Susan McDonough-Wachtman
To recklessly go where no woman has gone before…
Susan McDonough enjoys throwing her intrepid heroines into unlikely situations: a Victorian woman on a spaceship, a medieval woman kidnapped by a dragon, a woman from a future matriarchy in a forced marriage to a chauvinist playboy, a typical wife and mother as the savior of an alien world.
Snail’s Pace placed second in a contest by Publishing Online and was published by them in January, 2000. (They subsequently went out-of-business). Arabella’s Gift won the Los Angeles Romance Writers’ Best Bet for Bestseller, and was to be published by Wordbeams, but they went out of business. So it goes.
Matriarchs: Eliza’s Revenge placed first in the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association genre novel contest. (PNWA is still active.) Susan is now working on Lizzie in the Land Beyond, as well as a collection of short stories called Ferry Findings, and a children’s fantasy tentatively titled Cat’s Magic.
Susan has been writing since grade school. She has tried her hand at children’s stories, short stories, romances, historicals, essays, fantasies, mysteries, science fiction, numerous letters to the editor and a blog called Renaissance Woman.
Susan has been a burger tosser, customer service rep, ad taker, curriculum developer, parent, teacher, reader and gardener. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with two cats and one husband.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
The Pacific Northwest has always been my home. I've moved around a lot -- I've lived in Seattle, Spokane, Idaho and Oregon -- but the weather, the trees and the water have influenced my stories tremendously. I now live on Puget Sound and the view out my window inspires -- and distracts -- me every day. In the backyard this morning I had baby deer racing around. In the front this evening, I see a heron fishing.
When did you first start writing?
I can't remember not writing. My mother kept a story I won a prize for in second grade. I found it when she died last year.
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This member has not published any books.
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Tears of the Ancient and Other Stories
on June 24, 2016
Koivu has a gift for description and a fun sense of humor. His plots seemed unfinished to me, however.
The first story, like the rest, ended too soon. At first, I thought it was a story about the Captain, but then he became a kind of frame story. I grew to really like Grag who reminded me very much of Terry Pratchett's Detritus. I wanted Grag to succeed in his personal enlightenment, but Grag is just dropped! We return to the Captain, and all the fun drains out of the story and we’re left hanging.
The Last Siren
A cute satirical take on Homeric legend, but a vignette rather than a story.
The Misguided Spear
Somewhat reminiscent of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted. An interesting world, but too much telling and not enough showing. I don’t really care about Desta, because I never feel like I know her.
Mr. John M. Paulson
Another vignette. Some interesting description, but all telling and little show.
Laugh Potion #1
Again, nice descriptions and an interesting situation, The switch in viewpoint from the magician to his assistant is abrupt and confusing at first, and there's another abrupt ending.
Tears of the Ancient
More good description and another abrupt ending. I kept trying to scroll my Nook, thinking there had to be more! I wanted more!