Wow! I feel overwhelmed with all what is going on in my life with my mother. I guess, I should update everyone what is going on since last week. My mom is still in the hospital and the cancer has now spread into both lungs and into her liver. After they did the procedure to fix the fracture in her L3 with cement, her T7 fractured and she has four other ruptured discs. The doctors hypothesize that the cancer has spread to her bones. My mother has now refused any further treatments of any kind and wants to live out the remainder of her life as much as she can. She has that right, and my sisters and I support her in her decision. Yes, is it difficult? Yes! I want to thank each of you who have reached out to me over the last couple of weeks and especially the last week as you lifted her and my family up in your prayers. I am humbled. Please keep praying for her that God's will have His hand in her last days until she sits at the right hand of His throne.
Now onto happier stuff -- the things that keep me going and that I love to do. I have a new book for you and a new author I can't wait to tell you about. Meet Susanne Young, author of "The Hunt for Love Monstor." With a title like that, can you imagine the treat you are in for? Take and look at the book and meet the author in today's featured author interview.
ABOUT THE BOOK
All Brighton wants is a friend, after the many difficult changes in his life recently. When he comes across something unusual on his walk home from school one day, he is eager to find out all about it. Could this be the answer his loneliness?
Susanne Young
Tell
your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now,
where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.
My name is Susanne
Young. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, but I was raised in Prescott, Ontario,
just a 45-minute drive south of where I live now. I moved to Ottawa when I was 24,
after having graduated from St. Lawrence College from the Child and Youth
Worker program.
That was my second
time attending a college program, although the first time was online. I was
enrolled in Early Childhood Education. I finished everything but unfortunately
because I was working while doing school, I couldn’t do my placements. I have
plans to take care of that this Spring, as I have enrolled to finish those
requirements completely.
What inspired you to author this book?
What inspired me to write this book was the fact that one day I had the
idea pop into my head. It had all the parts; the characters, plot, setting,
everything was given to me.
I think it stemmed
though from my dog, and working with children, and knowing their innocence, and
sometimes, unfortunate issues they deal with. It all helped to make up the
book.
I sat down in my craft
room and wrote the whole thing one afternoon.
Where
did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
The book cover came from the illustrations
that I had done of my Adif. He drew the pictures based on my ideas, and when I
saw the picture of “Brighton," imagining the Monster, I knew that had to
be the cover.
The fact that it told people looking at the
cover that this boy was thinking of or imagining a big happy Monster convinced
me that it would make people want to pick up the book.
Who has been the most significant
influence on you personally and as a writer?
This is such a hard
question. Growing up I didn’t read a lot. I found it hard to find books that kept
my attention. I did read some novels here and there, but for the majority of my
life, this was and has been my struggle. To say who my influencers is to
writing though, is a question I can’t completely finish.
I mean anyone who has
ever written a book and had it published or more so got it self-published because
they had a dream and knew the challenges of getting a publisher would be hard
so they did it on their own. Those for starters are my inspiration.
Definitely! People who
have self-published their own books and worked hard at making their dream a
reality. Total inspiration.
What were your struggles or obstacles you
had to overcome to get this book written?
In terms of
writing the book, I really didn’t experience any, but getting it published was
a bit harder. I had to put it aside when I found out I was pregnant with twins,
and also finding an illustrator in my budget was a bit tricky. I didn’t send it
to the publisher until my babies were just over a year.
Tell your readers about your book.
This book is about a little boy who is dealing with some difficult
issues in his life. He moves to a new town and has no friends. He finds
something interesting on his walk home from school one day, and his attention
is drawn to finding out what it is. He eventually finds out, and his life is
changed forever as his heart is full of love again.
Who is your target audience, and why?
My target audience is young children aged 5 to approximately 9. Any
child will enjoy this story, but it may appeal more to those who are struggling
with difficult times. Parents whose children are dealing with those issues will
find it helpful to their little ones.
What do you consider your greatest
success in life?
I would have to say that my greatest success in life would be my
children. At 38, I didn’t think that I could have kids. I had never been
pregnant before or even had a scare. Then one day I found out that I was
expecting, and a week later found out it was twins. I love them immensely and
vow to give them a rich, fulfilling life.
What one unique thing sets you apart from
other writers in your genre?
What sets me apart from other writers in my genre is the fact that I
have hands-on experience with the issues that I write about. I’ve experienced
first-hand challenging times, which makes me empathetic to the experiences as
well as basing my story on more facts that imagining.
