Interview and Giveaway with Susie Finkbeiner, Author of A Cup of Dust

You all know I love nothing more than bringing amazing authors to your attention, and Susie Finkbeiner has written this amazing novel I must tell everyone about. You know those kinds of books–those ones that move you to tears, touch those hidden places in your heart, and don’t let you forget them. Books that add to the tapestry of your life. And if you read no other book in 2015, you must read Susie Finkbeiner’s A Cup of Dust.

Lyrical, yet not pretentiously so. Historical, yet we feel we are living in the Dust Bowl right along with the main character, ten-year-old Pearl Spence. Characters so real you feel you know them. I could wax on, but when I say I feel this novel is a modern classic, I’m not exaggerating.

Today, Susie is graciously offering not one, but two softcovers of A Cup of Dust to readers in the USA. Please read down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. I will announce the winner next Monday.

Here’s a little more about Susie:

Susie Finkbeiner is a novelist from West Michigan. She is the author of Paint Chips (WhiteFire Publishing, 2013) and My Mother’s Chamomile (WhiteFire Publishing 2014). 

Susie’s third novel A Cup of Dust releases October 27, 2015 with Kregel Publications. 

She is currently working on her fourth novel.

Susie is a wife, mother of three, and avid reader. She enjoys time with her family, coffee dates with her good friends, and quiet moments to read and write.

 

 

 

Interview with Author Susie Finkbeiner:

HG: Susie, you’ve been writing for several years now. One thing I’m so impressed with is the way you handle heavier topics, like human trafficking in Paint Chips, with a lighter touch. I always feel the hope in your words, yet also the poignancy. I am thinking this must be an extension of your personality (optimist?) but I’d love to know how you go about tackling these issues in your writing.

SF: Ooo. This is a really good question, Heather.

I’m an everlasting optimist. I suppose I hadn’t thought about how it would show through my stories. That gives me something to think about.

Anyway, I write with the ideal that there is always hope. Always, always, always. It’s how I’ve made it through some difficult times in my life. What I truly hope to convey to readers is that, 1. They aren’t alone and, 2. There is hope. Even in the darkest day there will come a brilliant morning.

HG: I totally agree, although personally I am more of a “marshwiggle” than an optimist! (A little Narnian reference there.) A Cup of Dust is one of the most beautifully-written books I’ve read this year. It is honestly a modern classic. Could you share about your writing process? Are you a panster or plotter? Do you painstakingly craft your phrases or do they pour out of you? Does it generally become longer or shorter with edits? (My novels become longer as I edit.) Also, about how long did it take to write this novel? I know you have studied the Dust Bowl era for years, correct?

SF: Oh my goodness. You are certainly kind. Thank you for these words. They mean so much. Truly.

I guess I’m a bit of a hybrid when it comes to pantsing and plotting. I know where the story’s going, just not always how it will take me there. Every once in awhile the characters pull me in the corner and tell me how it’s REALLY going to be. That’s like magic. I love it.

You know, as far as the phrases, I try to let them plop out of my mind onto the page as I’m drafting. When I’m editing I contour and perfect. I have to read it out loud in the later phases of editing. It gives me a sense of how it sounds and flows. I catch so much when I read aloud. Like you, my novels gain bulk while I edit. I think that’s a fine way to flesh it out.

It took me a little over a year to write A Cup of Dust. The research was done over two decades. I just am so very intrigued by the Dust Bowl era!

HG: I also felt you nailed a ten-year old girl’s narrative voice in A Cup of Dust. There was a naivety about her that rang true, like in To Kill a Mockingbird. How did you get yourself into that mindset as you wrote? I know writing first-person point of view often makes it easier, doesn’t it?

SF: To be honest, I slipped into Pearl’s voice quite easily. She’s a character I’ve been wanting to write for years now, I was just waiting for her story to reveal itself. I have a nine year old who is a tad on the precocious side, so I had a good idea of some wonderings of girls that age. Also, I tapped into my own memories of when I was a daydreamy little lady.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing Pearl. She’s my very favorite person I’ve ever written.

HG: What were the highlights of your submission/acceptance to Kregel Publishing? Did your agent call to give you the news?

SF: Oh man. Working with Kregel has been so much fun. I actually went to school (elementary, middle school, and high school) with the niece and nephew of the Kregel owner. I think it’s pretty cool.

My agent called me last September to let me know they’d accepted my manuscript. I stood in my laundry room, trying not to pass out, as my agent went over certain details. She said, “So, how do you feel?” All I could get out was, “My tummy hurts.” She asked if I’d eaten gluten (I’m allergic) and I had to tell her that it was because I was in shock.

After I hung up I told my husband and he was so excited. I think his reaction was my highlight. He wasn’t surprised in the least, but was thrilled to the max. He’s a good one, that Jeff of mine.

HG: It is so special to have husbands that support us in this author life, isn’t it? Could you tell us a bit more about your next project?

SF: I’m currently working on the sequel to A Cup of Dust. The working title is A Trail of Crumbs. I don’t have any details on it at the moment. But I’m so happy to be writing Pearl again.

HG: I love the title and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! Thanks again for visiting and all the best to you, Susie!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway