Interview: Author Birgit Christina Susemihl

After quite some time, there is another interview here—and I am really happy about it. This time, Birgit Susemihl answered my questions. For years, we have both been participating in Judith Peters' annual review challenge. So our paths—or threads—have crossed time and again. That's why I'm particularly pleased that we were actually able to work together now.

Birgit works with language in many different forms: as a copywriter and editor, and as an author of her own fictional texts. Her novel projects and blog posts reveal a keen attention to nuance and characters, and a keen sense of the interplay between precise language and narrative openness.

Introduction

What is your name?
Birgit Christina Susemihl

Where do you live?
In Oldenburg Münsterland in the northwest of Lower Saxony.

What kind of art/creativity do you mainly do?
I write! My first young adult fantasy novel, “Weltenfäden – Ein wolltastisches Abenteuer” (World Threads – A Wooltastic Adventure), was published in 2024. Until then, I had mostly written short stories and flash fiction, i.e., very short stories of around 1,000 words.

Did you complete formal training or are you self-taught?
I studied English and German, and later completed a distance learning course in PR/public relations. I have no training in creative writing. However, I have always written a lot professionally: press releases, advertising copy, and so on. And I read a lot.

Where can people see your work? Do you have a website or social media profiles you'd like to share? “Weltenfäden” is published by Novel Arc Verlag and is available as a hardcover and e-book wherever books are sold. You can find out more about me as an author on my website. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

You are creative. Why?

How did you get into art? Where did your creative journey begin?

I have always read a lot and even as a child I sometimes dreamed of writing a novel. At some point back then, I actually tried to write a crime novel and a kind of mystery thriller, but nothing much came of it.

Professional writing—first as a freelancer for a local newspaper, later in press and public relations at the theater—has always been a part of my life. When I started my own business as a copywriter, the desire to write my own projects grew stronger again. It started with a fairy tale for a regional competition and short stories.

What inspires you?

It varies greatly. Nature, for example, my many hikes through the Harz Mountains, where I lived for a long time. Sometimes a specific moment, something I see in front of me while walking. Or a topic I hear or read about and suddenly feel that there's a story in it.

Are there certain artists or styles that influence you?

As authors, I greatly admire Stephen King and Chuck Wendig for their wonderful storytelling and masterful narrative perspective, which brings you very close to the characters. But I read a wide variety of authors, especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

What's your creative process like?

I write in the traditional way on a computer, but not with a word processing program, rather with a writing program that offers other options beyond writing. I am faster on a PC and know that I can easily change or rearrange things. This helps combat the “fear of the blank page.” On the other hand, I like to take notes by hand in a notebook or on lots of little pieces of paper that I put in a box for the respective project.

Ideas come spontaneously, anytime, anywhere. That's why I always try to have a pen and notebook with me so I don't forget them. I even have a glowing pen so I can write down ideas at night without waking up my partner.

With “Weltenfäden,” once I had the basic idea, I just started writing. I'm still trying to figure out how best to plan a novel and whether that helps me at all. Or whether I'm just the type of person who only really “discovers” the story while writing it.

Is there a particular project or work that means a lot to you?

My debut (and so far only) novel naturally holds a very special place in my heart! I really enjoyed writing the story. And I am very happy that Novel Arc Verlag has given it a home, allowing Jula and Holly the young sheep, my two main characters, to come into the world!

What has been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome as an artist so far?

I signed the publishing contract when the novel was only about a third finished. We agreed on a deadline for the manuscript, and suddenly there was a certain amount of time pressure. This transition—from writing without a goal or deadline to a concrete project with a timeline and expectations from others—was quite a step.

Suddenly, the novel HAD to be finished. It was a challenge to maintain the ease of writing despite this. And, of course, it was also unusual to take writing the novel just as seriously and see it as work in the same way as the texts I wrote for my clients. Working on the novel was suddenly no longer just a hobby.

How important is connecting and interacting with other artists and creative people to you?

As a debut author, I think it's great and important to network with other authors, but also with other artists. Our publisher deliberately offers us this opportunity, and we have exchanged a lot of ideas and supported each other, especially around the publication dates. I have also made contact with other writers via social media. It is very exciting to see what others are currently working on, what problems everyone is struggling with, and then to hear about the finished books. I believe that we writers should not see each other as competition, but as enrichment. Even if we write in the same genre.

What does art mean to you? What role does it play in your life?

Literature has always been present in my life—as an escape, as entertainment, as a way to switch off, but also as a mirror of society, as utopia or dystopia. And simply as a fascinating, creative way of using language. Theater has also played an important role since my school days. First as a spectator, then I was active in student theater myself, and professionally I was also drawn to the theater. But I am also very fascinated by the visual arts, which give me new perspectives, a different view of things. And I like the opportunity they offer to look at people, things, and places from the perspective of another time.

In your opinion, what role does art play in society? What responsibilities do artists have in society?

I believe art has a difficult dual function. On the one hand, it can be beauty for its own sake, without any further purpose, entertaining and distracting. On the other hand, it can and must also take a stand, touch on sensitive issues, and be political.

For me, these two aspects do not have to be equally present in every work of art. In a work, one of the aspects may predominate or be present on its own. But both sides of art can also be present at the same time—or viewers see them alternately, as in a kind of picture puzzle—and that can even increase the enjoyment. When I like something aesthetically, but it also conveys a current message. I have often found this in theater, especially in plays, but also in film.

What topics are important to you? Is there a topic or message you want to convey in your art?

When I started writing Weltenfäden, I didn't have a specific message in mind. I just wanted to tell a kind of fairy tale (if you want to call it fantasy) set in today's world, in which a sheep and a 13-year-old girl embark on an adventure together. While writing, things that are important to me naturally found their way into the story: friendship, communicating across differences (Jula and the sheep Holly have to communicate somehow in order to act together), courage, overcoming fears and insecurities, loyalty. Being different also plays an important role: Holly, the herd animal, prefers to be on her own rather than in the hustle and bustle of the herd.

Good topics, in the sense of being easy to read and easy to incorporate into an exciting plot, that I would like to address in my stories include environmental protection, climate catastrophe, and dealing with aging. But also science fiction topics such as encounters and communication with the completely unknown.

Thank you, Birgit!

Your opportunity: Be part of my interview series!

If you are an artist or creative professional yourself, whether in painting, music, literature, or any other form of art, and would like to talk about your work and your creative process, please feel free to contact me.

I look forward to showcasing the diversity of creative expression in my interview series and reading about your perspectives and experiences.

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