Interview session with Susanna: The New Way author Anastasia Arndt.
On her sixteenth birthday, Susanna receives a gift – her dead father’s diary – and that day changes her life forever. The mysteries and secrets she learns from the diary open up a new universe for her.
The girl finds herself in another reality, where she meets people with unique abilities and studies magic.
In the new world she faces many problems and mysteries to solve.
Will she be able to tame a creature from another world? How did her father die and what is the dangerous path to unravelling it?
We spoke to author Anastasia Arndt about the inspiration behind her story and her writing process.
What provoked you to start writing books?
I wrote my first book when I was a teenager. It was a crime novel and actually quite hard to read, definitely not for the faint-hearted. In the beginning, I didn’t think I could write a whole book because I thought I wouldn’t have the patience, but time went on, and the book was written with great enthusiasm. I was initially inspired by a woman who I thought, and still think, has a completely disgusting lifestyle. It would be more accurate to say she made me angry, thus provoking me to write such a complex book, which you will see on reading it.
What was the process of writing the story of Susanna like?
I wrote the first four chapters of Susanna at home in just a couple of hours. Perhaps what inspired me in this process was Susanna herself. I didn’t initially know what the story was about. However, as I was writing, the script just popped into my head, like pictures in a movie. It was like watching a TV show with a plot that I’d made up, and the characters helped me with their unexpected actions. Most of the information came into my head very unexpectedly, so I was insanely curious to know what would happen next. It may sound strange, but it’s true.
Is there something you would like to convey to your readers through the book?
At the end of each chapter, I conclude by offering personal advice, in a philosophical sense, to the reader. Whether each person opts to heed this advice is, of course, up to them.
What was your inspiration?
Music. After the first few chapters that I wrote at home, the next ones were written in noisy public places where there was music playing. The energy of people inspired me. Mostly, the process took place in a night bar. I took my laptop, notebook and pen to the bar, sat at the farthest table and watched the visitors as I listened to music. This made the process of writing much more interesting. For example, I could see a stylishly dressed man and have a character in my book wear the same outfit. I was inspired by people and music.
Is this your first book?
Among my published books, the story about Susanna is the first. But I have more that I would like to finalise. And, of course, I have new ideas for future books; I just need time to realise them.
Do you plan to translate the book into other languages?
People often ask me if I will write a book in German, so maybe I will translate one into German in the near future.
Are all the characters in your book fictional?
The characters are fictional, but they have the traits of real people, such as their actions and dialogue. Ethan and Susanna have the characters of real people I know very well, but I’ve skewed Ethan for the worse and Susanna for the better.
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Do you plan to write a sequel?
Yes. I definitely plan to continue this story. I’ve already finished the second part, and it will come out, I think, in a year – maybe a little later. But it will be a trilogy, as I plan at the moment. Who knows, maybe Ethan and Susanna will inspire me so much that I’ll want to keep writing about them for the rest of my life.
Do you like to read?
I’ve never really been a fan of reading in general. But when Covid-19 caused lockdowns, I completely got into it, and to be honest I don’t remember now how many books I read – but it was a lot.
Thank you for the interview.
About the book
Title: Susanna: The New Way
Author: Anastasia Arndt
Content: Susanna finds herself in another reality, where she meets people with unique abilities. In the new world she faces many problems and mysteries to solve. Confused and defenceless, she must summon up the courage to face all the trials in her path.
About the author
Anastasia Arndt was born in 1995 in a small Russian village. From childhood Anastasia loved to read and collect her grandfather’s books. When Anastasia turned 14, she went to live in Greece, where she began to actively develop her creativity. She developed her music, went dancing and learned to draw, but she didn’t develop her writing skills until she was 18.
Anastasia met a woman whose story and behaviour inspired her first book in the detective-drama genre. She did not stop writing until she went to study in Moscow, graduating flight attendant’s school. Feeling she was losing touch with her creativity, she actively searched for inspiration, opening an unfinished book over and over again. Frightened that the book would never be finished, she moved to Germany. After a month Anastasia was able to continue writing and eventually finished her first book. She has now created a fantasy world all her own and hopes to write a trilogy.