309: Experiments and Happy Accidents in Novel Writing — Interview with Susann Cokal

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey there word nerds! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Susann Cokal. Susann is a moody historical novelist, a pop-culture essayist, book critic, magazine editor, and sometime professor of creative writing and modern literature. She lives in a creepy old farmhouse in Richmond, Virginia, with seven cats, a big dog, a spouse, and some peacocks that supposedly belong to a neighbor.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Susann's first young adult novel,</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Kingdom of Little Wounds</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, received several national awards, including a silver medal from the American Library Association's Michael L. Printz Award series. Her books for adults,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Mirabilis</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Breath and Bones</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, received some nice notice too. Her shorter work has been published in a variety of literary journals and anthologies, such as Electric Lit, Prairie Schooner, Writers Ask, and The New York Times Book Review.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today we’ll be talking about her new novel,</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mermaid Moon</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is out now and is about a mermaid who leaves the sea in search of her landish mother.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode Susann and I discuss:</span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How to craft a “mood” in your story.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using point of view to illustrate character and world-building. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">What makes a prologue “work.”</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why it’