Suzanne Picerno Interview Published on: 16, May 2023
Where have you spent most of your childhood?
The day after my 9th birthday was gray and muggy. It was also the day my family moved from New York to Arizona. At 120 degrees, it was the hottest day of the summer. Getting off the plane, I remember telling my mom, “I can’t live here, I can’t breathe!”
Luckily, we had an underground pool. I can still see the shiny coins my dad would hurl into the water. My friends and I would dive after them. Fifty years later, the coins are gone, but many of those friendships remain.
What were some of your hobbies as a child?Reading was one of them! My sisters and I would ride our bikes to the library, and stuff as many books as we could into our bike baskets. I loved The Black Stallion Series, by Walter Farley. Books were a way to enter into the lives of people who quickly became friends.
I also loved sports. Even though I was a tomboy, my mom had me wear a dress to school. Right before the school bus came I’d sneak on a pair of shorts under my dress, so I could play football with the boys during recess. I was competitive. I always had to win. I think it was a middle-child thing. I needed the validation to believe I was ok.
Do you still enjoy the same things or have your tastes evolved since then?That’s an excellent question. I loved playing basketball, volleyball, and swimming. People who know me will tell you that I’m competitive, and as a kid I most definitely was! I remember a girl in the band named Michelle. She had dark, brown eyes and could make a really good ‘mean face.’ I'd go into the bathroom, and looking in the mirror, I’d practice making my face at least as MEAN as hers! Secretively, I was a bit frightened of her!
I still swim, yet as I began losing my hearing there were group activities I stopped doing, as it was becoming difficult to figure out what people were saying. My journey with hearing loss altered everything. Across 30 years, I gradually went from a mild hearing loss to a profound one. Essentially I was deaf.
Nothing can adequately describe the pain and isolation of not being able to hear. Hearing connects us to people. When one “hears, but does not understand,” communication is lost. Over time I became isolated and anxious. I had to redefine myself. I had to embrace deafness and be ok with my disability. Becoming an author, educator, and advocate is a big part of the new me.
Tell us about your experience of being a corporate professional.I am proud that I had the privilege of working for Lilly. Initially, I worked within the Neuroscience Division. Later, I worked in Sales and Marketing for Lilly Oncology. Bar none, Lilly has the best training, the best career development, and some of the brightest people I’ve ever worked with. It was a fabulous experience. Looking back on some of my projects, I wonder, “Who was that person?” I find it difficult to believe that I ever operated at the pace and responsibility that came with those roles.
Who is your target audience?Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear is unusual for a picture book as it has more than one audience.
Children in Elementary School are an audience. Rarely are Elementary Schools teaching that LOUD, LOUD noise can permanently damage hearing. That’s a gap that my other target audiences can help close.
Gaps create consequences. Let me explain. 85% of all hearing loss is caused by overexposure to loud noise. Sadly, clients often tell me their last hearing test was in grade school. The consequence of not having hearing health pounded into their skull is that 50 years after Elementary School they show up in my office needing hearing aids. That's why education is so important at a young age. We educate to prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
When an Audiologist or Licensed Hearing Professional provides a patient with a copy of Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear, it's a simple way to explain to a child what a hearing aid is and what it does. A parent with a curious child can merely say, “Let’s read a story about Eddie!” For children with hearing loss, it can help them work through some of the challenges that hearing loss can bring.
Finally, the story is a way to learn empathy. After learning that Eddie had broken and lost his ear and that without it he couldn't hear, kids are more likely to understand that Grandpa isn’t yelling at them because he’s mean, but because he can’t hear how loud he is talking!
Previously I mentioned that hearing allows for connecting and communicating. In detailing my audiences, you can see the relationship between them. Specifically, Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear provides the same message for each audience yet for different reasons.
What are some things you wish your readers would take away from your book?Value your hearing. Understand that LOUD noise can cause permanent hearing damage. Examples include movie theaters where the volume in an action movie may be louder than 80 decibels. If a sound hurts your ears or makes them ring after hearing it, it was too loud. It may take years before the damage surfaces, yet trust me, it's already occurred. Have you ever heard someone say, “I have selective hearing?” Not true. What they have is nerve damage that, with age, has only now become a problem.
As an author now, what does your daily schedule look like? How do you maintain discipline and keep up with deadlines when working at home?I’m certainly not the best person to ask this question to. I’m disabled both by my hearing loss and by the long-term effects of a concussion from years ago. I try to keep stress to a minimum, and I keep deadlines flexible, with gentle reminders appreciated.
If you had the chance to travel the world, where is the first place you would go?Spain. I’ve seen pictures of the countryside and it intrigues me. I also have a cruise around the world on my ‘bucket list.’
What inspired you to start writing Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear?I was writing a technical book on hearing, and I heard a voice in my head say, “Eddie is an elephant.” I said, ”Ok.” Then I heard, “He’s not a big elephant, he’s not a small elephant, he’s just an elephant.” At that point, I gave in to God and just took dictation. Eight iterations later, we went to press in June of 2022.
