned my first one much earlier than that that. Two are published and I have four unpublished ones. Someday, I may return to at least a couple of them to see if I can breathe life back into them, but I’ve always been one to believe in forward motion! When I first began writing, I was about thirteen. At the time I wrote mostly poetry. I couldn’t have imagined that I’d ever have the patience to write a novel. I’m sure I began to write because I loved to read. Everyone in my family loves books, especially literature…I’ve always been of the mind that writers are really just impassioned readers.
In what genres do you write? Do you plan writing in other genres?
Presently, I’m writing a mystery/dog-story set in the Apocalypse. There’s quite a bit of Magic Realism in it, too, so I guess you’d term it as multi-genre. My most recently published novel, A Mentor and Her Muse, is best depicted as women’s fiction or literary fiction. I’ve also dabbled in contemporary fantasy. No matter what genre I’ve written in, everything I’ve written is probably more character driven than plot driven.
Tell us about your novels. Why should everyone buy them?
I only have one novel currently available, but hopefully a second one will be available within the next year or so. Everyone should buy them because I believe my characters are intriguing and unforgettable. I also think my storylines are provocative enough to engage most adult readers…A Mentor and Her Muse has enough psychological suspense to keep readers engaged and on the edge of their seat, or so I’ve been told.
What is your all-time favorite novel/book? What makes it special?
This is a tough question as I have so many favorites! If I must narrow it down, it would be Gabriel Marcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude for its Magic Realism or The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for its emotional complexity, extraordinary characterizations and plot. I keep meaning to re-read both of them.
Tell us a bit about your writing process.
It’s changed somewhat overtime. When I wrote more poetry and short stories, I’d work on several during the same time period. I’ve become a little more disciplined when writing a novel: I’ll jot down ideas for other works, but not try to work only on the novel. Also, I can only write in the mornings in complete silence. Ideas often come to me when I can’t sleep at night. Only recently have I been able to devote more time to writing, and I’m really unsure how this will affect the process – I hope to become more productive. Initial drafts take about a year to write, but I’m really slow at revising.
What author would you love to have dinner with?
Margaret Atwood – hands down! She strikes me as a scintillating conversationalist, both witty and incredibly smart.
Tell us about your hobbies and passions other than writing.
My only other real passion is for books. I’ve always been a reader and feel adrift if I’m not engrossed in a good one! I also love to travel, though don’t often get the opportunity. My husband and I live in Michigan and enjoy short excursions to various places along the Great Lakes and also inland. Also, I enjoy listening to music (particularly jazz). My grown daughter doesn’t live close by, so—according to my husband—I’ve become a little over-the-top in spoiling my two cats.
We have many followers who would like to start writing a book or who are already writing their first novel, any advice for these brave people?
Have patience! Not only when finishing your first book, but the entire publishing process. The learning curve’s a pretty steep one and mistakes are unavoidable. Also, try hard to find an agent. They can truly help launch a career…I haven’t procured one, but hope to with my next book. Then again, many people are better than I am at self-promotion. If an author has a shrewd enough business sense, maybe they won’t find the publishing/promoting end of the business as arduous as someone like me.
How often do you write, daily, every other day or?
I write every day if I’m working on a first draft, though I continue to work every day if I’m editing – I do a lot of re-writing in my early edits. I have a daughter who is also an author. She writes not only daily, but for most of the day. I begin working at 8:00 a.m. and finish up by noon, though I’ll do writing-related tasks in the afternoon or early evening.
Do you keep a notebook with ideas for your novels? If so do you carry the notebook with you so you won’t forget any ideas?
I do keep, not only one, but a few notebooks, with ideas for all the kinds of writing I do. However, I’ve gotten used to now jotting ideas on my laptop and saving them on my desktop as Word documents. I usually carry a small notebook in my purse, but usually just use that to write meeting dates or book titles that sound interesting. Where I should keep one, is on my nightstand next to my bed. So often I’ll wake up and be inspired by a dream, but then have completely forgotten about it by morning.
How important is it to have your facts right and are there any instance when you bend history to fit your story?
If I’m trying to present factual information, getting the facts right is very important. My present draft takes place in a mountainous but fictitious region, so I’ve had some fun inventing historical information about a town, or coming up with names of towns and rivers. But when I describe mountain scenery or behavior of people living in near isolation, for instance, I try to write as realistically as possible.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading three books, which I rarely do – usually I read one at a time in order to keep track of characters, but these are all pretty different, so it’s been loads of fun. I’m rereading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Becoming by Michelle Obama, and Paris, 7 A.M. by Liza Wieland – a historical fiction novel about the poet, Elizabeth Bishop.
How is it to be an author in your country? Do you have a good support from the local public?
I live near Flint, Michigan, in the United States. There’s a fairly vibrant literary community in Flint, probably due to the several universities in the area. When A Mentor and Her Muse was published, I was working in a local high school and the teachers there were very supportive and turned up at a few of my book events. Since I’m fairly introverted, I really have to push myself even to tag-team with other authors, but I’ve learned the importance of doing so. This week I was asked to give a talk to a book club of about seventy women. While I’m a former teacher, I’ve never spoken about my writing to such a large group!
Certainly you have had some interesting episodes as an author, fans related or others — share one of them with us.
I’ve made a few good friendships on Social Media with other authors. After reviewing each other’s books, we’ve managed to stay in touch. We often think of the Internet as being impersonal and as contributing greatly to social isolation. This is no doubt true, but Social Media can also be a warm and welcoming environment for people involved in the most-times lonely craft of writing.
A final message for our circleofbooks.com readers
Thanks SO much for reading my interview! Please check out my novel! If you enjoy it, please consider reviewing it on Amazon and/or Goodreads… And Circle of Books, I’ve enjoyed answering your thoughtful questions.
Thank you Susan Sage. We at circleofbooks.com wish you much success!
Click here to visit the author page here on circleofbooks.com