Susan Stewart is one of those writers I’ve “known” online for years, but we rarely see each other in person, so we rarely have the chance to chat. That’s why I’m so excited to have her here today so I can get to know her as more than just another writer and editor — now I get to know Susan K. Stewart the reader!

Thank you so much for chatting with me today. What was your favorite picture book as a child? What did you love about it?

I don’t remember having picture books as a child. I’m sure some were around because my childhood was a haven of books. I began to appreciate picture books when I had my own children. I wanted them to appreciate books—real print books—as much as I do.

One book that has been a joy for two generations now is Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton. A good-night book with fun characters and sing-song words. Ms. Boynton has made going to bed fun. My children and grandchildren wanted this read every night and all learned the rhymes by heart. O.K. I can recite it without peeking as well.

What was the first book you read that you couldn’t put down?

I read Gone with the Wind when I was in high school. I had seen the movie several times, but … well … I just had to read the story to see what was missing. I was enamored with Margaret Michell’s descriptions. At one point the description of some trees was a page and half long. What beauty in the words. That’s what kept me reading.

Have you ever had a book recommended to you that you didn’t like? No names, but what didn’t you like about it?

Recently a writer friend asked me to beta read her novel. I didn’t realize at the time it was a romance. Oh, no. Romance is one of my least favorite books. I did read it, because after all she’s a longtime friend. Even though I didn’t really enjoy the story (you know, being a romance and all), I can say the writing was great.

The one thing that disappoints me is the lack of editing I’m seeing in more and more today. Even books by well-known authors having glaring errors, which should have been caught in the first round of editing.

Amen! But we won’t turn this into an editing talk … today. If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?

Goodness, I’d need to rent a banquet hall. I may start with Uncle Tom from Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He would need to do a bit of time traveling to be at my character banquet. My first question would be how could he endure as long as he did. Uncle Tom could teach us so much about loyalty, resilience, and justice.

If you could visit any fictional place, where would you go?

One of my favorite genres is science fiction. I would love to be on any starship to another galaxy. Just traveling in deep space would be a thrill. Yes, if I could, I would reserve a place on a suborbital flight.

Fun! Who’s your favorite author?

What a loaded question! There are so many writers who “call” me to another story. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll tops my list. While better known for the Alice series, he also wrote poems classified as literary nonsense. One such poem is The Hunting of Snark. This piece of poetry was made into a musical in the 1980s.

I had no idea–wow! Please share five books from your TBR (to be read) pile.

With more than 500 e-books on my Kindle and probably an equal amount of print books, it’s hard to know where to start. Immediately in front of me is:

The Bible in World History by Stephen Leston
Forensic Faith A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith by J. Warner Wallace
The Endling: A Novel by Deborah Maxey
1776 by Thomas Fleming
The Healthy Professional Writer by Leah Cutter

That is an eclectic batch of books. 🙂 Is there anything else you’d like to share?

As a former teacher, classroom and homeschool, I recommend three things to give a child the best education.

1. Have a lot of books around. Real, print books that can be touched. Let the little ones hold the books, play with the books, and “read” the books on their own.
2. Read aloud daily with children. Let kiddos see that reading is a pleasure, not a chore.
3. More than any other subject, learning to read needs to be the priority. Once a person can read, they can learn anything.

Susan K. Stewart, Managing Editor with Elk Lake Publishing, teaches, writes, and edits nonfiction. Susan’s passion is to inspire readers with practical, real-world solutions. Her books include Science in the Kitchen, Preschool: At What Cost?, Harried Homeschoolers Handbook, and the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. Her latest book, Donkey Devos: Listen When God Speaks, was released in July 2021. You can learn more at her website www.susankstewart.com.

Donkey Devos: Listen When God Speaks

Did you know the Bible mentions only two talking animals? One of those creatures was the lowly donkey. The beast of burden. God used this animal to speak words of wisdom

Donkey Devos: Listen When God Speaks is a collection of forty pearls Susan has learned from spending time learning about her equine friends and chatting with them. She uses her experiences, donkey facts, and Biblical donkey details to share the truths God has taught. The whole family will delight in the donkey tales with a message from God.

“Who would think that devotions about donkeys could be interesting, much less fascinating, motivational, and spiritually inspiring? But that’s exactly what you’ll receive as a wonderful gift when you read Donkey Devos by Susan K. Stewart.”—Kathy Collard Miller, author of God’s Intriguing Questions: 60 New Testament Devotions Revealing Jesus’s Nature

Visit Susan and her donkeys at:

Donkey Devo Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DonkeyDevo
Practical Inspirations Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/practicalinspirations
Donkey Whispers Newsletter https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r6s4i5
Pinterest-Donkey Whispers https://www.pinterest.com/susankstewart/donkey-whispers/
Twitter https://twitter.com/susan_stewart