Be sure and visit my Facebook page and enter for a chance to win a new copy of Mosaic . . . deadline is February 29th!
Mo Matheson was living with the normal struggles of a teenager: will I score a basket at the basketball tournament, does Joe really like me and do I like him? But when tragedy strikes, Mo is thrust into a reality that requires her to dig deep for strength and faith. She must fight against the need to judge and blame others, and give into the hate that seems to consume her. She must ultimately rely on her Heavenly Father to soften and heal her heart.
Bohnet allows us to see Mo’s life through Mo’s eyes – a powerful experience that will have you feel the full spectrum of emotions and, perhaps, remember your own teenage years. Bohnet also does something exceptionally well: she shows the strength of the youth of our church, championing their faith and ability to do what is right no matter how difficult. We see Mo and her friends strengthen each other and reach out to help those struggling . . . it’s inspiring and heartfelt. Mosaic is a powerful read for all ages, but our young people should have it on their nightstands—it’s that good. I loved it!
I’m so happy to have Susan visit my blog and answer a few questions.
What was your inspiration for Mosaic?
Young adult stories are something I am passionate about. There are so many great teens both in and out of the church. Occasionally they make mistakes, and it’s not because they’re rebellious. I wanted to explore how teens make purposeful choices that keep them on the right path. In the process, I feel like Mo and I have become great friends. Apparently there are others who identify with her even more strongly. I have been told, “I really like Mosaic, but they got the girl on the cover wrong. She doesn’t look like me.”
You address some serious topics in Mosaic; tell us about your decision to do this.
The teenage years are a wonderful, turbulent period of our lives in the best of circumstances. I wanted to address serious trials from the perspective of a character in her early teens. Sometimes our hardships are from factors beyond our control and sometimes they arise from our choices. There are both of these types of challenges in Mosaic.
You appear to have a busy life, what is your writing schedule like?
The first thing I do every morning is to write for at least an hour. This is a great way to start my day and reminds me who I really am. I have a day job, but that’s not who I am. I have to grocery shop and clean my bathroom but that’s not who I am. Then I sneak in as much time to write in the rest of my day as I can, some days that’s several hours and some days it’s a few minutes.
Mosaic is your second novel, what advice would you give beginning writers?
Keep writing and keep improving. Many successful authors offer writing advice. Read what they have to say and when it resonates with you, try to incorporate those techniques into your stories.
You hint that there will be more to Mo’s story, is this true? And what is your next project?
Right now there are two sequels to Mosaic. I’m working on them but they require a lot of polish before they see the light of day. My next project to be published will likely be a sequel to my urban fantasy young adult novel My Life as a Troll.
Thank you, Susan! We’ll look forward to these new projects.
If you want to read more about Susan and her writing, visit her blog susanbohnet.com. You can find Mosaic at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com as well as Deseret Book. And don’t forget to visit my Facebook page and enter a chance to win a new copy of Mosaic . . . deadline is February 29th!