Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Interview: Susanne Winnacker + Impostor


I'm thrilled today to welcome young adult author Susanne Winnacker to the blog to answer a few questions about her newest release, Impostor. Impostor was a bit of a surprising read for me, one of those books that flew just under my radar prior to picking it up but instantly grabbed from page one and refused to let me put it down. I have my review and a giveaway posting later in the month, but it's safe to say I HIGHLY recommend this one to anyone who likes a little mystery, a little taste of the paranormal, and a little romance in their books. Welcome to Supernatural Snark Susanne!

What’s one thing about you someone such as Tessa (who can take on the appearance of anyone with whom she comes in contact) wouldn’t be able to get quite right, thus tipping off your friends and family it wasn’t the real you?

Well, we have a Komondor, that’s a huge livestock guardian dog who isn’t very fond of strangers, so he could probably sense that it wasn’t me. Apart from that, my husband told me that I always close my left eye when I’m laughing and he doubts that anyone could imitate that...maybe I should be offended?

You have Tessa’s gift and you’re facing Alec in a sparring situation. Who’s the first person you would shift into in order to beat him?

It’s quite mean of me, but I’d shift into either his mother or father. He’d probably be so shocked that I’d have the chance to land a surprise hit.

Given Impostor is written from the first person perspective of Tessa, we’re well aware of how she feels about Alec, but we don’t have the same perfect clarity with regard to how Alec feels about her. What’s the first thing that ran through his head when he came to recruit Tessa for the FEA those couple of years ago?

I have to be careful not to give important things away, but I’d say the first thing Alec felt when he and Major picked up Tessa from her home were protectiveness and sympathy – they had similar childhoods, and that connects them.

If Alec could choose any movie on one of his movie nights with Tessa to help communicate his feelings for her without actually saying anything aloud, what movie might he choose to do his talking for him?

Well, Alec and Tessa both don’t like romance movies. They love horror and action. So I need an action movie. Maybe Iron Man? Because Tony Stark’s and Pepper Pott’s romance reminds me a bit of Tessa and Alec. They’ve known each other for a long time, they work together, there are reasons why they shouldn’t be together. I especially love the hesitant and awkward closeness between Tony and Pepper in the first movie!

Let’s say Tessa turns the tables and is going to write a novel about you as a Variant. What’s the greatest strength she would give you? The biggest weakness?

My biggest weakness would probably be impatience. Not a good character trait for an FEA agent. Greatest strength? Hm. Not sure, but she’d probably give me a Variation that has something to do with animals since I love them so much. Maybe she’d give me the power to talk and listen to animals?

If you could add a character or characters from any other YA novel to your world of Variants, who do you think would fit in best? Who would cause the most trouble for the FEA?

Wow. That’s a difficult question. The most trouble? Maybe Voldemort or Bellatrix Lestrange. Fighting against witches and wizards would certainly be a new challenge for the FEA agents.

Kate is able to read the minds of women but not men. If she were to look into your mind as you were thinking about the events of book two, what three words might she see swirling around in there?

Betrayal. Discoveries. Hunt.

• • • • • • • • • • 

SUSANNE WINNACKER


Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog that looks like a sheep and three bunnies that have destroyed every piece of furniture she's ever owned in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes.
She blogs for The League of Extraordinary Writers.


• • • • • • • • • •

IMPOSTOR


Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI.
When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.
Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep.
Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

42 comments:

  1. Such a cool cover, freaky and draws you in

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  2. What an interesting interview, Jenny! You've definitely piqued my interest for this one, so I'll have to check it out for sure. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Yay! I'm so glad Keertana, I hope you give this one a try:)

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  3. This sounds like such an interesting book, and I love how Susanne illustrated the coming tension of book two with those three powerful words, too. This one just got added to my TBR. Wonderful interview, Jenny and Susanne :)

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    1. Really loved this book Melissa, I think you would like it. I made Danny read it immediately after I finished and she fell in love too. I'm now making it my mission to get as many people to read this book as possible:)

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  4. Ooh, I love mysteries with a touch of romance so this is going on my tbr for sure! And the cover is awesome, too. Thanks for the lovely interview, ladies!

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    1. ME TOO RENU! This one just worked for me on all levels:)

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  5. That cover is just cool. I love to stare at it. I met Susanne in line at BEA and she was so sweet (I had no idea she was German!), and it made me want to read this book even more.

    I love this interview. And I love you. I miss you.

    I need chocolate.

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    1. WHY WASN'T I IN LINE WITH YOU AT THAT TIME?! I so wanted to meet her:( You definitely need to read it, you'll love it Hannah:)

      And I can't even talk about the fact that we're no longer together. *sobs*

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  6. LOVED Impostor so freaking much and it's so sad we didn't get to meet Susanne at BEA.

    Impostor was just amazing and I loved the combination of X Men style and heartwarming characters!

