Sunday, June 9, 2013

Interview with Tabitha Suzuma, author of Forbidden, and INT giveaway!

I'm so incredibly thrilled to introduce this very talented writer, Tabitha Suzuma. She has written several books, but the one that has been getting all the buzz recently is Forbidden, a heartbreaking story of consensual incest.


Goodreads Book Description: Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review: I want to thank Winterhaven Books, a wonderful blog, who hosted a terrific interview with the author, Tabitha Suzuma. I would also like to thank Tabitha, for sending me a beautiful hardcover and signed copy of Forbidden. It has made its way into my heart and also my favorite books bookshelf.

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma is about two siblings, Lochan and Maya, who are closer than most. They have been placed in an impossible situation-- a father who has abandoned them and a mother who is an alcoholic who tries to forget they exist as well as three younger siblings that they take care of in addition to their heavy load of schoolwork. It is clear that they can only depend on each other and that no one else can understand their situation. But this abnormal situation leads to an even more dysfunctional outcome-- they fall in love. As their feelings for each other accelerate, they strive to keep their home life as normal as possible for the other children. It is a tricky balance to maintain, and unsurprisingly, everything starts to fall apart.

I have to give major props to Tabitha. This book was an extremely risky one to write with its very taboo subject of incest. She took a very repugnant topic that most people can't even think about without gagging, and introduced two very compelling and relatable characters who are caught in a situation that they never wanted to be in. You can't help but fall in love with both Lochan and Maya and almost root for them, knowing that this relationship can't end in any good way. The prose is absolutely beautiful, and devastatingly so. Suzuma writes gorgeously, and I felt swept away by both the emotion in the alternating voices of her protagonists as well as the rich description she embodies in her text. The pacing is pitch perfect, and the supporting characters are deftly drawn.

Overall, this book is a risk that pays off-- Suzuma has written a masterpiece--a novel that will stand the test of time. This story will haunt you for days to come.


Tabitha Suzuma

Author Blurb: Tabitha Suzuma is a British award-winning author of six books. A Note of Madness, From Where I Stand, A Voice in the Distance, and Without Looking Back. Her most recent, Hurt, will be out in September 2013. Her last book, Forbidden, a controversial and hard-hitting book about sibling incest, was translated into six languages and won the Premio Speciale Cariparma for European Literature Award as well as being nominated for a number of others. She has won the Young Minds Book Award and the Stockport Book Award. Her books have been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, the Lancashire Book of the Year Award, the Catalyst Book Award, the Stockport Book Award, the Jugendliteraturpreis Book Award and nominated for the Waterstone’s Book Prize and the Carnegie Medal. She is currently working on her seventh book, They Tell Me It Rained, due out in 2014.

Interview with Tabitha
1. I loved reading your bio on your website. Can you tell us a little bit about what kinds of stories you would daydream about in class?
I wasn't a very good student. I spent most of my time at school sitting at the back of the class, pretending to take notes, whereas really I was writing stories. I was horse-mad in my early teens so my first stories were mostly along the lines of: teenage girl rescues mistreated horse, nurses him back to health, starts riding him in competitions and wins loads of rosettes. Then falls in love with a rebellious motorbike-riding daredevil who looks exactly like Christian Slater in the movie Heathers while on her way to becoming show-jumping champion. Those were my very first stories and took up several exercise books. I did branch out quite quickly though! 

2. Where do you go or what do you do for inspiration?
I go for walks, by the sea if I can - I am completely and utterly obsessed with the sea. If I find myself by the sea, whatever time of year it is, I have to swim. I once swam in the British channel in my underwear in February when it was hailing. But music is my greatest source of inspiration. My debut novel, A Note of Madness (2006), was born out of my lifelong obsession with music, mainly classical, and in particular Rachmaninov. The novel is about Flynn, a teenage piano prodigy who falls prey to bipolar disorder as he struggles to master the notoriously difficult Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto. So the piece, as well as my own struggles with the illness, inspired the whole book. I have always loved music and used to skip lessons at school to sneak into the music room where I started teaching myself the piano. My brother, concert pianist Shin Suzuma, was born when I was fourteen and started picking out tunes on my keyboard before he could even walk. I was determined he should have every opportunity to become the concert pianist that I felt he was destined to be, so began teaching him. Today he is finishing his studies at the Royal Academy of Music and embarking on this very career. His music room was above my study, so he provides me with a live soundtrack to all my books.

3. What is the most unusual thing that has ever happened to you?

Hm, that's a tricky one. Lots of unusual things have happened to me, good and bad - I haven't had a very 'usual' life! I suppose leaving school at fourteen was the most unusual and possibly the most character-forming. I come from a background where not finishing school or not going to university was practically unthinkable. I had to fight long and hard to get my freedom at fourteen. It was a ten year battle, starting from the first day of school when I was four. That first day, I cried non-stop. Over the next ten years, I gradually learned to stop crying, but I think my hatred of school only grew. At one point I even had a plan to burn the school down. I hated authority with a passion. I hated the style of teaching at my particular school. I hated 'the system'. I played truant constantly and when I got dragged to school, behaved so badly (e.g. throwing my friend's shoes out of a fourth floor window) that I hoped I would get expelled. In the end it got to a point where my parents could no longer physically force me to go. So I left, did my exams by distance learning, and got myself a job working with disabled kids, which I loved.


4. I, like many readers, read and loved Forbidden. Was there a character who surprised you? Who and why?

I supposed Kit surprised me the most. He almost didn't make it into the book. I started off with him in it but then worried there were too many different personalities in the family and tried to remove him. But without him it wasn't the same. I actually really liked Kit, despite him not being a very likeable character. For those who haven't read the book, Kit is a sullen and rebellious thirteen-year-old, the middle child in a family of five, angry at the world in general and at his absent parents in particular, and takes out all this frustration out on his older brother, Lochan. But he becomes a very important character - in a way that I wasn't expecting at all when I set out to write the book. In some ways he is also the most complex. We never see into his mind so we have to try to understand him by his actions and behavior. Many people have written to me to say how much they hate him, and I see why, but I don't feel that way at all. To me he is still a child, he is suffering, and his way of coping is by lashing out, without fully comprehending the consequences of his actions. I feel that deep down, he is a good kid.


