Gothic Bite Magazine always welcomes amazing authors on their website! This week, we have the pleasure to interview, Susannah Shannon!

Who is Susannah Shannon?

I live in the American Midwest. I have been married to my college sweetheart for, well a long time.

We have five kids, and our youngest is nineteen. In my day job, I work with young children. I have always been a voracious reader — fiction, nonfiction, anything.

I am an incredibly good cook and a lousy housekeeper, priorities, people!

THE INTERVIEW!

ALEXA WAYNE (A.W.): When did you find out you would want to
write novels?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: I think I started writing and telling stories when I was tiny. I got busy with marriage, career, and kids; but the call came back, and I answered it.

A.W.: You mentioned me your work, all set in paranormal or Gothic settings, would you let our readers know why you are more attracted to that genre?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: I have written contemporary books too. Currently, I love supernatural settings. My Norse Warriors series is set in a land of myth-where saber-toothed tigers roam, and your battle scars tell the world who you are, what’s not to love?

My most recent series The Enchanting Submissive series is set in a parallel universe where a young witch has been living among us and getting a Ph.D. from Harvard.

When a spell goes wrong, this brilliant scholar finds herself in an arranged marriage to a sorcerer. I would love for the magic to be real and I love creating worlds that speak to my heart.

A.W.: When writing about paranormal, do you do research and if so, how far do you go with your research?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: What a great question. I have done research- Not so much with the magic part- but I learned a lot about knights and feudal societies and Scandinavian lore.

Dru, The Sorcerer’s Willful Bride, is an expert on the Salem witch trials, so I dusted off some old books on that.

A.W.: What is most important to you when writing your novels?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: I want to share the experience of the world and the characters with anyone reading it.

A.W.: Which authors influenced your writing?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: Geez, how much time do you have! Jane Austen, because she taught us that smart girl could get the guy.

Ursula Le Guin because those are the first fantasy books I vividly remember. Carolyn Faulkner because she included spanking in her romances and it was a hook, and I bit!

J.K. Rowling because she is the queen of world building and hairpin
plot twists.

A.W.: Which of your novels is your favorite and why is it your favorite?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: The favorite of my books is, Her Gilded Dragon. In that book, I introduced the snowforce and my favorite magical creature, Ragnifer, who is a cranky wood sprite, and the romance between Hanne and Jonis is epic.

A.W.: Do you believe in the paranormal, by that I mean in hauntings, that there are creatures out in the wild we still don’t know the existence of?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: I think there are undiscovered corners in the universe. There’s still so much to seek in our universe we have been gifted!

A.W.: What was your reaction when you learned a publisher wanted you as part of their authors?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: I danced around my living room. I knew nothing, nothing about the publishing industry! I was so grateful for the chance to have a book published.

A.W.: What sets you apart from other paranormal and Gothic authors?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: The world’s I strive to create are sophisticated and constructed in a way that they are transportive. I want the world to work. All my books contain a variety of genres- romance, characters growing, lots of humor and power exchange.

A.W.: What can readers look forward to from Susannah Shannon in 2019?

SUSANNAH SHANNON: Book 2 in the Enchanting Submissive series out in April. May has the final, Norse Warriors book. I am also involved in some co-writing. Can’t wait to share it!