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Meet Lorna Suzuki, my fave Word Ninja

  • Writer: Rebecca Veight
    Rebecca Veight
  • 2 days ago
  • 5 min read

Getting to interview Lorna Suzuki, a real-life ninja, both literally and metaphorically, is one of the highlights of the journalistic part of my career! She is one of my writing heroes, not only because of her cool Imago Chronicles, which she is working towards bringing to the small screen, but also because she is a fighter in every sense of the word.


What was your inspiration for the Imago Chronicles? Was it always planned to be 10 books? 

Imago Chronicles: Book One, A Warrior’s Tale was dedicated to my mother. She died of cancer when she was only 39 years old. I was 9 at the time, so the memories/stories she shared are limited. When I turned 39, I began noting my life experiences so my daughter Nia would have something to remember me by. I decided some of these experiences written in story form would make for a more interesting read. As a fantasy, it’d stand the test of time for when she was old enough to read these novels.


I deliberately made the protagonist, Nayla Treeborn, biracial: half Elf/half human. Nayla is shunned by one race, denied by the other and must navigate a world that is less than tolerant of anyone who is different. It touched a chord with my daughter, being half Japanese/half British, and others of mixed race, too. Nia has dealt with her share of challenges, even from a young age, with racism and the challenges of being a mixed-race Canadian in a predominantly white world. And the Imago series has become more relevant as I now wage my own battle against stage 4 metastatic cancer.


I never intended to write 10 novels, only a trilogy. It became an eight-book series with 2 prequels when fans, as well as my then literary agent and the executive producer who originally optioned the first 3 novels, kept asking for more.


You also co-wrote The Dream Merchant Saga with your daughter. Is it easier or harder to co-write, and how is it with family? Please tell us a little about that. 

Co-writing with Nia was fun! The Dream Merchant Saga was inspired by Nia when she was about 12 years old. She is still an avid reader and, as a pre-teen, was devouring stories beyond her age level. She and her friends wanted me to write stories they could enjoy without having to skip over the adult content found in Imago.


The teenaged MC in this YA fantasy series is one that readers love to hate. The bratty and entitled Princess Rose was born when Nia’s classmate lost a brand new iPhone on the playground. Nia offered to help find the missing phone, but her offer was declined. The classmate said, “Don’t worry. My parents will buy me a new one." Nia was stunned, but this was a student who wore only brand name shoes and clothes to elementary school and wanted for nothing. This child’s sense of entitlement was the fuel for the story about what happens when wealth and privilege are stripped away. Without the shield of her royal title the princess is forced to live a life of a commoner with her perceived frenemies, Tag and Cankles.


Nia was my “teen consultant” as to what her peers felt were important issues, what they considered funny, etc. In each chapter, she wrote a passage. I’d start the scene, she’d write and set up the next scene, and I’d carry on. With book 2 of DMS, I thought I had a great opening chapter. Alas, being such a discerning reader, Nia reviewed and said, “ Mom, this is good, but it can be better.” I turned the laptop to her and I said, “Show me.” So the opening scenes of the second novel were rewritten by Nia. Yeah… It was better. *sigh*


As part of 2 male-dominated fields: law enforcement and martial arts, a real-life ninja at that, how did you incorporate your experience into your writing? 

Nayla, the M/C in Imago, and I share some life experiences when it comes to racism, sexism, chauvinism, as well as childhood mental/physical abuse. In terms of law enforcement way back in 1979, I was only 1 of 2 women out in the field. It was challenging as I was the youngest and smallest working a regular beat before being transferred to the General Investigation Unit of the Federal Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans. Like Nayla, I was always being underestimated because of my sex and size, but that’s where the similarities end between us. At about 5’3” Nayla towers above my 4’10” frame, she’s much more proficient with weapons, and a much nicer person!


I was told practical knowledge about fighting had made for credible fight scenes in my novels. What’s interesting is that my friends recognized some of the barroom brawls and dojo fights I’ve been in that had made it onto the pages of my stories.


It is so exciting that you are working with a producer to bring Imago Chronicles to the small screen. How is that going? 

It’s been a grind! Originally optioned as a film trilogy, an Oscar-winning producer had signed on to the creative helm. I was able to share a press release issued by the executive producer at the Seattle Comicon where I was a guest about 10 years ago. Alas, the economy imploded. All it took was 1 investor to back out to stop production. 


Since then, I’ve been working with another executive producer whose specialty is in film financing. We both agreed with the Oscar-winning producer that Nayla’s story would be better told as a limited series. Just when millions of dollars were generated for seed money to develop Imago and steer it toward pre-production, the writers' strike and then the actors' strike happened.


Things became more complicated when Donald Trump decided any productions not filmed in the USA will be hit with a tariff. It's another barrier to overcome, as much of the land in this fantasy world was inspired by the many places in beautiful British Columbia. Still, my executive producer continues to work on making Imago a reality. Unfortunately, in all likelihood, I’ll probably not live to see if/when the limited series goes into production because of the cancer.


As the amazing fighter that you are, please tell us what is on the horizon for Lorna Suzuki?

Time will tell. I no longer make long-term plans. I’ve been ticking things off my abridged bucket list. As for my writing career, I’ve retired as I really don’t want to start a story I might not be able to finish, but I’ve found other ways to stay creative. For now, I’m enjoying my life. I have the peace of mind I’ve left a good legacy for Nia and that every time someone cracks open one of my novels, I will live on through the characters I’ve created. As a writer, you can’t beat that for a happy ending!


You can learn more about Lorna Suzuki and her impressive body of work at:

 
 
 

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