5. Many of us cried (me included) in one particular heart wrenching scene in your book. When was the last time you read something that made you cry as hard? Which book was it and what scene was it?

I cried pretty hard at the end of The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy. Also at the end of The Hours by Michael Cunningham. And the end of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. Those are three of my all-time favorite books and although their endings weren't devastating, they left a kind of hole in me, an all-consuming sadness about life in general. 

6. I know you've talked about this before - but it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Can you talk about the difficulties of writing about the taboo subject of incest and the feedback you've gotten from the public?
The biggest difficulty was making the story seem plausible. Consensual sibling incest does happen, but it's rare. I didn't want to 'cop out' by having the siblings raised apart or by revealing that they weren't actually related at all at the end of the story. I wanted this to be the real deal. But we are biologically wired to react strongly against the mere idea of being romantically and sexually involved with a sibling or any close family member. For good reason of course: interbreeding usually produces deformities in any offspring. So our reaction is Darwinian and innate. But, like a mental illness, things can go wrong – biologically or circumstantially or both. 

About a year earlier I had toyed with the idea of writing a book about child carers, having been one myself. I realized that taken to extremes, here were circumstances exceptional enough to feed an incestuous relationship. With two teenage carers sharing the responsibility of parents, I could see how they might come to love and support and depend on each other in a way that the average brother and sister do not – the absence of parental love and the huge demands and responsibilities placed upon them pulling them close. In these circumstances they might seek comfort in each other, becoming isolated from the outside world and sharing a difficult and stressful existence that only they could understand, ultimately drawing them together into an inevitable but doomed romantic relationship. 

The public's feedback has been stupendous. Wonderful but quite overwhelming. Forbidden was not just published here in the UK, but also in the US, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Greece and Thailand. There is currently an online campaign set up by Latin American readers to have the book published in Spanish. I receive messages daily not just from teenagers but also from adults all around the world. I've been to award ceremonies in Germany and Italy... It's definitely not a book for young teens and carries a warning label, but adults right up into their seventies have contacted me to say how much the book moved them. So many people have told me that they picked up the book out of morbid curiosity and were shocked by the topic, reading it while expecting to hate it, but that soon after they started, they found themselves rooting for Lochan and Maya and desperately wanted them to find some way to stay together and have a happy ending. Many readers have got very emotional, writing me long emails about how the book changed their outlook on the topic of consensual incest as well as love in general, or asking me to write a sequel, or an alternative happy-ever-after ending. I had braced myself for some angry or negative reviews but received surprisingly few.

7. I love that your brother is a concert pianist. What a talented family! What is your favorite classical piece?

It's hard to pick just one, but I would have to go with The Rach Three, otherwise known as Rachmaninov's Third Piano concerto. It's a piece that features prominently in my debut novel, A Note of Madness, and shortly after finishing the book I finally got to see my brother perform the piece with his university orchestra, a day I will never forget.


8. Can you talk about the importance of critique partners and an example of how your partner has affected your writing?

I never had a critique partner until I wrote my last novel, Hurt. I had terrible writers block for about a year, my publishers were waiting, and I was just desperate to get something off the ground. My best friend, Akiko Hart, was starting her first ever novel and so we decided that every week or so, we would exchange what we had written so far and give each other constructive criticism. It was really fantastic. It gave me a massive confidence boost because I value her opinion above anyone else's, but also know that she is a great fan of my work. Although as yet unpublished, she is excellent at plotting and full of ideas, but isn't at all afraid of telling me if she thinks something I write is rubbish. She'll just find a relatively kind way of phrasing it! That's the best kind of critique partner one can ask for, I think.


9. Can you tell us a little about Hurt, your next novel, without giving too much away? 

Hurt is one of the harsher, grittier and more difficult books I have written. It's about a guy named Mathéo: a talented, privileged teenager who on the surface appears to have it all but deep down, harbors a terrible secret that threatens his life as he knows it, as well as the relationship he has with the only girl he has ever loved. Like Forbidden, it also deals with a taboo and potentially shocking and controversial subject. The story follows Mathéo as he battles with his secret, his past, the consequence of his actions, and ultimately attempts to achieve forgiveness and absolution.


AUTHOR LINKS

GIVEAWAY: Tabitha has signed print editions on offer for the three most interesting comments. If you liked her interview or have any further questions for her, let her know here!

59 comments:

  1. Hey, I also hated school with a passion from my first day, and I had such tantrums when my mum made me go that one of the other mothers gave her some herbal stuff to calm me down. I always played truant at secondary school too. So my question for you is do you think you learnt more from time spent in a classroom or from your life outside of it?

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    1. I'm sorry you also had such a bad experience.
      I definitely learned far more from my life outside school. I learned some important stuff at school, obviously, although nothing springs to mind right now - maths maybe? ;-) I learned to read and write before going to school and when I left school at 14, I worked two jobs: one with children with cerebral palsy, which was obviously a massive learning experience, and went on to shape my life insofar as my career choices in becoming a teacher. I also worked as an assistant dance teacher, and went to stage school on Saturdays, and joined an amateur dramatics club (I was the youngest there by ten years) and performed Shakespeare and got reviewed... So yes, my life pretty much started once I left school.

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  2. I have heard of consensual incest before, but I've never personally known individuals of the act. I can see how carer siblings would become dependant on each other, for the role that they're playing calls for some sort of attachment. My question is, have you personally known siblings who have that sort of relationship?

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    1. I haven't, no. I did quite a lot of research before starting the book and contacted a couple who had been in a television documentary and they were very helpful. Since Forbidden was published, however, I was contacted by several people asking me for advice as they were in a similar situation to Lochan and Maya.

