Why veer into magic realism for a third novel?
Magic realism is a literary style that blends the real and the fantastic, presenting extraordinary elements as a natural part of everyday life. Unlike pure fantasy, which creates entirely new worlds, magic realism is rooted in reality, often featuring ordinary settings and characters who accept the magical as normal.
Author Susan Sage’s previous novels were historical fiction and women’s fiction. I asked her what made spurred her interest in magic realism for her latest novel, Silver Lady: Travels Along the River Road.
Phantasmagorical
Susan said, simply, “I enjoy portraying characters realistically and then throwing them into dreamlike situations.”
In Silver Lady, the Great River (The Mississippi) becomes increasingly magical the farther the luxury houseboat, Silver Lady, travels downstream. The story takes place ten years into the future, just before a civil war is ready to break out. Cassie, the main character, decides to throw caution to the wind by taking a job driving the boat to its owner. She sets off from Minnesota with two couples, both in there early 40s, along with an unlikable young woman who is searching for her parents—two journalists who have disappeared.
While I did some genre mixing, my book is probably best categorized as Magical Realism. However, one reviewer called it ‘phantasmagorical.’
At one point, the characters see their doubles on a replica of the houseboat they’re riding in. In another scene, the boat gets dive bombed by owls. The riverbanks become increasingly surreal… Writing this book was a truly enjoyable exercise of imagination! I often felt like I was dreaming-but-awake while writing the first draft. Of course, any sort of creative writing is a bit like controlled dreaming—magical realism is just more hopped up, you know? I’m currently working on the sequel and it’s equally enjoyable. Writing a novel should always be crazy fun—at least during its conception and first draft.
Some of my favorite magical realism authors include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Haruki Murakimi, Toni Morrison, and Salman Rushdi.
Mystery and Wonder
People are drawn to magic realism because it offers a unique way of seeing the world—one where the impossible and the everyday coexist, making the ordinary feel extraordinary. It creates a dreamlike atmosphere that lingers long after the story ends. Unlike pure fantasy, magic realism keeps one foot in the real world, offering a sense of escape while still feeling relevant and relatable.
If you enjoy books that feel like stepping into a vivid dream—where the impossible isn’t questioned but embraced—Silver Lady: Travels Along the River Road might be for you.
About Silver Lady
In a world teetering on the brink of collapse, Cassie, an older woman determined to savor a pre-apocalyptic vacation, finds herself at the helm of a luxury houseboat. As the looming shadow of civil war threatens society, Cassie’s journey along the might river becomes a transformative odyssey filled with magic, mystery, and self-discovery. To survive, Cassie must navigate the boat along with an eclectic group of fellow travelers. When the river turns perilous, can Captain Cassie pilot the Silver Lady to its destination? Or does the Silver Lady have a will of her own?
“Sage has crafted a unique near–future, post–pandemic world where Art is vanishing, and the world is chaotic. The Silver Lady drifts downriver in a dreamlike state, slipping through time and reality, past and present, in a world with ever–changing rules, making you question what is real…” –Lena Gibson, author of The Edge of Life: Love and Survival During the Apocalypse
* * *
Susan E. Sage was born in Detroit, Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree in English from Wayne State University in Detroit and has done post-graduate work at the University of Michigan-Flint. She was a recipient of the Tompkin’s Award in Poetry (1981) and has published her poetry in numerous literary magazines. Susan is a multi-genre novelist. A MENTOR AND HER MUSE was published in 2018, and INSOMINY was published in 2010. She is a fan of Historical Fiction, Magic Realism, and Contemporary Fantasy literature. Susan loves cats, smooth jazz, blues, art, and poetry.
Silver Lady: Travels Along the River Road is available from Bookshop.org, Black Rose Writing and Amazon
Thank you for visiting.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist
Books: In the Context of Love | Gordy and the Ghost Crab | Sleepwalker
New novel, Love and Other Incurable Ailments, coming fall 2026 from Regal House Publishing
Connect with Linda on social media: LinkTree