Critique_This_WIP

Mondays are for Author Interviews!! And guess what?! Today's a Monday! Ready to see who's next in line for an interview? Of course you are---so what are you waiting for? Scroll on!

Here is Suzanne's bio:

Suzanne Frank is the author of the internationally bestselling Chloe and Cheftu series, and as Chloe Green wrote a fashion-based mystery series. She is the Director of the SMU CAPE Creative Writing Program in Dallas, Texas. At the moment she is juggling projects and preparing to launch her NF career. Friend her at Suzanne Frank, or follow her (which might encourage her to actually TWEET) on Twitter: J Suzanne Frank.

Books: Reflections in the Nile, Shadows on the Aegean, Sunrise on the Mediterranean, Twilight in Babylon (as Chloe Green) Going Out In Style, Designed to Die, Fashion Victim.

Jill: It is great to have the honor of interviewing you today, Suzanne! I’ve read/loved your Chloe series and have taken your classes at SMU so I have first-hand knowledge of your talent. Let’s get started with pen names---what is your position, to pen name or not to pen name?

Suzanne: We live in such a transparent world, I guess I would ask why have a pen name, unless it’s to differentiate between markets. I do have a pen name, but it was spurred by legal/contractual stuff.

Jill: Good point, we are mega-transparent these days. When did you start writing?

Suzanne: I don’t remember starting; it’s just always been there. Throughout my education my writing was praised, but it wasn’t until I got a degree in Journalism that I thought about writing for a living. (Ha! Cub reporter’s salary = not much of a living.) My first book was predominantly a desire to read the book I hadn’t found on the shelves. Then I fell so in love with the characters that I didn’t want to let them go – fortunately, my editor felt the same way!

Jill: What is your favorite genre to write?

Suzanne: The one I’m writing in at the moment – my process tends to be immersion and when I’m on a project, it’s all-consuming … and sort of the only thing I see or recall.

Jill: What is your favorite genre to read?

Suzanne: I don’t read by genre, I read by fascination. That changes depending on what I’m researching, or what author I’ve just discovered: it’s run the gamut from Regencies with spy characters (a LOT of those out there!) to science fiction that deals with mental slavery.
Fortunately, I read very, very fast.

Jill: How do you come up with your characters?

Suzanne: All different ways. Chloe Kingsley is an incarnation of a character I always had – in my childhood I built her family, her room, her wardrobe. Not as she was published, but the germ of the character is the same. Others have just appeared, fully fleshed and ready to rumble. Still others are based on the story idea and then crafted for it.

Jill: Where have some of you best ideas come from? (dreams, real life, music, tv, books, etc…)

Suzanne: History. Questions. Images. Music. Everything goes into and comes out of story, for me. I just returned from the store and was compelled to buy this poster copy of a Klimt. I don’t know why, but it’s humming in there. I love the discovery!

Jill: You inspired me to go look at a few Klimt images. Can’t wait to see what you come up with if the humming turns into a full out composition! What is your position on plotting? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Suzanne: A strange combo – After months of character study and outlining, I craft characters to answer questions, and then plot the reaction. I ride out writing the first draft, read it, see what I actually wrote, then refine and rewrite a dozen more times.

Jill: What project or projects are you working on now?

Suzanne: I have a YA fantasy series I’m excited about and am working on. I’m also completing a NF “guidebook” about applying the Hero’s Journey to one’s life. I’ll be doing speaking gigs and workshops and all of that … it’s about becoming your own hero. I’ve got a sexy and complex futuristic time travel about Cleopatra that is looking for a home …

Jill: Very exciting. Fantasy is starting to intrigue me as well and it is definitely something my crit partners know and love! And please let us know where/when your Journey speaking gigs are. It is interesting to think of applying the Hero’s Journey to my own life, definitely makes sense as it seems life is full of calls to adventure and mentors and conflicts and I love to think of myself as a hero! Which of your characters do you most relate with (please give a brief explanation of why you relate to him/her)?

Suzanne: Chloe Kingsley is probably the closest—just because she’s first and we share a Southern heritage and military childhood.

