Interview with Susan-Alia Terry…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I always loved to read, but didn’t consider writing until my early-to-mid 40s. Mid-life crisis? Possibly. Probably. I was bored in my current job and the question running around my mind was “Is this it?” Given that I could have another 40 to 50 years (or more) ahead of me, continuing in that vein seemed a bit bleak. So I went about exploring my creative side. Since I love music, I decided to give that a try. I found out that I have no patience for learning an instrument. Since I love reading, I decided to give writing a try. Once I dropped my pre-conceived notions about writers, I instantly fell in love. In 2016 (at 52), my first book, Coming Darkness, was released. I can easily see doing this for the next 50-plus years!

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

The idea for Coming Darkness grew out of a dream. In that dream, a bunch of goth kids went to a graveyard to summon Satan. Lucifer, played by a very stylish David Niven, shows up and tells them how stupid they all are.

The dream stuck with me, and from it I wrote that scenario with Lucifer and Kai. While the scene didn’t make it into the final novel, it was the springboard for the story.

In general, my ideas come from all different places. I’ll be watching a movie and somebody will say something and that will create a seed of an idea. Same thing can happen while reading. The most innocent thing can spark an idea that I want to build on.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No. At least not intentionally!

How do you pick your characters names?

Sometimes they tell me what their names are. Other times I feel it out. It sounds weird, but I know how the name feels (and possibly the first letter), and while I’m scouring lists of baby names I’m looking for a resonance to that feeling.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

When I started writing Coming Darkness, I had no idea what the story was. All I knew was that I wanted to build a story around a Lucifer that not only had never been to Hell, but also was not The Devil. He still hated humans, but all the rest of it was untrue. I also had Kai and Roberta.

I wrote a bunch of scenes, trying to get a sense of the story. I tried Mind Mapping. I got a huge piece of paper and wrote down character names and ideas. Then I circled some I thought were on a similar path and drew lines connecting groups with conflicts etc. It was an interesting exercise, and slightly helpful.

The thing I’m most comfortable with though, is both writing and daydreaming the story. I write some and then let my mind and imagination flow, and they feed on each other. I may imagine a scene, but then when I sit down to write it, it becomes something else entirely. That sparks my imagination further and it takes off until I write the next bit, and so on.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

In no particular order: Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Stephen King, R.A. Salvatore, Lee Child

Were you a big reader as a child?

I was, but I didn’t pay attention to authors. I read a lot, but I rarely recalled the author’s name. It didn’t occur to me that there were actual people behind the stories. The covers attracted me and the blurbs sealed the deal. There were a handful of authors I knew: Judy Blume was one, Alan Dean Foster was another, but for the most part, I didn’t pay attention to who wrote the books I read. Looking back, there was something really freeing about picking up a random book and reading it without regard to who wrote it or what anyone else had to say about it.

When did you start to write?

I started writing poetry in college, and I played around with writing on and off afterwards. It wasn’t until around 2004 that I started really thinking about it, and it wouldn’t be until another 2 or so years until my first National Writing Month when things started getting serious.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I wouldn’t have killed Sirius Black.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

No, because the book wouldn’t be the same. A book is the product of the author: their life’s experiences, their personality etc. I couldn’t write their book. Now, would I like one of my books to emulate the success (either commercially or artistically) of other books? Absolutely.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on the revisions to the follow-up to Coming Darkness.

Do you have a new release due?

Hopefully this year will see the release of the follow up to Coming Darkness, tentatively titled Dreaming in Shadow.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

When Coming Darkness was released, I basked in happiness. It was a perfect day. I’m looking forward to feeling that way with each successive release.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I can be found on:

On my website: susanaliaterry.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanaliaterry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@susan_alia

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Thank you Kerry, for the opportunity to be your guest on this tour! I also want to thank all of my readers, and I hope they will continue to read and enjoy my work for years to come!

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Susan :-)

Coming Darkness

Archangel Lucifer lives a comfortable life of self-imposed exile with his vampire lover, Kai. When the other Archangels come to him with a problem — Heaven is gone and their Father is missing — he refuses to get involved because not only is it not his problem, but it’s probably some elaborate ruse they’ve cooked up to lure him back into the fold. When he’s personally attacked, he finds that he’s wrong on both counts. There are other powerful gods at work, gods who believe the current creation is flawed and must be destroyed.

Kai is thrown off balance when Lucifer disappears, and his life begins to spiral out of control. In the past, he never cared that he was looked down upon and called Lucifer’s pet. But with Lucifer absent, he’s left to navigate a world that doesn’t respect him. Since the only true currency is respect, he must gain it the only way his enemies will understand, through blood.

Purchase from Amazon –

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D7MM5IM/

Author Bio –

They say it’s never too late to find and pursue your passion. Turns out they’re right. Although Susan loved to read, she didn’t start writing until she was in her late 40’s. A stint in grad school helped her hone her craft, and now she happily spends her days making up stories and figuring out how best to emotionally (and sometimes physically) torture her characters.