Get ready to learn more about the book Full Circle in this discussion with sapphic author Susan X Meagher.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Susan X Meagher about Full Circle, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Addiction category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Full Circle?
After watching “The Philadelphia Story,” I thought it would be fun to try to write a sapphic version. But coming up with a believable reason for people who truly loved one another to break up early in their marriage was tough to figure out. I chose to go with addiction, which can sneak up on a person very unexpectedly, especially when it comes to prescription painkiller abuse. I decided to write this now, since I have friends and family members who have struggled greatly with opioids, and putting a little more light on the subject is always a good idea.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I’m fondest of Dex’s grandmother. I’m like her in that I’m prone to speaking my mind, and I’m less like her in having a good deal of hidden wealth.
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
My goal was to make it clear that you can slip into addiction even when you’d never had a problem with any other substance. I wanted Dex to have tons of support, yet still fail a few times. But given how many of us cast a gimlet eye at people who struggle with addiction, I had to do my best to show she owned how her own actions had led her to the place she found herself. So I had to make her believably in a very bad space, as well as show her fight her way out of it over a period of years by relying on both programs, family, and community.
What part of Full Circle was the most fun to write?
The opening scene was probably most fun. I don’t do physical comedy very often, and it was a challenge to try to get it right.
How much research did you need to do for Full Circle?
I got to have fun visiting Richmond, VA several times to get a feel for UVA, as well as the neighborhoods that each character lives in. I’d never been there, and am happy that it’s become one of my favorite American cities. Since two of the characters work for a major tobacco company, I got to do some research into how tobacco companies have exploited young people by making vaping so available and addictive. Lastly, I looked into how a Chinese-language major could use her degree to find work.
What is your writing process like?
I’m a hybrid. I think about the book for several months before I write anything, then, when my wife is sick of hearing about who the characters might become, I come up with a one or two sentence scene-list. I tend to stick with that, adding just a few as needed. Then I chip away at the scenes, writing mostly in order. I tend to write fast, without a lot of detail. I can usually finish a first draft in a month or two. Then I put it aside for several months, and go back to it when I have a break. At that point, since I know the characters better, I can add more depth to them, as well as describe things a little better. After it rests for another few months or longer, I write my third draft, which is usually my final. Then it goes to my editor, and I wait, hoping she’s kind with her comments.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
I wish I could celebrate, but I always miss the characters when I put them aside. I feel that way with each draft, but it’s particularly hard when I send the book to the printer. Once I’ve published a book, I don’t usually have time to re-read it. That makes it feel like a permanent parting. Since I only write main characters I’d love to hang out with, it’s a real loss, even though it’s an imaginary one. I wish I could focus on the accomplishment of finishing something, but I’m apparently not wired that way!
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Oh god yes. If an emotional scene doesn’t reach me, I haven’t written it well. I cry easily, so I’m not necessarily the best judge of an emotional scene, but I try to stand in for a tender-hearted reader. I’m certain I’ve never written a book that hasn’t make me cry more than once, and if it makes me cry with each draft I consider that a success.
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
I’ve never ruined a character’s life, but I’ve witnessed characters ruin their own! I feel empathy for my characters when they run into a string of bad luck, but I know they’ll come out of it eventually. Being the goddess of their world has many benefits. Likewise, I don’t think I’m a vengeful goddess, but I also don’t stop characters from making awful choices. So I guess I’m a hand’s-off goddess. I start their world spinning and am sometimes a little surprised by the choices they make. But only slightly, since the characteristics I give them definitely make some of them prone to awful choices.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
In my first books I had some characters that I found truly odious. But I don’t tend to do that now. I have more empathy for even deeply-flawed characters, and even though I don’t approve of many of their choices, I believe they can save themselves if they’re sufficiently motivated. But that’s largely because my unpleasant characters still have at least a kernel of goodness in their souls. Sometimes that isn’t enough to want to hang out with them, but I don’t write people with no redeeming social value any more. I think people who have a little bad in them are more interesting than someone who’s cartoonishly awful. Yes, I am thinking of a former president!
Have you ever fallen in love with one of your characters?
I wouldn’t call it love, since I think that has to be returned, but I have crushes on all of my main characters. As I sometimes joke, being a romance writer allows you to have major crushes on a lot of women without imperiling your marriage! I’m most attracted to kind, generous, intelligent women who work hard at something that brings them pleasure. That can be a hobby, a profession, a craft, or a trade. Even though I have a lot of characters with significant fortunes, I do that mostly because a lot of money creates problems that I like to examine. Personally, I’d have a tough time being paired with a stupendously wealthy person. But writing about them gives me a lot to play with.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I tend to move between current fiction, classic fiction, and non-fiction. I like reading novels, mostly because I think they’re so good at giving you a feel for what it’s like to live in that community. For me, they’re more effective than anthropology or history. I also like to read books that are much better than I could ever produce. I love it when I see a writer do something that I wish I’d done. I like classic novels for the same reasons I like current ones. I’m currently reading “Middlemarch,” and I feel like I have a great grip on what it would be like to live in a smallish English town in the 1830s. I don’t think that knowledge will come in handy, but you never know!
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
A TV show inspired me, and that’s why I will always love Xena, and Xenites! I wasn’t drawn to learning enough about ancient Greece to jump on the Xena Fan-fic bandwagon, but when I started to read Uber Xena the world opened up for me. I was heavily inspired by Missy Good, even though her books are more action-oriented than mine. But I loved that she wrote about slightly larger-than-life characters and made me care about them. The fact that I could picture them in my head just made me feel less timid about starting to write. So, thanks to LL and ROC for being so darned cute together that they’ve launched a zillion stories.
What books did you grow up reading?
I didn’t grow up in a reading family, and had very limited access to a poor-quality library. So it’s entirely possible my yearning for books made me value them more than I might have if they’d been lying around on every horizontal surface in my family home. I had a teacher in high school who taught a free-form class where you could read any genre. You simply had to read a book a week and write a paper on it. She made suggestions, and got me into reading things that were well-written and challenging. So having a good teacher made more of an impact that the actual books I read. It’s never too late to learn to enjoy reading!
