Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with SM Stevens
Book Title: Beautiful and Terrible Things
Released: 08/07/24
Genre: Contemporary Novel
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Beautiful and Terrible Things”?
Stevens: (1) As the mother of two Millennials, I wanted to portray that age group as the passionate, engaged individuals I know them to be, rather than the stereotype of entitled and lazy.
(2) I wanted to create an authentic, compelling and entertaining portrait of American society today. Rather than pick one social ill to focus on, I highlight several, which seems to be working for readers.
(3) I wanted to create a group of friends whose camaraderie calls to mind the shows Friends and New Girl, or the movie The Big Chill. This too, seems to have been successful, based on reviews!
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Stevens: Beautiful and Terrible Things has six important characters of diverse backgrounds so first was staying true to their ethnicities, and then to the generation in which they were born.
The main character, Charley, needed an Irish name. I always search my character names online to make sure there isn’t someone else—real or imagined—with the same name who might color readers’ perceptions of the character. Funny enough, there is a Charlie Byrne out there, but it’s a bookstore in Ireland. So I thought that was a very fitting name for my bookstore manager character.
Sometimes I inject a cultural note through the name: Sunny has a Black father and an Indian mother, and I pictured them meeting at a world music festival and then naming their child after the incredible musician Sunny Jain.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Stevens: Well, how I started writing fiction is an interesting story. Fifteen years ago, I was thrown from my horse and shattered my pelvis. Rather than lose my mind lying on the couch for 3 months, I wrote my first book. A year later, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and wrote my second book during five months of chemo treatments. I’ve been writing fiction ever since, but thankfully there have been no more major injuries or illnesses!
Beautiful and Terrible Things has also won several awards including:
2024 Best Literary Book of the Year, Indies Today Awards
2024 Gold Winner, Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards, LGBTQIA+ category
2024 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition Finalist
2024 Finalist for The Sarton Award from Story Circle Network, Contemporary Fiction
2024 American Fiction Awards Finalist, General Fiction category
2024 American Writing Awards Finalist, LGBTQ category
2024 Honorable Mention in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest, Fiction-Social Issues category
If "Beautiful and Terrible Things" were adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Stevens: My cast of almost-30-year-olds is very diverse, so this was a fun assignment.
Elle Fanning (with her hair dyed brunette) has the fragile, ivory-skinned look of my Charley
A scruffed-up Tom Holland would be perfect for Xander
Michael B. Jordan is a tad older than my analytical, kind Terrance, but he’s got the perfect baby face
Amandla Stenberg from The Hate U Give isn’t half-Indian, but she has Sunny’s coloring and eyes
Rachel Zegler from the Hunger Games prequel for Jess, because she’s also of Colombian descent and resembles my ambitious CPA right down to the subtle cleft in her chin
Filipino actor Benjamin Alves would be great for Buwan, the oldest of the group at 31
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Stevens: This doesn’t happen often because I’ve learned to stop writing for the day knowing exactly what I’m going to do when I jump back in tomorrow. If I’m truly at a loss for what to write next, or how to write something, I try to open my mind by having a long walk or a sit on the dock.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Stevens: Make sure you can actually write before going too far! That may sound strange, but it’s hard for any author to truly evaluate their own work. You need other writers, and readers who will be critical and truthful, to read your drafts and tell you if your writing is up to snuff. If it’s not, take classes, go to workshops, or simply take advantage of the wealth of free guidance available online.
What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?
Stevens: I am really enjoying the relatively new genre of “upmarket fiction” which is considered in between literary and commercial fiction. Like literary fiction, upmarket has beautiful language and is heavily focused on character development. Like commercial fiction, it has a relatively fast-paced, entertaining plot. This is the genre I strive for when writing.
What are you working on next?
Stevens: I’m seeking a publisher for The Unraveling of Caro Dunn, which is the story of a 63-year-old grandmother who harbors a series of secrets about her kids. As the secrets trickle out, they threaten to destroy her family and everything she’s built over the years. And I am co-writing a true crime memoir with a friend who was raped on Cape Cod in the 1980s and helped the police find the serial rapist who attacked her.
Find out more about the author and Beautiful and Terrible Things here:
Website: https://authorsmstevens.com/
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