Susan Sizer Bogue
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue
Author of DEEP TIME
Twenty-two-year old Lauren is an aspiring artist from the East coast who falls in love with the West during a life-changing raft trip through the Grand Canyon. She begins graduate studies in the male-dominated field of geology and volcanology, where she is seduced by a predatory professor. Chris, an honorable colleague quietly in love with Lauren, helps her fend off the professor. Geology explorations take her on two sea voyages and dangerous back country treks.
Meanwhile, the awakening of Mount St. Helens galvanizes geologists all over the world. Lauren is determined to witness an eruption. She scouts an observation site on Disappointment Ridge, six miles and three ridges from the rumbling volcano. Lauren and Chris stake out the active volcano on a Saturday, but the mountain remains silent.
They plan to meet on Sunday morning at the same site. He arrives at dawn, but Lauren stops for breakfast. When Mount St. Helens erupts at 8:32 a.m. with catastrophic power, Lauren realizes the eruption is so far beyond anything anticipated that people will die. In mortal danger herself, she flees down the mountain just ahead of the deadly ash cloud, but Chris is missing. Will she find him in time, or will the eruption irreversibly upend her life?
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue
Author I draw inspiration from:
Abraham Verghese has inspired me with both of his two books: Cutting for Stone and his recent book, The Covenant of Water. The latter is set in a rural area of India and is rich in its multi-generational tale of marriages, births, deaths, tragedies, diseases, cures, and love. A 12-year old girl who is forced to marry a widower could have become a tragic character but she emerges over the years as a strong woman with an open heart. She becomes the center of her extended family and village. The Covenant of Water may be the best book I have ever read.
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
My favorite place to read a book is lying in bed, but it's unproductive because I fall asleep after reading just a few pages.Thus, it might take a month to read a 300-page book that could have been read in three or four sittings in the second best place for reading--sitting on a cozy sofa.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Syd, one of the two main characters in Ethan Gallogly's book, The Trail, was a former professor who had a great memory for stories and history. He loved to tell about near-misses and barely-survived disasters on adventurous trips he had taken over the course of his life. These incidents turned into hilarious anecdotes. With Syd to entertain us, it wouldn't seem long until the elevator was working again.
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
In eighth grade I won an essay contest by writing about Nathan Hale in first person. My essay was entitled, "I, Nathan Hale." From that moment on, I secretly wanted to be an author.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
On two different trips--once in northern Nebraska--I lost my way while driving and listening to an audio book. If I'm absorbed in the story, I'm where the characters are--not navigating some obscure back road. Audio books are entertaining (but dangerous!) for long car trips. My preferred forms of books are hardbacks and quality paperbacks that feel good in my hands. Well-designed covers on actual books are pleasing and memorable. I truly wish I read ebooks more often because they're easy to acquire and light to carry. Several friends load up their ebook readers before going on a trip, while I load up my backpack with a 700-page book and a couple of normal length books and then lug my heavy backpack onto the plane.
The last book I read:
The last book I read was No More Empty Spaces by D.J. Green. Its unusual setting in Turkey made it feel like a good escape. The family's struggles and near-tragedies kept me riveted, and their adventures entertained me. I'm now reading The Last Chairlift by John Irving, which has hilarious bits, but at nearly 900 pages, it truly may be the Last Book I read.
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
An easy-flowing pen and a yellow pad are great for brainstorming ideas and getting in touch with your own thoughts. For almost every other phase of writing, a computer is beyond wonderful. If you've ever typed a paper or letter, you're stuck with what you've written, or you have to use a whole bottle of White Out to revise a paragraph. To re-arrrange typewritten material, you have to cut it up and paste the pieces together. These are examples of why typewriters are collectibles, not writers' tools! Computers are great for word-smithing; major and minor revisions; catching misspellings; access to online dictionaries and research material; and sharing written work with an editor. I admire long ago authors who wrote their books by hand!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was a spunky protagonist who served as a role model for girls when there weren't many role models (aside from Calamity Jane). Elizabeth's wit and candor would make her a good companion. Admitting that she played the piano "ill," she played anyway when called upon to do so. When her sister became sick at a friend's country house, Elizabeth tromped along muddy roads to check on her sister out of loyalty and concern. I would love to have a lively friend like her.
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'd love to be a medical doctor who sees patients every day and tries to solve their problems. I would especially enjoy advising them on good health. Being a writer requires long hours and days spent alone at my desk with my beloved, but less than warm and chatty, computer.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
My favorite time in fashion history is now. Anything goes! In other eras, clothing defined you as belonging to a certain social class. Now we're all in jeans, at least part of the time. It's definitely better to judge people for their values, minds, and personalities than for their clothing.
Place I’d most like to travel:
It's hard to justify returning to a favorite destination when there are so many other places where I haven't traveled. But I would like to return to Tarangire, Tanzania, and stay for a week or two rather than just two days. The lodge sits high above the Tarangire River, where hornbucks, elephants, lions, gazelles and other animals come to drink. Human guests stay in simple huts and take their meals at the lodge. During the day you can go on safari drives where you see even more animals: cheetahs, dikdiks (tiny antelopes), giraffes, and hyenas. After dinner at night, an armed guard escorts you to your hut. The land is lush because of its proximity to the river. Tarangire a magical place on earth!
My signature drink:
A glass of cabernet sauvignon is a lovely accompaniment to dinner or a social event. For a nonalcoholic drink I love Spin Drift seltzer, which has a hint of fruit juice added--only about 8 calories for a 12-ounce can--but it tastes rich and flavorful compared to plain seltzer.
Favorite artist:
Yo-Yo Ma is my favorite musician, even though I've never seen him in concert. His recordings bring out the beauty of music like no other cello player that i have heard play.
Number one on my bucket list:
I would love to see every National Park in the U.S.--all 63 of them. Luckily, I've already explored many of them, but I haven't added up the actual number I've visited.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Being a writer turns everything you experience into potential material for your writing. Everyone you meet, every play you see, every 5th grade band concert you have to attend, everything you read, every overlook you turn off the road for--all become part of you, and necessarily, part of your writing.
Find more from the author:
About Susan Sizer Bogue:
Author Interview - Susan Sizer Bogue
Susan Sizer Bogue is a lawyer-turned-writer who has published many humorous essays and written the script for the musical The Christmas of the Phonograph Records. Deep Time is her first novel. She lives in the Denver, Colorado, area.