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  3. Well, after reading the interview I want to emphasize several things, because in some ways I identify with Tabitha because I aspire to literature, like Tabitha I spend my time writing in class - although I am a good student.

    With Forbidden managed 'bottoming out' in a way, because it is a controversial issue but it happens and people spend their time insulting.

    With this interview, I feel more admiration for Tabitha . I'm peruvian and I mean that I'm helping to make their books be translated in spanish and I am proud that she also willing.

    No more to say, I hope the Miss. Suzuma continue to have success in his career. God bless you and your family, and I'm waiting for the 05 September.

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    1. Thank you Carmen. Good luck with your own writing.

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  4. Woh! Forbidden love between two siblings? This is crazy and yet I am totally intrigued! I've never read anything like this. As I read the synopsis here, my eyes were bulging for real! i am very curious because you said after people have read FORBIDDEN they admitted that they didn't even think they would like and then afterwards it totally moved them. I wanna see why, ya know, because it is a very huge taboo! However if someone can change their minds like that something AMAZING must have happened and i want to know what it is! I am also really interested in getting to know Kit. I became a new foster mother less than a year ago through an agency that places children with sever behavioral problems. Keep in mind my husband and I have no other children so to say it's been interesting and a crazy adventure, would still be understating it! LOL. I love being a "mom" though! Anyway i think i would be able to connect with Kit like I do with my son...because of his sever behaviors too, you know? They are all good kids. You just have to be stronger than the shell they have built to protect themselves from the world.

    I wanted to say, Tabitha, that it's inspiring to know that someone as successful as you is bi-polar. I just was recently diagnosed with it and while i am so glad now I have some answers to why I was feeling certain ways, I am still embarrassed to to tell people my condition. But you! You have just put it out there and I think that's amazing! Come to think of it...I just outed myself so look...you truly have inspired me! Thank you!

    We also seem to have more than all that in common! Girl, i bet we'd get along spiffingly! I love the ocean...well love and fear it but refuse to let my fears rule what i do. I love to swim even when it's cold! i wish I knew more about classical music! I like it a lot and listen to it and everything but I never remember names of pieces!

    I just realized my letter of a comment so i am going to go but even if I do not win the contest, I'm glad I got to get to know Tabitha a little more. You sound like a down to Earth, for real woman and I like that!

    I do have a question for Tabitha! What one bucket list item you have accomplished and one you have to accomplish?

    Thanks so much for the interview...I can't read the review because if I win i want to review it and I want my review to reflect only my opinion. All in all, this has got to be the best post I have in a very long time!

    Thank you!

    My email: mrsjtucker2012[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. Thank you for your message. I'm so sorry that you too are going through bipolar but glad if I somehow 'inspired' you in some way. I hope you get good treatment and support. My debut novel, 'A Note of Madness' is about a pianist with bipolar, so you might be interested in that...

      In response to your question:
      One bucket list item I've accomplished is getting published - I wanted it since I was a child.
      One I have yet to accomplish: winning the Booker!
      Sorry, not very interesting or original but my life does rather revolve around my career...

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    2. LOL thanks for answering my questions and thanks for the book tip!

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  5. I didn't read the review because I want to have my own opinion as how I find the book. I am so excited that the book is going to be publish in Spanish also ; hopefully I can own both editions. Great interview, it give us hope to does who want to be publish authors someday. Thank you.

    Best,

    Viviana Ortiz
    vivi17guanajuato@live.com

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    1. There is still no definite plan for Forbidden to be published in Spanish, I'm afraid. My publishers, Random House, have approached a number of Spanish and Latin American publishing houses, but they are reluctant to publish a book about consensual incest in a predominantly catholic country, or so I've been told.

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  6. Wow! I really can't wait to read this! Adding it to my TBR list!! I always wonder if the author has any life experience that they put into their books? Thanks for sharing with us and Thanks for the giveaway!
    mestith at gmail dot com

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    1. No experience of incest I'm relieved to say, but plenty of experience of mental health issues: depression, bipolar, suicidal thoughts, all of which feature in one or more of my books.

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  7. Guess I should have left my e-mail:

    sandiedotwhiteatlivedotcom

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  8. I'm a reader, not a writer. Usually this is a genre that I would pass right over, but after reading your interview, I'm intrigued. This is a subject that we all know about, but rarely hear about.

    I have two questions:

    1) How long did it take you to write this book?

    2) How long or will you ever be able to let go of these two teens? After you bring them to life, it seems it would be difficult to let them go.

    sandie.white@live.com

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    1. It took me about 10 months to write the book and then maybe another two to do the revisions.

      I will never be able to let go of Lochan and Maya - or their siblings. In the same way as I will never be able to let go of any other of my main characters. Once you have created a character, invested so much of your time and energy and self into that person, they become as real as your best friend and part of you forever.

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  9. I love Forbidden. The story still haunts me until this day. I also love your other stories, and especially how they have they have this psychological aspect to it, as well as a form of moral dilemma. It's wonderful to read an interview about you. I'm a fan.

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad to hear you loved my other books too. :-)

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  10. To say I have been a long time fan is an gross understatement. I think Tabitha knows that I'd steal or rob a bank to get money to buy one of her books - LOL. For me, the only thing missing is a signed copy :( - her books are all on my top shelf, in hardcover, no less!

    I run a book club, and did a session on Tabitha's novels, promoting not only the prose, but the quality and genius in her writing. Since being a fan of her Facebook page, I've come to understand her more as a person: passionate, flawed, profound, slightly mad, and an entity beyond herself when writing. For Tabitha, just to get through one day is sometimes a Herculean effort - the crises, the mishaps, the sheer number of crazy things that go on is almost unbelievable.

    I've read a zillion books - at least every 2nd to 3rd day I start a new one. When I read Forbidden for the first time, I peddled it out like it was chocolate to any girl/woman/grandmother I knew. I was relentless in my pursuit to have everyone read it and share in the knowledge of Tabitha's writing - to be inspired of the gift she has given us. I went to all my favorite bookstores, told the tellers to read it, and stole the little cards by other books that say "Hot Read" and placed one on her book. I was determined that no one will overlook this novel.

    I know that Tabitha approaches the tough subjects, for this I thank her - my counselling background is happy-dancing that she is giving a medium to many issues that are either not discussed or mis-handled in ignorance.

    My question is: How do you feel about writing about these topics? Racism issues between close friends, teens dealing with their own sexuality (gender confusion, fetishes, homosexuality, masturbation), or a teen falling in love with a friend's mother/father, or opposite, a parent falling in love with a friend of their own son/daughter. Another storyline in my head: a young adult, raised very rural, just turns legal age and wins the country's largest ever lottery...how much does it change them? Do they retain any of their former world? And how will they know real vs. being wanted only for their money? Or what about girl teens who hide their pregnancy full term under baggy sweaters and even their parents do not know they are expecting. Often these girls give birth in bathrooms or in alleyways... thinking that the shame will kill their families. Heart-wrenching. Are you most comfortable working in the young adult realm - if so, why?

    I work in a high school (12 years now). I've seen it all. I could provide you with a list of REAL life things teens go through - you would be shocked, you would be awed, your heart would break, and you would never sleep the same again in fear of what children are doing in and out of school. Our children deal with TOO much, and they are ill equipped to do so. Keep writing Tabitha, there are too many topics you need to conquer yet.

    Anj Chandra Tarris
    B.C., Canada
    anjchandra25@hotmail.com

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    1. Thank you for your message. Your experience in schools sounds harrowing. Yes, I completely agree that children have to deal with far too much at an increasingly young age.

      I love writing about hard-hitting topics. I love writing about things I am passionate about, things I have experience of, things that have hurt or affected me in the past that I now want to put down in writing and share with others. With my first novel, I started out writing it for adults, but it quickly turned into a YA book because the characters were still teens (albeit 18 and at university). So I think my choice of subject matter and the fact that I like writing about young people is why I've ended up a YA author. I'd like to write for adults too though, at some point.

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  11. Thank you so much for sharing this interview with us. I had Forbidden on my 'to read list' for months and months but I was just too terrified to read it. I knew that it would rip my heart out and that I would potentially shock me like never before, and yes it did, but I don't regret it in the slightest.
    I am very lucky in the sense that I come from a loving family where I've never had to deal with anything remotely similar to the children in Forbidden. Throughout my reading the book I was forever thinking to myself 'how can we blame these two for ending up in their situation?' I felt like you really couldn't and that is all thanks to Tabitha's writing. She makes you forget what you think you should feel and makes you question everything you have known. Who are we to judge?
    Since Forbidden I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Hurt and am pleased to see it's now only a few months away!

    I'd really love to know, from Tabitha, what her family felt about her writing and what their reaction was? Mainly when they knew what Forbidden was about. I can't even begin to imagine what my family would think if they knew I wrote about incest!

    My e-mail address is: strwberrysuprise@hotmail.com

    Thank you, Tabitha and Ensconced in YA.

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    1. That's great, I'm so glad you had that reaction to the book.

      As for my family - they have been pretty tolerant. They all read 'Forbidden' and said they loved it. My 24-year-old brother even read it on the tube, which I think is pretty brave of him given the cover! I remember casually bringing up the topic of writing a book about sibling incest whilst talking to my older brother one night. He seemed totally unfazed. Mind you, by then I had already written three books about mental illness, several articles about my own mental health problems, an article for the Telegraph about our physically abusive late father, and given an interview to the Evening Standard. That interview turned into a double-paged spread about a family of five children (us) 'struck down by a force beyond our control' (mental illness).

      A few years after I was first published, one of my sisters went into editing and now works for a major publishing house. I don't think it's always easy on her. When I told her the plot of my next book (which will feature a threesome) she shouted half-laughingly, 'Why can't you write about something normal for once! I'm sick to death of people [in the industry] coming up to me and saying, 'Oh, are you related to that author who wrote the book about incest?'' Poor thing! It doesn't help that we have a unique family name. But as I've already suggested, she can always change her name by deed poll!

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  12. It will be in Spanish? I wish it were in Estonian, too. Very few books get translated into Estonian (from what I'd like to read) :d
    The description came as a surprise, but after reading the review I really want to read the book! I wish my comment was any more interesting than it is, but my head is running blank at the worst possible situations.
    So I wish all the best to everyone, and now I'll head to Goodreads to add this to my TBR (:

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    1. Thank you! As I said in response to a comment above, there are sadly no current plans to publish FORBIDDEN in Spanish or Estonian... But hopefully my passionate Spanish-speaking readers will help change that! :-)

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  13. I've followed Tabitha on Facebook pretty much from the moment I finished reading Forbidden (okay, that's a half-truth -- it was from the minute I stopped crying over the ending of Forbidden), because something inside tugged at me to get to know the person who so deftly handled a controversial issue. Unlike some, I didn't go into the book with the preconception that incest is automatically icky and wrong - possibly because I'm a role-player and a writer at heart, and characters of mine have been through almost every conceivable thing I can put them through, and yes, consentual incest has been on the list. That helped me to understand more about the strength and uncharacteristic nature of love -- very often you don't choose love, but instead it chooses you. So I wanted to reach out to one of the few people I'd ever seen who could portray something like an incestuous relationship as stabilizing, even healing to the people involved.

    Great interview, and I was glad to see the insight into more of her experiences and process.

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    1. Thank you. That's really interesting that you too have written about characters going through a consensual incestuous relationship. During my research, I really struggled to find other novels dealing with the subject.

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  14. I haven't read Forbidden yet because I am not quite sure about it, but I have heard lots of people talking about it on the internet and seems like its quite the catch ! And I definitely see myself reading this book in the near future because I am curious about it. Mainly because the plot is unlike any other book that I have heard of.
    My Question for Tabitha is does she approve such a tabooed relationship?

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    1. That's a tricky question! I guess my only answer is that I really don't believe it's for me to judge. Or for anyone else to judge, for that matter. Not unless you've walked a mile in the couple's shoes. I think that's a big reason as to why I wanted to write about this topic... Also, there is no such thing as one kind of consensual incestuous relationship. Like all relationships, some could be good and some could be bad. It doesn't HAVE to be wrong just because the two people in question are biologically related. But as developed and open minded as we like to think we are these days I still wouldn't wish such a relationship on my greatest enemy. The stigma, taboo and judgements flying out from all directions would make a happy incestuous relationship virtually impossible.

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  15. I somehow think that "hating" something, whether it be school, or injustice meted out by a relative, or being picked on for being different, can be the match that lights the blue touch paper of creativity; a desire not only to pour out the emotion on the page, but to manipulate the situation to a conclusion that in some way dissipates the hatred, or at least reduces it to a manageable size and allows one to view it through a normal lens rather than a magnifying one. Tabitha, your work is stunning, unique and touches hearts, minds and hidden pains. Thank you

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    1. There certainly does seem to be some relation between suffering and creativity. Not always, of course, but my mental health problems have hugely influenced my writing and the subjects I choose to write about.

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  16. I hadn't heard of Tabitha before until I was staying at a friends and I saw the book in her spare room so I gave the first chapters a read and I was begging her older sister to let me take it home to finish off; which she did! Now when I first started reading Forbidden, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.. But when I started reading.. I COULDN'T STOP. I felt sucked into the book. It was beautiful. I found myself wishing and hoping as hard as I could for Maya and Lochan to be able to stay together even though incest is wrong. I found myself getting a different out-look of consensual incest; I found that it didn't seem weird and disgusting as I thought it sounded. The story itself is beautifully written and addicting. I think that the book gave me a different look on love. It showed me that love is possible between anyone; even brother and sister (not that I would consider it with my own sibling. I have a twin brother who has Asperger's Syndrome and Autism (thankfully it's a mild case) and I have always been protective over him and looked after him aswell as my parents. I felt like I could relate to Maya in a way. My Dad and Mum live together and she isn't an alcoholic. Nor do I have three other siblings to look after on my own but like Maya because I had to grow up early (in order to protect my brother) and because of that, I don't really enjoy things that kids my age enjoy. I hang around with people a couple of years older than me, I find more adult conversations interesting as well as adult humour and wit. I stay inside a lot an don't really socialise with the outside world. Like Tabitha, music has always been a part of my life. When I was in primary school, I used to listen to music from the 80's and 60's (I was a very out of date child)and then when I got into first year, I discovered bands like Linkin Park, Green Day and Three Days Grace which automatically got me labelled as a freak, cutter, goth emo ect and I started to loath school. No matter where I went people always wanted to have a pick at me for the way I was and I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. I hated my classmates as they singled me out (and still do). I started to feel like there was no way out and I was stuck.. I would cry myself to sleep, hide myself in the school toilets... Then I found my music again and I always had my phone and a set of ear buds and when things seemed grey and dull, all I had to do was press the play button and my worries would go away. When I read about how Tabitha went through a hard time at school ect. I didn't feel as bad. I really love her books. They have so much meaning and her writing style is just - I can't even describe it! I can't wait for Hurt and I hope to read some more of your books soon! I really enjoyed reading the interview. It was interesting and let you get to know Tabitha that little bit more. I hope that you keep writing because you do an amazing jog at it!

    Karis
    karisimo@lie.co.uk

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    1. * karisimo@live.co.uk

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    2. Hi Karis, thanks so much for your message. I was really interested to read about your own life story, and very sorry to hear that you've been through such a rough time. Sounds like your brother is extremely lucky to have you - not many sisters would prioritize looking after their autistic brother. Before I started writing full time, I worked as an SEN teacher and most of the students I taught had Asperger's/Autism. So I know what a challenge the condition can be. No wonder you relate to the struggles and isolation that Lochan and Maya had to endure.

      Like you, I used to hide out in the toilets at school. I wasn't bullied, but I just didn't like my so-called friends much and needed time alone. I spent most of my school days living in my head as a way of escaping it all. And music and good books were my greatest refuge. It sounds like we have a lot in common. Things got easier for me as I grew up. I hope they do for you too.

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  17. I honestly don't remember how I came across the description of Forbidden on goodreads. But I remember thinking "wow, shit i need to read this",& feeling daring and rebellious and buying a hardcover copy on Amazon.
    I was born and raised for 13 years in a country ruled by the Catholic Church. I hated it,parents constantly shoving their hypocritical beliefs down my throats while the hard core Church goers gossip, cheat and gamble after mass. I wanted to throw them like you threw your classmate's shoe or be the ultimate sinner and burn the church. I'm not an atheist but I don't like being told what to do or forced to act a certain way or I'll burn in hell.
    ANYWAYS, your book Forbidden has changed the way I think. I've become open minded. You may think this is Bullshit but I swear to everything holy that and I'm just trying to kiss ass. But no,I'm being honest. I bought extra copies and sent them to my home country to my cousins,since I know they won't have it there because of what its about.They thought I was sick for reading it and I told them they were idiots for not reading it first before talking crap. And as I already knew, they loved it after reading.

    I want to thank you and that pretty mind of your for coming up with stories that are shocking and controversial. For being unique, having the balls to write books that aren't all about that sappy sweet romance with impossible-in-real-life happy endings.
    I've read your posts on Facebook, can't imagine the struggle,how stressful and how much of a pain in the ass it must be writing and editing. Hell, i don't I could have finished anything if i were you. Please know that your hard work is greatly appreciated. I can't wait to get mind fucked by Hurt:)

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    1. Sorry for the typos I didn't get to review it. Using mobile has its disadvantages.

