Today we’d like to introduce you to Susanne Lambdin

Hi Susanne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

When I was eight, my older brother handed me a pen and paper and said, “I’m trying to write. Either write something too or go away.” I was reading C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles, and feeling inspired, I wrote a two-hundred-page fantasy. Since then, I have written a book every year, most collecting dust and some rewritten, that now sit in bookstores and libraries. I knew then that I wanted to be a writer. In high school, I wrote for the school paper. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1984 with a BA in Professional Writing in Journalism (which required writing a novel and a movie script). I also wrote fanfiction before it became popular. I wrote ‘Jaws: The True Story’ (lol) and Star Trek stories in college.

When Paramount Pictures announced a new series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, I worked as a bailiff in criminal court. It was not my chosen career path but good for scary stories. I immediately sold my horses, moved to Los Angeles, and had a job at Paramount within six months. I wrote several spec scripts, walked into producer Michael Pillar’s office one day, put a script on his desk, and said, “If you’re looking for a good Wesley Crusher script, this is it,” and walked out. I returned to pitch stories to the writers and producers several times and finally sold a script in 1990, which turned into Season 4, Episode 76 – Family. However, a death in the family required me to leave my blooming career as a screenwriter and return to Kansas, where I worked for twenty years as a paralegal in my family’s law firm.

When I turned fifty, I published my first novel, ‘Morbid Hearts,’ in the Dead Hearts zombie series. My first book signing was held at Watermark Books. I hired zombie actors to mingle with the terrified guests and sold enough copies to be listed on the NYTimes Best-Seller in February 2012. I have published over twenty-five novels, including critically acclaimed short shorties in ‘AVP: Ultimate Prey’ for Titan Books and ‘The Hitherto Secret Experiments of Marie Curie’ for Blackstone Publishing, Inc. However, my latest novel, ‘The Red Knight’ in the Realm of Magic series, was published a few days ago. It took commitment, determination, talent, and a bit of bloodletting to get here, but I have more books yet to write.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

When I moved to Los Angeles, I was 25. I was a naive Kansas girl aspiring to write for TV, and not any show, but for Star Trek. I had a place on Venice Beach and a job at Paramount, and life was good. In the late 80s, Hollywood was a male-dominated industry. All those stories you hear from Hollywood about actresses being sexually harassed by men can also happen to writers. I had offers from writers and producers, “Sleep with me, and I’ll make you famous.” It was an offer I refused many times. You finally got sick of hearing it from me when all you wanted to do was be treated fairly and with respect as a woman and as a writer.

Someone told me, “If you want to be a horse, you must kill a horse.” I learned this meant that if you wanted to be a successful female writer in Hollywood, you had to do anything to reach the top. I respect myself too much to submit to such belittling demands from anyone. I let doors slam in my face. I kept writing. I decided LA was not the place to write, so I came home. I’m happier writing books in Kansas, where editors only annoy me.

Never sell your body, heart, or soul to be successful. Stay true to yourself. ‘Endeavor to persevere’ is my mantra.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

My ST:TNG writing credit has opened many doors for me, including receiving invitations to attend U.S. comic cons as a guest. I often have panels with cast members from Star Trek franchises, The Walking Dead, and horror films. Linda Blair sat near me at a con in Atlanta. When she approached my table to say she had heard of me, I was gobsmacked. She is also an animal lover like me and has an animal sanctuary.

I’m mainly known for writing strong female characters and descriptive locations. People say I write like Edgar Rice Burroughs or Michael Moorcock, but I’ve also been compared to Suzanne Collins. I like to write about medieval warfare most of all. I’m a history nut. The War of the Roses fascinates me. I fully support King Richard III. I also love tales about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Tables. Heavy on the battles, light on the romance, and twists at every turn is how I approach writing books, and the art of world craft is my specialty.
I also like to take risks as a writer. My short story for AVP: Ultimate Prey features a trans woman as the main character. The story is about a stranded marine fighting for survival against female Aliens and Predators. It’s called “Blood and Honor.” I wrote it for a trans friend who wanted a hero, and the ending of this gritty tale is empowering, so check it out.

My ‘Dead Hearts’ series is eleven books. It’s YA supernatural horror, but I also write dark fantasy, Gothic horror, and historical romance. I had a male publisher who told me that I had to keep writing horror only. How boring. Seriously? We parted company, and I wrote a dark fantasy series, ‘The Realm of Magic.’ This series did well in England, as it’s medieval and heavy on battles and magic swords. However, as much as I love this series, my Gothic romance/horror, ‘The Lady of Shadows’, is my best book. The style of writing is beautiful and unique from my other books. The story takes place in London in the 1850s during the Crimean War at Christmas. The heroine has partial amnesia and cannot tell if the ghosts are real or why the servants act like they have rabies. Readers find ‘The Lady of Shadows’ frightening. I’d love for this book to be made into a movie with Emma Stone and Jason Fassbender.

I’d like to think my greatest novel is yet to be written.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?

Success is all about luck. It’s about who you are lucky to know; if you’re lucky, someone in a powerful position might help you out. But I made my own luck. I walked into Michael Pillar’s office without an invitation, put the script on his desk, said it was the best, and walked out. I was asked back because “I had balls.” If I want something, I make it happen.

When my grandmother died, she came to me in a dream as an ‘oracle.’ She appeared as a floating head over a well filled with flames and smoke. I was young at the time. She told me that I would move to LA, that I’d become a successful writer, and that I would marry a man in the industry. I was briefly married to a former musician who went to school and played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I never went to Flea and Anthony’s parties back in the day with my then-boyfriend, as I had no idea who they were when they first hit the scene. Imagine that. Not so lucky. But my divorce was a lucky break. It gave me time to focus on writing and on me.

You can wish on a star. You can collect four-leaf clovers. If you want to be lucky, you learn how to balance the good and the bad.

Pricing:

• 12 to 20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://susannelambdin.com
• Instagram: Susannellambdin or lambdinsusanne
• Facebook: Susanne Lambdin or Dead Hearts Novels
• Twitter: SusanneLambdin@SusanneLambdin
• Youtube: Dead Hearts Novels@DeadHeartsNovel