We chat with New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard about The Hunting Moon, which is the highly anticipated sequel to The Luminaries.
Hi, Susan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m the New York Times bestselling author of a few different series, ranging from steampunk to high fantasy to urban fantasy. I’m a big gamer, and I used to work in marine ecology before become a full time writer.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My whole life I’ve been a storyteller. I truly cannot remember a time when I wasn’t telling stories or daydreaming stories or writing them—at first, just for myself. Then when the internet became A Thing, on Fictionpress. Then eventually as an author.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: the Nancy Drew original series, when I was 8. I know there were books before that, but those are what really got me—a reluctant reader at the time—to get into reading.
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Wizard of Earthsea. That book and all of Le Guin’s changed me as a human.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Right now, I’m totally existing in the world of the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. I just reread all of those books for an event with Turner, and wow. They are as amazing as I remember them.
The Hunting Moon is the highly anticipated sequel to The Luminaries and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Monsters, dark forests, secret societies.
What can readers expect?
The Hunting Moon picks up right where The Luminaries left off, and Winnie is discovering that the triumph doesn’t taste nearly as good as she was promised. She’s struggling under the impossible weight of family expectations, and there is still this nightmare in the forest that no one will believe is real and killing people.
What challenges did you face whilst writing the sequel?
I always struggle with sequels. First books and standalones are so free! I can write whatever I want! Let’s add this and this and this…oh wait. Now I’m in the sequel and I must actually resolve all those introduced storylines and character arcs.
I often pants more with first books, but then in sequels I have to outline and get a lot more granular in my planning. I aim to find the perfect balance of all my plot threads (why do I always add so many?!) and forward propulsion. I don’t like wasted prose—I try to keep things tight—which means I often write, rewrite, and edit a lot before I ever even finish a first draft.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I love exploring the past between Winnie and her two ex best friends, Erica and Jay. There’s just so much character growth you can explore when you’re dealing with characters who have a lot of secrets and a lot of past.
What’s your process when it comes to writing?
Every book demands something different, to be honest. The complexity and scale of the Witchlands makes those books very different to write from my shorter YA stuff like the Luminaries series. I work everyday, but what that “work” looks like can vary. Sometimes it’s adding words to a document, other times it’s brainstorming on my white board, and other times it’s reading my entire book and making handwritten edits.
What’s next for you?
I have the sixth book in my sweeping high fantasy series, Witchlight. Then the last Luminaries book will come out after that. Then a standalone YA horror set in 1999 called The Executioners Three. So a lot ahead!
Lastly, what 2024 book releases are you looking forward to?
I’m really excited for The Mirrored Beasts from Alexandra Bracken! I loved Silver in the Bone so much, and I can’t wait to see where she takes those characters next.
