Author Interview + Giveaway: Suzanne Young

Hiya Lovelies!

As part of our Blogiversary week, we are showcasing some of our favorite authors. And so today we have the awesome Suzanne Young, author of one of my favorite duology, The Program and The Treatment, stopping by Books and Swoons.

Jenn: Suzanne, thanks so much for stopping by. I loved The Program and I'm super excited about The Treatment being released next month.

1. You have the hat of mom, teacher, and author, how do you balance all those titles and have time for yourself?

Suzanne: I haven’t had time for myself since 2001. At this point writing has become my personal time.  I’ll occasionally go to a hotel to write, and ordering room service and watching Harry Potter marathons in-between writing sessions feels pretty indulgent. Teaching actually takes up most of my life, but in the summer I’m all author. And I’m Mom 24-7. Pretty sure my kids think it’s cooler for me to be a teacher (at their school) than an author.

2. Between all the books you've written, which was the hardest/easiest to write?

The books with the toughest subject matters are usually the easiest for me to write, mostly because they are my passion projects. I need to FEEL in order to write, and those dark, emotional stories are the ones I love to tell. I have a few lighter stories that I've struggled with, but I definitely had the hardest time writing the novella A Desire so Deadly. I've learned that shorter stories are not for me because once I get going, I have too much to say.

3. Do you have a favorite character that you enjoyed writing? Although I realize this may be like asking which is your favorite kid so I apologize for asking you to choose.

I enjoy writing my main characters: Sloane, Charlotte, Tessa—but I have more fun writing side characters. I really had a great time writing James from The Program—his reactions were always hilarious to me, and I loved Onika from A Need so Beautiful because writing evil is always a blast.

4. The subject matter of The Program and The Treatment is really dark and, as a reader, I went through Sloane's slow descent into the darkness and despair, especially in The Treatment (thanks to my friend for loaning me her ARC!) If it hard enough to read, I can't even imagine how it must have been writing it. While writing The Program and The Treatment, did you slip into that kind of mentality? Did you have a hard time writing certain scenes? And how did you bounce back from it?

Some of the emotions in The Program were based on my own, so writing it was difficult at times. I cried a lot, wrote and rewrote painful scenes. But like all of my books, I put myself in a bit a trance during the process—thinking about the book all day, even when I’m not writing. When I finished the story, the first emotion I felt was loneliness. I missed the characters, and almost immediately, I started writing scenes for the next book. Spending time with my family outside of the house helped me deal, and I also watched mindless television at night to distract me.

5. Is there an author whom you fangirl over?

I’m always fangirling over Trish Doller. I adore her writing style—it’s smart and real and some of the best contemporary writing out there.

6. Which 2014 book release are you most excited about?

The first book I’m going to read on spring break from school is Lauren Oliver’s PANIC.

7. You've done the solo author and the co-author thing, which works best for you?

I loved co-writing with Cat Patrick. It was fun, and it was nice to write a book so quickly because I had a friend writing half. I think the stories I want to tell are dark, though, and extremely personal—so I like writing for myself most of the time.

Quick fire questions:
1. Coffee or tea?

Coffee

2. Favorite book? Or favorite in genre?

One of my favorite books in college was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 

3. Favorite book boyfriend?

Dexter from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Suzanne, thanks so much for stopping by! I can't wait until The Treatment comes out on April 29th so I can get my own copy. Go out and buy, Swooners!

About the author:

Originally from New York, Suzanne Young moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She currently resides in Tempe, where she teaches high school English. When not writing obsessively, Suzanne can be found searching her own tragic memories for inspiration.
Suzanne is the author of several books for teens, including THE PROGRAM, A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL, and A WANT SO WICKED. Friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @suzanne_young.  

Alright Swooners, now you get a chance to win either The Program or The Treatment. The giveaway is open internationally and all you have to do is enter down below.

Be sure to stop by this week and check out the other authors and giveaways we're hosting!
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