Author Spotlight: Suzanne Campbell

Hometown: Woodstock (Born in Berkeley, California, which I like to think affected my brain.)

Latest Book: “By Force of Felicity”

Publisher: Bungalowbiblia

Release Date: March 11, 2016

Where can we find your book?

Read Between the Lynes bookstore and The Old Court House Arts Center on the Woodstock Square, and in paperback and ebook formats on Lulu.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

What’s it about?

When quirky, anxiety-ridden Althea’s little world is shattered, she faces aging on her own without friends, family or work. Enter Lilybanks, a landmark bungalow on the other side of her northern Illinois university town, where a “spiritual sisterhood” takes her under its eccentric wings. Eckhart Tolle’s popular teachings are portrayed with a light touch as put into practice by the highly resistant Althea. Two subplots are woven through Althea’s search for “felicity”: a love affair between Lilybanks’ first owner and its architect in the 1910s, and a vintage, feel-good tale about “bungalow cats.”

Where did the idea come from?

The central narrative comes from my own delight in and struggles with Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. I’ve been interested in “the perennial philosophy” since reading Aldous Huxley’s book by that name in college. Eckhart Tolle’s books offer a clear, first-hand account of what you might call practical mysticism.

What genre is your book, and why were you drawn to it?

Literary fiction, by far my favorite. I was the kid sitting at home reading Dostoevsky while everyone else was at the football game. I’m an introvert, and while I like a good plot, I mostly look for what makes characters’ inner workings tick. And I like detailed, “Venusian” description – colors, scents, the play of light and shadow. These find a natural home in the literary genre.

Who is the intended audience?

Literary fiction fans who want food for thought, appreciate a dry sense of humor and enjoy a longish, busy novel: “By Force of Felicity” has two subplots. Book groups (there are discussion questions), Arts and Crafts design enthusiasts, animal lovers and the green at heart. And, of course, people practicing or intrigued by Eckhart Tolle’s “power of now.”

Why is this story important to you?

Our beleaguered planet needs more humans who can live peacefully with themselves and others. I hope readers who relate to the story and characters will feel strengthened in their efforts to do so.

How long did it take you to write? What was your process?

It took about four years. I’d sit at an old bird’s-eye maple desk from my grandparents’ Woodstock bungalow. I wrote the first draft out by hand. I tend to ruminate, looking for just the right word, and seldom had much more than a page in a sitting. But sometimes an entire scene just spilled out.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? What was the hardest part?

I love the sense of creating a world. And I especially enjoyed writing the subplot that takes place in the 1910s and ’20s. It seemed to have a mind of its own; the characters knew who they were and needed less control and planning from me. The hardest part was sitting down to write when not in the mood.

How are you publishing this book and why (traditional/indie/self-publishing)?

I self-published with Lulu using my own imprint, Bungalowbiblia. At 145,000 words my book’s considered too long for a marketable “debut” novel. I didn’t want to prune it drastically, or pay someone more than I could afford just to make it more formulaic. Plus, if you publish traditionally, you’re still stuck with much of the marketing and may have to wait longer for your book to come out. I love my cover, and I had lots more control over it by self-publishing.

What is your education/background?

My dad was a wildlife biologist; I grew up loving and learning all about nature. I majored in Celtic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, went on to Glasgow University in Scotland, but ended up with a practical Bachelor of Arts in journalism from University of Wisconsin – Madison. A few years of writing ad copy in cubicles sent me fleeing to a series of vivid odd jobs in San Francisco, then France. When I returned to Chicago to regroup, I met my husband, became a stay-at-home mom and moved to Woodstock.

How/why did you decide to write a book?

After my third-grade teacher praised the stories I wrote, I always thought I’d be a writer. Yet decades went by without my producing a novel. I decided I didn’t want to turn 50 without having written one. Now I’ve written two, and this is the first to be published.

Who are your favorite authors?

A.S. Byatt, William Maxwell, Rebecca West. And Proust.

Pick one: Danielle Steel or John Grisham?

Neither’s on my radar screen.

Pick one: Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks?

Hmm, that’s like asking a vegetarian if she prefers a wing or a drumstick.

Pick one: Ebooks or hard/paperbacks?

Hard/paperbacks. I’m an old-fashioned bookworm.

Have you written anything else?

My unpublished first novel, “Miching Mallecho,” is also set in a bungalow.

What’s next for you?

I want to polish up my first novel and add it to Bungalowbiblia’s offerings.