Suzanne van Rooyen
Suzanne is one of the judges of Abandoned Towers Writing Contest 2012.
Suzanne van Rooyen is a freelance writer and author. Although born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, she now lives in Finland with her fiancé and shiba inu, Lego. Her publishing credits include the cyberpunk novel ‘Dragon’s Teeth’ published by Divertir Publishing, LLC, short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine amongst others, and numerous non-fiction articles published across the globe. Suzanne has a Master’s degree in music, but prefers writing strange tales across the many genres of speculative fiction and playing in the snow. No writing morning could start without coffee and an appropriate soundtrack. She can be found online at http://suzannevanrooyen.com/.
Selected Bibliography:
Dragon’s Teeth published by Divertir Publishing, LLC; November 2011
Sunflowers and Barbed Wire Fences published by Static Movement in Road Trip Anthology, September 2011, subsequently published by Abandoned Towers.
Tartarus published by Sounds of the Night, February 2012.
Escaping Scoria published by Roar and Thunder, 1 February 2012.
J is for Johannesburg: Pyrrhic Victory published by Static Movement in their A-Z Cities of Death anthology, expected release March 2012
The World Beyond the Glass published by Golden Visions Magazine in their Winter edition, 7 January 2012.
Meddling with Dragons published by Kindling, February 2012.
Killing Jar Captives published by Earthbound Fiction in the Dark Stars Anthology. Date TBA
The Ghosts of Ganymede published by Mad Scientist Journal. Expected April 2012.
Web presence:
Official website: http://suzannevanrooyen.com/
Blog: http://suzannevanrooyen.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Suzanne_Writer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-van-Rooyen/304965232847874
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5306442.Suzanne_van_Rooyen
Articles for Songplaces and Vagabundo Travel Magazine.
Abandoned Towers:
AT: how did you find us?
Through a Duotrope search
AT: When did you get involved?
Only recently (Ed. Feb 2012) after acceptance of my short story for publication
AT: Why did you get involved?
There are great stories here by some fantastic writers. I like the atmosphere for the community and the way in which Abandoned Towers nurtures speculative fiction writers.
AT: What do you hope Abandoned Towers becomes?
I hope Abandoned Towers becomes the go-to place for outstanding SF stories, and that they continue to build a reputation for publishing high quality SF fiction.
AT: What areas of fiction/writing interest you?
I’m passionate about speculative fiction. I grew up reading epic fantasy, but now I’m enjoying more science fiction particularly dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds. I also enjoy darker, quirkier literary fiction by the likes of Hunter S Thompson, Hubert Selby Jr. and Jack Kerouac. I stay away from romance and chick lit.
AT: What do you write most often?
I tend to write fairly dark stories that blur genre categories, usually set in cyberpunk-type worlds with clear dystopian elements. It really just depends on what inspires me at the time I sit down to write. I’ve also had literary and even erotic works published.
AT: Is what you enjoy writing also the genre/area you’re most successful in?
I like to think I’m really a novelist but I’ve had the most success selling short stories, mostly in the science fiction and horror genres. I enjoy writing novels and shorter works although short stories provide more instant gratification. I run the risk of growing bored half way through a novel. I have so many half finished novels, maybe I should just stick to short stories.
AT: Have you ever done NaNoWriMo? ever won?
I’ve participated twice but never won. My 2010 NaNoWriMo manuscript went on to become Dragon’s Teeth, my debut novel. Last NaNo didn’t go nearly as well, sadly.
AT: Have you been published?
Numerous times, fiction and non-fiction, from flash to novel length works.
AT: Do you have an agent?
I don’t have an agent.
AT: Are you looking?
I’m currently shopping a YA urban fantasy novel and would love an agent but it’s proving quite tricky given the current climate of the publishing industry.
AT: Teachers who inspired you?
My 8th Grade English teacher. She encouraged me to pursue publishing a story I wrote in class. Of course, it didn’t get published but it made me think that maybe I could one day be a writer.
AT: Authors your work resembles?
That’s an almost impossible question to answer. I honestly have no idea. I think people who read my work could probably answer this a lot better than I could.
AT: Authors who inspired you? or just favourites?
Some of my favourite SF authors include Neil Gaiman, Poppy Z Brite, Philip K Dick, Patrick Rothfuss, Ursula K le Guin and Juliet Marillier. David Mitchell is another favourite and inspired me to use unusual verbs. Gaiman has definitely had the strongest impact on my writing, both in terms of concept and execution. Brite also inspires me to delve deeply into characters and come up with original metaphors for description. My favourite non-fiction writers are Jon Krakauer (author of Into the Wild) and Evan Wright (author of Generation Kill).
Contact details are available on my website. I’m available for guest posts and enjoy hosting guest posts on my blog, Off the Page, by readers and writers. I’m also available for reviews. Contact me at suzanne@suzannevanrooyen.com but check my website for further details.