An Interview with Sue Dent, author of "Forever Richard" (Part 1 of 2)

Vampires and werewolves aren’t the typical fare for readers of Christian fiction but novelist Sue Dent continues to break down established conventions with the upcoming release of Forever Richard,which will be released on January 5th, 2009.

Sue Dent’s intended audience for Forever Richard and its predecessor Never Ceese was the general market but because of her beliefs, naturally it was written from a worldview respectful of Christian values. And, Christian readers have overwhelmingly embraced it.

I (Jake Chism) recently caught up with the author and she was gracious enough to answer some of my questions.  Her responses are very thought provoking and even potentially controversial.

Enjoy!

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TCM: First, we’d like to thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. 

Sue Dent: You’re welcome Jake and thank you for asking. It’s always nice to be recognized on sites specifically designed for Christian readers especially since Christian readers have shown so much support for my work so far.

TCM: Fans of your debut novel, Never Ceese, have anxiously been awaiting the upcoming sequel, Forever Richard. How would you describe these novels to those who may not be familiar with your work?

SD: What? You mean there are those who aren’t familiar with my work? Oh my!

Well, my debut novel Never Ceese and its sequel Forever Richard contain horror elements, vampires and werewolves, therefore it can be classified and viewed as horror.

Both have received resounding reviews from the British Fantasy Society so they can both be classified as fantasy as well. 

Some have gone a step further and have applied the label Christian fiction to my stories, obviously because of the redemption theme throughout, a nice little bonus since I “are” one.

Both Richard the vampire and Ceese the werewolf struggle with what they’ve become and what they believe they want to be once more. They join forces, though rather reluctantly, to try to find a way to escape their cursed existence. I absolutely love the observation award-winning horror writer W. D. Gagliani, author of Wolf’s Trap, made in his review,

            “. . .Can a persnickety vampire and an uncouth werewolf share an English castle without driving each other crazy?” (Cue pipe organ version of The Odd Couple theme.)”

 This does point to the humorous elements in the story but there is clearly enough horror to keep lovers of this genre interested. After all, Never Ceese was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award in 2007 for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

Forever Richard continues the saga and a bit more “horrific” if you will. I’ve got such a varied audience reading now. It will be interesting to see what they think of book two. So far so good. Maryann Boo of The British Fantasy Society found Forever Richard “Insightful and thought provoking. Well worth the wait!”

TCM: Where did the idea for this series come from? Have you always been a fan of the werewolf and vampire mythology?

SD: Well I have always loved stories concerning vampire and werewolf lore and while all the stories I’d toyed with in the past were speculative, none dealt with either of these two horror elements. I remembered sitting in front of my computer the day I decided on the story—I cast all my other writing ventures aside and started something new and fresh. To me, that’s the most exciting part of writing, preparing to add someone to your family, getting to know them, getting to shape them.

I was very nervous writing about such things though. I was raised Southern Baptist (my granddaddy was a preacher, and now my brother has followed in his footsteps) and remember the “look” I’d get when I was young and would talk about vampires and werewolves. I never thought I was doing anything evil but I’d no desire to disappoint my elders whose expressions seemed to infer otherwise.

So, instead of talking about them, I secretly wrote about my two favorite horror icons and hid those writings in a small space beneath the built-in record player of our console television. There was a hole underneath the turntable.

Search local junkyards here in Mississippi, you may find my writings!

TCM: Forever Richard hits stores on January 5^th and the first printing is almost sold out from pre-orders alone. What has the advanced reaction from fans and critics been like overall?  

SD: It seems that the advanced reaction is that everyone is ready for the next book. Reactions I’ve seen in response to the official release date include comments like, “yes, finally!” and “I can’t wait to sink my teeth into Forever Richard.” Overall response has been overwhelmingly positive.

TCM: I know your road to publication has certainly not been an easy one. What kind of resistance, if any, did you face from CBA publishers when you were trying to get Never Ceese published? What has it been like to work with The Writers’ Café Press?

SD: After hearing horror stories from other writers, I’d have to say my road was blessed. I knew I wanted a traditional publisher so I investigated the best way to secure one. I finished my MS, searched for and later hired a professional editor; l then began submitting.

I searched for small publishers that took electronic submissions at writersmarket.com. I solicited general market publishers and Christian publishers. WritersMarket.com has a specific category for Christian publishers, if they choose to list there, and since my story dealt with redemption, I submitted to them as well.

Soon after, I had a response from someone intrigued by my story—a Christian publisher at that. Keep in mind they were not CBA/ ECPA affiliated. Those publishers required agents or at least all the ones I saw on WritersMarket.com did. So while I would’ve liked to have submitted to them because they were Christian, I didn’t.

I knew from the beginning I’d need to start with a small publisher. Big publishers aren’t interested in any author unless they’ve sold enough to make it worth the publisher’s while. That’s just good business.

By the end of the year, the intrigued publisher and I signed a contract for a hardback edition of Never Ceese and rights to its sequel. (The sequel rights is a whole other drama in itself J).

So, I can’t say that I had any real resistance from the CBA/ ECPA group. I had no contact with them, indeed, wasn’t aware of the organizations until I began searching for someone to publish Forever Richard.

I remembered thinking how easy it should be for me to get one interested. Their readers and even some of their established authors encouraged me to submit. I can not tell you how absolutely stunned I was when all the affiliated publishers, who this time volunteered to talk to me without an agent, turned me down flat. “Our market doesn’t want to read about vampires and werewolves,” they said.

One of those who claimed their market wasn’t ready, and that my MS wasn’t a good fit for their house, was Thomas Nelson. That was less than a year ago when, as I understand it now, two vampire-type novels were already in the works.

Understanding the demographic CBA and ECPA serve is one thing. It does seem affiliated publishers could be clearer on what they want (and don’t want) to see from submitting authors.

The Writers Café Press has been wonderful. It’s not often you find a publisher who knows and understands the overall market so well. They produce Biblical and Christian as well as “Christian-friendly” speculative fiction that has vast crossover appeal (yes, TWCP has specific definitions for “Christian fiction”). And they’re a traditional press so everything is in place to get in all brick and mortar bookstores, if the physical bookstores perceive a need for the book—ahem—hint, hint.

TCM: CBA publishers have traditionally distanced themselves from stories involving dark subject matter like werewolves and vampires, it seems like the climate may be changing. Why do you think this is?

SD: And CBA-affiliated publishers will always distance themselves from stories that involve dark subject matter like werewolves and vampires. Why would they not? According to them, their market doesn’t want to read this type story and isn’t ready for it. I’m aware of a couple of books these publishers have put out in recent times, that make the climate look as though it might be changing. But well, put lipstick on a pig and . . . you get the idea.

Neither CBA nor ECPA think my work will fly in their market. I’m hard-pressed to comment on their climate change or lack thereof. It doesn’t seem to bother their readers that I’m not CBA or ECPA affiliated so “I’ve got that going for me.”

TCM: You’ve stated that you never expected the overwhelming response you have received from Christian readers and reviewers. Why has this surprised you so much?

SD: I suppose I should’ve been clearer myself and specified. I meant Christian readers and reviewers who enjoy CBA and ECPA fiction. And yes, I’m very surprised this group enjoys my work. After all, according to their own publishers, they shouldn’t have given Never Ceese a second glance. I’m so glad they did though. 

CHECK BACK FRIDAY FOR PART 2 OF THIS INTERVIEW.