Today is my stop on the tour for Unflappable by Suzie Gilbert. I have an interview with the author today and if you like the sound of what she has to say, you can click here to order the book now. Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour for more exclusive content and reviews.
Here's what it's all about...
Twenty-five-year-old Luna Burke is on the run.
Licensed to care for injured and orphaned wildlife, she is determined to smuggle a homicidal Bald Eagle out of her husband’s private zoo in Florida, reunite the bird with its mate, and get them both to an eagle sanctuary in Canada. Hot on her trail is her furious husband, his bodyguards, the police, conservation officials, and an expert government tracker; aiding and abetting her is a smitten young tech guy, a lethal Navy SEAL turned panther advocate, and an underground railroad of wildlife rescuers intent on protecting one of their own. Waiting in Ontario is a legendary old eco-warrior more than willing to provide refuge…as long as Luna can make it across the border.
Are you ready for that interview?
First
question-bit of a cliche-how did you get into writing?
I
was always good at writing in school. It was my major at college, but
only because I couldn't think of anything else to major in. I never
planned to be a writer, and I had a lot of different jobs before I
started writing as a profession.
Do
you write full time & if so, have you always done this?
For
many years it was just a sideline. I’m a wildlife rehabilitator,
specializing in taking care of injured and orphaned wild birds. I
worked for 11 years at a center for birds of prey, and while I was
there I wrote their newsletter, an environmental newspaper column,
and a children's book called Hawk
Hill (Chronicle
Books). Then for 10 years I ran a hospital/rehabilitation center for
all kinds of wild birds out of my home, and on the side wrote a
memoir, Flyaway:
How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings
(HarperCollins).
Eventually
I closed my wild bird hospital and started writing professionally -
articles, newsletters, annual reports, anything people wanted. I
stopped in order to write Unflappable
- I holed up in an old house in the woods by myself for over two
years and did nothing but write that book! I planned to rejoin
humanity in the spring of 2020 (that didn't work out too well).
Do
you have a particular writing style or genre that you prefer to
write?
Unflappable
is my first novel, and I really liked writing a novel instead of
nonfiction. I like making things up!
How
do you develop your characters as you write, are any of them based on
real people?
There
are elements of real people in my characters - wildlife rehabbers are
a quirky bunch! But no one character is based on a real person. Once
I find the essence of a character, their language adds dimension. I
use a lot of dialogue.
What
was the inspiration behind your book?
I
told my agent a funny wildlife story, and he said, “If I were a
movie producer I'd be all over that. Why don't you write it as a
novel?" I said, “Because I don't know how to write a novel."
He said, “Read Carl Hiaasen.” (Hiaasen writes comic crime
fiction). Writing a novel was much harder than I thought it would be
- it took me four totally different drafts to get it right.
What
is your writing process-do you plan it out first? Write a bit at a
time?
Since
non-fiction is factual and I know where I’m going, I just write the
outline and then fill it in. But with Unflappable,
I knew the beginning and the end but not the middle. It has a large
cast and a complicated plot, and I kept adding to both as I went
along. Often I would get the characters into situations and have no
idea how to get them out. I can't come up with any ideas if I'm
inside a building, so I would go for long hikes in the woods with a
mini voice recorder and wait for ideas to hit me.
Once
I had my ideas, I’d go home and transcribe them onto my computer. I
also wrote each event on a sticky note, using a different color ink
for each character. I ended up covering a whole wall with sticky
notes, because I needed to be able to see where everyone was and what
they were doing, and the computer screen just wasn't big enough.
How
much of you is reflected in your writing?
The
heroine of Unflappable is a wildlife rehabilitator, and most of the
supporting characters are, too. It's a definite reflection of my life
and the people I know. As for the plot…well, yes, I’ve known some
very controlling men!
What
kind of research did you have to do before/during writing behind your
book?
I
take care of only birds, and the characters in the book take care of
every type of wildlife. I did research online, and I also just called
my rehabber friends on the phone. I'd ask things like, "What
kind of housing do you use for bears?" And “What do you feed
baby opossums?”
How
much attention do you pay to the reviews that you get?
Of
course, I love good reviews. So far I haven’t had any readers tell
me they couldn’t stand Unflappable,
but some have said they didn't get it, or they wished it were a
different type of book. That’s okay, I can't be everyone's cup of
tea.
Are
friends and family supportive of your writing?
In
general yes, although many of them say they don’t understand how I
deal with the solitary nature of it. I tell them I don’t know how
they deal with a busy office!
How
do you feel leading up to your publication day?
Excitement
and anticipation!
Which
other authors inspire you or are there any you particularly enjoy
reading?
I
love funny writers. One of my favorite funny books is Wake
Up, Sir!
by Jonathan Ames, about a young American mess of a writer who comes
into some money and hires a British valet actually named Jeeves (I
was already a P.G. Wodehouse fan). I still have a dog-eared copy of
My
Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell, given to me when I was about nine. I also love
books with gorgeous language, like Their
Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston.
Finally...what
are you working on right now?
I’m
just marketing Unflappable. It's my first self-published book, and
for me the marketing is more difficult than the writing. I’m used
to laser focusing, and I've lost my multitasking ability! But it's
been wonderful meeting readers, they’ve been such lovely people.
Hearing that someone really enjoyed and connected with my book means
the world to me.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Suzie Gilbert. I’m a wildlife rehabilitator and author. I live in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley, am passionate about wildlife, and have been working with wild birds for nearly 30 years. I hope you will join me in my quest to raise awareness of how humans and wildlife can coexist in better ways.
I’ve written a memoir about the slippery slope all rehabbers eventually slide down, called Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found Her Wings (HarperCollins); a children’s book, Hawk Hill (Chronicle Books); and numerous articles, op-ed pieces, and blogs.
My new book, Unflappable, is a funny, dark, sexy adventure about a wildlife rehabber on the run with an eagle, with her soon-to-be-ex-husband and the authorities hot on her trail.
Thanks to Suzie for stopping by the blog today!
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