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Tuesday 26 June 2012

Interview with Suzanne Fuller



It’s great to be back with yet another fantastic Author Suzanne Fuller.

 Welcome Suzanne, It’s lovely to meet you.

SF: Thanks for having me, it's lovely to be here.

How exciting is it to have your first Young Adult book released?

SF: Very exciting, and also terrifying! It's not a genre I ever saw myself writing in as there are so many restrictions, but when characters call, then you must obey. J

If you don’t mind, before we get on to discussing the book, I wanted to get to know you a little bit.

SF: Not at all. I'm a 26 year old Scottish author with an imagination that gives me no breaks!

Now, I heard that you were born in Scotland and also spent 10 years living in the State of Arizona, where you met your husband. Although you have both returned to Scotland to where you live now with your three cats?

SF: You heard right. I moved to the US when I was 11. It was there that I found my love for writing, in fact. I was lucky enough to attend an Arts based High School who had the most incredible Creative Writing teacher. I have her to thank for where I am now.

I am sure that you have answered this question many times recently, but I hope you don’t mind answering it again.  How did the writing start?

SF: I have been writing for twelve years, dabbling mostly in poetry but started writing novels when a friend mentioned NaNoWriMo to me. Since that moment you can now find my nose touching the Mac and my fingers on the keys at every given chance.

Said with such passion J.  Do you have time for other hobbies?

SF: Not so much (ha!) but when I do have some free time I likes to draw, paint, crochet (amigurumi), and play the odd videogame. I pride myself on being a bit of a geek, especially when it comes to Batman, and I am a sucker for anything horror related.

There’s nothing like having a good fright! But before I get sidetracked, shall we move on to the book?  North: The Lycans, a new Young Adult book about a shifter girl, and how her life is suddenly faced with love and war.   

So without further waiting, let’s have a look at the Blurb:

Riley Olssen is a born and bred Lycan who lives in the quiet suburbs of Valdez, Alaska. Her life is simple: she goes to school, comes home, and shifts in the forest behind her home. When her father receives word that his brother has died, they must return to his home in Sweden to take care of the pack Davin left behind.



Soon after they arrive, Riley realizes there is much more to the small town than she'd ever expected. She discovers that the Lycans are not the only creatures to hide behind a human façade. Falling in love with the wrong Lycan is only one of the problems she encounters. In one day, her life is forever changed, and she must discover her own inner strength because all signs seem to point to a war heading her way.

If that isn’t enough to entice you, take a look at this stunning cover:





Very mysterious and intriguing! I absolutely love the wolf face in the background.



The book is available now from…  (Omnilit: http://www.omnilit.com/product-norththelycans-830447-228.html)





But if the above hasn’t convinced you enough to buy it, here’s a little excerpt:

The line began to move, and once I handed my ticket to the flight attendant to rip, I barreled down the Jetway, making a few passengers uncomfortable as it swayed under us, and practically fell in the door of the plane. Two men were checking seat numbers. One of them giggled at me, the other rolled his eyes. I beamed as brightly as I could at them–the most fake smile I have–and ran to my seat. 32F, window seat behind the wing. The seats were well cushioned and there was a sufficient amount of leg room, although I wondered how my six-foot-four father would fare for nine hours.

I strapped myself in, kicked my backpack under the seat and waited for mom to give me my book, a new Jeff Lindsay thriller, and sit down next to me. Dad always took the aisle so he could stretch out. The engine roared to life and mom held my hand, knowing that my nerves would be racking up by then. I might be eager, but take off always terrifies me.

I see a red door, and I want it painted black.

Singing a song in my head always seemed to calm my nerves. We were on the runway now, moving forward. The engines roared again and my heart kicked into overdrive. Sweat seeped from everywhere, and I gripped mom's hand even tighter.

No colors anymore, I want them to turn black.

We were moving fast, the seat belt sign blinked a few thousand times, and I scrunched my eyes shut. The plane tipped up, the floor beneath us shook, and I could hear my breath echoing in my ears. Midnight woke up, her whines turned to growls, and soon I was struggling to keep her in. My chest burst into flames as I sensed her trying to escape. I looked at mom, who had been watching me from the moment we took off. She looked worried, and I panicked. I unbuckled and shuffled past mom and dad and, clutching my chest, my nails already in transition, I ran to the bathroom.

"Hey! We're still in takeoff! You can't get up!" The flight attendant said and tried to grab me. I ripped my arm from his grasp. Midnight growled, the flight attendant cowered, and I locked myself in the bathroom. Sliding against the door, I pushed Midnight down and tried to tell her to stop, but she wouldn't listen.

I shifted. 10,000 feet in the air, a black wolf squeezed into a tiny box.

Shit! Midnight, stop! Not now, dammit!

The plane began to shake and jump, and with my paws outstretched I slammed into every wall at least a dozen times. I tried to turn, but my head just got wedged between the door and the sink.

This has to be the smallest damn bathroom ever!

"Are you all right in there, miss?" A man said from the other side of the door and knocked.

Double shit! Now what am I going to do?

The seat belt sign went off with a ding. There was a rustling outside the door and muffled voices. Mom was coming to our rescue. We could smell her, and then her motherly voice spoke to us.

"Riley? Are you all right, darlin'?"

Midnight whined but I managed to muffle most of it and force her to sit back.

"Think of the snow between your feet," she whispered so only we would hear. "Think of the lands you can run wild in when we get there."

Midnight latched to that thought and started to let me regain control over my body. She retracted slowly, and I curled in a ball next to the door, naked as the day I was born and staring at my torn clothes as if I could mend them together with my mind. I slid the lock along for mom, and she sneaked inside, a change of clothes and shoes at the ready. She smiled sweetly and rubbed my shoulder.

"Don't worry, honey. You'll gain control of her soon." She kissed my forehead and helped me clean up.



I have to say Suzanne, that even as an adult this story really appeals to me.  I can remember growing up and being at that age where life changes dramatically and you don’t always feel in control.  The fear of the unknown, taking chances and growing up. I have already purchased a copy and it is now lined up on my Kindle to be my next read.

SF: Thank you very much for the kind words and support! I can only hope that Riley speaks for a lot of people out there, not just teens.

If you would like to find out more about future releases from Suzanne Fuller, you can find her at Young adult blog (created with J Lilley) Dark & Dusk. www.darkanddusk.blogspot.com

Suzanne, it has been a pleasure having you here, thank you so much for taking the time out to speak to us today, and I wish you every success.

Take care

SF: Thanks so much for having me J.P. <3

J.P. Stevens

1 comment:

  1. Hey ladies! Great interview and wishing you all the best with your release Suze xx

    ReplyDelete