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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Interview with Suzanne Johnson and Giveaway - April 11, 2012

Please welcome Suzanne Johnson to The Qwillery as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. Royal Street, Suzanne's debut, was published yesterday, April 10th. You can read Suzanne's Guest Blog - Fantasy, Meet Reality - here.


TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Suzanne:  Hm…not sure how interesting it is, but I’ve developed a system that works for me. My first draft, which I call “draft zero” (and which NOBODY sees) is usually about only two-thirds the length of the finished book. Really bare bones, where I’m working out the plot with no descriptions or setting details. Then I go back and layer in the other stuff.

TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Suzanne:  Probably the biggest influence has been Stephen King. I grew up reading his stuff, and still do. Whether or not you like horror, which has a lot in common with urban fantasy, the man can tell a good story. In urban fantasy, I love Jim Butcher. In paranormal romance, I’m all about the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Outside the speculative fiction genre, I think the writing of my fellow Alabama author Rick Bragg is brilliant. If he published a phone book, I’d buy it and read it.

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Suzanne:  A serious plotter. Royal Street was the first novel I’d ever attempted, and I didn’t yet realize the value of plotting. So it went through a lot of upheavals and scene cuts and bloody, brutal surgery. I recently finished the third book in the series and I think my outline was something like 12,000 words long!

TQ:  What is the most challenging thing about writing for you?

Suzanne:  Finding time to write, definitely. I have a full-time job as associate editor for a quarterly university magazine, plus family obligations. I’ve had to give up a lot—sleep and any semblance of a social life, LOL.

TQ:  Describe Royal Street (Sentinels of New Orleans 1) in 140 characters or less.

Suzanne:  Katrina topples New Orleans’ supernatural levees, monsters invade, junior wizard learns to fight. Must love pirates, voodoo queens, magic.

TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Royal Street?

Suzanne:  I re-read all the Times-Picayune (New Orleans’ daily newspaper) coverage from Hurricane Katrina, making sure my plot followed the exact timeline of what happened when—when the lights came back on, when the water was drinkable, when Hurricane Rita came through, etc. Also read biographies of pirate Jean Lafitte and jazz great Louis Armstrong to make sure I portrayed them as accurately as I could. Quite a bit of research on voodoo. And I re-read my own blog that I maintained for a couple of years after Katrina, to remind myself of what I was bitching and moaning about at the time (which was a lot!).

TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?

Suzanne:  The easiest has probably been the pirate Jean Lafitte, because after reading several biographies of him I now find him totally fascinating. In the original version of the book, I’d planned for him to be in one scene—the first one in the novel—and never see him again. But he just kept coming back and ended up really impacting the direction the whole series is going.

The hardest character to write has been Jake Warin, a veteran who was injured badly in Afghanistan and has gone through some rough years before Royal Street begins. He’s had issues with alcohol, and sometimes his head goes to really dark places. Yet on the outside, he’s charming and flirtatious. His story arc over the first three books takes a lot of dark turns.

TQ:  Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in Royal Street?

Suzanne:  One of my favorites is a scene that takes place at the Napoleon House, which is a bar and restaurant in the French Quarter that was built around 1800 as a residence. Napoleon Bonaparte had been invited to spend his exile there, but never made it. It’s one of my favorite places in New Orleans. But in the book, the Napoleon House is still closed for Katrina, and my heroine DJ ends up in a dramatic scene with a gaggle of pirates. I can’t say much more without spoilers.

I also like the scene early in the book when DJ’s new partner Alex shows up, guns ablaze. It was fun to write.

TQ:  What's next?

Suzanne:  Beginning in April, I’ll have “Easter Eggs” on my website for those who want some backstory on things like how character names were chosen, info on the places the characters go, what in real life inspired certain scenes, etc.

I’ll be talking about the book and signing copies in April and May in New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Birmingham, Portland, and San Diego. Dates and times are on my website (www.suzanne-johnson.com). I’ll also be at Authors After Dark in August. The second book in the series, River Road, will be out November 13!

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Suzanne:  Thanks so much!


About Royal Street

Royal Street
Sentinels of New Orleans 1
Tor Books, April 10, 2012
Trade Paperback and eBook, 336 pages

 
As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ’s boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond.

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.

While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Beyond crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter roux.


