BookLife Talks with Susanna Elliott-Newth
A sponsored Q&A with the author of 'The Lighter Side'
What’s the story behind this book?
It was our escape to the seaside. Our children had grown up and left home, and now it was our time to spend together. We had chosen the beautiful beachside suburb of Woonona, south of Sydney, Australia. My husband, Michael, and I have been teachers all our working lives, and now in our retirement, we hoped to enjoy a few years of peace and tranquility away from the noise and bustle of the classroom. But it wasn’t to be. Moving day had come, the truck had left, and Michael very quietly told me that he had banged his head. The knock had dislodged a dormant glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. That night, I sat on Woonona Beach and let my tears fall. I knew I had to write a book about the events we would share, but I didn’t want morbidity or sympathy. I wanted my memories to be happy ones.
When bad things happen, we can choose to respond to how we deal with these difficult times. The Lighter Side is a collection of short stories and poems about moments along this amazing journey, one I felt immensely privileged to have been part of.
Can you describe what your writing process was like?
Writing stories is about entertaining the reader. I teach children how to create their own stories and how to bring their characters and events to life in engaging ways. In my own writing, I like to find those idiosyncrasies in human behavior wherein lies that modicum of humor, even when situations may be immensely sad or embarrassing. My stories unfolded as Michael’s family and friends gathered to say their farewells—times to reminisce over a glass of wine or cappuccino—never times for feeling remorse but instead for embracing life, his life. Michael’s love in life was translating the old French epic manuscripts from the 10th through the 15th centuries into poetic English sonnets. He was the only translator who chose to create poetic verses—all other translators of these works translate in prose. My stories evolved from our memories.
To what extent did you draw from real life, and what responsibility do you feel to reimagine or change characters based on real people?
I write in third person in the persona of Susanna. This allows me to retell events in creative ways. The Lighter Side in essence is fictional, but it is based on real events. Some of the people’s names have been changed to protect their privacy, but the characters of Susanna and Michael are accurately depicted. Some highly emotive ideas are represented in poetic form, as poetry better crafts what prose finds clumsy.How do you think readers will connect with The Lighter Side?
In life, we all experience difficult and tragic situations. My stories are about situations that everyone will relate to because they happen every day in our lives. Short stories are perfect vehicles for relaying events in fun and interesting ways. My stories will make readers laugh and they’ll make them cry, but their message is powerful: we all learn so much when faced with life’s challenges.
What’s next for you?
My next book of sagas is in the process of being published. This book is called Coffee Time: Come in For a Coffee and a Chat. These stories and poems are a collection of immensely funny situations about real-life issues. This book will be followed by my third book of sagas called Rags and Riches, which has just been completed. Newspaper articles used to be written on rags, and every story in this compendium is a little gem.
