Interview with Best Selling author Susan Wiggs
By Theresa Rizzo
Date: September 2007
Though Susan
has always had a passion for storytelling, she took a slight detour and taught
math for a while. But even the logical
comfort of predictable mathematics couldn’t hold her long and Susan’s been crafting
wonderful stories for the past 20 years. After writing for 6 different
publishers, Susan has found her home with Mira Books.
Unable to completely abandon her beloved
teaching profession, Susan is a frequent workshop leader and speaker at
writers' conferences, including the literary institution Fields End and the
legendary Maui Writers Conference. She is the proud recipient of two RITA
awards for Lord of the Night and The Mistress, and is often a finalist for the
prestigious award. Her novel The Charm School was voted one of RWA's Favorite
Books of the Year. She is the proud recipient of many RT awards, the Peninsula
RWA's Blue Boa, the Holt Medallion and the Colorado Award of Excellence. Her
books appear regularly on numerous "Best Of" lists.
1. Why did you start writing? Why
do you write now?
Answer: I started writing the way most people start
talking and walking – it’s simply something a person does. Seriously. I was
“writing” stories at age 2-3 and my mom has kept them. I would “illustrate” a
story and have my mother write down the words. All the stories seemed to be
about a girl stuck up a tree with bad things after her. Which,
when you think about it, is pretty much what all my stories are about.
I write now for many reasons. Yes, it’s my
job but it’s also my metier. It’s as much a compulsion now as it was for that
three-year-old scribbling on the back of a church collection plate envelope.
2. What do you love most about being an author?
Answer: The solitude, the sense of creating
something unique, the feeling of control over the characters and their world,
the bursts of creativity, the personal freedom of being self-employed.
3. What is the most difficult thing about being an author and what do you
do to minimize this?
Answer: See above. For every advantage to writing,
there is a difficult and dark side. To minimize the difficulty, I surround
myself by supportive people, starting with my husband and also including the
professionals I work with. I have the best agent in the business, the best
business manager, a talented bookkeeper and CPA, and the best publisher.
4. What do you do to pace yourself, to prevent burnout, to keep your
creativity and writing fresh?
Answer: Nothing. You don’t want to emulate my
habits. I probably work too much and too hard, but I made a commitment to my
publisher and I always keep my promises. However, I will say that writing is
such a pleasure it doesn’t always feel like work so I don’t mind. Another thing–there
are a lot of things to writing besides writing. I usually finish the “heavy
lifting” (composing new text or doing big hard revisions) by noon, and the rest
of the day is taken up with the lighter chores. Also–most writers don’t want to
hear this–but physical fitness is important. I spent at least an hour a day
doing something intensely physical. With a new puppy in the house, this is not
difficult.
5. With the consolidation of publishing houses limiting publishing
opportunities, with the ever increasing popularity of entertainment
opportunities (HD TV, MP-S Players, Reality shows, Play
stations) vying for entertainment dollars, with the decrease in disposable
income to spend on entertainment, getting that first book published is more
difficult than ever. What would you do
if you were once again an unpublished author trying to break into this market?
Answer: I suspect you’ll hear this from any
established author–I wouldn’t do anything different. I would write with passion
and clarity, creating the best stories I can, and leave no stone unturned in
trying to find a publisher. In this day and age, I imagine a new writer would
do more Internet marketing, creating a blog, web site, networking and so forth.
Maybe submit to some of the “talent search” contests like the Gather/S&S
contest or the Amazon/Penguin one. But the task has never changed. Readers want
a great story. There will always be a market for that. And it will always be
hard for new writers to break in...but it will always
be possible.
6. How many hours a day do you typically spend on
writing? On business? Do you have employees to help you with either
aspect?
Answer: I spend maybe 4-5 hours writing and another
4-5 on business. I use the services of a bookkeeper, a CPA and an assistant to
help with fan and mailing list issues. I also have a web designer and graphics
designer.
7. To what do you owe your success?
Answer: Relentless determination + talent + luck +
flexibility + willingness to learn and try new things + the amazing loyalty of
my readers.
8. Many people feel that with success, comes a certain amount of
responsibility. Do you? How?
What do you do about it?
Answer: My responsibility is to tell the most honest
stories I can, so I don’t really do anything different. I do give back to the
writing community (lots of teaching and volunteering) and have participated in
many writing projects in which the proceeds from book sales benefit a cause (eg
MORE THAN WORDS).
9. What industry/business secret/truism have you discovered that you wished
you’d known about from the beginning?
Answer: That there is nothing secret or mystical
about the business. I used to be really intimidated by the idea of
10. Which celebrities do you find most fascinating/respect and why?
Answer: William Goldman. He is the ultimate
storyteller, and there is a page in his latest book (WHICH LIE DID I TELL?)
About creativity that should be dipped in gold. He’s just so wise and generous
of spirit. The other is Stephen King. He has a generosity toward other writers
that is unmatched, and a talent for putting words down so that they have the
impact of a well-landed punch. Same reason I love and respect Nora Roberts,
whom I also count as a friend.
11. What have you always wanted to do?
Answer: Speak Italian, master piano, sky dive, sing
an aria.
12. What’s your favorite genre/type of:
a. Book: fiction
b. Food:
i. Sweets-chocolate
ii.Other Food-gougeres
c. Music: anything but country and hip hop
d. Sports: skiing, cycling, endless hikes
with the dog
e. Color: pool water blue
f. Movie: Wizard of Oz, Last of the
Mohicans, Harold & Maude, Lady Jane ...