Ask the Author: Susan Mullen
Answered Questions (6)
Susan Mullen
Detective Rob Ryan and his partner Cassie Maddox in Tana French's novel, In The Woods. While they are not a romantic couple, their chemistry, communication, mutual understanding and care are powerfully portrayed and a very compelling part of that multilayered novel.
Susan Mullen
I read fiction every night before I go to bed and that helps me to sleep. Likewise, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I typically think about whatever book I'm reading to help me fall back to sleep. While writing Tornadoes, if I didn't immediately know how Cath would respond to a Scott letter, I would think about the characters and the book when I woke up in the middle of the night. If I managed to puzzle through whatever problem I was having with what to write next, I'd jump out of bed to jot down some notes. Also, sometimes I would talk to my daughters about what was happening with the characters. They were roughly the age of Scott and Cath during the writing process, and once and a while they helped me see how a teenage girl might react to whatever Scott had recently written.
Susan Mullen
I am an avid reader and a first time writer. To me, so far, the best thing about being a writer is having other people who love to read enjoy this book. That is very special and rewarding.
Susan Mullen
Start writing!! I've had so many people tell me about the novels they have totally sketched out in their heads and they've never written a word. Sit down and get started, whether that means creating a storyboard and sketching out the arc of the story and the relationships of the characters, or a general outline, or just digging right in to Chapter 1, my primary advice is to sit down and dig in and see where it takes you. You can (and should) go back at various points during the process and at the end to polish it up and edit it, but you can only do that if you've actually written it first. Start writing -- it's fun!
Susan Mullen
For Tornadoes, I got inspired to write when I figured out what Cath's letter should say. Michael and I wrote the novel by swapping letters between the characters, and we didn't discuss or plan out the letters in advance. In other words, each time I received the updated manuscript from Michael with a new Scott letter attached, it was like receiving a letter in the mail -- I had no idea what the latest Scott letter would say. I would usually print out the latest letter, together with 6 or 7 of the most recent letters between the characters, and read them over with a few questions in mind: How would Cath respond to Scott's letter? Are there characters or story lines that I need to address and move along? What is happening in Cath's life that would be interesting to the reader? How to provide color and context within the confines of a letter? Once I'd figured out what I wanted to write, then I was psyched to find time to sit down and write.
Susan Mullen
My co-author, Michael Kun, called me one day and asked me if I'd like to write a book with him. He sketched out some very general ideas, and we decided to start swapping letters, with Michael writing the Scott character's letters and with me writing the Cath character's letters. Fairly quickly, the characters had their own personalities and voices, and their journey began to unfold.
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