      1.You may think this is Bullshit (but I swear to everything holy I am not) and I'm just trying to kiss ass.
      2. pretty mind of yours
      3. Hell, I don't think I could have finished anything if I were you.

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    2. Haha, thank you for your enthusiasm! I'm so glad that 'Forbidden' had such an effect on you. Thank you for helping to promote it!

      Yes, if you know me from Facebook, you know the rollercoaster life I ride! It's tough, writing is tough when I'm unwell (which is unfortunately most of the time) but I still know I am incredibly fortunate to be able to do it, and have the chance to reach out and get to know so many interesting people like yourself through my books.

      Delete
  18. Interesting topic. I wonder how the view on incest has changed over the centuries? For instance, wasn't it common for royal families to intermarry?
    Now I'm thinking about inter racial marriages. Although it is getting better (even with the Cheerios commercial incident), why does it seem to bother people so much. Is it a race thing or some deep ingrained territorial instinct?
    Well, that's enough thinking for today.

    coll

    colleen at myartsite dot com

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    Replies
    1. Interesting question but not one I really have a reply to, I'm afraid. There is some kind of inbuilt prejudice in humankind that rails against anything perceived as being 'different' or 'weird'. It's as if we are all somehow biologically wired to want to be the same and have to use our intellect and compassion to overcome that basic instinct. Unfortunately many people are unable to do that.

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  19. I can certainly understand how siblings could fall for each other. While yes it is deemed wrong it is understandable when their put into certain situations. I still remember reading Flowers in the Attic when I was younger and the huge outcry from that. I've always found it kind of fascinating. While I've never had nor will have romantic feelings for my brothers, It's interesting to see how that could come about. I will definitely be reading this one and others from you! :) Thanks for the interview.
    -Amber
    goodblinknpark(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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    1. Pleasure. A lot of US readers compared 'Forbidden' to 'Flowers in the Attic' when it first came out but I have actually never read any of her books.

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    2. I remember I read it for a school project originally. The series actaully kind of bored me. I find all these "taboo" subjects fascinating. I cant wait to read yours. :)

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  20. I have four questions for Ms. Tabitha:

    1. I think it was really bold of you to write about incest. What made you decide to write about it?

    2. Before releasing the book, do you ever have doubts about it (i.e. people might not reading it because of the sensitive topic)?

    3. What's the particular scene that you had the most hard time writing?

    4. And if given a chance, will you change the ending of the story? Or will you change any scenes/parts of the story?

    Those are the questions that are bugging me. Hope you can answer those. :)


    operativealyssa [at] yahoo [dot] com

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    1. 1. I have to answer that question with a link, I'm afraid, as the answer would be too long to type out here. But my US publishers asked me to explain to my US readers the reasons for my choice of topic and so this was my response:
      http://books.simonandschuster.com/Forbidden/Tabitha-Suzuma/9781442419957/behind_the_book

      2. I was terrified it wasn't even going to get published. It was commissioned, in that my publishers paid me and accepted the premise of the story in advance. But I initially promised there would be no sex scene. I knew as soon as I started writing the book that any 'glossing over' or 'tasteful fade to black' would be a cop out on my behalf and that a sex scene - and a fairly detailed one at that - was totally necessary for the book to genuinely be about incest. So yes, I was really scared when I submitted the finished draft to my publishers and then once I'd got over that hurdle, was terrified that once it came out it would be banned from all bookshops and libraries and schools because of the topic. I was scared too of receiving hate mail, or at least angry mail - especially from parents who found their teenagers reading the book. But I was pleasantly surprised!

      3. Well, there were two. The initial kiss, and then of course, the 'scenes of a sexual nature'. I'm not at all prudish and don't embarrass easily, but I was acutely aware that my close friends and family were going to be reading this - my kid brother, my godson when he grew up. Most of all though, I was worried that those scenes would come off as farcical, non-believable. I needed it to be romantic but I had to keep it realistic - a difficult balance.

      4. A lot of people have asked me about providing an alternative ending to the story. I always reply they should feel free to make up their own but I suffered through writing that end - I was right there, beside my characters, and that was the end that fit the book for me. It was the only end that felt right. I set out to write a romantic tragedy. I hope that is what I achieved.

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  21. I read this interview on June 9 when it was posted and have been trying to decide exactly what I want to say since then. See, I am really good with words when I am speaking, but when it comes to writing my thoughts (or typing them) they get all mixed up and I can't seem to get out what my point is. Since your interview really touched me, and the topic of your book fascinates me on so many levels, I want this to make sense. Honestly, I would have already bought it, but I am a single mother with a disability living off SSI and am currently living in a shelter. I don't have what you would call a glamorous life by any means. I may not be able to afford to buy books very often to support authors, but I do what I can with promoting books and authors that I love, and the book blogs that support those authors and books that I love by tweeting, posting on FB, and Google +1-ing as much as I can. I also write reviews, and I am hoping at some point to start a blog of my own. I hope that by doing these things I can even convince one person to go out and buy that book and write a review.

    This is not the first time I have heard of this book. I was immediately interested when I saw it the first time on another blog. I can relate to what these characters have gone through in a way, and also to what people's reactions to the subject matter has been before they read the book. No, I haven't committed incest, but I have been through things in my life that would definitely surprise people, they wouldn't guess it just by looking at me, and if they don't know the full story, they may write me off as a loser, a waste of life, someone that they wouldn't want to be associated with. It doesn't help that my disability is something that you can't visibly see, and I wasn't born with it, so many of my family members think I should be able to get past it and move on. A lot of what I am saying probably doesn't make sense if you don't actually know my story, but I don't know that this is the place to share that story. I fear people may judge me since they don't actually know me. So I will leave it at that and just say that I understand in a way how these characters may have felt.

