In conversation with Suzanne van Rooyen

Suzanne van Rooyen is one of those wonderful people I've met through bookish things, and I recently reviewed her YA SF novel, I Heart Robot. You can read the review here. Anyhoo, she's graciously stopped by today to sit in the hot seat for a little Q&A.

Welcome, Suzanne! You've got less than thirty seconds to tell someone what I Heart Robot is about. Go!

I Heart Robot is about a girl who loves music and a robot-boy who loves music, and about how that girl and robot-boy accidentally discover they might love each other even when their world conspires against them.

What are some of the defining moments of the story?

Almost impossible without giving away spoilers, but since it's obvious from the blurb, I'd say the moment Quinn and Tyri first see each other, which isn't necessarily when they first meet ;) Both characters also have pretty firm beliefs, which are put to the test and they each have to face pretty daunting situations that result in a paradigm shift.

What are some of the underlying themes that you explore in the narrative?

What it means to be human is the overarching theme, and whether or not human creations can ever become more then human. The story also deals a lot with tolerance and acceptance, the theme of discrimination and civil rights. The idea of equality is a major theme, especially the question of who (or perhaps what, for some) deserves rights.

Tell us a bit more about your primary characters. Who are they? What are their goals, and what are some of the challenges that they face?

Tyri is a 16yr old girl who lives with her single-parent, workaholic mom. She loves music and plays the violin with aspirations of one day becoming a professional musician in a world that is becoming more and more utilitarian. She primarily wears black (and can look good rocking ten different shades at once!) and sticks all her favourite scores to her ceiling. She's not a huge fan of raspberry jam. At the start of the book, Tyri's biggest challenge is getting her family and friends to take her passion for music seriously. She feels isolated and more than a little lost as she drifts away from her longtime boyfriend and tries to stay true to who she is despite outside pressure to be someone she's not.

Quinn is a rogue android, hiding out from a troubled past in a robot squatter camp. His biggest challenges involve trying to fuel up without being robbed by fellow robots and evading capture by the humans. He is also a musician and his major goal in life is to show the humans that he is more than just metal and electronics by playing music as well as any human being. Quinn is a pacifist and tries to distance himself from the increasing conflict between robots and humans, but seems to find himself caught up in the storm the more he tries to stay out of it.

As a South African living and working abroad, how does this affect you? Do you miss South Africa? Do you feel your experiences inform your writing? 

This affects me in unexpected ways, for example, I have never met my agent in person and have no idea when I might ever get that opportunity. Similarly, I miss out on a lot of marketing and publicity opportunities because these efforts are often concentrated in the US at conventions that are just too expensive for me to attend on a regular basis. Also, getting to the US from Sweden is no mean feat and I still have my day job to consider.

I definitely miss my friends and family still in South Africa and there were many parts of my life there that I loved - like getting away for weekends and going hiking in the Drakensberg. Also, don't get me started on all the edibles I miss! Thankfully, when the SA post office isn't on strike, my mom sends me parcels with Ouma rusks and Woolies fudge.

Being an immigrant and having lived now in four countries on three continents has definitely informed my writing. I never would've set I Heart Robot in a futuristic Scandinavia if I hadn't moved to the north and had those experiences to draw from. I've also been lucky enough to travel fairly extensively in Europe - from Russia to Iceland - and have experienced a range of cultures. Being an immigrant mingling with other immigrants has also opened my eyes to the kaleidoscopic nature of the human experience and I hope that I can weave at least some of what I've gained by interacting with people and cultures well outside my comfort zone into my stories.

What books are you currently reading, and what do you like about them?

I'm reading my first Andrew Smith novel, The Alex Crow. I like how out-there this story is and how authentic the voice of the teenage boy is. Authenticity in YA is a big thing for me and I appreciate the honesty in this novel. I've also just read The Martian by Andy Weir and it was the first time I've ever read what might count as hard sci-fi and been unable to put the book down. It was gripping and engaging and had me turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. Weir sure can create tension in his work, and he writes with humor - something I'm still trying to do more of.

Travel destinations often say a lot about people. What's currently at the top of your bucket list, and why?

Somewhere with sandy beaches, sunshine and cocktails served with tiny umbrellas in them. I would do anything for a tropical island getaway after this miserable winter we've had. My big dream is to one day go diving in the Galapagos islands. I would also love to stay in one of those little log cabins on stilts in the ocean like they have in French Polynesia. Give me sunshine and cocktails, and I'll be happy!

Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won't belittle her musical aspirations.

Q-I-99 aka 'Quinn' lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.

