Susane’s Comments (group member since May 16, 2012)

Susane’s comments from the Q&A with Susane Colasanti group.

Araceli wrote: "I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK, IS AMAZING!! YOU MADE A GREAT JOB.

I don't know if i can still asking, but If Mrs. Scofield inspired in you?

I was imagining you like her in the whole book!!,like tha..."

Thank you :D

Yes, Ms. Scofield was inspired by my students always asking me to create a teacher character like me. I even used some of my actual lessons in the book!

Thanks for being here, everyone! I really enjoyed our special Coffee Talk time. Until we meet again...

xoxo-
Susane

Lissy wrote: "Hi, Susane! I wanted to let you know that When It Happens is quite possibly my most favorite book of all time! I fell in love with every one of the characters, particularly Tobey. Here are my quest..."

I like getting to know my characters as much as I can before I begin a new first draft. I spend weeks developing the characters in my mind, visualizing what they look like, hearing how they speak, and watching their mannerisms like a movie in my mind. I take notes about everything from the quirky details to the major issues each character is dealing with. When I feel like I know my characters as well as my friends, I'm ready to begin writing.

I do not write for me. I write for you. I love to write because it's my way of reaching out to readers. My purpose in life is to help teens in any way I can. That's what I hope my books are doing.

Lissy wrote: "Hi, Susane! Something Like Fate and When It Happens are my favorite books by you, and maybe my most favorite books of all time. I was wondering how you came up with Blake, Jason, Bianca, Connor, an..."

Something Like Fate originated straight from my imagination. The only character who was inspired by a real person is Connor. The boy who inspired Connor is a Canadian boy...named Connor ;)

Ansareen wrote: "By the He/ She question I mean, like whenever I write a short story and I don't use "I" but use He/she people who read my story get confused on which character I'm talking about. But when I read yo..."

As long as your characters are strong, distinguishable people with their own unique mannerisms and speaking patterns, readers should be able to tell them apart.

Carlee wrote: "As an amateur writer, I find that the big, "juicy" details of the short stories/books that I write are the simple parts, but mostly the small supporting details are the hardest to come up with, esp..."

Using details from real life is an excellent way to make your story feel more authentic. I use details from real life all the time. Be observant of your world. You could carry a notebook around and write down cool, quirky things you see so you don't forget them. The more often I record stuff in my notebook, the more I tend to notice.

Christine wrote: "What made you write keep holding on?"

Keep Holding On was inspired by my own experiences with being bullied in junior high and high school. I felt like an outsider, which is a very lonely feeling. It breaks my heart knowing that so many teens feel alone the way I did. Writing this book was my way of reaching out to teens to hopefully help them feel less alone.

Lydia wrote: "I have been working on a couple of books and sometimes I'm not quite sure what will happen to my characters, so when you were writing did you know exactly what trials your characters would go throu..."

So many challenges appear as I'm writing! Even though I try to know my characters as well as I can before writing a new book, my characters like to reveal more of themselves as I'm writing. Sometimes they totally take over the story and I'm in awe of what they're doing. This is all part of the process. Have fun with the unexpected adventures you encounter!

Amina wrote: "Hi, first of all I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and here are mine.
1.How did you get ideas for this book and other books?
2. What's your favorite book ..."

Thanks for all your questions! Since you also have a long list, I'll refer you to a few sites for answers. A lot of my fave authors and books are listed on my Facebook. Your other questions are answered on the Q&A page of my website. As for book/movie/music genres, I am all about realistic fiction and film. The more authentic dialogue and realistic scenarios, the better. You can find my fave musicians on my Facebook.

Christine wrote: "Here are my questions


1. What were you like in high school?
2. Do you have any kids?
3. What are you doing this summer?
4. How old are you?
5. Where are you from?
6. What do you like to do for fu..."

Wow! I would love to answer all of your questions, but that would pretty much take all afternoon. You might want to visit the Q&A page of my website. It has FAQs and interview links. You could also check out the Q&A tag of my blog.

Jessica wrote: "I didn't know we were talking about When It Happens! This is my favorite of your books, Susane. I own this one and everything. My question is how you came up with the character names, because this ..."