About Suzanne

Urban fantasy author Suzanne Johnson grew up in rural Northwest Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’ birthplace. That, plus living in New Orleans for fifteen years, has given her a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick. Her debut novel, Royal Street, will be released on April 10, 2012, by Tor Books, and will begin an urban fantasy series set in New Orleans during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The second book in the series, River Road, will be released in November 2012. By day, Suzanne is an editor at Auburn University despite being a graduate of the University of Alabama, which she thinks makes her bilingual. She lives in Auburn with two dogs named after professional wrestlers—a story she is not inclined to share (unless you catch her at the Napoleon House during Authors After Dark 2012).



Suzanne's Links

Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
At Tor.Com


The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win a copy of Royal Street (Sentinels of New Orleans 1) from The Qwillery.

How:  Leave a comment answering one of the following questions posed by Suzanne:

Who are some of your favorite wizards in books, movies, and/or tv?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)   Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*

40 comments:

  1. i like hermione^^ she is intelligent, couragous, perfect ( except for her love life)

    thanks you a lot for this giveaway

    +1comment
    +1blog follow( gfc: miki)

    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My favorite wizards are Harry Potter and Harry Dresden.

    +1 comment
    +1 gfc follower

    Skk25@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, Hermione is the best, IMO!! I also like Gandalf! I can't wait to read Royal Street - thanks for the interview and giveaway!

    +1 comment
    +1 follower
    +1 Tweeted (https://twitter.com/#!/RebeLovesBooks/status/190075609010016257)

    rwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been looking foward to Royal Street's release.

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC follower
    sgiden at verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would have to say Catcher from the Chicagoland Vampire series! Love him! I love the cover! I think this book sounds like something I would really enjoy. Thanks for the chance.

    I am a follower
    sariahwalters at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for a great post and giveaway!

    I'm going to jump on the Hermione Fan Train. I loved Harry Potter and she's the only one that I can think of right now... lol...

    I've heard such awesome buzz about this book, I would love to read it!

    +1 comment
    +1 gfc: erin
    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well, obvious answer is Harry Potter. I love those books. My favorite was always Sirius (wah wah), followed by Lupin (wah wah again), followed by Fred & George (srsly, J.K. Rowling?).

    I'll give the non-HP spot to Tamsin Green from Once a Witch.

    +1 comment

    cynicalsapphire at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Harry Dresden.

    GFC Anne38
    acm05atjuno.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hermione! edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom GFC Krystal Larson Thank you for the great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I really need to read more Jim Butcher's books, I've only read the first one for now. So my favorite wizard... wow it's a difficult question. I think I'll choose Alex Craft from the Kaylana Price series.

    I'm a follower:Melliane
    shared: https://twitter.com/#!/betweendandr/status/190151180075282432

    ellana_(at)hotmail(dot)fr

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anita Blake! <3 her!

    Follower: Taking It One BOok at a Time

    Jess @ Taking It One book

    takingitonebookatatime@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hands down Harry Dresden is my favorite wizard.
    +1 follower Melissa from Clearwater

    Thanks for the give away.

    Melissagrantcpacfe at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Of course, the two Harrys - Harry Potter and Harry Dresden!

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC: Leanne Goon
    +1 Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/leannessf/status/190178639738970115

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Leanne
    leannessf at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. my favourite wizard would have to be Merlin. He's the first wizard I can remember reading about and I've kinda used him as a bench mark when reading about wizards ever since.
    I'm a GFC follower as well

    :)emmad(at)xtra . co.nz

    ReplyDelete
  15. I do so enjoy Jim Butcher's HArry but I am also a HArry POtter fan.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mine is Pug (or Milamber) from Raymond E. Feist's Magician series (the 1st 3 books anyway).

    +3 (comment, GFC follower, tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/LindaThum/status/190239484984561666)

    Thanks for the opportunity to win.

    thumbelinda03@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've not read any in books, but in movies I guess I would have to say Merlin and Harry Potter.

    +1 Comment
    +1 Follower of The Qwillery
    +1 Tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/#!/yadkny/status/190240766470266881

    yadkny@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love love love Merlin on the syfy channel!
    I'm a gfc follower.

    b(dot)cardone(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think one of my favorite wizards is Esra from The Riyria Revelations. He was a powerful wizard in his time, but now he has no hands. Yes, a penalty for his "crimes" as he is a wizard & used his hands to weave. But he is smart, and full of knowledge, and can teach others. Ha! Yes!

    Great post and I was just talking about this book with Rissatoo on Twitter today. Now I need a copy. ;D Thank you!

