UKYA FORTNIGHT: Interview with Karen Saunders, Author of Me, Suzy P

Today I have a lovely interview with Karen Saunders to share with you all. I would consider Me, Suzy P a brilliant example of UKYA fiction and so I’m really pleased to have her here on the blog today. Thank you, Karen!

Hi, Lucy! Thanks for having me on your blog, I’m *very* excited to be here.
About me: I’m totally disaster prone. I like goats and guinea pigs. My favourite place to read is in the bath (with water in, obvs). If I could only eat one food forever it would be potatoes. I have brown hair and my eyes change colour.

About Me, Suzy P: The book’s about 14 year old Suzy Puttock, who’s always embarrassing herself and doing daft things. I wrote it to be a funny book that would make people smile, I hope I’ve succeeded. Suzy’s got a crazy family who drive her nuts, but luckily she’s got great mates and a fantastic boyfriend, Danny, who she’s been with forever. Suzy’s life gets a whole load more complicated when a gorgeous new guy, Zach, starts at her school. He starts showering her with attention, and Suzy’s seriously attracted to him. So now she’s in big fat trouble and has no idea what to do…

Yes, haha! I’m completely disaster prone, just like Suzy is, so I thought it would be funny to write about someone else who constantly embarrasses themselves. I’ve had my nose broken in a tickling fight, ended up with my arm in a plaster cast after opening a window and given myself concussion falling off a sofa!
I also use funny things that have happened to my friends. The scene where Suzy goes shopping for
bridesmaid dresses in the book is based on a real shopping trip I took with one of my best mates. Real life is definitely the best source of novel inspiration, I’m always bugging people to tell me their embarrassing stories!

JK Rowling, Harry Potter
Louise Rennison, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging
Marie-Louise Jensen, The Lady in the Tower
Alison Rattle, The Quietness
HM Castor, Henry VIII

I enjoy a lot of historical novels, and I think UK authors do that particularly well as our countries have such a long, rich history of characters and events to draw upon. British humour is fantastic, we do funny books really well here.
Most of the YA novels I’ve read from other countries have been American, I guess the main thing that’s different is the school setting. I’ve read so many books with jocks, and cheerleaders, and a homecoming and important football matches which I don’t have any experience of. I think UKYA is more relevant to my own life and is easier for me to relate to.

I’d like to see more contemporary stuff being picked up and enjoyed – it feels like the paranormal has dominated for a very long time! I’d also like to see UKYA authors continuing to get support from readers, bookshops and libraries. Considering how small the UK is, we have so much talent here.

Suzy’s best friend Millie, because she’s loads of fun, she’d dye my hair for me and she’s always got sweets with her. Win!

I’ve just finished writing the sequel to Me, Suzy P, which is planned for release in January 2014, and I’m shortly about to begin work on the third Suzy novel. I’m busily brewing ideas as we speak, so if anyone’s got any embarrassing stories they want to share…