Tyri and Quinn's worlds collide when they're accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn's love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?

Excerpt:

We hold each other’s gaze, her hazel eyes so warm and full of humanity. If eyes are the windows to the soul, I wonder what Tyri sees in mine.
“I still think if I concentrated on something other than music, I could do something worthwhile, you know?” She says.
“Like what?”
“Like getting involved. Being proactive. Be the change you want to see and all that. Music isn’t important.” She fidgets with her sleeves, tearing a thread loose at the seam.
“Why’s it not important?”
“Because playing the violin won’t change anything; it won’t give my life meaning. I—” She pauses and frowns as I scowl. In one sentence, this girl has managed to dismiss my entire purpose.

More about Suzanne:
Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Sweden and is busy making friends with the ghosts of her Viking ancestors. Although she has a master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When she grows up, she wants to be an elf – until then, she spends her time (when not writing) wall climbing, buying far too many books, and entertaining her shiba inu, Lego. Her books include The Other Me (Harmony Ink) and I Heart Robot (Month9Books).

I Heart Robot by Suzanne van Rooyen #review

Title: I Heart Robot
Author: Suzanne van Rooyen
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC, 2014

I’ll be upfront and say that I’ve never really been a fan of stories where one of the viewpoint characters is some sort of artificial intelligence. My rationale has always been that the author faces incredible challenges in order to express a non-human sentience in such a way that it would feel authentic. Yet I’m happy to report that not only has Suzanne van Rooyen done a great job with her androids, but she kept me turning the pages.

I Heart Robot takes place in the distant future in the Scandinavian city of Baldur, during an era that tips its hat strongly at Philip K Dick’s universe, yet without the crushing despair one encounters in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. At its core, I Heart Robot is essentially a sweet romance meets technological thriller.

Tyri is a young, musically gifted woman who is torn between the sensible career path her mother and society expects of her, and her love for making music. Quinn is an android who has fled his abusive owners and is trying to make something of himself – by proving that he can pass for human. Playing as a solo violinist for symphony is just one of his dreams. And yes, we are presented with non-biological lifeforms that make us question where pre-programmed responses stop and individual agency takes over. Can androids even feel genuine emotion?

Though the music causes Tyri and Quinn’s paths to cross, there are greater forces at play as well. Growing social unrest results in tensions between human and robotic lifeforms, and Van Rooyen forces readers to ask: what makes a lifeform real? At the end of the day, only the building blocks differ. Whether a stew of blood, bone and hormone, or metal, cruor and synthetic skin – Van Rooyen’s characters are painted as vital and alive in their own sense of self.

While I Heart Robot may come across as a near-typical young adult SF read (yes, with an expected love triangle), Van Rooyen’s voice is lyrical and her world is populated with vibrant characters and a joyous sense of wonder. Even better, she does not shy away from adding a bit of grit to her narrative, sometimes in the most unexpected places. Bad things happen, and ordinary people are forced to act under extraordinary circumstances, resulting in a read that doesn’t quite go where you’d expect it to. Which is a good thing, if you ask me.

10 minutes with Suzanne van Rooyen #author

Part of the reason why I review books is so that I'm constantly exposed to new authors, and I've met some awesome people over the years. I'm happy to present fellow South African author Suzanne van Rooyen, who's scarily awesome. To give you a hint, she's into Neil Gaiman and Poppy Z Brite, which immediately makes her good people, in my books. As if it's not enough, she's also into music. I've recently read her novel, The Other Me, which I feel is how contemporary YA *should* be written. Go check the book out on Goodreads. I've been an annoying gushing fangrrrl by telling everyone to go out and buy that book immediately.

So, Suzanne, what do you love about Brite and Gaiman? 

Oh indeed! Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite was the first book I ever read twice, and then a third time. I just didn't want it to end so when I got to the last page, I just started from the beginning again. That book is what made me want to start writing. Ghost was also my first real book boyfriend and he'll always have a special place in my heart. As for Gaiman, my love for him began when I started reading his Sandman graphic novel series. The scope of those stories, the intricacies and complexities of the plots and worlds were mesmerizing and held me enthralled for years as I saved up my pocket money to buy each volume. I'm a huge fan of Gaiman, not only because of his writing but because of the way he views fame and talks about being an author. I love his candour and sense of humour.

The Other Me is, in my opinion, a brave book, because you treat subjects I suspect the bigger local publishers might shy away from. Your teens come across *exactly* as I remember my school days, warts and all. Can you share a little insight into the story?

