Ask the Author: Susan Meissner
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Susan Meissner
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Susan Meissner
Thanks! Always nice to hear. I don't think it matters with this one which platform you decide to go with. It's a pretty linear progression and there aren't maps or odd timelines to follow. I believe you will be okay either way! By the way, it goes on sale for the Kindle on June 19 for a week...
Susan Meissner
So very sorry for the delay! I missed this comment. I am SO glad you liked THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS and took the time to tell me. Merci!
Susan Meissner
So sorry for the long delay! I apologize. I don't have a family connection but I am so glad you liked the book. My only tiny connection to the story is that I was born and raised in SoCal and experienced little earthquakes all the time. None like that one, though...
Susan Meissner
Sorry for the long delay in answering! I write books with female protagonists as the main characters -- not as a rule, just as a market choice, and for that reason, they tend appeal to female readers in perhaps greater numbers.
SoulSurvivor
Thanks for your response, need some masculine books right now, but enjoyed the 3=4 books of yours I have read!
May 12, 2023 11:31AM · flag
May 12, 2023 11:31AM · flag
Susan Meissner
You might like William Kent Krueger’s books; he’s amazing. Try Ordinary Grace!
May 12, 2023 10:32PM · flag
May 12, 2023 10:32PM · flag
Susan Meissner
So glad you liked it! I wrote Eleanor's character, Ariel wrote Penny's and Kristina write Lita's.
Susan Meissner
Hi, Marilyn! I apologize that I did not get the notification of your message here. I am sorry you didn't get access on NetGalley. I think my publisher limits access to book bloggers media influencers. So sorry. I hope you get a chance to read the book in any case. And again, I apologize that you had to wait so long to hear back from me.
Susan
Susan
Susan Meissner
I’m so glad you won a copy of the book already! I never win those contests, but I do keep entering. Ha! Maybe one day. I don’t know why you got the email to enter again; I’m Goodreads does not filter out previous winners when they send out their promotional emails. But I do hope you like the book when you get a chance to read it. Have a great day!
Susan Meissner
Hi, Becky! I am so sorry I didn't see this question until today. I think the notification must have slipped past me! Thanks so much for your lovely words!! I have in the past been to Myrtle Beach and Atlanta for different book events. If you go on to my website and sign up for my newsletter you can be notified of upcoming trips when they get scheduled. My site is susanmeissner.com
THANKS!!
THANKS!!
Susan Meissner
Hi, Jo! I write for the general market, meaning if you went into a Barnes and Noble, I would be shelved in Fiction under the M's. rather than in the Religious Fiction shelves. :)
Susan Meissner
Hi, Cora! Thanks for your kind words! I haven't ever considered a sequel to Why the Sky is Blue but that doesn't mean I never will! Someday, maybe. :) Thanks for liking this book enough to want one! That means a lot to me...
Susan Meissner
Hi, Carmen! Thanks for the kind words about my books! I am so grateful. I usually come across a book idea when I'm not actually looking for it; I might read an article or see a documentary or will be talking to someone who has insight on something that happened in the past that hasn't had a lot of light shone on it. For As Bright as Heaven though, I was looking for a story idea when I came across it. I figured with its 100th anniversary headed our way, there might be interest in it as a topic. But I didn’t know yet if there was a compelling story there. I didn’t know much about this disease; I knew there had been a pandemic called Spanish Influenza around the same as World War 1, but I had not heard of its impact – at all. I soon learned that it’s arguably the second most deadly pandemic in all recorded history. It left the global population decimated, with a mortality rate often as high as one in five, and an estimated 1/3 of the world’s population afflicted with it. As many as 50 million people are estimated to have died of Spanish Flu. That's more than twice as many deaths worldwide as in World War I. I felt like I hadn’t just stumbled onto one story idea; it was like coming across fifty million stories wanting to be told. I chose to imagine just one of them. Thanks for asking!
Susan Meissner
Apologies, apologies!! I am not getting notifications or they are going to the wrong inbox. So sorry for missing this until now. I didn't major in writing at Point Loma; I was an education major. It took me a little while to figure out writing wasn't just a hobby; I was meant to do it as a career, too. But I eventually figured it out :)
Susan Meissner
My sincerest apologies for missing this post! Yes, the audio version is available. Sorry it took a day after the release for that to happen. The narration is beautiful. Hope you like it!