How important do you think book covers are? Who usually designs your book covers?I think book covers are incredibly important. I did my own. I had a vision for it. vetted it through some folks, tweaked it and in the end, used it. Often you hear “Do the cover last.” I do it first because it’s an anchor that keeps me on track. Once the book is done, the book itself can re-create the cover. Covers and titles pull or repel your audience to your book.
How often do you write in a week? Do you try to write a certain goal number of words or chapters a day or do you just go with the flow?A bit of both of them. I’ve got roughly 4 books I’m writing now. My deadlines are flexible. Building momentum for Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear and strengthening the Eddie Brand is my current focus. I’ve just released a companion book, Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear Color+Learn. It's meant to open discussions between teachers, parents, and children. In a classroom, kids can color an illustration then answer a question or participate in a learning venture. It gives kids the experience to understand and be understood.
I’ve also released a Bilingual Spanish/English version of Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Ear. Shortly I'll be launching Eddie the Elephant’s Magical Journal. The idea is that kids begin to make the jump from being ‘different,’ to somebody that is noticeably exceptional.
Every art form is open to various interpretations and reviews. How do you handle any negative reviews that come your way?Fingers crossed, I’ve only had one partially negative review. The reviewer implied that I had made a mistake because if Eddie couldn’t hear, how was he able to hear the spider? So, I did what I counsel my clients to do. I advocated for myself. I wrote (and referenced) information about single-sided deafness, and the types of sounds one misses, and I presented a rebuttal to the review. I got extremely lucky, as the person who read my objection had a hearing-impaired child. In the end, I did get a favorable 2’nd review that was accurate. Getting correct information out there can't be stressed enough. There is just too much work to be done in educating others about hearing loss. It was a learning experience though, and in future updates, I’ll include a notation for single-sided deafness.
Should a writer write in a way that they feel is most preferable to themselves? Is creative writing how the writer wants to write, not what people believe is the best way to write?I think it depends on what the author’s objective is. Frequently it is said to write at a 4’th grade level. For base knowledge and instruction, I’m inclined to believe this. Yet as the reader becomes more proficient in a specialty topic, the writing becomes more challenging to the reader. At the same time, the key to the puzzle is the topic and audience. If the audience is obligated to read what I’ve written, then I must write to the ability of the audience. Nevertheless, if I’m writing a creative novel, a contemporary romance, for example, the words go where the pen flows.
What life lessons have you learned from becoming an Advocate for Hearing Education?The most important thing I've learned is to stop apologizing for my deafness. After becoming deaf, I felt I had no purpose. I’d always defined myself by what I did. Eddie allowed me to build an extraordinary network. I felt it a privilege to be featured on podcasts with Neuroscientists/Doctors of Audiology, like K. Todd Houston, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT and Dr. Keith Darrow, Ph.D., CCC-A. They are doing incredible work in how the brain listens and responds, as well as the cognitive decline that comes from untreated hearing loss. Others that come to mind are John and Chase Prieve, the developers of the award-winning app Hi There Solutions (www.hitheresolutions.com), and last but not least, Jeffrey Szmanda the creator of HearingTestPrep.com a great little tool to help people understand what to expect when getting their ears tested.
I mention these people because too often we discount the work that we do, the message we bring, or the book that we write. Then, perhaps shaking with fear, we reach out to these amazing people and they scoop us up and give us a platform to stand on. It’s taught me that I can make a difference. Every one of you can as well. There is always hope. Someone will always catch you when you think you are all alone or insignificant.
What is the one thing that has changed after becoming an author?My world has opened up! I’ve made friends who have mentored me. A huge shout out to Joanna Hurley, who just released, The Great Bednapping Mystery; a story about a brave yet precocious 8 year old girl named Zoe. Others that have been incredible include Cheryl Nolte who researched and developed a specific model for lip-reading classes, and finally, Anna Silverstein who adopted me at a conference where I felt out of place and insecure. There are so many supportive people out there.
How do you usually promote your books?I have a large social media platform. With social media, you have to know the playground you want to be in, why you want to be there, and what the rules for engagement are. There are lots of people out there teaching high-dollar programs to teach people like us how to sell and market our books. Some do a good job, others don’t. My methodology is very corporate. It is based on tailoring my message to my audience and using effective channels to deliver it. It's important to be visible and relevant.
Why do you think many authors struggle with book marketing and promotions, even if they've written a great book?Entrepreneurs, whether authors, massage therapists, audiologists, etc, excel at their craft. Sometimes, they simply don’t know how to sell or market; which, by the way, are 2 different things. You have to have a plan, know how to sell it, and be comfortable doing so. Begin with one target, do your research, and flood your audience with your brand. Give value. I’ve been told I should write a book or mentor people on the topic of networking and sales and marketing. I’m obsessed with it. I guess I’m still trying to make use of that MBA!
