Author Spotlight: Susanna Imaginario

Tell me a little about yourself, personally. 

Hi, my name is Susana Imaginário. I was born in Portugal and couldn’t wait to get out of it. In 2012, I finally had the opportunity to move to England to work as an aerial fitness instructor, and now I live in Ireland with my husband, Dave, and our dog, Locke. We run a Board Gaming retreat. My hobbies include reading, playing board games, hanging upside down, poking around ancient ruins, talking to trees, and being tired.

I love to travel to faraway places and learn new stories.

What is/are the name of the book(s) you have published? 

I have two books published in English:

Wyrd Gods and its sequel, The Dharkan.

Where can they be found? (links appreciated)

They are available pretty much anywhere:

Wyrd Gods

The Dharkan

How long have you been an author? 

I published my first book in August 2019, but I’ve been writing for over twenty years.

Do you have any current WIPs?

Several. Nephilim’s Hex, the third book in the Timelessness series, is on its final revision (I hope!), Oublié, a sci-fi novel, needs editing, and I recently finished the first draft of Torn, a dark fantasy novella. 

How are they going?

Thanks to Covid, I’ve had a lot of spare time to write this year. Sadly I’ve also lost my main source of income. I’d like to publish at least one book next year, but I can’t afford an editor at the moment. 

What got you into writing? 

I had a sad childhood. I hated the reality around me, and I learned to cope with it by creating more interesting characters and worlds inside my mind. I began writing those fantasies down so I wouldn’t forget them. Later it became a sort of therapy. Now, it’s a pleasure.

What keeps you focused? 

Silence, mostly. 🙂

What gives you inspiration? 

Everything. From random conversations to images, music, dreams, games, movies… Inspiration is everywhere.

How do you battle writer’s block?

I see writer’s block as a sign something’s not right either with me or the plot. I tend to hit a wall whenever I force the narrative to go in a direction that makes little sense in relation to what I wrote previously. It’s like a red light goes on in my brain telling me to stop before I fall down the plot hole. So when that happens, I take a moment to answer this question: Can I adjust the plot to this new idea, or does it belong in a different story? If it fits the story, then usually going back a few pages and changing whatever needs changing is enough to get me back on track. 

Emotional and health issues can be quite destructive to writing. Have you tried to work out with pneumonia? Exactly. Writing with anxiety, depression, or a physical illness doesn’t work well either. If that’s my frame of mind, then I find something else to do instead. I read, research, plot, or edit. For some reason, editing feels less upsetting when I’m already upset.

Did you decide on traditional or self-publishing? 

Self-publishing.

What made you make that choice?

The control. I didn’t want my work to be constricted by industry standards, and I didn’t want to be tied to contracts or deadlines.

How does it feel to be considered an author?

Stressful. Especially in this day and age, where people seem more interested in the authors than in their work. I don’t understand this. I mean, my work is far more interesting than my personal life.

What advice can you give the writing community? 

Just keep writing. If it’s what you love to do, then do it. There will be bad days and terrible days and completely wasted days, but as long as you love putting words on the page, they’re all worth it.

Are you on social media? Where can people find you?

Note: This article originally appeared on MK Editing’s old website, December 2020.