Yeah, these aren't easy topics, least of all when in a South African setting. This story is extremely personal and was largely inspired by my own high school experiences attending a private all-girls Catholic school and feeling like a total freak. You can read more about that in my Dear Teen Me letter over here. This story had been rattling around in my head for a while. Gabriel – my male MC – was born first as an amalgamation of many of the beautiful but broken boys I knew growing up. Treasa was more complicated. I knew her story and who she wanted to be, but I didn't know how to tell her story in a way that might get my book published. In the end, I stopped caring about 'publishability' and just let Treasa tell her story without trying to censor or edit her. As nervous as I still am about this book being out there given its sensitive subject material and how much this story means to me, I'm so glad I gave my characters the freedom to be who they truly are - which is the core theme of this novel: having the courage to be your authentic self.

Your love of music shines through too (and this is probably why I related even more, because I studied music as a double subject for matric). Can you tell a little more about your background related to music?

Sure. I started playing piano when I was six and played my way through all the UNISA grades. I did music and music performance for Matric before going on to do a Bachelor's of Music and then a Master's in Music, Mind and Technology. I think I'll always be a musician first, a writer second. My current day job includes teaching music to 7th and 9th graders so music is still and always will be a huge part of my life. Like Treasa, in high school I was a choir nerd, I played piano and flute, and I don't think I would've survived my teenage years without my music – hence the musical theme in The Other Me.

For me it's the guitar, and possibly also the only reason why I made it through high school without doing something completely stupid. Can you tell us a little more about the publishing path that you've followed so far? What have been some of the challenges you've faced? And some of the highlights? 

I got published almost by accident to be honest. In 2010, a friend told me about NaNoWriMo. Up until then I'd only been writing for fun and never taken it too seriously. However, after continuing to work on the novel I started writing during that NaNoWriMo session, I toyed with the idea of getting published and submitted my story to an indie press on a whim. I knew very little about how the publishing industry worked and was totally unprepared for an offer to publish my novel. It was a baptism by fire, as they say, as I had to learn a hell of a lot about craft, publicity, editing and publishing in a few short months between signing the contract and seeing my book in print. It was surreal but it was also exactly what I needed at a time when I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. After that, I started pursuing publishing more seriously. After becoming a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition in 2012, I landed my US-based agent as well as my second book contract. It hasn't been an easy publishing path at all and I still have so much I want to achieve, but having had three books published in less than three years of taking this writing thing seriously feels like a major achievement unto itself.

Choose one person who absolutely inspires you (living or dead). Who? Why? 

Christopher McCandless, perhaps better known as Alexander Supertramp. His story as told by Jon Krakauer in the novel Into the Wild (which was also made into a stunningly beautiful movie), changed my life. Reading that book resulted in a major paradigm shift for me, from waiting to have money to start living and being happy to being happy with living the life I had regardless of my bank balance. While I don't think McCandless always made the best decisions, his fearless determination and ability to break free from societal expectation has been hugely inspiring.

If someone's interested in your writing, which three titles would you recommend, and in which order? 

The Other Me for sure - it's my newest YA novel and a departure from my usual science fiction writing.

Obscura Burning – a darker, edgier and weirder read for fans of both sci-fi and contemporary.

And then I strongly recommend waiting for my brand new YA science fiction novel titled I Heart Robot. That's due out in 2015 from Month9Books.

What are you reading at the moment? Why would you recommend this book? 

I'm going to cheat and talk about a book I just finished, The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely. I can't say enough good things about this book. It's a contemporary YA novel about a boy living in the wake of abuse at the hands of his local priest. It's a beautifully written novel that is raw and unapologetic, but always sensitive considering its somewhat controversial subject matter. This story broke my heart, left me with a major book hangover and will haunt me for months to come. For anyone who enjoys poignant stories about broken boys trying to put themselves back together then this is the book for you!

What's next on the schedule for you? What can your readers look out for? 

I Heart Robot is scheduled for release January 2015! I'm so excited about this book! It's about a girl who unwittingly falls in love with an android boy who is the only 'person' who gets her love of music. Music is a major theme in this novel too and it's set in a futuristic Scandinavia.

There should also be a second, and hopefully a third book, in the I Heart Robot series to look forward to as well.

I'm currently working on a New Adult science fiction novel in a similar vein to Obscura Burning, which I hope to have on submission with my agent later this year.

2014 is going to be a very busy writing year!

About the Author:
Suzanne is an author and peanut-butter addict from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance and music to middle-schoolers or playing in the snow with her shiba inu. She is rep'd by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

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