Author Interview · Hope Came at Christmas

A Conversation with Suzie Anne

Author of One Small Planet of Light

It’s my pleasure to introduce Suzie Anne, our stellar Sci-Fi author featured in Hope Came at Christmas. Besides Sci-Fi, Suzie also writes fantasy and urban fantasy. Though carrying readers to the far-reaches of space, her galactic adventure, One Small Planet of Light, shares a truth far closer to home—that the brilliant light of hope shines even in the darkest of times.

Suzie also shed some light on her own experiences, Christmas, and what she hopes readers can learn from her story.

What draws you to write for young adults?

I’ve personally experienced the devastation of stumbling across explicit content in YA stories, and I want to do everything I can to ensure that no other teen experiences that. So I’m writing YA to provide excellent stories for teens to get lost in, that they and their parents don’t have to worry about the content of, and—hopefully—discover something they can take back to their life that will give them hope and strength for their life.

Who is your favorite side character in your story, and why?

Probably Commander Modoon, because he’s a wise leader who cares about leading his soldiers well, but has compassion for others and does his best to lead them to the light.

If your readers could learn just one thing from your story, what would it be?

You will face darkness in life, and more than likely it will at some point feel like it is completely dark like Lucas faces. The one thing I want them to take away from One Small Planet of Light is that when we accept Christ as our savior, we cannot ever be completely in the dark because we have His light within us. It doesn’t mean we won’t face discouragement or feel despair, but it is a guarantee that when we hit those rock bottoms and look up, we won’t be left in the dark.

Is there a particular Bible story, verse, or hymn that inspired your story, or is there one you’d like to share?

The story started based on an image, but during the brainstorming process, I was talking with a friend and she asked what I loved about Christmas most. My family has a tradition of singing carols as many nights as possible, and one of my favorites is “We Three Kings.” That inspired the idea of someone following a light, which morphed into the idea of searching for light. Along with that came the verse Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined,” again because of the imagery of light in darkness.

The characters in these stories often face difficult decisions or circumstances. What encouragement would you offer a teen—or anyone—walking through a challenging season of life?

Hope. Out of faith, hope, and love, the three things we’re told remain in 1 Corinthians 13:13, when we’re walking through a long challenging season, I think hope is often the hardest to hold on to. It’s easier to believe that this season is all there is, because then it’s not as disappointing when it continues. I’ve been there, done that, and it’s still a temptation I struggle with and give into far too often. But what I’ve learned is that when I choose to not hope, I miss out on seeing God, on seeing how He’s working, learning more about Him, and deepening my relationship with Him. And even when the season continues on, with no end in sight, those moments of choosing hope help sustain me through the long nights. Though choosing hope is hard, I have found that it is always worth it.

Just for fun, would you like to share one of your favorite Christmas traditions?

My family will sing around our Christmas tree as much as possible, both carols and secular songs, and we’ll turn all the lights out except for the tree, sit around in a circle, and take turns picking songs. At the end of the night, we end with “Silent Night,” and when we were kids, our dad would carry us all to bed.

Thank you, Suzie! It’s been so fun getting to know you and to learn more about One Small Planet of Light.

To find out more about Suzie Anne and her other work, follow her on the platforms below.