Owl's Eye View #3 - Meet Susan Dennard!

It's the first Monday in July, so you know what that means.  It's time for another installment of Owl's Eye View!  This month, I am thrilled to be able to welcome Susan Dennard, author of the forthcoming Something Strange and Deadly (available July 24th wherever books are sold).  Set in post-Civil War Philadelphia, Something Strange and Deadly is a book about zombies, necromancers, inventions, and parasols, and that's just the simplified description!  I hope you all will join me in welcoming....

Susan Dennard

Marla: First question: How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Susan: Always daydreaming big.

Marla: What inspired you to write Something Strange and Deadly?

Susan: As silly as I know it always sounds, SS&D came from a dream. I had this vivid dream about a girl whose brother went missing and the only people who could help her were a ragtag team of outcasts. This dream haunted me for days until I finally sat down and fleshed it out into the story it is now!

Marla: What authors have been your biggest influences?

Susan: Ursula K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey, Garth Nix, E.M. Forster--all the authors I adored as a kid are the ones that still stick with me the most. They inspired me to read and to dream, and that led me to where I am today.

Marla:  How long have you been writing?

Susan: I started writing in private and for fun when I was around 13, but I never took it seriously until 2009. That was when I finally sat down and started to learn about the craft behind storytelling--all the various tools in a writer's arsenal--as well as how the industry itself worked. 2009 was when I decided to take writing from a mere hobby to a profession.

Marla:  Where is your favorite place to write?

Susan: Interesting question--and not one anyone has ever asked before! Hmmm...I love writing in my office, but sometimes that feels stale and I need a change of scenery to get the brain moving. When that happens, I'll usually sit in my backyard with the dogs and write by hand. There's nothing better than a summer breeze and bright sunshine to make you feel inspired!

Marla:  What was your favorite scene to write in Something Strange and Deadly?

Susan: Chapter 19! It was the first scene I wrote where Daniel and Eleanor were really forced to work together in a high stakes setting, and whenever I write scene with those two characters, the words just seem to flow! Chapter 19--which takes the two of them to a dynamite factory--literally poured from my fingertips. You can actually read the chapter on the official website (http://somethingstrangeanddeadly.com). Don't worry--it doesn't spoil the book!

Marla: Is there a particular character in Something Strange and Deadly that you identify with?

Susan: As odd as it might sound, I most closely identify with Daniel. My past isn't nearly so spotted, but his inability to forgive himself is something I really understand. Every "wrong" I've ever committed since I was a child still haunts me, and it takes a lot of strength and growth to learn to forgive oneself.

Marla: Last question, and I'm sure it's one we would all love to know the answer to: What would you do to if faced with a zombie horde?

Susan: Aim for the knees, of course! :) Honestly, it only takes ~15 pounds of pressure to break a knee, and if you can get the zombie down, then hopefully it can't come after you!

Thanks, Susan!  That's very useful advice to keep in mind for a zombie apocalypse.

If you want to learn more about Susan and her books, keep reading below and visit her websites, which you will find linked up below, as well.

    

About Susan

I’m a 28-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I really like swoon-worthy rogues).

I live in Germany with my French husband and Irish setter, and you can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on twitter, facebook, or Goodreads.

My debut, Something Strange and Deadly, will be available from HarperCollins on July 24th, and you will never believe how happy this makes me!  (from Susan's website)

About Something Strange and Deadly

The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.