About Susan McDonough Wachtman:
I'm a kayaker, writer, mother, wife, gardener, teacher, cat lover and book addict. I self-published Snail’s Pace and Arabella’s Gift after their publishers went out of business. Matriarchs: Eliza’s Revenge won best genre novel from the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. Ferry Findings, a collection of short stories, was published by Kitsap Publishing in 2016. “Well written,” “quirky sense of humor,” and “doesn’t fit the genre” are the comments I hear most about my books and stories.
What inspires you to write?
I've always been compelled to write, as far back as I can remember. I am inspired by the many excellent authors who wrapped me up in their worlds over the years: Elizabeth Peters, Connie Willis, R.A. McAvoy, Mary Stewart, Mary Norton, Edith Nesbit, Louisa May Alcott, and Zola Helen Ross (My first writing teacher who was an author. She was one of the founders of PNWA).
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Today, I am inspired by the authors who write social commentary with quietly amazing heroines, like T. Kingfisher, Emma Newman, Becky Chambers, Arkady Martine, Rivers Solomon, N.K. Jemisin, and Ann Leckie.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m a pantser– I write until I get stuck, then go back and rewrite until I get stuck again. I don’t recommend this method! I have tried to be more methodical, to plot and to outline, but I get bored and never stick with it.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I hear my characters talking to each other, but I seldom talk to them. They are in their world, and I am in mine. I'm a voyeur, I guess — I stalk them.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write because you love it. It’s too much work to do it for any other reason.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
That's a sad story, really. I tried hard to get published "traditionally." I had an agent for a while. I was told my books were too "quirky," or didn't "fit a genre." So then I went to small publishers — a couple of them went out of business. Then I self-published through Pronoun –and THEY went out of business. Now I'm back to the small publisher again — Water Dragon Publishing. They've promised not to go out of business.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The future of publishing? Well, there is one! I may be a science fiction author, but I am no clairvoyant. I can't predict where all this AI stuff will take us. But people will want stories, and people will create stories, and somehow the two will have to get together in some way.
What genres do you write?: science fiction, fantasy, YA and adult
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Susan McDonough Wachtman Home Page Link
Link To Susan McDonough Wachtman Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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