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Susan is an outdoor and dog enthusiast and lives with her husband and their sweet dog, Willow, in Washington.
When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?
When I was a classroom teacher and reading specialist, I had the opportunity to read many wonderful children’s books. I then heard of a national organization, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators,) which has local chapters. I joined the nearest one and also began taking classes on writing for children. The more I learned, the more I wanted to write books for children.
A little later while I was in Thailand visiting friends, I had an amazing encounter with an elephant. That experience inspired my story, Elephant Touch. It was a story that I felt compelled to write.
When I was a classroom teacher and reading specialist, I had the opportunity to read many wonderful children’s books. I then heard of a national organization, SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators,) which has local chapters. I joined the nearest one and also began taking classes on writing for children. The more I learned, the more I wanted to write books for children.
A little later while I was in Thailand visiting friends, I had an amazing encounter with an elephant. That experience inspired my story, Elephant Touch. It was a story that I felt compelled to write.
Beyond your own work what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?
I don’t know that I have just one favorite, but I love The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I delighted in the talking animals, the way the children were portrayed with their strengths and weakness, and the majestic, powerful, and good Aslan. To this day I’m amazed at this creative fantasy that Lewis wrote portraying the Christian message so beautifully.
Outside of my genre, I don’t have one favorite. Most recently I have been very impressed by Kristen Hannah’s The Women. It’s a powerful story that resonates with my memories of the social climate during the Vietnam War, and acknowledges the tremendous contribution of women nurses on site in Vietnam. Hannah does such a good job of showing the disillusionment of returning soldiers from that war.
On another level, I thoroughly enjoy Louise Penny’s mystery series with Chief Inspector Gamache, his team, family, and friends. She plumbs the depths of the human psyche in the context of solving murder mysteries. Mostly the same characters appear in all of the eighteen-book series (so far), growing in depth with each book. That’s an amazing feat to pull off, yet essential to keep the reader hooked.
What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
I’d say it was my fear of the blank page which fueled my procrastination, which then led me to find other things to do – spend time with friends and family, walk, hike, take care of the dog… All of those are good things to do, but eventually I had to sit down and take the necessary time to write words on the page.
What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?
Chapter 25 was the most memorable for me to write, when Sumana and LeeLa (elephants) are introduced. The absolute relief and joy that Quinn experiences when she watches the adult elephant and orphaned baby elephant meet and then bond filled my own heart with joy. There’s something so akin to human emotions in the greater family of elephants. I loved creating that scene of peace and completeness for those two elephants, when love began to overcome the pain of their previous abuse.
Can you tell us when you started Elephant Touch, how that came about?
The event that inspired this story happened several years before I actually wrote Elephant Touch. I was visiting friends in Thailand and we’d gone to see an elephant show. Just before the show began, I received a phone call from my sister telling me that my mother had just passed. As I started to cry, three elephants walked up to the edge of the fenced corral right behind me. One of the elephants put its trunk on my shoulder. It was such a remarkable act of compassion and was deeply touching.
That experience led me to find out more about elephants, their social structure, and behavior. When I learned of the abuse that so many elephants have endured, and of their endangered status, I began to write the story.
Your Favorite Quotes/Scenes from ELEPHANT TOUCH
“…it’s in her eyes, the way she gazes into mine, like she already knows me. I flinch. I don’t want anybody to see inside me. Of course, that’s impossible. The elephant can’t read my soul.”
“In that moment, something inside me shifts. My heart begins to thaw. A seedling of hope pokes through the hard icy tundra protecting my heart and reaches for the warmth of the sun.”
“Sumana continues to sweep her trunk over most of LeeLa’s smaller body. LeeLa stays put and doesn’t flinch. She gazes into Sumana’s eyes. After a bit, their two trunks entwine, and they make chirping and squealing noises.”
What is your happiest childhood memory?
I grew up just half an hour away from the California coast. My mother would take my sisters and I to the beach for part of a day. We loved playing my mother’s game of ‘follow my footprints’. Mom would run along the surf’s edge until just before the incoming water would touch her feet. Then she’d cut back towards the dry sand. My sisters and I of course ran through that water to stay in her footprints, shrieking and laughing all the while. I loved my mother’s playfulness in those moments.
First Love?
I met Brad at a Young Life camp when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. I fell hard for him, and he for me. Six months later, his family moved out of state. Six years later, we married. He is still the love of my life.
I met Brad at a Young Life camp when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. I fell hard for him, and he for me. Six months later, his family moved out of state. Six years later, we married. He is still the love of my life.
What event in your life would make a good movie?
My trip to Thailand when the elephant touched my shoulder.
What is your most memorable travel experience?
I spent four months traveling in Indonesia on a college trip abroad. I learned so much by living in a developing country, seeing the beauty of SE Asia, hearing music with new-to-me instruments and tonal scales, eating food completely different from western cuisine, seeing poverty and riches side-by-side, and being a minority. I could go on and on.
I spent four months traveling in Indonesia on a college trip abroad. I learned so much by living in a developing country, seeing the beauty of SE Asia, hearing music with new-to-me instruments and tonal scales, eating food completely different from western cuisine, seeing poverty and riches side-by-side, and being a minority. I could go on and on.
For fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Ali Benjamin’s The Thing About Jellyfish, Elephant Touch is a contemporary middle grade novel about overcoming grief that will touch the hearts of its readers.
Since the sudden loss of her mother, Quinn has been inconsolable. Her aunt brings her to volunteer at a Thai elephant sanctuary, hoping it will be a healing experience—but when Quinn learns about the previous abuse of the elephants she’s there to help, she’s overcome with even more grief.
While crying alone by the river one day, Quinn has a magical encounter with an adult elephant. She marvels at the elephant’s show of compassion, and they develop a strong connection. But when an orphaned baby elephant, also grieving her mother’s death, arrives at the sanctuary in fragile health, Quinn is afraid to get involved. To help save the baby elephant’s life, she must be courageous and use her newfound ability to connect with the elephants—not to mention accept the support of her new human friends. If she can channel her grief into action, she just might find the community and support she’s been missing. But can she find the courage to do it?
You can purchase Elephant Touch at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you SUSAN R. GREENWAY for making this giveaway possible.
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