Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I'm Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.

Today we’re joined by Susan M. Stevens, an award-winning novelist whose work bravely explores mental health, race, immigration, and gender identity through deeply human storytelling.

ABOUT GUEST:

After many years as a business writer, S.M. Stevens found the time to pen her first novel when a pelvis broken in 3 places absolved her from housework and chauffeuring the kids around for several months. The result was her middle-grade novel Shannon's Odyssey, written for adventurous animal-lovers.

A year later, while in treatment for cancer, she wrote the first of the Bit Players series to fill the void of fiction for music and theatre-loving teens. The YA series now has three books, and appeals to all teens not just drama-loving ones.

Her first adult novel (thankfully not prompted by another health crisis!) was Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, published in 2019. The story is a coming-of-age tale about two young women starting their careers in Boston while dealing with past and present demons. 

Her latest novel, Beautiful and Terrible Things, was released by Black Rose Writing in Summer 2024 and has won numerous awards, including Indies Today Best Literary Book of 2024. The same characters are featured in her award-winning novelette, The Wallace House of Pain (available on Amazon). 

KEY NOTES:

- From Business to Fiction: Can Writing Be a Path to Healing?

- Is Charlie a Symbol of Personal and Social Awakening?

- The Challenge of Writing Authentic Diversity in Fiction

- Storytelling’s Role in Fostering Social Harmony

- What Defines a Great Leader in Today’s World?

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 - Episode Trailer

01:40 - Intro  

03:31 - From Business to Fiction: Can Writing Heal?  

10:45 - Is Charlie a Symbol of Awakening?  

13:58 - How Does One Write Authentic Diversity?  

16:44 - Writing Fiction That Echoes Future Headlines  

21:40 - The Emotional Core of Friendship in Charlie’s Transformation  

24:40 - The Creative Evolution from Beautiful and Terrible Things to Wallace House of Pain  

27:40 - Can One Character Change How You Read a Whole Book?  

29:23 - Why Write About Mental Health?  

31:56 - When Writing is Activism, Not a Sales Strategy  

41:47 - From Escapism to Activism in Fiction  

49:47 - What Does Success Look Like?  

52:38 - The Role of Storytelling in Social Harmony  

59:52 - If You Had the Power: How Would You Unite the Collective?  

01:06:59 - What Makes a Great Leader?  

01:10:10 - Outro  

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:

Beautiful and Terrible Things book: https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Terrible-Things-S-M-Stevens/dp/1685134475

S.M. Stevens Website: https://authorsmstevens.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.m.stevens/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSMStevens

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