Suzanne Young Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Suzanne Young currently lives in Tempe, Arizona, where she drafts novels on restaurant napkins while eating chimichangas. When not writing, Suzanne is a high school English teacher obsessed with books. It works.

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Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

I was in 7th grade when I wrote my first short story. It starred my friends and I killed them off one by one until the murdered was revealed. It was passed all around the school and people begged for me to write them into the next one. This went on all through high school. I think based on the first reader reaction, I knew I was addicted.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?

I know why it’s important for me. I love reading about other people, understanding them, relating to them. I go on the journey with them and it’s like I’ve just completed an epic adventure, when really I’ve been on my patio. It’s a great escape.

In your new book; A Want So Wicked, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it and why they should read your novel?

A WANT SO WICKED is the sequel to A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL which came out last year. Where in ANSB we learned about the Forgotten—beings who spread hope, in AWSW we learn about the Shadows—beings who spread misery. But sometimes the choice between good and evil isn’t that simple. I really tried to show that the choices a character makes, even if noble, may not end the way they thought.

What part of Elise did you enjoy writing the most?

Her interactions with her family. It was fun to write their banter, and I often wrote several versions before settling on the funniest dialogue.

If you could introduce Abe to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

Oh, gosh. Abe would like a certain type of girl—the sweet and innocent kind. But she’d have to be able to defend herself. Any ideas?

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?

My next series starts with THE PROGRAM and that will be out April 30th, 2013. It’s about a suicide epidemic and the cure—which erases all of your bad memories. It’s stark and isolating and downright creepy.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

Well, I don’t anymore, but I used to lie about liking one of my book covers when I secretly lost sleep and cried over it daily.

What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?

Write A LOT. Just keep writing until you find a character that works for you, a story line that works for you, and after enough books, you’ll be able to see your style.

Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?

I never call anyone since I hate the phone. But I have a few friends who are always there when I need them, and luckily they’re quick to answer emails or texts to talk me down when I’m freaking out.

What is your favorite room in your home and outside environment?

I love my patio. It’s hot as heck right now, but I don’t mind that much. Plus there’s a plug out there so I can write.

Who was your first boyfriend?

Haha Whoa... I’m not sure I want to remember that. Just kidding, he was actually a kid I knew since day camp, but when we were 7th grade we met up again at a party. We had a whirlwind 2-week romance after that.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

Potato chips. I absolutely love their salty goodness.

Where can readers stalk you?

Mostly on Twitter (@suzanne_young) or facebook or my blog www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com

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Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park with no idea who she is.

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She's experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people's lives—people she's never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose effect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who's new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

The incredibly written A Want So Wicked (sequel to A Need So Beautiful) by Suzanne Young is the remarkable story of new Forgotten, Elise. Although much of the same characters return, the book’s main focus is on Elise and her efforts to realize who she really is and how it will affect the people around her. The Shadows are up to their old evil ways again and present new ones in the process. The collection of established characters readers have come to love, along with new faces delivered a story that will surely keep interest levels at its peak.

In A Need So Beautiful, readers are introduced to Charlotte who many were immediately attached to. However, Elise is just as easily likable.Suzanne’s character development is stunningly unique. She certainly knows how to create such engaging characters that readers cannot help but be drawn in by her mesmerizing writing style.

The paranormal aspect of this book in quite interesting. Once Elise begins having visions, it really gets exciting. The Shadows are brilliantly elucidated and the connection with the first book is done right. Readers will run into two romances but it will never play out as a love triangle. WithSuzanne’s brilliant writing prose, Elise felt genuine and readers really get to know her inside and out.


The last pages come to a satisfying end. This incredible story is filled with many unforgettable characters that readers will mark this book as wholly memorable. The ride that Suzanne puts her readers on is simply beautiful, mystifying, and amazing. A Want So Wicked is the perfect follow up and I, like so many readers, would love to see a third book.

You can purchase A Want So Wicked at the following Retailers:

    

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And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you Suzanne for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a copy of A Want So Wicked by Suzanne Young.

a Rafflecopter giveaway