Susan’s Comments (group member since Apr 03, 2015)

Susan’s comments from the Penryn and the End of Days Re-Read group.

Xeniya wrote: "I read on several places that the series was supposed to be longer (like 6 books or something?), what happened?"

I know we're used to knowing ahead of time how many books there are in a series, but for me, the story comes first and the number of books it takes to tell it comes after it's all written. Making Penryn's story a trilogy was not a change in the plan. My plan has always been to tell the story in however many books it took.

People asked how many books there would be in the series. I guessed 3-5. Nothing happened to change the plan or anything dramatic like that. If I gave the impression that it would be more than 3 books, that was just a poor guess at the time on my part.

Katerina wrote: "Was his kiss with Penryn his first kiss at all?"

I can tell by the way he kisses Penryn that it's not his first kiss. But beyond that, he tells me that angels don't kiss and tell. ;)

Silanur wrote: "And will you be doing any book signings or tours in the Virginia/DC area? Because I would love to meet you!"

I'll be in Dallas at the RT Convention when End of Days launches but don't have plans for further travel until Nov. I hope to one day be in the Virginia/DC area to meet you, Silanur!

Mari wrote: "I think the best character in the entire series is Pooky Bear and coming in second place is Paige. The scenes with Paige were heartbreaking and scary. She's such a strong character despite her age and having to go through so much."

I love them too. I'm glad you connected with them, Mari.

Oh, BTW, I'm getting Penryn & the End of Days bookmarks tomorrow! The front looks like the countdown clock that Hodder generously made for me. I hear they're super cute!

If you're in Dallas, or going to the RT Convention in a couple of weeks, come find me and I'll give you some for you and your friends. I'll be on a couple of panels and doing a signing and going to the YA party, etc. It'll be a blast. :)

Sandy wrote: "...I love seeing people from all over the world come together because of your books. It must be an amazing feeling..."

I agree--I love that we all come together from all over the world in our enthusiasm for Penryn & Raffe. Thanks for your kind words, Sandy from Florida.

Janine wrote: "...was it difficult to get a full grasp of this world before you started writing? What helped you with it?"

Hi Janine, I live through the story as Penryn lives it. Sometimes, I literally try to live through it as I mentioned before about hiking through the forest as she and Raffe hiked through it.

I also discover the world as Penryn discovers it. I have more perspective than she does and have my suspicions about what the rest of the world looks like, but they remain suspicions until Penryn discovers that aspect of the world. Sometimes, I'm right. And sometimes, I'm not. Either way, the story comes through Penryn--what she hears, what she feels, what she discovers.

Katerina wrote: "In my part of the world is already night, I'm sleepy =(

Thank you, Susan, for chatting with us!)

And I still wanna know about Raffryn's kiss, was it the first one for Raffe or not))

Good night/d..."

Good night, Katerina! Thanks for chatting with us again. :)

Guess what I'm doing right now? I'm walking on my treadmill while I type this. True talent, right? ;)

I've written several shorter stories while on the treadmill too. I hiked while I dictated Angelfall (yes, the first draft of Angelfall was dictated). Hiking while dictating is my favorite way of writing. I was in the woods when I wrote the scene of Penryn & Raffe traveling through the redwood forest. I was right there with them.

Hi, I'm back. My editor called and we got lost in our excitement for the End of Days release. She says hi.

It's time for a late breakfast in my part of the world. I'll be back in an hour or so. Feel free to continue to post and I'll read them when I get back. I especially enjoy hearing about you or what you like to do. I'll be back. :)

And thanks for chatting with me.

Several of you have asked me about my next project, so I'm responding to all of you.

I’ve started writing two books and they’re competing with each other right now. I have not yet committed to writing either. I’m ruthless when it comes to putting aside scenes/ storylines/ entire novels that I consider not ready or not right at this time for various reasons.

One of the novels I've started is the story that I found so compelling that it moved me from being a reader to being a writer. I didn’t have the writing skills to do it justice at the time. But over ten years later, it still calls to me. I’ll write it—it’s just a question of when. I could happily be lost forever in that story, and I always seem to come back to it whenever I think about my next story.

Amie wrote: "...If the story sounds interesting I will give it a try. "

Yes!

Mail wrote: "How extensively have you gone into the world-building of the series?"

The Penryn & the End of Days world is pretty huge. You'll see a whole new dimension of it in End of Days. I could probably spend the rest of my career writing stories from that world (but I won't-- there are just too many other stories and characters that are demanding to be introduced to you).

Mel wrote: "What genre would you like to write next? Another Dystopian Paranormal novel or something completely different? And do you think you will always write YA or would you consider New Adult or Adult? ..."

Hi Mel! I'd like my next genre to be "GREAT story." :) Do they have a section in the bookstores for that?

When I’m writing, I don't really think in terms of genre. When I’m reading, I tend to be genre focussed. I never intended for Penryn & the End of Days to be YA, I just wanted it to be a story that people loved. The readers told me it was YA, and I was totally happy with that. As for my next one, I won’t know what genre it is until it’s finished and someone else tells me what genre it is.

What kinds of genres do you all read?

Katerina wrote: "AMAZING news, Susan! Can't wait for new stories by you"

Thanks, Katernina!

Okay, speaking of future releases, I'd love it if you'd sign up for my New Release Notification if you haven't already. It's the ONLY way to guarantee that you'll hear about my future releases. And I so want to share my future stories with you!

Oh! Goodreads! I had the best answer ever. I swear! This site just gobbled it up. Sigh. You'll just have to settle for what I can remember of it...

(I know! It's evil to tell you this, isn't it? I guess I am kind of evil, I mean, just a teeeeny bit.)

Ileana wrote: "Hey Susan!! My question is, are you planing on working on other projects after you finish EOD or are you going to stop writing? I really hope that you keep writing cause you are a VERY good author ..."

Hi Illeana! Enough people have asked me this question to make me wonder if I'm giving off the wrong vibe. Please tell me what I'm doing that makes some of you think that I might stop writing. I really want to know.

I am ridiculously dedicated to writing, to my stories, and to you guys who remind me every day how amazing it is to have such a wonderful community of readers. It's kind of embarrassing how dedicated I am, actually. So yes, I will definitely be releasing stories in the future. And I hope you'll all be there to read them.

Yasmine wrote: "...I guess what I'm asking...is if we would be meeting any new angels and/or if they will be good or bad."

Yes... You might have a date with "new angels" on May 12th when comes out. But it might not be what you're thinking... :)