Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write?
I started writing as a coping mechanism for domestic violence happening in my home. But as I grew older, I realized that I love telling stories and building worlds, which is why I continue to write fantasy today.
Describe your desk / writing space.
I have an adjustable desk on top of a wooden desk in my own office. Theoretically, the adjustable desk is so I can stand but it never works out that way. I write on a laptop with a mechanical keyboard attached to it. To one side of my laptop is a bed for my cat Elvira and pictures that inspire me on the wall behind the laptop.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired?
Ideally, I write in the afternoon after making a cup of tea or coffee.
How do you come up with the title to your books?
Usually, my editor helps me pick one because I am awful at choosing titles. Sometimes, though, the title is just obvious.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write?
Action scenes are always difficult to write. I usually have to map it out and research fighting styles and weapons before I write it. My favorite scene to write are any involving an argument.
Clara
Clara will have to see through both the fog of war, and the fog of her own heart, to save a nation…
Sold into slavery as a child, and rendered mute by the horrors she suffered, Clara’s life extends no further than the castle kitchens and their garden. Those who know about her just think of her as the dull mute girl who may be a little soft in the head, not knowing that she carries within herself a precious gift: the ability to see the future. This is a gift she keeps secret, though, for fear of persecution.
However, a vision prompts her to prevent a murder, shoving her not only into the intrigues and gilded life of the nobility, but also into a civil war brewing in her country. As events unfold, and she is drawn deeper into the conflict, she meets an old friend, makes a new one, and begins to unearth secrets better left buried.
Driven to learn the truth about the war, and about her friends, Clara embarks on a journey that takes her from her beloved mountains to the very Capital itself, Bertrand, where she is confronted by an evil both ancient and twisted. The only problem is, her own anger and prejudices are the catalysts her enemy needs to complete its plans.
If she is not careful, not only will the entire nation be lost, but her own soul as well.
Author Bio
Suzanna J. Linton grew up in the swamps of South Carolina’s Lowcountry. She used writing and reading as a way to escape the violence and drug use occurring in her home. It wasn’t until she read the Dragonriders of Pern books in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer.
However, after many, many rejection letters, she decided to reject traditional publishing. She self-published her first novel, Clara, in 2013. In 2014, she quit her job at a library to write full time. Today, she continues to live and write in South Carolina with her husband and assorted pets.
What inspired your book/series?
My first novel, Clara, is a novel I have rewritten many times over the years. It first began as a novel about a girl finding her voice and power because, at that time in my life, I had neither. But as I grew older, I was able to explore that more objectively and now the series has become this ongoing conversation about whether knowing the future is actually helpful.
What are you working on next?
Right now, I am taking a break from editing the next novel of Stories of Lorst, House of the Seer. I am dealing with a bad case of burnout and am trying to refill the well with good books.
What authors or books have influenced your writing?
Robin McKinley’s Chalice and Sunshine; Charles de Lint; Ann McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Peron
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live?
Out in the middle of nowhere, preferably. I’ve always wanted to know what mountain living would be like.
What is your favorite meal?
I thought way too much about this question because I’m not sure I have a favorite food anymore. There’s a teashop in my town that makes an amazing artichoke grilled cheese sandwich and I love to have it with tomato soup.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer?
Yes.
Describe yourself in three words.
Creative, slow, thoughtful