It Happened on Thunder Road By Susan Antony Author Interview and Spotlight!

It Happened on Thunder Road

By Susan Antony

Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Brief description

 

When Emmy Russo returns to high school in Moncks Corner, South Carolina after summer break, she discovers some changes. First: Mom has a boyfriend. Second: the cute new student, Charlie Fields, is a Rockabilly greaser with a gang who obeys his every command. Third: attractive Keir Harper wants to be more than just her best friend. And fourth: a perplexed Emmy soon finds herself drawn to two extremely different boys. How do you choose between sweet and smoldering? Then tragedy strikes on desolate Thunder Road. Strange things start happening, with Emmy in the middle of it all. Intent on finding the truth, she must fight for her heart, her life, maybe even her soul. Because someone wants to possess all of Emmy. And they will be together, no matter what the cost. For eternity.

 

About the Author

 

Susan Antony is an aspiring Renaissance woman who never shies from a challenge. Not only does she have a degree in the Liberal Arts, she has a degree in Automotive Technology. She currently works in the IT department at a local Charleston hospital. Susan lives with her teenaged son and two behaviorally-challenged Cairn Terriers. To maintain her sanity, she cherishes her Friday evenings dancing the night away!

 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SusanAntonyCS

Twitter :https://twitter.com/SusanAntonyCS

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Happened-Thunder-Road-Susan-Antony/dp/1509235329

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57309229-it-happened-on-thunder-road

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/it-happened-on-thunder-road-susan-antony/1139026607 

Excerpt

We faced each other for a beat or two. Then he placed his arm around my shoulder and took my hand in his, positioning his body a respectable distance away. We danced, slow and reserved at first, but as the singer’s wails intensified, so did Charlie’s moves. His hips swayed from side to side, and he inched closer to me, smidgen by smidgen, until his pelvis ground against my hipbones. 

Our bodies melded, moving together in perfect synchronicity. Side to side. Back and forth. He moved his hand to my lower back and pulled me closer. I took in a quick, sharp breath. He 

“You know, baby,” he murmured, “You and me have more than chemistry. We have fire. Not the easy kind of fire you can make from a box of matches, but the kind of fire you get when you rub two sticks together. I’m all yours if you want me.” 

The world around me blurred as if I were watching it through thick lenses. I imagined Charlie’s lips against mine. I imagined him shirtless, propped above me, his triceps bulging as he slowly lowered his chest—mine rising toward his, beckoning him closer. He groaned a low animal-like sound. It drew me to him. 

And I wanted him bad. 

I wanted our bodies to burn in Hell together for all eternity. 

What was happening? Had I lost my mind? I wasn’t ready. Was I? 

No. 

Spasms of panic surged from my loins to the deepest recesses in my brain. In a sharp snap, the imaginary lenses cracked, and through the broken glass was a clear image of a boy with kind eyes and a halo of yellow hair. 

Keir was my angel, and I was dancing with the devil. A devil who would betray his brother. A devil who would convince me to betray him as well. 

I shuddered and pressed my free hand, fiercely against his shoulder. He clutched me tighter. 

“Charlie, please. We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

I took in a long, ragged breath. “Because I don’t want to hurt Keir. He likes me.”

He forced a laugh and loosened his grip. My hand  slipped from his, and he leaned toward me. His chin brushed against my cheek, and flesh bumps shimmied down my spine. 

“That was the right answer, New Jersey,” he whispered in a throaty voice. “Welcome to the gang.”

Interview!

What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it? 

Staying focused. It is so tempting to play on the internet. For instance, I hop to a browser to research a fact for my WIP, and end up on TicTok, Twitter, or FB.  I try not to beat myself up too much when I stray. A little fun prevents burnout. After all, 200 good words a day produces a novel in a year. 

When and where do you do your writing?  

I create my entire novel in my head while I’m driving or taking long walks. I play with my characters for a year or more before putting them into words so they are very real to me. Sometimes they surprise me. They’ll hijack my story and lead it in another direction. I write where ever and whenever possible. I write in bed, in my dentist’s waiting room, and during my work breaks. My laptop is like an extra appendage.

What have you learned about promoting your books?

That an author has to work as hard at promoting as they do at writing, if not harder. Successful write-and-run-type authors are scarce these days. The market is too saturated. An author must have a social media platform to market their brand. 

What are you most proud of as a writer? 

That I had a dream to be published and never gave up until it became a reality.

If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about? 

Jack Kerouac for sure. As a forward thinker and one of the founders of “The Beat” movement, I’ll bet he’d have some fascinating stories from that era.  I’d also like to get his take on today’s tumultuous times. 

Here is a famous passage from his novel On The Road: 

“But then they danced down the street like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars...”

His use of imagery mingled with emotion is phenomenal. When I read this, it as if I can feel what he feels and see though his eyes. However, I do sort of chase after the mad folks myself.