Spotlight On Writers - Suzanne Craig-Whytock, interview at Spillwords.com

Spotlight On Writers – Suzanne Craig-Whytock

Spotlight On Writers

Suzanne Craig-Whytock

 

  1. Where, do you hail from?
I’m from Ontario, Canada, where I live in a village of about 600 people, but I work in the heart of Toronto (although right now I’m working from home due to the pandemic). I have the best of both worlds, really–the contrast of a quiet country existence with the excitement of the big city. I’ve lived in small towns most of my life and I find I think more creatively when I’m home, although I do miss being downtown, especially because of the insane variety of restaurants. I haven’t been out to a restaurant for almost a year and I miss that too, although luckily we have a local pub that does excellent takeout!
  1. What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?

Canada itself is a wonderful place to live and I feel very fortunate to have been born here. We have a lot of freedoms but also accept our social responsibilities to each other, especially in terms of universal health care and education. The only thing I don’t love about Canada is the weather–here in Southern Ontario, as I write this, it’s -14 degrees Celsius (around 7 degrees Fahrenheit, I think, but I don’t know Fahrenheit that well–let’s just say it’s dang cold!) and we have 6 inches of snow. But in 3 months, there could be a heat wave–it’s ridiculous. In terms of my actual home, it’s a big old Victorian house built in 1906, with high ceilings, quiet spaces, and lots of room for a family all working and going to school remotely. We have an acre of property, with huge trees, ponds, and flower gardens–it’s like living in a park. It’s peaceful but it keeps us busy!

  1. What turns you on creatively?

Because I write in several different genres (YA novels, thrillers, dark and twisty short stories, humorous essays on my personal blog), I find inspiration in a lot of places depending on what I’m working on in the moment.  I like to take an idea and think “what if?” That “what if” usually ends up being something spooky and dark if it’s a novel or a short story, or something randomly absurd if it’s my blog. For example, my new novel The Seventh Devil was inspired by passing a pick-up truck pulling a trailer as I was driving into the city–I thought “What if they’re on their way to exorcise a demon?” and I ended up with an entire novel. Also, I’ve always been a vivid dreamer and I get a lot of inspiration from my dreams; in fact, my last novel The Dome was inspired by a dream that I had about two teenagers being chased by something in an abandoned apartment building.

  1. What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?

My first favourite word is ethereal and my second is engine. Here’s a poem I just wrote about my daughter that incorporates both:

Mercurial, ethereal changeling child
Your heart an engine I could never replace
Joy in struggle, laughing and wild
I wish I lived with half your grace.

  1. What is your pet peeve?

People who have no empathy for others. Intolerance. When my husband moves my stuff around.

  1. What defines Suzanne Craig-Whytock?

Humour, love, and kindness. Most people will know me best from my humour blog where I try to incorporate all those things. I’m also very family-oriented and have strong relationships with my immediate and extended family, either blood relations or those people who have become my family through humour, love, and kindness. I love to laugh and I love seeing people become their most authentic selves.

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