Title: The Cemetery Sleeper
Author: Susan Griner
Publisher: Sagauro Book
ISBN: 978-0692247693
Pages: 181 pages
Genre: Children’s/Young Fiction
Read Interview with Susan Griner
Author Interview with Susan Griner
Interviewed by: Ella Vincent, Pacific Book Review
Today we’re talking with Susan Griner, author of “Cemetery Sleeper”.
PBR: The novel is very spooky and supernatural. The main character Freddy believes in ghosts, but another character Emily, doesn’t. Do you believe in ghosts like Freddy, or are you a skeptic like Emily?
The novel is very spooky and supernatural. The main character Freddy believes in ghosts, but another character Emily, doesn’t. Do you believe in ghosts like Freddy, or are you a skeptic like Emily? Like Emily, I tend to be doubtful about the existence of ghosts, but I do think people can create ghosts of a sort when they are haunted by past sorrows that they can’t let go of, like Aunt Teri’s character in the book. I like reading about the supernatural beliefs of other cultures.
PBR: The town of Mabry is such a great fictional southern town. How has your southern upbringing influenced your writing?
The town of Mabry is such a great fictional southern town. How has your southern upbringing influenced your writing? Many of the details I included in my depiction of the town of Mabry are based on the small town in Tennessee where I was raised. I always felt like an observer as a kid and all that I absorbed about the south comes through in my writing. There’s plenty to write about–from the quirky characters I’ve met and the good-hearted people I have known to the traditions and history of the area.
PBR: Who are the authors who influenced you the most?
Who are the authors who influenced you the most? I have always been drawn to middle grade books and I especially like southern writers. Ruth White, the author of Belle Prater’s Boy, is one of my favorites because she has a bittersweet quality to her writing. Betsy Byars, who wrote, The Summer of the Swans, is not as widely-read as she once was, but she’s a funny writer who shows a lot of tenderness toward her characters.
PBR: The book is humorous, but also deals with serious issues like the loss of a parent. How do you find a balance between comedy and drama in the novel?
The book is humorous, but also deals with serious issues like the loss of a parent. How do you find a balance between comedy and drama in the novel? I have always used my own sense of humor to help me deflect or to lessen difficult moments and that’s what I try to with Freddy, who is the main character. I like to undercut the moments of loss and fear with humor because it makes the heartache bearable.
PBR: What message do you want young readers to get from Cemetery Sleeper?
In the story Freddy and his father try to stave off their grief in their own way but they finally find a way to face it together. There are difficult moments in life some of us go through like the loss of a loved one or a divorce in the family that are hard to talk about even for grown-ups. Even if the conversation is awkward it’s worth having.
To learn more about “Cemetery Sleeper” please read the review at: Pacific Book Review