An author's first book tends to be the most autobiographical. With the exception of Keep Holding On, this is definitely true for When It Happens. I wanted to use my friends' names and names that held significance for me at the time. Sara, Laila, and Maggie are names of BFFs. Tobey is actually named after Tobey Maguire. I adore TM something fierce. All of the teachers' names on Sara's class schedule are significant. Most of them are last names of my fave authors!

Mary wrote: "Wow....I have to read it! I love Avril Lavigne's song called Keep Holding On and your book being titled that really grabs my attention. I've only read Waiting For You, and I thought it was amazing!..."

<3 <3 <3

Sophie wrote: "i noticed this book was a little bit darker than some other ones you've written and dealt with some heavier stuff. Is there a reason for this shift?

<3 you, Susane!!!!

P.S. also, could you explai..."

Keep Holding On is a book I'd been wanting to write for years. The story was inspired by my own experiences with being bullied in junior high and high school. Tragically, there are many other teens dealing with those same issues. I wanted this book to reach out to them and make them feel less alone. Telling this story was important to me because I hoped that the book would help readers in some way. I wasn't even sure this book would be published since it is darker than my others. But my next book is a fun romance, so the darkness is not a trend :)

I've been a New Yorker at heart my whole life. Explaining where that passion comes from is hard to do. The first time I saw the camera zoom in on the Twin Towers in the opening sequence of Late Night with David Letterman, I knew I was meant to live here. The energy of New York City is amazing. I wouldn't be happier anywhere else. The Knowing defies all logic, but it is undeniable <3

Ansareen wrote: "Susane, why do you pick to write stories on kids in high school? It's funny because I call COOTIE CATHCHERS, fortune tellers. ♥ making them!For the book SOMETHING LIKE FATE does astrology really in..."

I write teen novels because those are the stories I'm passionate about telling. My internal age is 16. That will always be true. Teens are my people :)

Yes, astrology has always interested me. I believe in fate and serendipity. And I am a classic Taurus!

Snigdha wrote: "Susane, I would love to know how you came across the idea of crumbling families for Waiting For You. I read it at a time when my own family life wasn't too good, and while reading the book, I almos..."

I love that you connected with Waiting for You so strongly. One of my goals in writing that book was to reach out to readers who were going through some of the experiences Marisa was. My own home life was a mess growing up. I know how painful that can be. So I wanted to help readers feel less alone by writing about that dynamic.

Ansareen wrote: "This is the first book i read by you. I just finished When It Happens. (soo good)"

I'm happy you're enjoying the books :)

Melissa wrote: "this was the first book i read by you, and i was instantly hooked. I finished it the same day and went out to get more of your books. All i have to read is so much closer and keep holding on! :)"

Sweet! Thanks for being such a dedicated reader <3

Ansareen wrote: "♥ this book!
How do you wrie without people confusing all the HE'S and SHE'S?
(oh,and r u really interested in astronomy?)"

Astronomy has been a huge passion of mine since I was a little girl. That's probably why The Little Prince is my all-time favorite book. I'm also into astrology, but not as much as astronomy. I do believe in fate and the energy of the universe.

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by the he/she confusion. Could you please clarify your question?

Melissa wrote: "I really loved this book because it is so well written. I was just curious 1) how you came up with the idea and 2) on a more technical note, I always struggle with conversation/dialogue in my writi..."

Books with lots of conflict and relationship drama tend to be my faves. That's why I wanted to write a book with lots of conflict and drama. The whole falling for your BFF's BF thing is drama to the max. I also wanted to write a girl character who embodied everything I wish I'd had and been as a teen. Lani is that girl to me.

I also love books with lots of dialogue. Books with long descriptions and pages of backstory don't appeal to me. So my books are all dialogue heavy. I find that spying on other people's conversations helps me to write realistic dialogue. When I was a teacher, I spied on my students' convos all the time. Which, you know, was just part of the job. When I'm writing longer dialogue strings, I always read them out loud to make sure they sound legit. Reading aloud really helps me identify anything that sounds off.

Shelby wrote: "No, Mrs. Colasanti has not written a book entitled "Inspiration" (at least not to my knowledge.) I created a group with this title because that is what Mrs. Colasanti is to me. Her books are humoro..."

Wow, Shelby! Your message totally made my day. I'm happy that you're connecting with my books. Thank you so much for your kindness and support. Readers like you are why I write <3 <3 <3