    My email is centerstagegirly AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time, Rachel. 'Invisible' disabilities or illnesses are so hard to bear because so often if people can't see them, they don't believe in them. My mental health problems (depression and bipolar tendencies) are severe enough to make me eligible for Disability Living Allowance, and to have a profound effect on my ability to work, but no one who knows me personally would ever consider me disabled or even seriously unwell. So I relate to that very much. Thank you for your message. I hope things improve for you very soon.

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  22. Thanks for the giveaway! I love to read! I don't know what I would do if I could not read! My email is gnharris92@gmail.com

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    1. Pleasure! Reading kept me alive during my childhood years and teens.

      Delete
  23. This might be a totally random questions:

    What's your favorite book/s?
    And if you'll be given a chance to meet personally any person in this world, who would it be?
    Aside from reading and writing, what are the other things that occupies you whenever you're at home? :)


    operativealyssa (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  24. Favorite books:
    The Hours - Michael Cunningham
    An Unquiet Mind - Kay Redfield Jamison
    The Pursuit of Happiness - Douglas Kennedy
    We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
    The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell

    YA FAVOURITES
    Say Goodnight, Gracie - Julie Reece Deaver
    I am The Cheese - Robert Cormier
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
    Looking for JJ - Anne Cassidy
    Stranger With My Face - Lois Duncan

    Meet any person in the world?
    Hm, that's tricky. There are many... Living? Probably Malala Yousafzai.

    Things that occupy me at home?
    Music, music and music. Taking care of my godsons. Teaching. Psychology.

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  25. Right after I finished my first year in university, I couldn’t wait to start reading books related to other things besides stats, the division of cells and the origins of the bible. I needed some drama. Then I asked a friend, who unconditionally love romance and drama, to recommend me a good book and she said “Read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. I swear to God you won’t stop crying”
    So I was a bit skeptical since I never cry reading love books except one time when a fan fiction touched so deeply in my heart. Anyways, I read the plot and… two siblings falling in love? A love this devastating has no happy ending? I immediately knew this was going to be interesting since I am writing an incest book myself. I started reading the book and I found myself caught in a devastating family situation where the approach of love between two siblings was being introduced so subtly that I didn´t even noticed the moment when their relationship changed. I found myself awake at 4 am in the morning still reading and I just couldn’t believe it. All I wanted was to read their first kiss. When I read it, all I wanted was to read how much they needed to touch. When I read that all I wanted was to read how they finally became one in body and soul. When that happened I just dreamt about a happy ending. Obviously I knew that was never going to happen. Then they were discovered and the first tear rolled down my cheek. Lochie in jail lying to save his beloved Maya… then Maya accepting they both agreed to sleep together … for a moment I thought he was going to escape when he climbed the jail wall and run away as fast as possible and disappear but instead he killed himself!!!!!

    Dear lord! I was literally on the floor, crying desperately as the end was approaching. When Maya though about killing herself after the funeral, i felt hope. Perhaps they would be together after all either in heaven or hell, but together… I hated her so much when she desisted of such idea. Then I read the last page and… for a couple of hours I cried as if the world was over. My heart ached. How the author could kill Lochie? And why!!!

    Then, when I calmed down I looked for the author on Facebook and sent her a message congratulating her for writing such a marvelous book, such a marvelous love story!

    Tabitha, you have definitely marked my life. I don’t think I will be able to find a better heart breaking story ever. You are simply the drama queen! And I love you for that!

    Please, never stop writing. My heart is recomposing and we need to tear it apart again. 
    It is super nice to know your source of inspiration and how you addressed such a complex theme that incest is. It is rare indeed but it happens!

    I love writing! I think is the only way to exist forever, never age, and remain immortal. You already are immortal.

    All the best,

    Tifany Segovia.

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    1. Already immortal?? Wow, one of the nicest compliments I've ever received Tifany.

      I am truly delighted that FORBIDDEN moved you so much. This is the aim of all my books, to communicate thoughts, stories, and most importantly emotions to my readers. FORBIDDEN was a tough one to write. That ending had me in tears and pacing the corridors of my house for nights on end...

      But don't worry, HURT is another tragedy so your heart will get another battering - I promise! :)

      Delete
  26. Right after I finished my first year in university, I couldn’t wait to start reading books related to other things besides stats, the division of cells and the origins of the bible. I needed some drama. Then I asked a friend, who unconditionally love romance and drama, to recommend me a good book and she said “Read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. I swear to God you won’t stop crying”
    So I was a bit skeptical since I never cry reading love books except one time when a fan fiction touched so deeply in my heart. Anyways, I read the plot and… two siblings falling in love? A love this devastating has no happy ending? I immediately knew this was going to be interesting since I am writing an incest book myself. I started reading the book and I found myself caught in a devastating family situation where the approach of love between two siblings was being introduced so subtly that I didn´t even noticed the moment when their relationship changed. I found myself awake at 4 am in the morning still reading and I just couldn’t believe it. All I wanted was to read their first kiss. When I read it, all I wanted was to read how much they needed to touch. When I read that all I wanted was to read how they finally became one in body and soul. When that happened I just dreamt about a happy ending. Obviously I knew that was never going to happen. Then they were discovered and the first tear rolled down my cheek. Lochie in jail lying to save his beloved Maya… then Maya accepting they both agreed to sleep together … for a moment I thought he was going to escape when he climbed the jail wall and run away as fast as possible and disappear but instead he killed himself!!!!!

    Dear lord! I was literally on the floor, crying desperately as the end was approaching. When Maya though about killing herself after the funeral, i felt hope. Perhaps they would be together after all either in heaven or hell, but together… I hated her so much when she desisted of such idea. Then I read the last page and… for a couple of hours I cried as if the world was over. My heart ached. How the author could kill Lochie? And why!!!

    Then, when I calmed down I looked for the author on Facebook and sent her a message congratulating her for writing such a marvelous book, such a marvelous love story!

    Tabitha, you have definitely marked my life. I don’t think I will be able to find a better heart breaking story ever. You are simply the drama queen! And I love you for that!

