Thank you, AngelaKayBooks: “The novel is easily written, fast-paced, and laced with lessons for any of us, particularly the baby boomers…” (Read the entire review on Angela’s review blog.) ~ Bette A. Stevens4writersandreaders.com
I love to walk and enjoy nature’s beauty, whether at home or on the go. I’m passionate about the beauty in the world around me and enjoy jotting down notes and composing short poems. The coast is one of my favorite places to relax. I’m a nature collector: everything from seashells to birds’ nests. When I was teaching, these treasures filled my classroom and provided inspiration for reading, writing, and research. It was hands-on fun and excitement and I enjoyed every moment spent learning with, from and about my students. One thing I learned is that many children don’t have an adult to read to them or listen to them read and talk about those books…
By way of disclosure let me say that I read this prequel after I read the full length novel. Some reviewers have indicated they felt the ending abrupt or incomplete, but I loved this short introduction to the characters of Shawn and Willie just as much as I did the full length novel.
Nine year old Shawn and his six year old brother Willie live in a run down house without plumbing along with their hard working mother and alcoholic father. The setting is 1955 when life for two poor boys was hard, but everyday life was simple. On a Saturday morning the two brothers ride their bikes, play with slingshots, and collect bottles for change they can cash in for candy and soda at the local general store. But the well to do town citizens look down upon them, and they are…
Multicultural Children’s Book Day: Read Your World
January 27, 2015
Our mission is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.
Children’s reading and play advocates Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom teamed up in late 2013 to create an ambitious (and much needed) national event. On January 27th, 2015 this dynamic duo will be hosting yet another Multicultural Children’s Book Day as a way of celebrating diversity in children’s books.
The Multicultural Children’s Book Day team hopes to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves within the pages of a book and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. We encourage readers, parents, teachers, caregivers and…
Suzanna Williams, author of SHOCK WAVES, a great new sci-fi action and adventure novel for the young adult audience.
Suzanna Williamsis a ‘perpetually eighteen years old’ YA author who lives in the wet and wild, Welsh borderlands surrounded by ruined medieval castles and Celtic mythology where she looks for UFO’s amongst the stars and imagines that all the people she meets have dark secrets.
Reviewers are calling ‘SHOCK WAVES’…
“AMAZING![!] What can I say? Between the non-stop action, in-depth characters, and all the suspense in the second half I couldn’t put it down. Think the movie ‘Speed’, but with teens and telepathy…” (Juan, Amazon review)
Welcome, Suzanna Williams. It’s wonderful to have you here at 4writersandreaders today. I can’t wait to find out more about you and your writing. To start off, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born in Warrington, England but I’ve lived among the rolling hills of the Welsh Borderlands for twenty years. I’ve had many unrelated and generally badly paid jobs including musician, shop assistant, telesales, school lab technician and wedding registrar. None of these have used my degree in psychology in any way.
All of that real-world experience must have given you plenty of ideas for your writing. How about your family?
I have three grownup children and a ‘nearly’ grandson. I’ve been married for —— years and my husband is a CGI (computer generated images) artist. He did the filming and effects for my book trailer while my son and his girlfriend featured on the book cover.
How wonderful, Suzanna, that your family plays such an active role in supporting your writing career. I really enjoyed all three of the book trailers for SHOCK WAVES. Congratulations on winning the http://yougottaread.com/category/video-contest/. Your three SHOCK WAVES videos are all unique—professional, informative and lots of fun. My favorite is “Shock Waves Tour of Shrewsbury.” I know our readers will love it, too.
Come along and join us on the ‘ShockWaves’ Tour of Shrewsbury with author Suzanna Williams…
How long have you been writing and what type of writing do you normally do?
I could read really well before I started school. Writing stories followed close behind.
After leaving school, my writing went on the back-burner until my children became involved in the local amdram (Amateur Dramatics) group. Starting out as rehearsal pianist, I progressed to director/script-writer and was actually commissioned to write a pantomime for another group. Yes, I got paid for that.
