Susi Fox’s debut novel, Mine, was published by Penguin on 1 April 2018.
Susi kindly answered a few of my questions.
1. Tell us a little about Mine.
After years of infertility, a woman gives birth to a baby but when she sees him for the first time, she is adamant he is not her son. Mine is a psychological thriller about motherhood that asks the question: what happens when women are not believed?
2. What inspired the book?
I had a nightmare that inspired Mine. I showed a group of people standing around me a baby I was holding in my arms, saying, ‘This is not my baby,’ but none of them believed me and they all turned away. I woke, terrified. The tone of the dream lingered for weeks. It didn’t feel like I had a choice but to write the feelings elicited by the dream. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop.
3. Are you a plan, plan, plan writer or do you sit down and see where the words take you?
For Mine, I allowed the story to show me the way through the writing. For my second novel, I’ve been planning from the start and it seems to be a speedier and more satisfying way for me to write.
4. Having been through the publishing process is there anything about the process of creating a novel that surprised you?
I have been surprised and delighted by how much support and encouragement I received from the publishers during the editing process. It was an enormous privilege to have such experienced editors taking my work seriously.
5. What do you do when you aren’t writing? What do you do to relax and get away from it all?
My guilty pleasure is planning getaways! I always have a holiday booked and as soon as I get home, I begin to plan the next one.
6. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life which book would it be?
The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes – a children’s book that still makes me cry every time I read it.
7. I like to end my Q&As with the same question so here we go. During all the Q&As and interviews you’ve done what question have you not been asked that you wish had been asked – and what’s the answer?
Q: What has been your secret to getting published?
A: Persistence, hard work and a generous dose of luck.
About the book
This is not your baby.
You wake up alone after an emergency caesarean, dying to see your child.
But when you are shown the infant, you just know . . .
This baby is not yours.
No one believes you.
They say you’re delusional, confused, dangerous.
But you’re a doctor . . .
Do you trust yourself?
Because you know only one thing – You must find your baby.
Read more on the Penguin website.
About the author
Susi Fox studied Medicine at the University of Melbourne. She is the recipient of a 2014 Varuna Fellowship and was part of the 2015 QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Program. She lives in Central Victoria, where she works as a GP. Mine is her first novel.
From First Page to Last 