Interview with YA Author Susan Wingate @susanwingate #Interview #blogtour

Susan Wingate is a #1 Amazon bestselling award-winning author of over fifteen novels. Susan writes across fiction and nonfiction genres and often sets her stories in the Pacific Northwest where she is the president of a local authors association. She writes full-time and lives in Washington State with her husband, Bob.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.susanwingate.com
Blog:    www.susanwingate.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanwingate
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorsusanwingate

About the Book

For those who enjoy reading books like Where the Crawdads Sing and My Sister’s Keeper
MACKENZIE FRASER witnesses a drunk driver mow down her seven-year-old sister and her mother blames her. Then she ends up in juvie on a trumped-up drug charge. Now she’s in the fight of her life…on the inside! And she’s losing.
HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS is a coming of age story about loss, grief, and the power of love.

HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS Won “Best Fiction” in the 2020 Pacific Book Awards.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08676VMT3

Can you tell us what your new book is about?

Thank you for hosting me and my latest novel HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS on As the Page Turns. HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS is, at its core, a story about a family who suffers the loss of one of their children―their seven-year-old daughter―and how they deal with that loss.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

MacKenzie Fraser is Tessa’s older sister. Mac is sixteen when the story starts. Tessa is seven years old. Mac witnesses the death of Tessa and becomes the focal point of criminal charges that have nothing to do with Tessa but that end her up in juvenile detention.

Your book is set in Friday Harbor.  Can you tell us why you chose this location in particular?

HOW THE DEER MOON HUNGERS is set in Friday Harbor, where I live. I love this place and love writing about it. Maybe because I want other people to know it even if they can only read about Friday Harbor, I hope my love for this place shows through. DEER MOON is the fifth in a series I’ve coined Friday Harbor novels.

How long did it take you to write your book?

I started writing DEER MOON in September 2018 and finished it―fully edited by May 2019. I finished the first draft in February 2018. The editor was available two months later and that’s why finished the story straggled out into May.

What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?

Suffering the loss of my mother and my special dog, Robert were pivotal points in my life and my writing career. I couldn’t write for months after each of their deaths. I just had nothing to give. But that’s how grief is. And that’s why I write about loss and grief and recovery. My wish is that people will see when they read my work that each story holds a sense of hope.

What kind of advice would you give other YA authors?

Be patient with yourself. Be kind and open to all the nuances each writer has that are distinctly their own. Never compare yourself to other writers. As with fingerprints, no two writers are the same. We’re as unique as snowflakes and equally fragile.