Susane Colasanti Fate Tour

Susane Colasanti is the author of several YA books, her most recent of which, Something Like Fate, comes out on May 4th. Susane's stopping by my blog to talk about fate and answer a few questions.

To check out all the online Fate Tour dates and stops, head here. You can also read three chapters of Something Like Fate by heading here.

Topic 5: Graphology
Graphology studies how handwriting reflects the writer’s personality and other inherent traits. Not all handwriting is obvious. True, the dreamy girl might dot her i’s with hearts and the loner boy might scratch out angry little letters. But the essence of handwriting is way more complicated than that. Analysts examine many different features of a person’s handwriting (e.g. spacing, pressure, slant, symmetry) to make inferences. I’m not sure how much validity this type of analysis has, but that doesn’t mean it’s less than fascinating

Q&A

1. All of your book titles have three words. Was that intentional, or is it something like fate? How do you come up with your titles, and do you think of them first, last, or somewhere mid-draft?

The three-word titles are totally intentional. However, it didn’t start out that way. When It Happens was originally called Trust. I was actually considering one-word titles at first. After a few revisions, it became obvious that Trust wasn’t the best title anymore. Plus, I liked the ambiguous nature of When It Happens. Just to clarify, “it” refers to true love, which I describe in the book as “something real.”

It's so much easier for me to write an entire book than to think of a good title. Strange, but true. The only exception was Something Like Fate. That title just hit me while I was in the early stages of writing my first draft. I immediately knew it was the best title for the book.

2. Since Something Like Fate is the story of three people, name three literary characters (apart from your own books) you'd love to meet.

Harriet M. Welsch from Harriet the Spy. I want to ask her about all of her spy route adventures that weren’t in the book. I’d love to meet her as a grownup - I really want to know how her life turned out. Meeting Andrea Marr from Girl would also rock. She knows all the best obscure music. And of course Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders. I think he’d be into a game of backgammon at Chat ‘n Chew.

3. What was the best thing that happened to you while writing Something Like Fate?

Hmm. First I have to remember when I wrote it! Okay, let me break this down. The main plot idea came to me in a dream I had on May 14, 2007. I started the first draft soon after, but then I had to put it aside to write Waiting for You. The manuscript was finalized last summer. So during that entire time period, I guess the best thing was realizing that switching careers to become a full-time author was actually working. I was worried at first. It’s hard to leave a steady paycheck and benefits behind for the Unknown. Fortunately, things are working out even better than I expected. Which is just further evidence that you should always follow your heart. The times in life when I’ve refused to let fear hold me back were the times when my life improved in unbelievable ways.

Website: http://www.susanecolasanti.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/susanecolasanti

Enter to win a copy of Something Like Fate by filling out the form below. You can earn an extra entry via Twitter, but pay close attention to the rules in the form!