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This month we have the
honor of having Ms. Susan Wiggs for our Author of the Month. Zebra
published Ms. Wiggs’s first book in 1987. Since then Ms. Wiggs has
been published by Avon, Tor, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Mira and Warner
Books. Ms. Wiggs is often seen speaking or being a workshop leader at
writer’s conferences. Ms. Wiggs has won two RITA awards and her
recent novel THE CHARM SCHOOL was voted one of RWA's Favorite Books of
the Year. She is the proud recipient of several RT awards, the
Peninsula RWA's Blue Boa, the Holt Medallion and the Colorado Award of
Excellence. Ms. Wiggs, I would like to welcome you to The Romance
Readers Connection website.
Wendy- I just
finished HOME BEFORE DARK and I was very curious how you got the idea
for this story and these characters?
Susan-This
book has been percolating for a long time–years, actually. A book
comes to me in bits and pieces; it’s not fully formed. Elements of
HOME BEFORE DARK have been swirling in my imagination for years,
literally. Two sisters, an illicit love affair, an explosive situation
involving a private adoption and a life-altering crisis one of the
sister’s faces. The elements were all there, but it took years
before I put them together the right way. I love this book, because
the dynamics of sisterhood are so compelling.
Wendy- What do
you hope people will take from this story?
Susan- I
hope readers will see how important it is to tend to the bonds of home
and family. I also hope they'll call their sister, their mother or
their best friend.
Wendy- Do you
plan for HOME BEFORE DARK to have a sequel?
Susan-Not
at this time, although a character I'm writing about at the moment was
born in Edenville, where HOME BEFORE DARK takes place. My agent
definitely wants to revisit Luz and Ian!
Wendy- I’ve
noticed that the books I have read of yours seem to have a part
dealing with a social/moral issue, is this your purpose? Or does it
just seem to happen?
Susan-Answer
B. I never set out to deal with any particular "issue." I
just dream up a character who has a problem. But I think the issues
near and dear to a writer's heart tend to surface, in different
incarnations, again and again. I like the high drama of characters
faced with dangerous moral choices.
Wendy-
What do you hope to accomplish with your writing?
Susan-Tricky
question. I love the creative satisfaction that comes from having
written, so in that respect, my motives are "pure." I also
hope to tell a good yarn, to make a reader's day a little brighter.
Wendy- What was
your first experience with the world of writing and selling your work?
Susan-I
was a babe in the woods! There were no well-organized writers groups
or Internet in the "old days" of the 80s. I simply wrote
books, typed them up on a manual typewriter, and sent them to
publishers. Eventually I learned the drill, and in 1986, the third
book I wrote sold to a publisher.
Wendy- What
advice would you have for any new writers or those who just like to
write for themselves?
Susan-Write
the book that's in you. During the first draft, step out of your own
way and give your dreams a chance to express themselves on paper.
Don't worry about where it fits in the market or what someone will
think of it. Write from the passion inside you. Write swiftly,
regularly, and then go back and read what you have written. This is
the way a novel is built. It looks a lot easier than it is, like
waterskiing or figure skating.
And never ever pay a
reading/processing/editorial/marketing/whatever fee! Please! (Note:
there are legitimate freelance editors, book doctors, and ghostwriters
but avoid the ones whose credentials don't check out or who make you
wild promises.)
Wendy- What's the
best question you've ever been asked?
Susan- "Will
you marry me?" (Jay Wiggs, December 1979)
Wendy-What's the worst?
Susan-"How old
are you and how much money do you make?" (that's on my website
www.susanwiggs.com)
Wendy-What's the
funniest?
Susan- "What's
a nice girl like you doing in vector analysis?"
Wendy- Where do you see
yourself and your writing in 10 years?
Susan- Same place I
am right now, but with a MUCH bigger backlist.
Wendy- What is your
favorite setting/time to write about?
Susan- I love all
settings and time periods. In the future, I'll be writing a lot of
contemporary women's fiction. The ideas just keep coming.
Wendy- What book has
been the most difficult for you to write and why?
Susan- THE
LIGHTKEEPER was probably the hardest, because I had just lost my
mother-in-law, who was very dear to me, and the book is about a
character dealing with grief and loss.
Wendy- Who is your
favorite author and what is your favorite book?
Susan-Favorite
author: Well, my second-favorite would have to be Larry McMurtry.
Susan- Favorite
book: CHARLOTTE'S WEB
Thank you Ms. Wiggs for
being here and answering my questions. I do hope that others will
enjoy your book HOME BEFORE DARK as much as I did. Visit www.susanwiggs.com
for a complete backlist.
(Click
here for a review of HOME BEFORE DARK)
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