Everyone knows that the holiday season is about giving. With Saturday Spotlight I am able to give all year round. Help me support these lesser-known authors and get their novels into the hands of more readers! Take a chance on something new this holiday season. It is the second to last Saturday Spotlight. Next week I have a crazy special treat for all of you, so be sure to watch for that next week.

Today, I am elated! I am happy to present to you all, an exclusive interview with one of my favorite authors…Emily Suvada! I reached out to her without any real expectation of her getting back to me so soon but she did. And she was more than willing to participate in Saturday Spotlight! I have to be honest, I might have danced around my room when I read her email back to me. So…let’s get to know Emily a little.

About the Author

Emily Suvada was born and raised in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. She previously worked as a data scientist and still spends hours writing algorithms to perform tasks which would only take minutes to complete on her own. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen. She currently lives in Portland, OR, with her husband.

Emily’s Novels

This Mortal Coil

This Cruel Design

These Precious Scars

Interview

Thank you again for joining us today. I hope your fans are as excited to read this interview as I was to give it.

When did you first sit down to write and what pushed you to start?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but first tried to write a novel when I was in my early twenties. I’ve always loved books and always wanted to write one eventually! It took another six years of writing until I sold my first book – publishing is a long road!

I feel we all write somewhere along the way but publishing is a long road and not always easy for everyone.

Where did the idea of This Mortal Coil and This Cruel Design originate? Did you pull any inspiration for characters from people you know in real life?

THIS MORTAL COIL sprung from an image I had of a girl in the woods – starving, dirty, ruthless – and of an enemy soldier arriving to protect her. So naturally, she’d try to kill him! From there I had to figure out why she was in the woods, what had happened to the world, and what it was about her that made her so interesting. Everything else in the book sprang from those questions. As for inspiration for characters – no, I don’t base them on real people. All my characters reflect facets of myself, I guess, but they’re not really reflections of anyone I know.

I really love hearing about how your story blossomed into the amazing one it is today. How amazing is it when an idea so small can become something so profound.

What was the most difficult thing as an author that you ran into while writing your stories?

I’d say that the most difficult thing I’ve faced is adjusting to writing as a career vs writing in pursuit of publication. Wanting to get published is a serious dream and it’s one that provides a LOT of motivation – and it’s funny, but when you achieve that goal, you can suddenly lose some of the motivation you’ve had in the past. You need to learn to find motivation in other ways – to provide readers with a great series to follow your first book, and to do your characters and your stories justice – those became my driving motivators after THIS MORTAL COIL came out. Many writers are driven by achieving bestsellerdom and awards, and those are great motivators too! Basically, you need to figure out why you’re still driven to work your butt off writing and keep grinding and improving!

Motivation can be hard in any facet of life. I can only imagine how hard it is once you have become published. Doing it to provide your characters and their stories justice…that is a great motivation!

Can you describe what a day spent with Cat would look like? What would you do?

Oh, goodness – if we weren’t screaming and running for our lives? I’d probably send that girl into the bathroom with some soap, some nail trimmers, and then tug the tangles out of her hair. Then I’d cook her a healthy, large meal, and fret about whatever dangerous plan for her future she’s cooked up, and send her away with a backpack full of clean clothes and snacks. I’d be her mom for a day, basically. The poor girl needs one!

Yes!! I love this. I would for sure cook a nice meal for Cat, my motherly instincts would kick in as well.

I know that you have mentioned a few hints here and there for book 3 in your series. Is there anything exclusive that you could tell your followers that are reading this interview?

I’m afraid everything I could share would be a massive spoiler – this book literally opens with a spoiler for the other books and continues through until the very last page. I can tell you it’s dual POV, unlike the previous two books. And it’s going to get pretty intense.

Wow, dual POV. That will be different for sure but I expect nothing less than intense from you. I know that I am not the only one who is beyond excited for the next book in the series.

Who is one author that you admire within your genre and why?

In YA science fiction, I’m a huge fan of Amie Kaufman. She’s smart, prolific, an incredible writer, and genuinely funny – but she’s also a wonderful person. Amie is generous, helpful, and kind. I admire her deeply.

I always love seeing who other people admire, especially those who write within the same genre. Thank you for sharing that with all of us so now we can go and read her work as well.

What is your favorite thing to do when you have spare time?

I love to cook! A ‘day off’ for me usually involves a decent amount of time in the kitchen, trying out a new recipe. I just got an Instant Pot so I’m having a lot of fun experimenting with it!

I have an instant pot and love it!! I also love to cook. The instant pot is for sure a game changer if you have a busy life. With two kids and when I was attending college full time…I can’t tell you how many times it saved me. Cooking is an experience, I love sharing it with my kids.

For fun, let’s do a quick round of either or

Tea or Coffee

Tea – there are just more choices!

I agree. I enjoy coffee but there is such a huge variety of tea that I always find myself trying something new.

Physical book or ebook

Physical book, then audiobook, then ebook in a pinch!

Yes! I have to say I prefer a physical book as well. Audiobooks are still new to me but I have been growing closer to them. They help so much when I have my hands full but have time to listen to something.

Morning person or night owl

Neither, really – I’m pretty in-between.

That is refreshing to hear actually. Not everyone fits into these categories. I am a “whenever I wake up” person. Once I am up…I am up. I tend to wake early simply because I have kids.

Do you prefer being hot or cold

Hot, definitely!

I am the opposite. Being hot, I can only take off so many layers and I could get sweaty. Being cold, I can always add more layers. My husband would agree with you though, better to be hot than cold.

I want to thank Emily again for being a wonderful participant in Saturday Spotlight! It really was an honor to have her. She is an incredible person, very talented author, and soon to be an amazing mother as well. If you have not checked out her books yet and want a new read, pick these up for sure.

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Saturday Spotlight – Emily Suvada

About the Author