I write YA because I still think of myself as being eighteen years old (don’t laugh) and also because I used to read all my kids’ books when they weren’t looking. There are some really awesome, inspiring YA books in print right now.
Can you give us a brief synopsis of your book?
ShockWaves is about a girl who gets kidnapped by an ex-IRA terrorist who is seeking revenge on the policeman that put him in prison, and about the boy who goes to rescue her. It’s made more complicated by the fact that a traumatic experience causes a telepathic link, or shockwave, between them and there are plenty of traumatic experiences for both of them as the story unfolds.
What prompted you to become a writer, Suzanna?
When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had a list. There was musician, teacher, school lab technician (I like messing with chemicals lol) and author. Well, I’ve been a musician (that was great) and a piano teacher, too. I’ve even been a lab technician. But really, I wanted to be an author. So when the kids left home, I devoted my free time to writing. Holding real paperback copies of my book was a dream come true.
Do you have a favorite line from SHOCK WAVES?
My favorite quote is when Lee tries to explain to Paige’s friends what ‘parkour’ is.
“It’s parkour,” Lee started to explain. “It’s a proper sport.” He turned and jumped onto the bench. “We move from one place to another taking the shortest route.”
“Why?” asked Sonya.
“It’s a buzz,” said Lee.
Sonya arranged her face into a superior sneer. “You should try shopping,” she told him.
Who is your favorite character and why?
My favorite character is Lee. When I was writing ShockWaves, I imagined him as a teenage Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Lee’s the sort who will walk through the fires of hell for the person he loves…and he’s just a little bit sarcastic in the face of danger. Yep, my kind of guy.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
I spend a long time plotting my stories. That’s hard.
Then I take a long time writing lots of back story for my characters. I’ve got notes on my latest book written from the viewpoints of all the main characters so I know exactly what all their motives are and what they’re thinking. That’s harder because often I have to go back and change my plot again.
Then the actual first draft takes me ages because I edit as I go and I can spend ages agonizing over thinking up the best word and I get impatient. So that’s harder still.
But I enjoy the editing part because the pressure to finish the script is off. If the worst happens, I can just say “It’s finished,” lol.
Do you do anything besides write?
At the moment, I teach piano and work part-time in a shop. This funds my writing habit.
How can my readers get a copy of ‘Shock Waves’?
“AMAZING!! What can I say? Between the non-stop action, in-depth characters, and all the suspense in the second half I couldn’t put it down. Think the movie ‘Speed’, but with teens and telepathy…” (Juan, Amazon review)
I have a sequel to ShockWaves half-written and expect to publish it at the end of 2013. I also have another book that I’m very excited about called Ninety-five percent Human on schedule for release in the spring. Ninety-five percent Human is a sci-fi/action/adventure with a touch of romance thrown in and I’ve really enjoyed writing it.
How exciting: a new book ready for release and the sequel to ‘Shock Waves’ in the works. It sounds like you’ll be right in your element, author Suzanna Williams. We’ll be watching you… Thanks so much, Suzanna, for joining us today at http://www.4writersandreaders Blog. ~ Bette A. Stevens
Find out more about author Suzanna Williams and her latest novel SHOCKWAVE right here on 4writersandreaders. She’ll be a featured guest on MEET THE AUTHOR! ~ Bette A. Stevens
“One concern parents have is how to inspire their children to meet challenges with patience and persistence. This is the plot of a new book, ‘Amazing Matilda’.”
“Matilda’s story is my story. It’s you story too. It’s everyone’s story. Meeting the challenges of life at every stage of life is no easy task. Matilda and her friends encourage readers and listeners to meet those challenges.” (Bette A. Stevens)
Welcome to 4writersandreaders
I’m a writer inspired by nature and human nature. You’ll find great books, authors, writing tips and more right here. I advocate for kids & families, childhood literacy and the protection of monarch butterflies and their habitat.Happy reading & writing!~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 09/26/2016