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    1. ME TOO! Maybe next year when book 2 is out we'll be able to catch her:)

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  7. HIghly enjoyed this book! So fantastic! The whole shifting into others power is amazing, though it would completely freak me out to see someone else's face when I looked in the mirror. EEP!

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    1. Right?! LOVED this book. And it would freak me out too to see someone else's face in the mirror:)

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  8. Loved this author! I got into her writing with her first book. As always Jenny, you ask wonderful questions. So excited to read this book.

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    1. Thanks Savy! Susanne definitely has a fan in me now:):):)

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  9. Great interview! I love how this one sounds and I can't wait to read it. I love how different and original it sounds.

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    1. Thank you! I so enjoyed this book, I hope you love it as much as I did:)

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  10. You always come up with the most imaginative questions, Jenny! Love this interview! I really want to pick up this book, too, sounds amazing. :)

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    1. Thanks Rachel! This is a book you'll like, I just know it:)

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  11. IMPOSTER sounds completely fascinating (as does the sequel, if those three words are anything to go by)!

    Nice questions, Jenny! :)

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  12. Oh, my, I'd love seeing Bellatrix cause trouble. She is by far my favorite villain. Voldemort was a piece of cake in comparison.
    And I think someone like Tessa could easily replace me, no one would notice as long as she stays away from other people and talks very little. I doubt even my kid would know the difference, lol. That's actually very depressing.
    Thanks for sharing, Jenny! You ask the best questions.

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    1. I wonder how long it would take my husband to notice. I think my dogs would sense it, but I don't know if I have any unique quirks that would tip Kevin off. I guess I'm kind of boring:)

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  13. Great interview, Jenny! I have an ARC of this one and am looking forward to reading it. Your interview has made me move it up on the TBR pile. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. YES! Read this one soon Christina, it's awesome!

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  14. Ooooo! You have me so curious about book 2 with that last question! Jenny, you rock the interviews!!

    And a Komondor! Love a fluffy dog! :) I think one of my dogs would know, but the other may not care as long as they petted her. LOL

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    1. *does queenly wave* Thank you, Thank you, I do try ;-)

      And I'm thinking my dogs would know as well, but just like yours, probably wouldn't care as long as whoever it was petted them. Traitors.

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  15. Jenny I need you to give me instructions for creating interview questions...mine are always same old and boring. All my creativity disappears when I have to come up with some questions. I haven't heard a lot about this one but I'm dying to read it now! :) Amazing interview Jenny as always :)

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    1. Haha thanks Tanja! I struggle with questions sometimes and then I come up with ones that are all out of left field and I'm sure the author is going "ummmmm what?" Awesome:)

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  16. I so want to read this one. I love the X files vibe and I think it was just be a lot of fun. I always love your interview questions. I rarely do interviews just because I never think up good questions. I loved that answer about changing into the opponent's mom or dad during a fight, good thinking!

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    1. I thought that was pretty smart of Tessa too. I was thinking I might shift into a naked supermodel or something, that would surely give him pause and I'd have time to sucker punch him ;-)

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  17. Great interview, Jenny! I think that would be such a cool power to have. So many people I would have been and still would wish to be throughout the years. Probably just for a day though. Grass being greener and all.

    Heather

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    1. It would be cool, but I agree, I don't know that I'd want it forever. Maybe a month or two just to get it all out of my system:)

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  18. Fabulous interview and I yep agreed dog and hubby would not be fooled. Being able to communicate with animals would be cool as an agent, you could send in a squirrel to spy and give you the set up!

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    1. I think my dogs wouldn't be fooled for a minute, but Kevin might take a little longer ;-) I'm sure he'd figure it out though!

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  19. I already have this one on my wishlist! It sounds fantastic and the interview has me even more curious!

    Now I'm thinking about if I have any weird quirks that people might notice if someone was trying to be me. I know that I lift my left eyebrow a lot and I can't do it with my right unless I'm lifting them both at the same time.

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    1. Hahaha I was thinking the same thing after I came up with that question! Aside from the eyebrow thing which is the opposite of yours (I can raise my right not my left), I don't know what else I do. I'm sure my family could come up with a few things though.

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  20. What a fantastic interview, well researched questions. I love interviews like these where the questions are obviously pertaining to the book without giving away spoilers anyhow :)

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  21. I love your questions, Jenny! They're always so fun and out of the box. I almost wish you could interview ME. I really liked Susanne Winnacker's debut release, so I'm looking forward to reading Imposter. Lovely interview! :)

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  22. Ooh I LOVED this book, and this interview rocks! I love the comparison to Pepper and Tony, I think that's adorable, and spot-on actually. Changing into his mother especially would be bad. I feel like it is physically impossible for Alec to hit his mother, even when he knows it isn't her. Fab interview ladies, I'm so excited about reading the next book, especially after that tantalizing three word peek. :-)

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  23. Oh Jenny! How I've missed reading your cleverness! You never disappoint with your thoughtful questions.

    Nat
    I'd So Rather Be Reading

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