Author Interview: Susan Sage

What kind of books do you write? How many have you written and published?
I’ve published four novels, although I’ve actually written seven. My first novel, Insominy, and
soon-to-be published book, Silver Lady, are Magical Realism/Fantasy works. A Mentor and Her Muse is psychological fiction with a dash of Magical Realism. Dancing in the Ring is Historical Fiction. While my novels are multi-genre, I think Women’s Fiction and Literary Fiction could best describe all four of them.

Does writing energize or exhaust you? Or both?
Definitely both! I don’t feel energized while I’m writing, but I do afterward. It makes or breaks my
entire mood of the day. When a writing session doesn’t go well, or—even worse—don’t write for a few days, I feel like I’m floundering—like something huge is missing from my life.

Are there any therapeutic benefits to modeling a character after someone you know?
I sure find this to be the case. In my most recent novel coming out this December, Silver Lady:
Travels Along the River Road, one of my characters is modeled after my adult daughter. She’s not a
main character, but she has an important role. My protagonist, Cassie, is an older woman who decides to take a river journey. The book is set in the near future: a civil war is ready to break out and a variant from a new pandemic has just wiped out a lot of people. Her daughter, Melanie, has chosen to live a very reclusive life. Cassie wants to show her that it’s still okay to live in the external world, despite the dangers. My daughter, whom I’ve seen only on occasion since the pandemic, is very much like Cassie’s daughter. Cassie and she only connect by phone—like I do with my daughter. Does Cassie throw caution to the wind? What does her daughter think of her seemingly carefree mother? While I have yet to go rent a houseboat and take it down a river, I try my best to get out and do things—to not live in fear of the world.

Have you ever traveled as research for your book?
I took a three-hour river cruise while I was writing on Silver Lady. It was a little helpful, though a
trip down the Mississippi would have been even better. (That’s on my bucket list for my sequel.)
How did you come up with the title for your book? Silver Lady is the name of the houseboat that Cassie takes on her river journey. It also refers to the fact that Cassie is an older woman. As the plot thickens, Cassie will discover that Silver Lady is sentient and aware of Cassie and her crew.

If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I am already working on a sequel: Silver Lady Returns. I’ve written several chapters, but it’s still
pretty rough. Cassie is once again the protagonist, but she has a new crew, who accompany her upstream. The civil war is over and the former United States has dissolved into fifty separate countries. While life has become more peaceful, it’s almost as surreal as in the first book.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
Make a plan, even if it’s not a formal outline! Take your time. Write that book hasn’t yet been
written. Try to write at the same time of day, as often as possible, even if not daily. Get your book edited and proofread! Paying for book preparation is as important as paying for promotions. Figure out a budget for book expenses and do your best at sticking to it. No matter how many corners you cut, it’s expensive. Don’t expect to make a lot on your first book. Try to get as many positive reviews as possible. Review swap with other authors…No doubt, I haven’t covered everything, but I sure wish I’d heard about some of these tips before I published my first book!

What comes first for you—the plot or the characters—and why?
Characters always come to me first, well before the plot. I guess it’s because my books are more
character-driven than plot-driven. I’ve always been interested in reading and writing books that tend to be fairly psychological. I never know who all the characters will wind up in my books, but definitely the main ones.

What do you need in your writing space to stay focused?
I need quiet more than anything. Doesn’t help to tell my cats or retired husband this, as all three of
them seem to do their best to distract me! I prefer to write in my office, but as long as the desk or table I’m working at is large enough for my laptop, notebook, and pen, it doesn’t matter much where I am. I also need coffee and a piece of gum during the first five or ten minutes of deep concentration. It helps if classical music is playing in the background—quietly, but audible. I need to feel awake and not too stressed.

What part of the book was the book was the most fun to write?
The more dreamlike sections of the book. The deeper that the crew travels down the river, the
more surreal the scenery becomes.