Rising Stars: Meet Susan Huckle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Huckle.

Hi Susan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Writing has always been an outlet for me to work through my thoughts and feelings and express myself in a way that I am not always able to verbally, especially in the moment when I’m numb, fearful, or unsure. Working on my memoir about my relationship with my parents started in 2020 as therapeutic essays and grew into the dream of a full-length manuscript when I realized that when I shared more about my parents’ religious and conspiracy theory beliefs (from End Times to the Flat Earth) with friends, they were intrigued, shocked, tickled, or all three. When I started attending a weekly writers’ group on Zoom in 2022, the insightful and encouraging feedback I got exponentially helped me shape the book into a present-tense scene-by-scene narrative of my personal evolution with lots of juicy dialogue and rich characters. I learned how to draw out tension, be more descriptive, end on cliffhangers, and most importantly, get on the page the complicated, uncomfortable feelings that lead to universal truths. I finished my manuscript earlier this year and am currently querying literary agents. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A smooth road, what’s that like? Anything that pushes you to truly grow and learn isn’t smooth. You’re going to stumble and hit some dead ends. I had an entire version of my memoir done and started querying publishers when I realized it was just a series of detached essays lacking true narrative storytelling. The revision I underwent took a year and a half, and the weeks I received especially critical feedback in my writers’ group could be discouraging. But those notes sessions always pushed me to re-write a significantly improved version. Then there’s the strange self-inflicted depression of sitting in my best and worst memories of my parents, who are no longer alive, for extensive periods of time to accurately write about them. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While I’m just starting my writing career, my professional life has consisted of acting in TV comedies like JANE THE VIRGIN, THE MINDY PROJECT, and Nickelodeon shows, commercials, musicals, and theme parks, including hosting the Special Effects Show at Universal Studios Hollywood for over 10 years. I relish portraying larger-than-life characters like the fast-talkin’ ones I currently play at Universal on New York Street in beehive wigs and vintage costumes. A career highlight was getting to perform Inga in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN with Mel Brooks in the audience. Meeting him after and hearing his effusive praise of our production was a dream come true. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Here’s hoping you’ll see my memoir THE EARTH IS FLAT, AND OTHER THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME on bookshelves soon! 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/suzhuc