Silver Lady: Travels Along the River Road received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Susan E. Sage.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Silver Lady: Travels Along the River Road. Published on December 12, 2024
What’s the book’s first line?
Although the engine quit working, the water damage isn’t as bad as it was after the first storm.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Captain Cassie and her five passengers set off on a houseboat river trip. Not exactly a luxury vacation as society in 2033 is unraveling at an alarming rate. The nation is nearing collapse and the states are no longer united. It’s Cassie’s responsibility to safely deliver Silver Lady to its owner, over two-thousand miles away.
The further the houseboat travels downriver, the stranger life becomes.
It isn’t long before they wind up in uncharted waters—on river branches that don’t show up on navigation maps. The towns they dock at for supplies are sometimes friendly, sometimes not. Among the stranger places is The Land of Nod—and in particular, the town of Nod; as well as The Island of Lost Children, and Owl Town. The bizarre becomes the new normal for the crew, and is—at times—preferred to the unknown reality on terra not-so-firma where paintings are disappearing from canvases, as written words are from books. Similarly, people too, have begun to vanish.
Delays—from storms to getting lost—seem to prevent Silver Lady from getting to her destination.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Like so many following the Covid lock-down, I had difficulties socializing after what felt like a long period of isolation. My protagonist, Cassie, was in many ways my alter ego. While Cassie is obsessed with a need to make friends on her river journey, she is also not afraid the unknown. I would love to be able to drive a houseboat down the Mississippi—or anywhere!
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Someone should read this book to help them through this current time of despair—to get them to view the current angst of society unraveling in a new light. I’d like to think the book is more ‘protopian’ than ‘dystopian’—due to the emphasis on the importance of art and the written word, especially the further Cassie and her crew travel down the river.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The most distinctive thing about Cassie is her tenacity in getting Silver Lady to her destination. Her can-do spirit was, in large part, based on my best friend from childhood.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I first decided to become an author when I was around ten or eleven. I was truly inspired to write a story about the kids on my block, though I never wound up writing it.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is my fourth published novel. I’ve written seven.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m reading or reviewing books written by indie authors.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
A couple hours every morning.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part: being fairly unknown.
The worst part: paying for the promos!
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Not to over-spend on promotions. Sure wish I could take this advice myself!
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would absolutely go with a traditional publisher, so I wouldn’t have to do all the book promotion myself.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? Fortune?)
To find meaning in life.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Margaret Atwood.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Handmaid’s Tale.