Susan K Quinn-Interview with the Author

The Reading Cafe has had the privilege to review the novels and interview many of the authors from the INDELIBLES. The INDELIBLES are a group of independent publishing YA authors who get together for support and promotion. Today we would like to introduce the author of the MINDJACK TRILOGY-Susan K Quinn

INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN K QUINN

TRC: Hi Susan and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Susan: I take my tea straight (no cream, no sugar), I have a love of all things booky or geeky (or both FTW!), and I recently have become obsessed with
Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Oh, and I write books for teens and kids.

TRC: Your bio information is impressive. You have several engineering degrees including Aerospace and Mechanical as well as a Ph.D in Environmental Engineering. Why did you leave it all behind to write?

Susan: I actually left it all behind to be with my kids – I have three boys, now 8, 11 and 13. I absolutely adored my work, but I decided to stay home with my boys after the second one was born, always intending to return to engineering work someday. It completely shocked me that I decided to be a novelist instead! But as I started reading children’s literature with my kids, I rediscovered the buried love of writing from my own teen years. And once bitten by the writing bug, there was no turning back.

TRC: Many writers bounce ideas between spouses or other authors, as well as friends. With whom do you share ideas or concepts about writing?

Susan: I don’t do a lot of sharing in the early stages, usually waiting until I have a couple drafts of the full manuscript done before I share it with anyone. But I talk general craft issues all the time with my fellow authors, and bore my husband and kids endlessly with point-of-view issues and storytelling craft. Now that my teenage son writes novels as well, dinner conversation is completely monopolized.

TRC: You are a member of the INDELIBLES-an indie website for authors of YA novels and storylines. How were you first introduced to the Indelibles? What would you consider the Indelibles most significant feature for indie authors?

Susan: I was invited to join the Indelibles by fellow Indelible author Heather McCorkle, and I am so glad (and lucky) to be in this fine group of authors! We support each other in our publishing journeys, cross-promote, and chat nearly every day on email about writing and life. Indie authors don’t have a support team with a publisher, so finding that support in each other is critical for success. And the collective lessons-learned of all 25 of us has helped each of us individually as well. I learn something new from these ladies every day!

TRC: What is the title of your first published novel? What inspired you to write your first book?

Susan: My first published novel was Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story) that I wrote for my niece (who was 13 at the time). She and I bonded over the Twilight craze, and I wanted to write something that showed that epic love could exist, even if there were no paranormal creatures involved! I have nothing against paranormal (far from it, since Open Minds is paranormal/science fiction story), but I had fun just writing the love story. I never intended to publish it, but I was approached by a friend who was starting a small publishing company and was asked to submit.

TRC: Mind Games (found in the anthology-In His Eyes) is the prequel to OPEN MINDS (see our review below) , the first novel in the Mindjack Trilogy. Would you please tell us about the premise of this series?

Susan: Open Minds is about a girl (Kira) who can’t read minds in a world where everyone else does. She’s ostracized because of her “disability” and only her best friend Raf (who she secretly loves) treats her like she’s worthwhile. Kira soon finds out that she has the ability to control people’s minds, and things get dangerous in a hurry after that. Mind Games is a prequel short story to Open Minds, told from Raf’s point of view, about the difficulty of being a mindreader in love with a zero (someone who can’t read minds or be read by others). I’ll be releasing Mind Games as a single short story in mid-May.

LINKS TO PURCHASE

*Amazon Kindle
*Amazon Books
*KOBO
*B&N Nook
*B&N Books
*Smashwords

MIND GAMES free introductory e-novella from IN HIS EYES
*KOBO
IN HIS EYE anthology-FREE from AMAZON Kindle-click here)

TRC: What is the significance of ‘Mindjack’ and its’ relationship to the trilogy?

Susan: Mindjacking is the term I use for mind-control. Kira is a mindjacker, and the hidden world of mindjackers within the larger mindreading world drives the story. I think of mindjacking as an almost physical experience, where people reach with their mindfields into other people’s minds to control their thoughts, actions, emotions, and even their memories. The exploration of what we can do with our minds is endlessly fascinating to me.

