Susan Dennard, author of the YA historical horror trilogy Something Strange and Deadly, recently spoke to Hypable about emotional inspiration, penguins, and learning to let go.
Hypable’s interview with Susan Dennard:
Could you tell us 5 random facts about yourself?
1) I watch more K-Dramas than is probably deemed healthy…but I can’t help it! They’re like emotional crack.
2) I have a masters in marine biology, and I used to work with Arctic sea life.
3) My favorite Disney film is Mulan. Gotta love kick-butt heroines who save China.
4) I once visited Antarctica with my marine science studies, and penguins — though quite adorable — are really smelly. Like YUCK.
5) I have read E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View more times than any other book. And always the same copy. Needless to say, that one copy is totally falling apart.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer.
I was always a huge daydreamer growing up, and I became a rabid reader starting in 3rd grade. But it wasn’t until 6th grade that I started to realize I could write too—that I could put all my daydreams on the page. At first, I wrote terrible copycat fiction (it was really similar to Lloyd Alexander’s Book of Three and Tamora Pierce’s Wild Magic), but as my confidence grew, I stopped mimicking as much. Instead, I dove headfirst into fanfiction — writing my own stories with already built worlds and characters. Then, as I grew stronger from fanfiction, I eventually moved onto my own, wholly original stories. But it wasn’t until I was 25 that I really started considering writing to get published.
Of course, once I made that decision — to be an author who wrote books for kids like I used to be — there’s was no holding my type-A-self back. I wrote-wrote-wrote, revised-revised-revised-revised, and learned everything I could about how the industry worked. Flash forward 4 years, and here I am, with two books now on shelves!
What has surprised you about writing and publishing?
It was very surprising to make the leap from writing — where I had absolute control — to publishing, where I had no control. We authors spend so much time crafting our characters and fretting over our prose that diving headfirst into publishing — where we have no control over things like cover treatments or marketing or bad reviews — was a real shock. It took me some time to get used to letting things go. But learning to “let it go” is a good lesson for everyone, no matter the industry, and I can safely say that I no longer find that control-disconnect jarring.
Why do you feel drawn to the stories you write?
All of my stories start with a vague feeling — an urge to express some deep emotion. For Something Strange and Deadly, I had a dream my brother was missing, and that feeling — that deep, driving need to keep my brother safe — haunted me for weeks. I knew I had to get that feeling out there, and as I began to imagine the story, the characters and the world seemed to just topple out.
Most of my ideas begin like that — with a powerful emotion that grows into a world or a character. I strongly believe that characters-creation and world-building go hand in hand (aren’t we all products of where we grew up?), so I always begin my projects with those two pieces. Then plot and conflict seem to grow naturally from there.
What is your approach to research? What role does it play in the creative process?
When I’m brainstorming a new story, I will often research lots of different things to help spark new plot twists or deepen characters. I spent several months just learning everything I could about 1876 Philadelphia before I began writing Something Strange and Deadly. Then, once I begin actual drafting, I will look up other small details that I need to know — such as what fabric is appropriate for a ball gown or what is a popular dance move was in 1876.
All in all, I love learning, so I probably spend way more time researching than I need to.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
It’s always hard to learn someone didn’t enjoy your book. It’s not so much the sting of criticism as it is a disappointment that your story didn’t connect with someone in the way you’d hoped. But on the bright side, for every person who didn’t fall in love with my story, there’s always someone who did.
What has been the best compliment you’ve recieved?
Oh wow, the most powerful compliments are always the thoughtful emails or notes from readers. I save every single positive correspondence because they remind me of why I write — to share the stories in my heart — and I can look at those notes whenever I’m feeling frustrated.
Where’s your favorite place to write?
In my office — ha! I’m lame, I suppose, but I’ve made my office as “me” as I can. Bookshelves and art line the walls, and there’s just a really good writing juju in that room.
How do you approach writing villains or antagonists?
My favorite villains are the ones readers can understand — possibly even identify with. I really love it, actually, when we see an antagonist shift from standing in the way of the protagonist to helping him/her. I have a weakness for stories of redemption.
How do you construct the world and tonal environment of your story?
As I mentioned in the earlier question, my stories really begin with a feeling — a deep driving need I want to express on the page. That vibe or tone then layers itself naturally into the world and characters as I write.
I can always tell when I’m not getting the tone right—and it definitely happens sometimes. I’ll be writing a scene that feels too light or too easy, and I’ll know it doesn’t match up to the darkness I’ve envisioned for the world. Thank goodness for revisions, right? ;)
Which is easier to write: The first line or the last line?
The first lines are always hardest! If only because it means starting a new draft in a new saga, and that can be quite terrifying. Last lines, however, seem to come really naturally to me. I always seem to know them when I reach them.
What is your favorite chapter or scene you’ve written recently?
I actually recently wrote a scene in a co-authored space opera project that I’m really fond of (you can even read the scene here.) I just love this kick-butt, no-nonsense attitude of the heroine.
Which one YA novel do you wish you had when you were a teen?
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner is just so, so, SO brilliant. I read that book as an adult, and it floored me. I can only imagine how much I would have loved Eugenides as a teen.
What is one thing you wish you’d known when you sat down to write your novel?
Honestly — as silly as this might sound — I wouldn’t change anything. I sat down with only a vague sense of what I was doing, I wrote a ton of terrible drafts, I revised a bajillion times, and as my novel progressed, so did I. I wouldn’t be the writer I am today if I hadn’t started off so fresh and unaware.
Do you have things you need in order to write? (i.e. coffee, cupcakes, music?)
Music is so, so, SO vital to my process. Every story, every scene, every word is written with some sort of music feeding my Muse.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a few things. One is an epic YA fantasy series that I’m just madly in love with, and the other is the serialized space opera I’m coauthoring with Sarah J. Maas.
Finally: Would you rather be a book, or a computer?
A book, for sure! I love that crisp sound of turning page, or the way the black ink might stain my thumbs if I burn through too many mass market paperbacks in a night. I love how characters and worlds and feelings can pull me in so deeply that I forget where I am or even who I am. And I love how my heart soars when I see an old favorite story on the shelf—how it brings back all the emotions I felt while reading the book. I’d much rather be able to do that to someone than be a computer.
About ‘Something Strange and Deadly’:
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor… from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
The second book in the series, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, hit bookstores on July 23.
For more about Susan Dennard:
Susan Dennard is a former marine biologist who enjoys reading, walking her dog, and eating cookies; she lives in the Midwest with her husband, who is French. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Twitter, and her website, SusanDennard.com.
Something Strange and Deadly and A Darkness Strange and Lovely are available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other booksellers.
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