Author Interview – Suzanne Furness

YA Fantasy Author

It’s time to meet YA Fantasy author, Suzanne Furness and find out about her books.

Helen: There so much detail in your cover, I love learning what all the images mean! I assume Livvy is on the cover, tell us more about her.

Suzanne: The main protagonist is an eleven-year-old girl called, Livvy. Short for Olivia. We learn she lost her father in a car accident which resulted in her younger brother, Ed stopping talking. Obviously a very tricky time for Livvy. The story is set several months after the accident as Livvy is learning to manage some of her feelings. Then she finds Patsy Scribble a Cornish Piskie in the compost heap and her life changes again. Livvy grows through the story and starts to see that her life can move forward but she can still keep a piece of her dad in her heart. This might seem a sad story but in fact it is uplifting and contains lots of hope. It’s an adventure that changes her forever.

I experienced the loss of my dad at a young age too. Different circumstances but the feelings and heartbreak were the same. I hope some of that first-hand knowledge comes through in the story. I started writing Livvy’s story shortly after my mum died after a long illness 13 years ago. I think it was cathartic in many ways. The image of meeting a piskie at the bottom of the garden was very strong and the story grew from there. It’s been through lots of editing and rewrites to get it to where it is.

Helen: I also found writing cathartic. I started writing after my mum passed away. Much later in life, but the time was obviously right. My greatest regret is that she never got to read any of my books. Is Livvy your favourite character or is there anyone else you found interesting to write?

Suzanne: Hmm, this is an interesting question because as I have explained above, Livvy is a special character to me. However, I love the feisty piskie, Patsy Scribble. She is definitely not a stereotypical piskie. (In case anyone was wondering a piskie is a Cornish word for a type of pixie.) She comes out with some funny sayings and quite often is a little rude about humans and their world.

There are also three birds in the story. One is the very clever and slightly superior Cornish Chough called Merlin. (Yes, it is an Arthurian reference). He was fun to write too. He doesn’t speak as such but he I tried to portray his character through his behaviour and actions.

Helen: Your characters sound like fun. When did you realise you had a passion for writing?

Suzanne:  I think it’s always been there but maybe I didn’t fully understand it till a lot later on. As a teenager I wrote lots of poetry, which was one of the ways I tried to cope with the loss of my dad and other life events. It was years later that I actually started to think about writing a story. My first attempts were short stories for adults. I entered a few into competitions. One even got published in an anthology. I then tried writing an adult novel. Looking back, I can fully see it wasn’t great but I learnt a lot from those 80K words! I moved onto writing for children shortly after that. I have worked with children for many years as well as bringing up two of my own so it seemed a natural progression for me.

Helen: I think the more you write, the more you practice, the better you get! If you don’t write then there’s nothing to edit or improve. When writing, do you plan in advance or make it up as you go?

Suzanne: I have to admit I am a pantser through and through! It’s a slightly strange concept for me as in most areas of my life I plan things carefully and I am not a person who enjoys chaos or just going with the flow. Perhaps that’s exactly why I have to let my creative juices do their own thing when writing. I usually start either with a line of writing or a character name and go from there. I might do mind maps and character description cards as I get into the story a bit but other than that it’s just open the laptop and see what happens! Not the most efficient way as it means lots of editing and rewriting but so far it has worked for me.

Helen: I think what works for you is best. Do you find you need to do much research for your books?

Suzanne: Ah, well this is where I might spend a bit of planning time and like many writers, sometimes I find myself down the proverbial rabbit hole of research! But I do enjoy that side of things. With Storm of Clocks I researched Cornish folklore in depth and decided which aspects I could incorporate into the story. Quite often the research helped move the story forward when I got a bit stuck. It was fun to see how lots of things entwined. It’s such a big part of this story I have added a glossary at the back to explain a few things a little more. I have sprinkled the story with a few Cornish words and phrases too which all add to the feel of the book.

Helen: Writers tend to end up knowing so much trivia! What else are you working on?

Suzanne: I have a fun and slightly quirky story about a young boy, Jack Potts, who finds a door at the back of his shed which leads to a world known as Underbed Storage! A place where rubbish is treasure and nothing is wasted. He meets a clumsy dragon, a sort of wizard and some rather strange robots. It’s a very different story to Storm of Clocks but The Accidental Adventures of Jack Potts is a fun adventure for readers 7 plus. It’s got lots of fun illustrations too so is ideal for the more reluctant reader or new to chapter book readers. Check out Ink Bookshop or Amazon

I am hoping to be able to share news very soon about a new middle grade story that will hopefully be published later this year. Watch this space or follow my socials for the latest information on that exciting project.

Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been great learning more about your books. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Suzanne: My website is here and I’m always happy to chat so give me a follow or get in touch. I can sell signed books direct and will include bookmarks and stickers so if that is something you would be interested in just get in touch to arrange.

About the Author – Suzanne Furness

Suzanne lives in Cornwall with her husband and a cat with a moustache! She can often be found walking the coastal footpath on the lookout for pirate ships and lost mermaids or exploring woodlands and moors on the hunt for fae. Sadly, she hasn’t found a piskie at the bottom of the garden but she will never stop looking.

Follow Suzanne on Instagram

Purchase Storm of Clocks by Suzanne Furness

UK: eBook | Paperback
USA: eBook | Paperback

Or order through Waterstones The Great British Bookshop Roaming Reads or your favourite indie bookshop.

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If you enjoy epic fantasy then check out my award winning Sentinal series, which is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love my SoulMist series, start with SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fantasy? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.

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