Over-protective writer/mother of
three looking for thrill-seeking readers who are in need of heavy-duty escapism
and heart-muscle exercises.
Sue is a fellow Permuted Press
Author and joins me in a genre heavily dominated by male writers. Zombies. I
met and have gotten to know Sue through social media. She is super sweet, not
to mention a beautiful talented woman. She is very sincere and supportive of
all of us in the craft, that’s why I wanted her to be first. Her writing is top notch, and if you don’t
believe me, take a look at her book Dead
Tropics. I promise, after you read the sample, you’ll be hooked.
Welcome, Sue! Glad to have you.
First, up who you are as a person/writer
and your work/book
I write under
the name Sue Edge, that being a nickname I acquired in college. I am the author of a horror/action novel
called Dead Tropics. It is the story of
an ordinary woman who races the clock – and a growing zombie threat – to save
her family. They say ‘write what you
know’ and for the last 18 years I’ve been trying to raise decent kids and keep
them safe so that’s the focus of my book!
But I have always had a fascination for apocalyptic/disaster books,
particularly zombies, so what better scenario to tell my story?
What
one thing do you feel makes you unique as a writer?
While there are
a lot of writers doing horror stories and action stories, I combine the two
genres. I want people to be left in
turn, breathless, horrified, relieved and happy. I try to write stories that tap into peoples’
fundamental fears and force the reader to ask themselves ‘how would I react?’
What
are three things people would be surprised to know about you?
- People often perceive horror writers to be dark and twisted. I can see the surprise on people’s faces when I tell them that I write horror novels because I don’t meet that perception. Let’s just say I resemble Pollyanna more than I do Morticia Addams. But I think it’s that appreciation for life and all its gifts that enables me to write dark books, because I can imagine what it would be like to lose everything I hold dear.
- My first book was a parenting book. It made quite a splash at the time, which surprised me because my intention was to create a resource for parents who found that modern parenting techniques to be unsuccessful, not stir up a hornet’s nest
- I would like to try my hand at writing romantic comedy one day.
Almost
every writer has a writing vice (Music, coffee. Booze, etc) that they like or
need to have in order to create. Do you have a vice and what is it?
Nothing
exciting, I’m afraid. In order to hash
out storylines, I go for a nice walk and enjoy the sun and scenery. It seems to spark the creative juices. At home, I switch lanes (from office or
parenting mode to writer mode) by making myself a cup of tea and catching up
with everyone on face book for half an hour or so. Then I am ready to start writing.
Do you write you story/outline longhand and then on the
computer or do you go straight from brain to keyboard?
I am a
straight-from-brain-to-keyboard type.
Before I start writing a book, I know where I want to start and where I
want to finish and then I let the creative process unfold. The characters tend to write their own story,
I think.
If there is one thing in any of your published works,
storyline or charter wise, that you could change in a currently published work,
what would it be?
*SPOILER* I probably
wouldn’t kill off one of the main characters in Dead Tropics. I’ve received some emails on that subject,
let me tell you!
If I were a movie producer, pitch your best work
In Dead Tropics, Lori Nelson is an ordinary
mother who thinks she has survived the worst that life has to throw at her
after her husband dies, leaving her to raise a teenager and twin babies but she is wrong. Trapped in an increasingly deadly tropical
paradise, Lori is forced to dig deep and discover a strength she didn’t know
she possessed - a strength that enables her to make once unthinkable decisions
in order to save her precious family.
If you could cast any three celebrities, living or dead to
play your characters in a movie, who would they be and who would they play?
Well, James Denton
would be a shoo-in for the part of Mike, the laconic security guard who becomes
the heroine’s partner , friend and foil.
A runner up might be Jason Statham.
Lori, the
protagonist, is a much trickier part to cast.
The names that have been tossed about by my readers and friends include
Jennifer Garner, Dana Delaney and Lena Headley.
I’m actually inclined to cast someone a little quirkier, like Courtney
Cox. Whoever plays Lori has to be able
to convince people that she is just an ordinary woman caught up in
extraordinary events. Not only that, she
needs to be able to handle drama as well as comedic scenes.
My daughter has
put her hand up to play the part of the teenage daughter. She argues that since I’ve used our family as
the basis for the characters, she’s the best person to play the part. I guess she has a point!
If you could be any character in your book, who would you be
and why?
*sheepish
grin* Well, I based Lori, the
protagonist, on myself so it would have to be her, of course! And if I get to make out with James Denton or
Jason Statham in the movie version, well shucks…
Let’s say you become super J.K. Rowling/Stephen King Famous,
and you could help one Indy author achieve the recognition they deserve who
would it be and why?
Well, there are
a lot but if I had to choose two, it would be Stephen North and Kathy
Dunnehoff. Zombies and romantic comedy…I
swing both ways.
Stephen
encouraged me a lot when I started writing my book. As for Kathy, I think she taps into the angst
of women in their forties. I could
certainly relate!
What are three things that can always be found in your
fridge?
Durian (it’s an
acquired taste), Jarlsberg cheese and homemade yoghurt. What can I say, I like strong flavors.
Thank you!
Please, check out Sue’s book and sneak peak on AMAZON
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