    Please, never stop writing. My heart is recomposing and we need to tear it apart again. 
    It is super nice to know your source of inspiration and how you addressed such a complex theme that incest is. It is rare indeed but it happens!

    I love writing! I think is the only way to exist forever, never age, and remain immortal. You already are immortal.

    All the best,

    Tifany Segovia.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've read that the character who surprised you is Kit. Same for me. You depicted his character perfectly. It felt real. At first,I wanted to kick his ass.Godds, I could feel the stress of Lochan for having a 13 year old brother who's rebellious and stubborn as hell. But towards the end, I finally understood where he's coming from. He's young, at his age he's supposed to enjoy his teenage life and seek guidance to his parents but sadly their mom won't do her responsibilities. So he just finds comfort to his friends who influenced him in doing such horrible things. I felt his pain and suffering,he's not supposed to feel that way. He's just a child after all who needs attention, love and care from his family. And when Lochan died, that's where I found the goodness in him. He changed for the better and took the liberty to protect his siblings.

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    1. Hi Mara,
      I'm really glad that your opinion of Kit changed during the book. That is what I set out to do. I know for many it was difficult to forgive him but I wanted him to be a realistic, difficult, troubled teenager but at the same time show that he had 'covered' for Lochan and Maya for some time without telling anyone, and only let the cat out of the bad when his temper got the better of him when he was taken off the rock climbing team and made fun of by his friends. At that age, something like that can really, really hurt, especially if you are already quite insecure, and so he went to his mother to tell on his siblings in purely a fit of anger, as revenge, hoping they would get told off but never, ever expecting the outcome that did actually unfold. In many ways I felt desperately sorry for Kit - he would have to live with what he had done for the rest of his life. What a terrible burden for one so young...

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  28. I think this sounds like an amazing story and I relish in taboo tellings. Who is to say what is right and wrong in any situation without living it yourself. It's wrong in societies eyes but is something that is part of life. I think we are all curious as to anything taboo, I know I am. I have lived a somewhat sheltered life. One of the reasons I love getting lost in a book is it takes me on a journey and I experience something through the words of an author or character. I read and loved Flowers in The Attic in Highschool. I fell in love with the story and I couldn't have imagined them not being together despite their relation. I remember doing a book report on it in my junior year where I gushed about my love for the book, the characters and the story itself. I used quotes that were very descriptive and tried to get my point across. All in all, I got an ok grade for something I thought was A+ work and a note about the fact I should have been more concerned about the relationship the characters had and a disapproving look from the teacher. What she didn't get was that even though the book touched on such a taboo act, it was the story itself that captured me and the journey the characters went on. I haven't read anything by V.C. Andrews in years nor have I re-read Flowers in The Attic but I count in among my favorite reads. Would I feel the same now, years later and through adult eyes? I have no idea but that is something to look into :) I think this book sounds amazing and I cannot wait to read your story and get lost in your words!

    june111(at)att(dot)net

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    1. That's really interesting, Jolene. I used to be a teacher myself and it really annoys me when teachers overlook a reader's passion. You're also right to look for more in a story than the shock or central factor. Forbidden is a book about incest, yes, but it's also a book about child-carers, family dynamics, prejudice, pathological shyness, adolescence, poverty, loyalty, strength and resilience and love so strong in children as young as Willa (5).

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  29. I never loved school but I hated high school and only stayed for less than two years before moving onto homeschooling for health reasons. I don't miss it - well, apart from the experiences I'll miss out on and the library was pretty good too. While I don't go to the sea very often, I love that its where you go for inspiration. I've written by the ocean before, with the water only metres away and sun shining and it was lovely. That was in the summertime here in Australia so I can't imagine swimming in England, in February, in hail. I guess when inspiration strikes! ;)

    I haven't read Forbidden (but I want to!) and Hurt is on my to-read list so hopefully I'll have the chance to read you soon! You're books sounds amazing in the way they impact and effect (or so I've heard) so that makes me even more excited because I love contemporary, especially hard hitting ones that stop and make you think and FEEL.

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    1. As a teen and adult, I too have always gravitated towards books that have made me feel. To me, it's more important than anything to share the character's emotions and that is the mark of a good writer. I invest a lot of my own emotions and past experiences into my characters to help keep it real. I know I make my readers suffer, but I hope that it's worth it and that they come out a slightly changed person as a result. I don't want to write light reads that you forget about within a week. My greatest goal is to write books that stay with the reader forever. :)

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  30. Thank you so much to EVERYONE who took part in this giveaway and sorry I wasn't able to answer all your comments - things have been rather difficult at home recently. Hence too, the reason for this late announcement - thank you for your patience. I was truly touched by ALL the comments, the encouragements, the insightful questions, the honesty and bravery of those who chose to share a part of their own difficulties with me. Every comment touched me in a way that I cannot put in to words, so thank you all so much.

    Unfortunately there can be only 3 winners so in no particular order, the ones I have chosen after a great, great deal amount of consideration are:

    Anj Chandra Tarris
    anjchandra25@hotmail.com

    Karis
    karisimo@lie.co.uk

    Rachel Edmundson
    centerstagegirly@yahoo.com

    Could the 3 winners message me on Facebook
    https://www.facebook.com/tabitha.suzuma
    giving me:

    1. The name you would like me to dedicate the book to.

    2. Your choice of book:
    Forbidden
    A Note of Madness
    A Voice in the Distance
    From Where I Stand
    Without Looking Back
    (HURT is not yet available but if you are willing to wait I can send you a copy on Sept 5th)

    3. Your full postal address, including country and line breaks (as it should appear on the envelope)

    I am shortly doing another giveaway on Facebook, so do join me there if you haven't already:
    https://www.facebook.com/tabitha.suzuma

    Thank you again and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Big thanks to Ensconced in YA for running this competition and for the interesting interview questions.

    Happy reading to you all!

    Tabitha x

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