Paranormal angel would like to welcome the very talented Emily Suvada. Author of This Mortal Coil. Thank you so much for joining us Emily, and congratulations on your first book.
Prior to writing your first book, you studied maths and astrophysics. What was it that made you decide to study these subjects? Have these had any impact on your writing?
I actually studied math because I love it – there’s a line in This Mortal Coil where Catarina says that coding has always felt like re-discovering a language she already knew. That’s how I felt about math – like I already knew it, and was just recalling it in class. I moved into theoretical astrophysics for my honors year, but my research was very math-heavy. I’ve always loved thinking about how the universe works! That’s really what has had the biggest impact on my writing – thinking about how things work, which is a skill I learned and honed through studying science. My characters are constantly on a quest to understand themselves and the world they live in, and they generally pursue the answers to these questions through a scientific lens. That comes from my studies, even if I’m not doing much science these days!
The Mortal Coil is your first novel, what was it like when you got the call to say that your book was going to be published?
It was nerve-wracking and busy! We had only gone on submission two weeks earlier, and I had spent those two weeks in an uncharacteristic state of stress and anxiety. I’m usually pretty laid-back, but those two weeks were very… distracting. I actually got the call on a Friday morning, and it was with the news that an editor had extended a pre-empt offer. That meant we only had a few hours to negotiate and accept! Some very fast negotiations followed, handled wonderfully by my agent, and then we had a deal! I had a great weekend after that!
Who was the first person you told, that your book was being published?
My husband! I ran through to the kitchen after I got the call and then tried to play it cool. He was in shock. Then I texted my critique partner, LB. We weren’t able to announce for a long time, so it was nice to share it with a few close friends and family.
Can you give us any sneak peeks of what you are going to be working on next?
I’m working on Book 2! That’s taking most of my time and energy, and I’m also sketching out the plan for Book 3 to make sure my threads are all moving along properly. Book 2 is just as action-packed as This Mortal Coil, and it takes us deeper into the world of the gene-hackers, and of Cartaxus. There will be some big revelations and tough moments for Catarina. And some explosions, of course, 😀
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I have some good friends and critique partners who are on the path to publication, and they help me become a better writer with their support and honest, brilliant feedback on my work. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with Fonda Lee, an incredible YA sci-fi author, who has given me so much wonderful advice that’s really helping me navigate my debut year. I’ve also been lucky enough to connect with Amie Kaufman, who blurbed This Mortal Coil, and who is a huge inspiration to me. And I’m meeting more authors as time goes on – each of whom has gone through the same stresses and hurdles, and can offer support and encouragement. It’s a lovely community.
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Oooo – this is a great question! I picked up a copy of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” having never heard of either it or its author, Carson McCullers, and was absolutely floored by it. And she wrote it when she was twenty-three! She was clearly a genius, and I think I finished it in a daze, unable to understand why she wasn’t a household name.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
It’s made me more of a perfectionist, which I’m trying to un-learn because it’s stifling. There’s something so freeing about writing work that nobody might read. Now that I’m writing work that I know will be read – and especially work that’s due at a certain time – I’m having to re-learn how to lose my inner editor and allow myself to relax and just get words down.
How do you select the names of your characters?
My character names are a mix of friends’ names, references to shows, or just random names that pop into my head while writing. If I need inspiration, I’ll browse baby name sites online, but I haven’t had much luck with them.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
I think I’d be in a quantitative analytics role – a mixture of programming, research, and data. I worked in a role like that for six years after graduating and love the challenge of modeling real-world problems and making predictions and strategies for the future.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I do check them occasionally – I did a lot more early on when there weren’t many, but now that the book is in the world I’m not as tempted. Good reviews are always lovely to read, and they’re wonderful for motivation, but I also understand that not every book is suited for every reader, so the bad ones don’t bother me. Reviews are for readers, not authors – and it’s crucial that the book community is a place of honest, candid discussion without having to take the feelings of authors into account. That said, I do love it when people tell me online that they loved the book 😊
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Yes, I did! There are lines that will make more sense after reading the entire series, and a poem encoded in the back of the book. Some of the references made in the text are fairly obscure, too!
What was your hardest scene to write?
There are a couple that were hard to write –probably the hardest were the early scenes in Sunnyvale, where Cat is being pushed around by the plot, rather than being the one who drives the plot herself. It’s an important thing to do – having a character in control through an entire story makes it lose some of its effectiveness, but Cat is such a rebel that I found it hard to tell her what to do… if that makes sense?
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Perfectionism – definitely! There’s nothing more stifling than trying to get the words totally right. I’ve learned by now that it takes multiple passes of incremental improvement to make the text shine, so I try not to put too much pressure on myself early in the process.
Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
I find it tough to read while I’m drafting – other books make their way into my voice and crowd my ideas. I get around that by reading in different genres – contemporary, fantasy.
Lastly is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read these answers, and I hope you enjoy the book!
Bio
Emily Suvada was born in Australia, where she went on to study mathematics and astrophysics. Her interest in science and tech never waned, particularly in genetic engineering and the question of what it means to be human. She thought it would be fun to explore these interests through characters running for their lives in a futuristic hellscape, so she wrote This Mortal Coil. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband. When not writing, she can be found hiking, cycling, and conducting chemistry experiments in her kitchen.
Synopsis – This Mortal Coil
When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta’s death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world’s leading geneticist, and humanity’s best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole’s genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine.
Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with a stranglehold on the world’s genetic tech. But it’s too late to turn back.
There are three billion lives at stake, two people who can save them, and one final secret that Cat must unlock. A secret that will change everything.
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/this-mortal-coil-9780141379272
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