The AuthorsWiki team would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to author Heather Hartt-Sussman for generously sharing his valuable time for the interview. We are excited to inform you that the author’s recently published book, The Birdfeeder, is now available. In the interview, the author shared his experiences and some special moments with our team. We hope our readers enjoy this exclusive interview with the author.
AuthorsWiki : Do you briefly introduce yourself in your own words?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I am the author of seven picture books published by Penguin Random House and Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. My eighth book, The Birdfeeder, is slated for release in February, 2025 by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. My work has been translated into Danish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French. One of my books, Seamus’s Short Story, was on a list of “books to look out for” in Publishers Weekly, and Noni is Nervous was an Editors’ Choice selection in the Book Review section of the Sunday New York Times.
My previous publications include Nana’s Getting Married, Here Comes Hortense (a Blue Spruce and a Shining Willow award nominee), Nana’s Summer Surprise – a trilogy published by Penguin Random House in February 2010, April 2012 and April 2013, respectively. Noni Says No (a Blue Spruce Award nominee), Noni is Nervous, and Noni Speaks Up, also published by Penguin Random House and released in February 2011, July 2013 and February 2016, respectively. Seamus’s Short Story was published by Groundwood Books in August 2017.
Born in Montreal, I graduated from Brandeis University and attended La Sorbonne. I began my career as a copywriter for BCP, an advertising agency in Montreal, Canada. I moved on to become a reporter and Assistant International Editor at The Hollywood Reporter in Los Angeles, Editor-In-Chief of International News for TV Guide/TV HEBDO in French Canada, where I was a columnist for the popular “Heather Hartt in Hollywood,” and host of E! Entertainment Television’s The Gossip Show. This was followed by a three-year stint as host of TV GUIDE TELEVISION. During that time, I also contributed to several leading series, including INSIDE EDITION, EXTRA, HARD COPY, CANADA AM and appearances on CNN.
As a broadcast journalist, I interviewed legends such as Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Glen Close, Bette Midler, Nicholas Cage, and Jim Carrey.
These days as a writing coach, I take people on a simple, step-by-step journey that leads directly to a finished picture book manuscript.
AuthorsWiki : Apart from writing, what is your occupation for livelihood?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I am a writing coach for up-and-coming children’s book writers.
AuthorsWiki : Tell us something about the your first book?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : Nana’s Getting Married was created when my then 5-year-old son exclaimed at my mother’s wedding: “Grandma’s aren’t supposed to get married!” The narrator in the book is a little boy who does not approve of his Nana dating a man named Bob, going to Jazzercize classes, and even putting on makeup. That is until some of the guests at the eventual nuptials whisper their disapproval.
AuthorsWiki : Would you like to tell us about your published books?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I have approached sometimes difficult subjects with a light touch and some entertainment value. My biggest fear is being didactic. I have covered sunjects such as second marriages, blended families, generation gaps, saying no, the first-day-of-school jitters, bullying and expressing yourself.
AuthorsWiki : Where did you get inspiration for book publishing?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I get my inspiration from all over: from my family and personal experiences, articles I read, and nature. There is inspiration literally everywhere.
AuthorsWiki : How do you manage time to write a book?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I come up with the idea, and then I immediately stop whatever I was doing and write out the book’s structure with words missing, and I fill in the blanks later. The editing process, for me, is the most time-consuming element in producing a finished manuscript.
AuthorsWiki : What is your favorite writing method, in which you do the most writing?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : My favorite writing method is to write by hand on a legal pad in pencil. If a legal pad is unavailable, I’ll use a napkin, a receipt, or the back of an envelope.
AuthorsWiki : When did you start writing and how did your interest in writing begin?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I started writing poems and songs for my guitar when I was eight. My parents were divorcing, and writing allowed me to express my feelings. I’ve never NOT written. I’ve journaled and written poems and songs, as well as articles and advertising copy.
AuthorsWiki : Special achievement in your life, which you would like to share with us and your readers too?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : Being a mom has been my greatest achievement. I can’t believe I produced two unbelievably kind, creative, thoughtful young men. I learn something new from them every day. They make me a better person and I’m honored to be their mom.
AuthorsWiki : Are you planning to write or publish a book in the present or future?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I have a new book, The Birdfeeder, coming out in February 2025. And another one, ironically also about birds, to be published at a later date.
AuthorsWiki : Want to give a message to your readers and fans?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : Everybody has a story inside of them. Look for yours and try sharing it with the world or even your friends and family. I’m grateful to all the parents and kids who enjoy my books.
AuthorsWiki : Every writer has his own Ideal, do you also have an Ideal writer? And your favorite books that you will always want to read?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : My favorite children’s book is The Seven Silly Eaters by poet laureate MaryAnn Hoberman.
AuthorsWiki : Apart from writing, what are your other hobbies, which you like to do in your free time?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I love to hike, do yoga, read, and as a foodie, I love a good restaurant.
AuthorsWiki : Would you like to remain in the writing world even in future?
Heather Hartt-Sussman : I’d love to continue writing for children for as long as I am able.
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