    +1 follower
    +1 Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/MelLHay/statuses/190248602289967104
    I don't know if it will count, but I have a link on my side bar for Giveaways: http://melissa-melsworld.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm a Terry Brooks fan, so I'll say Allanon. But Belgareth is up there too.

    @timlewis on Twitter

    RT: https://twitter.com/#!/MelLHay/status/190248602289967104

    ReplyDelete
  21. I havent read or watched any wizards but I would love to read a book about them. I am always open to different authors and genres and paranormal creatures. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Harry Dresden is a favorite from the short lived TV show and Jim Butcher's books. I also like Jaye Wells' Adam - he's called a Mage but I believe it's basically the same thing.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com
    GFC follower - Barbara E.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Harry potter was my first and you never forget first love!

    blog follower

    aliasgirl at libero dot it

    ReplyDelete
  24. My favorite wizard is Gandalf from LOTR =)

    GFC follower : Ren

    sawamura_foxman At yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
    My favourite wizards are Hermione Granger, Piper Halliwell, Rachel Morgan, Harry Dresden en Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander. Yeah, I do like me some wizs :P

    +1 reply
    +1 follower

    jannick.verleysen[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  26. i pick Gandalf :p i'm a harry potter fan, but if a wizard i prefer Gandalf than Harry

    +1 comment
    +1 follower (GFC sienny)

    smile_1773@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. I must say Harry Potter is my all time favorite. But I love Gandalf from LOTR too. And I've always found the wizard from "The Wizard of Oz" to be very funny.

    csolinda(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I like Howl from Howl's Moving Castle.

    +1 comment
    +1 GFC as Filia Oktarina
    +1 facebook : http://www.facebook.com/filia.oktarina

    filiafantasy at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I would have to go with Prof Snape (like Harry but love Snape), and Harry Dresden. Thanks for the awesome giveaway! bpatrick64113@sdbcglobal.net +1 Comment, +1 Follower

    ReplyDelete
  30. My favourite wizards are all the good guys from the Harry Potter series and Catcher Bell from Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires.

    I follow the blog (Gabbie)

    Gabbie-ethela(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is a new title and author for me, I read a little about Royal Street yesterday and am very intrigued :) My favorite wizards have to include Dumbledore of course and then there is Harry Dresden who is awesome! Thank you for taking the time and effort to share with us!
    +1 comment
    +1 follower
    +1 tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/ZDz59001/status/190930531280617472

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  32. My favorite wizards are Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Samantha Stevens from Bewitched.
    GFC follower as Diana
    Shared it on FB: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=385160304849170&id=1522821560

    Thank you for the giveaway!
    artgiote at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  33. My favorite wizard is Harry Dresden, but I just finished Royal Street and I enjoyed meeting DJ. She doesn't always make the prudent choices, but that is soooo believable! I'm really looking forward to River Road in November!

    rissatoo

    (P.S. Hey Qwill & Suzanne: River Road comes out 9 days after my birthday... just sayin' LOL)

    ReplyDelete
  34. I like Harry Potter and Merlin.

    I follow the blog.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. i love Harry Potter, Harry Dresden, and Gandolf from LoTR.
    I follow via GFC
    I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/Pamk258/status/191701521686212609
    scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  36. All the wizard teachers at Hogwarts are brilliant. I wish I had had teachers like that. Mine were nuts, but without the magic.

    GFC: Mary Preston

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Gandolf from Lord of the Rings hands down

    ReplyDelete
  38. My favorite wizards are Merlin (of course) and Orpheus. Great interview!
    Congrats, Suzanne, on your new release and debut!
    Thank you for the opportunity to read your story.
    GFC Follower ~ Tina Becker
    Tweeted it ~ https://twitter.com/#!/Trb0917/status/192093891862867969
    trb0917 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Some of my favourite wizards would of course be Merlin and Gandalf (classics really) but then there are ones with a bit more humour to them like Belgarath (although he is a sorcerer :)) or Zifnab (from the Deathgate cycle) or the modern ones like Harry Dresden :) and there are a lot more of them...

    thanks for a wonderful giveaway!

    +1 comment
    +1 follower

    vinsarama[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  40. +1 My favourite wizards? Well if female wizards/witches count then Paige from Kelley Armstrong's UF series and the Halliwell sisters from Charmed. If only men wizards then Harry Potter and co. :-)

    I have had Suzanne's book on my wishlist for these past couple of weeks, crossing my fingers and toes! ;-)

    +1 GFC follower
    +1 tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/Stella_ExLibris/status/192721618441744384
    In total 3 entries.

    Thank you!
    stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete