Questions from readers

answered by author Susan Gabriel

 

Is anything in Seeking Sara Summers based on real life experiences or is the story purely all imagination?

As writers, our work can’t help but be autobiographical, simply in terms of what we notice in the world. I notice sounds and smells and see things in a way that is totally unique to me. My imagination is the instrument I use to tell a story, so it can’t help but be a reflection of me in some way. Length of paragraphs, turn of phrase, word choice, my choice of metaphors is all, in a way, my tiny fingerprint.

That said, Seeking Sara Summers is about a woman who finds herself in a marriage that isn’t fulfilling and then who falls in love with her best female friend. This happened to me, yet I fictionalized the story, otherwise it would be way too boring.

At one of the first writer’s conferences I attended, a presenter encouraged new writers to write the book we wished we’d had when we were going through something difficult in our lives. This is the book I wish I had found in the library or bookstores at that time. It would have helped me immensely to know someone else had struggled with these issues and then had had the courage to transform the situation. I needed a road map and I didn’t have one. So I created a kind of roadmap wrapped inside a story.

The relationship between Sara and Julia is not such a big deal as it used to be. Do you think the character's challenges in Seeking Sara Summers will continue to be relevant?

Love has its highs and lows, no matter what gender you are. I think the stigma associated with same-sex couples is dying a slow death and that is a really good thing. Any time there is a group of people who think their way is the only way, innocent people end up getting hurt. Judgment is not helpful. Acceptance is. That said, I am hopeful about the direction the world is going in, but it can’t happen soon enough for many people, who are out there trying to live honorable and authentic lives.

I know there are still millions of people who struggle with same sex relationships, especially when it comes to themselves, so I think this novel will be relevant for quite a long time to come. Even beyond the issues of same sex relationships, the novel addresses becoming true to oneself - to me, that is the big takeaway. Finding the courage to act on what is true for you.

Can you comment on the significance of the Virgin Mary's that appear throughout Seeking Sara Summers?

Italy is a very Catholic and patriarchal country, although not that many people still go to church, as an Italian woman told me on a train to Milan. But Mary is everywhere. To me, her image in the book is a representation of the divine feminine, a kind of patron saint for women. Since this story is ultimately about two women who choose love over cultural rules or taboos, it made sense for her to be there and watch over them and wish them well.

 

What genre do you feel most at ease writing in, if any?

There is something magical and archetypal about telling a story. I’ve written in several different mediums including children’s fiction, adult fiction, short stories, plays and poetry. As far as categories, you can find me in literary fiction, southern fiction, coming-of-age stories and contemporary fiction. I'm hard to pin down.

How do you like to approach your writing when starting a new project? Do you do outlines, and breakdown scenes, or do you just leap straight into writing the narrative?

Most of my stories begin with a voice. If I’m lucky, I will hear a character’s voice and luckier still if they begin to tell me their story. I am an intuitive writer and have a rich imagination, so it usually begins with a dialogue or a first-person voice. I don’t do outlines or breakdown scenes. It is a total leap of faith.

The characters grow as I get to know them. Over time I will get to know their family history, their personal habits, and their motivation. However, I rarely know where a story is going after I start it. Nor do I know how it will end up. A first draft is like getting the bones in, like a skeleton, and then subsequent drafts are spent putting flesh on the bones.

I even dream about my characters sometimes. While writing Seeking Sara Summers, Grady showed up in a dream and waved to me. I thought this was very generous of him since he isn’t the most sympathetic of characters in the book.

What did you do before you became a writer?

I started our as a professional musician and then became a teacher for at-risk kids, before getting my masters degree in counseling. I was a licensed psychotherapist in private practice for ten years. I did good work, but one day I realized that if I didn’t follow what was deep in my heart and pursue writing, I would die with regrets.

When I began to write, I started out writing children’s books (ages 10 and up). I think I started with juvenile fiction because writing a novel for adults seemed much more daunting. But that was a good process for me in those early years because I learned to put together a story with a beginning, middle and an end, and I learned what engages readers of all ages: a really good story.

What was the most fun part about writing Seeking Sara Summers?

I actually traveled to Italy to do research for the book in 2004. It was an amazing trip and many of the places I experienced ended up in the book.

What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?

The process. I love having a cast of characters show up, getting to learn their story and then relaying that story. I love that period of time when I’m totally in my imagination with the story, seeing it play out in front of me and then, writing it down.

 

Also, I love hearing from readers who like my books, who tell me they couldn’t put it down and got swept up into the world of the story and were moved by it. This is very, very special. I think stories have the power to heal and inspire. And if I accomplish even a tiny bit of that, then I have done my job.

 

Susan loves to hear from readers! If you would reach her with a comment or question, you can contact her here: http://www.susangabriel.com/contact.