Suvudu Universe

I asked Eileen how she might describe herself as a writer. Her response was: I am a writer of powerful psychological thrillers, luring readers into the action and then compelling them to ponder. Please welcome science fiction author Eileen Schuh to No Wasted Ink.

I was born Eileen Fairbrother in the small prairie town of Tofield, Alberta Canada. I now live in the County of St. Paul in Alberta’s northern boreal forests and write under my married name, Eileen Schuh.

At the age when most are planning their retirement, I launched my writing career with my debut novel, THE TRAZ, the first in my young adult BackTracker series. Flicking through the pages of a book with my name on the cover as the author, was the fulfillment of a life-long dream. With half a century of stories pent up inside me, THE TRAZ was quickly followed by my first adult Sci-Fi and just 4 short years later, I have 6 published books to my credit.

When and why did you begin writing?

I wanted to write novels since I learned to read, which was before I started school. I was raised on a small dirt farm with no conveniences and little entertainment. Reading opened the world to me; I was mesmerized by the magic of the written word and by the power stories had over me. I wanted to wield that power.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve been a writer since the age of four. I have letters I wrote to my mom when I was in Grade I. I was very homesick when I was sent off to school (which was about a two-hour bus ride each day, one way). Mom told me when I got homesick to write her a letter. She kept some of them. Throughout my school years, I excelled at reading and writing and won many competitions. When I was in Grade 8, one of my short stories was published in the Wee Wisdom Magazine for Children.

I eventually got my Journalism Diploma and off-and-on throughout my child-rearing years, I plied my trade as a journalist, editor and feature writer. I also dabbled a bit in creative writing. However, with little uninterrupted time to hone my skills, I was never able to bring those early stories to fruition.

Eventually, with my children all successfully reared and on their own and the family business financially secure, I got to pursue the dream of being a novelist,

Can you share a little about your current book with us?

My latest release is my second adult Sci-Fi, a little near-future romance, entitled DISPASSIONATE LIES.

What inspired you to write this book?

I’m really worried about the inherent insecurities in the World Wide Web. We seem too dependent on a technology few understand. The internet is a more powerful tool than the atomic bomb, yet we don’t know who is controlling it. I let my imagination run wild as to what might happen in the near future if the web were to collapse, hoping society might take note and do something to strengthen internet security.

I realized that the shortfalls of cyberspace might be a dry topic to most readers so I decided I ought to spice my story up a bit. I had been told sex sells, so my original intention was to make my novel a bit steamy. However, my muses (as they often do) played a trick on me and my young heroine turned out to be a member of what the media in the year 2035 dubbed the ‘eunuch generation’—a generation of females born infertile and without libido.

Of course, the forbidden relationship is always the most alluring and I found a way to get around my muses.

Do you have a specific writing style?

My novels, whether gritty contemporary novels for teens (like my BackTracker Series) or science fiction for adults, are marketed as psychological thrillers. It is my firm belief that the most exciting and interesting things in life occur in people’s minds and hearts. I try to write my novels with a lesson for those readers who want one, and pure adventure and thrills for those seeking entertainment.

How did you come up with the title of this book?

I actually crowd-sourced the title on my facebook author page. Without telling my fans anything about the book, I asked which of four titles (all related to the novel) would make them most likely to pick up a book and read the back cover copy. DISPASSIONATE LIES got the most votes. Dispassion of course refers my heroine’s asexuality and lies…well, you’ll have to read the novel.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I really want people to not only consider the pitfalls of cyberspace, but also the environmental and biological risks inherent in our pharmacology industry. Perhaps the biggest message, though is: We ought to be more worried about who’s developing the quantum computer than who has weapons of mass destruction; quantum computing is where power of unprecedented strength will lie in the near future.

Are experiences in this book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Very much so. I have an entire section at the back of the novel with links to news and science headlines supporting the premises explored in my story. DISPASSIONATE LIES is eerily realistic. Take note.

What authors have most influenced your life? What about them do you find inspiring?

Jay Williams’ Danny Dunn series of children’s Sci-Fi got me hooked on that genre back in middle grade. Williams took science out of the boring textbooks and classrooms and made it fun and relevant. He made the possibilities for the future intriguing. His stories stayed with me and now I want to make today’s science fun and exciting for adults.

If you had to choose, is there a writer would you consider a mentor? Why?

I give much credit of my success to best-selling Canadian author, Cheryl Kaye Tardif, who has helped me immensely for many years, with everything from establishing my website to participating in the social networks, to believing in my work. When the time was right she also, through her company Imajin Books, became one of my publishers. My other publisher, Carol Hightshoe from WolfSinger Publications, is also an author and gave my science fiction dreams their voice.

Who designed the cover of your book? Why did you select this illustrator?

Lee Barlow Kuruganti is the cover artist for DISPASSIONATE LIES. Sci-Fi covers are notorious distinct with their digital other-world auras. Although the sexy lady on the cover surprised me utterly, I quickly came to accept that Kuruganti had done an excellent job. She incorporated many of my suggestions such as the sodium streetlamp lighting and the code markings. As is somewhat standard in the industry for traditionally published novels, my publisher chose the cover artist but did ask me for input on the design.

Lee Kuruganti’s claim to fame is that she won the competition to design the 2008 Hugo Award statue base. I feel quite honoured to have had her design the cover of my novel.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I frequently lament the decades of writing I lost to raising kids and undertaking other major life adventures but I understand now why that was exactly the right path to follow. I urge all those for whom writing is an obsessive passion to ensure that they sacrifice their keyboards to live fully and abundantly and to not be unhappy doing so. As intriguing as the imaginary world of words is, reality is infinitesimally more rewarding and important. LIVE IT!

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Please, please leave me a review. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just saying if you liked it or not and why. Not only do I thrive on feedback but research shows reviews, good, bad, or indifferent, attract readers and I want everyone in the world to read DISPASSIONATE LIES.

Eileen Schuh
St. Paul, Alberta, Canada

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DISPASSIONATE LIES

Cover Artist: Lee Barlow Kuruganti
Publisher: WolfSinger Publications

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