Entries by Susan Smith Daniels

From the Hum to the Song

It’s a beautiful fall Sunday. Windy, but sunny. I like sunny. And, the anxiety earworm is taking a nap today. I woke to a hum  that all writers long to hear–a reader likes our work. That’s one tune, a happy little worry chasing melody. The next track on our preferred playlist is that the reader not only […]

Origin Stories

I’m often asked how I came to the story of Genuine. Was she a character I’d been thinking about, or was it the idea of healing? I wrote “Possum Days,” the first story in the collection, in 2009 after a bike ride with my husband. We spend some time in California every year, and I […]

Expectations

With publication day approaching, I am weighing excitement against apprehension. There will undoubtedly be the momentary thrill of opening the small box of books that is allotted to me as part of my publishing contract. A picture worthy moment. I promise an Instagram. But in some moments, anxiety pulls the scale deeper towards the table, […]