Susan Meissner
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[So terribly sorry I missed this! But, yes! Here the questions for you:
Discussion questions for AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN
1. How would you describe the family dynamics between the Bright sisters and the rest of the family before the flu? How about after? Do the Bright sisters remind you of people you know?
2. How did the Spanish Flu pandemic shape the Bright sisters’ adult lives? Did you experience a life-defining event in your childhood? How did it affect you?
3. Would As Bright As Heaven be a different story if only one character had told it instead of four? How?
4. Could you relate to Pauline’s relationship with Death after the loss of her infant son and the move to Philadelphia? Why or why not?
5. Discuss Maggie’s actions on the day she found the baby. How did her choices affect her family? Do you empathize with her decisions?
6. What do you think of Evie’s final solution to her dilemma regarding Conrad? What would you have done?
7. What did the speakeasy represent to fourteen-year-old Willa?
8. Forgiving Pauline’s parents wasn’t easy for Thomas Bright. Do you think what happened to Pauline was their fault? What is the most difficult part of forgiving someone, in your opinion?
9. In the book Pauline’s mother says: “The heart always does what it needs to do.” What do you think she meant? Do you agree?
10. The subtle presence of butterflies appear throughout the book. How many of the references to them can you recall? What do you think they signify?
11. Has this novel changed you or your perspective on life and death? Did you learn something new about yourself or the way you think?
(hide spoiler)]
Discussion questions for AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN
1. How would you describe the family dynamics between the Bright sisters and the rest of the family before the flu? How about after? Do the Bright sisters remind you of people you know?
2. How did the Spanish Flu pandemic shape the Bright sisters’ adult lives? Did you experience a life-defining event in your childhood? How did it affect you?
3. Would As Bright As Heaven be a different story if only one character had told it instead of four? How?
4. Could you relate to Pauline’s relationship with Death after the loss of her infant son and the move to Philadelphia? Why or why not?
5. Discuss Maggie’s actions on the day she found the baby. How did her choices affect her family? Do you empathize with her decisions?
6. What do you think of Evie’s final solution to her dilemma regarding Conrad? What would you have done?
7. What did the speakeasy represent to fourteen-year-old Willa?
8. Forgiving Pauline’s parents wasn’t easy for Thomas Bright. Do you think what happened to Pauline was their fault? What is the most difficult part of forgiving someone, in your opinion?
9. In the book Pauline’s mother says: “The heart always does what it needs to do.” What do you think she meant? Do you agree?
10. The subtle presence of butterflies appear throughout the book. How many of the references to them can you recall? What do you think they signify?
11. Has this novel changed you or your perspective on life and death? Did you learn something new about yourself or the way you think?
(hide spoiler)]
Susan Meissner
You are right, they don't. It's a play on words, because there are no secrets to a charmed life. This is what Emmy learns in the course of the story. Thanks for asking!
Susan Meissner
Hi Cindi! Thanks so much for your sweet message. I’m not sure if there are any advance copies left, most of them were sent to reviewers and bloggers, and some were given away in a drawing here on Goodreads. It is possible there will be another Goodreads giveaway before the February release. If you’ve got the book on your want to read list, then you will get an email alert that there’s a giveaway for it. I hope there is! Thanks again so much for your kind words. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Cindi_loves_to_read
Thank you Susan. I will definitely watch for that email!! You have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.
Nov 22, 2017 09:30AM · flag
Nov 22, 2017 09:30AM · flag
Susan Meissner
Omigosh, thanks Ruth!!! Always nice to meet another San Diegan! I am so glad to hear you loved the new book.Right now, there are no plans for a sequel but I never say never :)!! Thanks so much for reaching out!
Susan Meissner
Hi, Abigail! You know, I've only ever spent two days in Florence, one day each on two different (and too short!) trips to Italy, but it was enough to fall in love! And while I was writing this book I asked friends of mine who had also been what their impressions of Florence were and what they ate, etc., so I had several wonderful meals to include in the book that either I ate or a friend did. Keep Florence on your bucket list! You will love it...
Susan Meissner
Thanks so much!!
Susan Meissner
Hi, Tracy! First my apologies for having missed your question until now. I am so sorry I didn't see it! Thank you for loving my stories. I appreciate so much your comments. I want to see the value and gifts of each person because I do believe each one of us has those things, value and something we bring to the world. I am an observer of people. I look and watch and take notes. And of course I am looking for the beauty each person brings to the world. Thanks so much for writing!
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