TRC: Will Raf and Kira remain the central figures throughout the series?

Susan: The Mindjack trilogy is definitely Kira’s story, although Raf plays an important role throughout.

TRC: If the MindJack series is a runaway hit with the readers, will you consider writing future storylines or novellas?

Susan: This is a great question! Mind Games is actually the first of a series of short stories I’m writing in the world of Open Minds – I’m calling them “Mindjack Origins” and they will each look at a different character and a story from their past, that predates their appearance in the trilogy. The next one I plan to write this summer will be called “The Handler” – a character from the sequel, Closed Hearts. There’s a lot of richness in the world of Open Minds, and while I have another (different) trilogy that’s chomping at me to write it, I may be tempted to write a companion series to Mindjack. It would have to be as compelling as the Mindjack trilogy before I would be willing to commit to that, though. I think each book, and trilogy, needs to stand on its own.

TRC: CLOSED HEARTS is the second book in the Mindjack Trilogy (release date May 23, 2012). Would you please tell us something about the premise? (see our review below)

Susan: Closed Hearts is a continuation of Kira’s story in Open Minds. If you’ve read the book, you know things are just starting to change in Kira’s world. If you haven’t, I won’t spoil it for you. But safe to say, the story of mindjackers is just beginning.

LINKS TO PURCHASE

*Amazon Kindle
*Amazon Books
*B&N Nook
*Smashwords

TRC: Is there anything you found particularly challenging (to date) in writing the Mindjack Trilogy?

Susan: Writing a novel where everyone reads minds seemed so daunting at first, I almost didn’t start. How do you do that? Is everything written in italics?? Then I realized that the mindreading and mindjacking experience was a very physical one (see above) and that helped make the story more concrete, less esoteric. And more reasonable to render onto the page!

TRC: At The Reading Café, we always say that Young Adult literature is no longer just for teens and young adults. Many of today’s authors write books and series knowing that ‘grown ups’ will be reading their stories. What do you feel is the attraction ( for adults) of the many YA storylines and series?

Susan: I love reading and writing YA because the stories are fresh, fast-paced, and deal with universal experiences. I’m far from my teen years, but they’re still vivid in my mind. It’s a time when we discover who we are, and I think that remains as an indelible memory – and something we can all share.

TRC: What are you currently writing?

Susan: I’m working on Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy, plus making notes for The Handler (short story) which I hope to write in-between drafts of the novel.

TRC: Would you like to add anything?

Susan: I hope your readers enjoy the Mindjack books! I always love to hear from readers, so feel free to drop by my facebook page and tell me what you think
LINK to Susan’s FACEBOOK

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Cheese. No, sourdough bread! Ok, cheese AND sourdough bread. #yum

Favorite Dessert
Any form of chocolate. Bonus points if it’s cake.

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Yes.

Favorite Movie
Star Trek (the reboot with OMG Chris Pine AND Zachary Quinto!! *faints*).I’m a fan.

Favorite TV Show
Avatar: The Legend Of Korra. So. Good.

Last Movie you Saw
The last movie was so bad, I don’t remember it. The last movie I saw that was AMAZING? Hunger Games.

TRC: Susan, we would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. The Reading Café is looking forward to your upcoming release and we wish you the best of luck with your writing career. Please keep us informed about your future projects.

Susan: Thanks so much for hosting me today!!

*******GIVEAWAY*******

Susan K Quinn is offering an e-copy of either OPEN MINDS or CLOSED HEARTS (winners choice) plus an e-copy of MIND GAMES

1.  All members at The Reading Cafe are eligible for the giveaway.  If you are not a member, please register using the LOG-IN at the top of the page.

2.  Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.

3. {like} Susan on FACEBOOK and follow her NEWSLETTER for additional entries.

4.  Please drop by and say hello to Susan.  Post a comment and enjoy our interview with the author.