Author Interview: Susan McDonough-Wachtman

​Who are you?

I’m a reader, writer, mother, gardener, teacher, kayaker, wife of a photographer... Probably a few other ‘ers I haven’t thought of. 

---

​Where do you live?

I live in the Seattle area in the waterfront home my husband grew up in. I'm very lucky!

---

What’s your home life like? 

Home life is very quiet since the kids have all moved out and we are reduced from four cats to one. My husband works at his online business (sports collectibles) and I correct papers from my high school teaching. When we have time, I write and he takes photographs. We collaborated on a book of short stories called Ferry Findings.

---

​What genre(s) to you like to write? To read?

For the most part I write and read sci-fi and fantasy. I also read mysteries, but writing them is too much work. Matriarchs is partly a mystery and it took the longest to write.

---

Why did you start writing?

I won my first writing contest in second grade with a story about a seashell. I don't remember why I wrote it, but I was hooked on writing after that.

---

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I'm always writing in my head.

---

Where do you like to go when looking for a new book to read?

I have a pile of books I've bought and haven't gotten to yet, and long wish lists on my library account, Goodreads and Amazon. 

---

At what point do you call it quits when reading a new book?

I always try to give a book a chapter, but if I really hate the way it's written, I may not last a page.

---

Are you independently or traditionally published?

I’m self-pubbed. I've written a  blog about this.

---

How many books/stories have you published so far?

I published four books of sci fi/ fantasy. My husband and I published Ferry Findings through Kitsap Publishing. It features photos by my husband, Glenn Wachtman.  I have short stories in various anthologies and posted in online magazines.

---

What book/story are you currently promoting or working on?

I've been promoting my sci-fi Matriarch: Eliza's Revenge lately, because the timing seems right. There has been a lot of controversy about recent developments in genetic engineering which is a key aspect to the book. 

I'm also working on a new fantasy which is kind of a Princess Bride / Frog Prince mash-up. It's been a lot of fun and I am getting help from writers at the Online Writers Workshop which is also fun.

---

​What’s the elevator pitch

The Princess Bride meets the Frog Prince: Wilhelmina is beautiful, but anyone she kisses gets hives.

---

How long have you been working on it?

About a year.

---

When will it be available to buy? Where?

If I self-pub, probably next summer (I'm a teacher, so all the personal stuff happens in the summer.)  But I'll take a stab at finding an agent for it between now and then and if that's successful, who knows?

---

How can readers find you?

---

Anything you’d like to add?

​If you read a self-pubbed book, please leave a review.

---

Thank you, Susan, for taking the time and let me (us) get to know you and your work. I wish you all the success in the world! Keep dry up there in the Pacific Northwest!

Sincerely,
​

Nicholas Adams