Monthly Archive for October, 2010

I have had the pleasure of knowing Susan for a few years now. And while we have never met face-to-face, I still consider her a great friend. If you haven’t read  Shape Shifters: The Demo Tapes  then you need to check them out! Trevor=awesome!

Welcome to the blog Susan.

What or who inspired you to first start writing?

No idea. I often say my need to write is a birth defect. It’s the way I’m wired. According to my mother, I wouldn’t even start talking until I could speak in paragraphs.

If you could go back in time and lay claim to any book written, which one would you want and why?

Okay, don’t laugh. The Horse Whisperer. That or TC Boyle’s East is East. Both made me cry, they were so beautifully crafted. They also made me want to write such good stuff.

When you are writing and hit a stumbling block, what do you do to try and get over the hurdle?

I actually delete the last paragraph or two. I’ve learned that when I get stuck, it’s because I’ve gone off in the wrong direction. Fixing that and getting back on track solves all.

What was the strangest thing that ever inspired a scene/book? What was the end result?

Oh, man… I couldn’t even begin to guess. I’m inspired by practically anything — much of which you can see on the Meet and Greet at West of Mars — from buying chicken to tennis shoes. I think it just depends on how open to inspiration I am at any moment.

If you could have supper with any of your characters, which one would you choose and where would you take them?

Definitely Trevor because he’s so much fun. I think I’d take him to the O — the Original Hot Dog Shop to you non-Pittsburghers — because even though I don’t think they make meatball subs, they make mean fries and dogs. And besides, I took the late Layne Staley (of Alice in Chains) there for fries one night back in… what was it? ’90? ’91? It was when Alice toured with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. Layne, my assistant at the time, and his bodyguard left the club we were hanging in and headed out for fries. I WARNED him not to order the large…

Oh, yeah. We were talking about taking someone out. Maybe I shouldn’t take Trev to the O. I clearly have some very good memories from there already.

Is there a type of story you would like to write, but are terrified you wouldn’t do a proper job? What is it and why?

Oh, pretty much any idea I get scares me. I write pretty light stuff, but I’d like to think there’s a more serious undertone going, as well. I guess I’d like to be able to write the heavier themes and do them proper justice. (Now watch, someone who’s read Trevor’s Song will say I handled the heavy stuff in there just fine.)

If you could sit down with one author from any time in history, who would it be? What questions would you want to ask them?

Ulp. No idea. None whatsoever. I think that’s partly because we have such great access to other writers these days via Facebook and Twitter.

If someone gave you a minion tomorrow, what would be the first task you’d ask them to complete?

Social networking for me! No, not Tweeting. Forums and the like. I’d love a screener, “Hey, Susan, here’s something you ought to see.” Or even, “Hey, I’m going to post your book reviews over at *this* site so they get a wider audience.”

Of course, I’d also love it if my assistant were to take some of the fiction from my blog — even though it’s available now in actual books — and put it up on Scribd for me. I’ve been meaning to get to doing that for awhile now, but I’m too swamped.

Can I have my minion do both? And if I shake it, will it glow like the one minion did in Despicable Me?

E-books vs print books? E-readers vs. paper? Can’t we all just get along? What’s your preference?

Right now, I still prefer print to e-, but that could be because I need an e-ink reader, not my iPod. Which I bought to use as an e-reader. I LOVE the idea of e-books and I fully support them. I give my own e-books away to deployed troops via Operation e-book Drop.

If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what super powers would you possess?

I’d be Super Susan, and my power would be to make all bow before me.

What project are you working on next?

I actually have a few in the works. Demo Tapes: Year 3 is the closest to completion. The Demo Tapes projects are anthologies of the fiction I’ve posted on my blog. Then I’m working on a follow-up to Trevor’s Song, and something brand new that I’m outlining. This will be the first time I’ve outlined a book. Should be interesting.

How can readers find out more about you?

http://westofmars.com — there you’ll find The Meet and Greet, my author’s blog that’s full of my fiction. You will also find Rocks ‘n Reads, my more traditional book blog, and Win a Book, my publicity blog for authors and bloggers.

I’m also on Twitter (@WestofMars) and Facebook. I have a personal page and a West of Mars fan page, which is SO under-loved, it’s not funny. Stop in and like me!