Jill: I enjoyed getting to know Chloe through your work! What’s in a name? (How important is it for a character to have the right name, or will any name do?) Do you spend much time finding your character’s names?

Suzanne: I think names are essential and if I rewrite a character, I will change his or her name to fit his or her new persona. I think names are keys and speak to us on symbolic and archetypal levels, too. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure someone’s named their kid Zeus – and I can’t imagine the pressure that would bring!

Jill: You are definitely raising the bar for me. I tend to develop the character and then roll names around on my tongue until the taste and image connect. I need to start challenging myself more! How do you “get in the zone” when writing? Do you listen to music? Look through art? Something else? What is your writing environment like?

Suzanne: I think the trick is once you get there, never fully leave. I have whole behaviors that keep part of my mind with the work, always. It’s all of that … but also being very selective about what I feed my mind and vision with as I’m working. Staying in the zone requires a little bit of crazy and a lot of diligence.

Jill: Do you have a writing playlist? Admit it—we all do it. What’s on yours?

Suzanne: I think of them as soundtracks, and what’s on it depends on the project. I’m also very superstitious/committed to coffee cups. One per project, and then it’s retired. (None of the mugs at my house match.) A band that never seems out of rotation is Muse … endless layers to their songs, and perfect for sci fi/time travel/fantasy amalgams.

Jill: I’ve heard other authors listen to Muse also. I think it’s time I get my head out of the seventies and eighties and have a listen! Do you use critique partners, groups, or beta readers to help you with your story? Why or why not?

Suzanne: Absolutely. The people around me see in ways I don’t, have expertise I don’t and can point out my blindspots. I value them immensely and try not to wear them out. There’s a hierarchy of critique level and smiley faces and as I rewrite I move away from the smiley faces (the people who tend to encourage and gently prod) to the people who are laser-eyed and coldly logical and sharp-tongued. Once I can soar material past them, I know I’m ready.

Jill: How do you respond to criticism? Love it? Hate it? Learn from it?

Suzanne: All of the above. It takes a while for me to actually hear it, let it sink in. I’ve come to realize that the criticism that stings the most is the thing I feared would be weak. So it’s also reassuring, in a sick, twisted way.

Jill: How about writing exercises, do you use them?

Suzanne: I teach writing, and will often do the exercises or assignments that I give my students. Writing is a muscle and the more you exercise it, the better you get. At least, that’s my belief and my practice.

Jill: What’s your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

Suzanne: Favorite: Getting to write/read/live the story. Least favorite: Falling into my own expectation gaps; seeing my lacks. When a story doesn’t find a home.

Jill: Do you ever have trouble with writers-block?

Suzanne: I have; it spurred an entire investigation into why I write, what I want from it, etc. It caused me to choose writing and commit to it – like a relationship – and to work with and listen to my creativity when it puts on the brakes. I used to be very militaristic in my approach; it moved me into a love affair with the process, not just the project.


I’ve seen from students, etc. that when they hit blocks, it’s oftentimes because they don’t know the character/story well enough and literally … just … stop. They run out.

Jill: Hmmm, that may explain some of the blocks I’ve had. Most of us write part time. How do you spend your time when you aren’t writing?

Suzanne: I teach writing and I am the director of a continuing studies program for adults on how to write. (smu.edu/creativewriting) I’m very fortunate that I get to live in a story-based world.

Jill: Want to share a favorite line from one of your books?

Suzanne: I don’t remember lines, exactly, but I do have moments when I recall how a character felt or what they experienced. Chloe Kingsley cracks me up – wandering through an ancient Egyptian temple, craving a diet Coke … Or Dallas O’Connor, clinging to the edge of the building, thinking, ‘OH, this all makes so much sense now … ‘

Jill: Let’s wrap this great interview up with a final reflection. Would you like to share anything else with the readers?

Suzanne: Support your bookstores and libraries. Teach your children to love words.

And my favorite quote about being a writer:
“Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.” Anne Morrow Lindberg

Jill: Thanks so much for sharing yourself and your time with us Suzanne. I know the readers will enjoy your interview and I encourage them to go experience your work!