Q. Do you enjoy writing in other forms (playwriting, poetry, short stories, etc.)? If yes, tell us about it.
TS. I enjoy writing shorter romance (novellas) a lot! I think I’m pretty good at capturing a full story in shorter form.
Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?
TS. The only time I’ve had any success in this business was when I just pushed aside everything else and WROTE. Write, keep writing, network with other writers or at least, subscribe to their newsletter and see what they’re doing. Reach out to readers. Be accessible. Enjoy the process! And don’t try to do someone’s else process – yours is great!
Q. Where/when do you first discover your characters?
TS. I have the hero in mind, always, before I start. But characters surprise you on the page. I truly find them while writing.
Q. What first inspired you to write?
TS. Reading “The Outsiders” was a big inspiration for me. Stephen King for sure, although I don’t write in that genre. Then, I stumbled upon Vows, by LyVyrle Spencer, and I was done!
Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?
TS. CHARACTERS!
Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?
TS. Yes, I think I do, if things are really rolling. But some days, it’s hard. Generally, writing is hard work. I love my pages, I hate my pages. LOL
Q. What compelled you to choose and settle on the genre you now write in?
TS. That first romance I read in college, that was it for me. I ended up reading about 1,000 romances, then figured, I can write one of these. I was a journalism major, and I started writing in high school, so…
Q. Are you working on something now or have a new release coming up? If so tell us about it.
TS. I have a new release coming in May, THREE SINS AND A SCOUNDREL. It’s the final (#6 full length book) in the Duchess Society series. It’s been a really great series for me and readers seem to love the heroes!
Q. When did you begin to write seriously?
TS. I was first published in 2002 with Kensington Publishing. But I also had a career in marketing, so I dallied. Then, in 2017 following a breast cancer diagnosis, I figured I should start writing in earnest. And here we are!
Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper books?
TS. No, I really don’t. I still love reading print. However, one great thing about Kindle is the backlighting. When your vision gets wonky after 40, backlighting is awesome! But I still love holding a book in my hand #1 above everything. And I still sell print copies – of course, nothing compared to ebooks.
Q. What makes a writer great?
TS. Be courageous enough to be themselves – which allows their voice to shine.
Q. and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?
TS. The daily grind. Butt to chair. It’s not sexy and it’s not easy. As I said before, some days I hate the pages. Then the next day, they seem not so bad. Day after day, then somewhere along the way, we have a book!
Q. What’s your downtime look like?
TS. I like to read (of course!) and I love yoga. My son is 16, so my days are filled with mom things, too. I walk a lot in the city, too. I love museums and movies, although since Covid, I haven’t been to the theatre as much.
Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre?
TS. I have written a contemporary series and someday soon may publish those. I’m really all about the characters, not the time period. (I think.)
Q. Note to Self: (a life lesson you’ve learned.)
TS. I asked Nora Roberts this once at a conference and she said: PATIENCE. I didn’t get what she meant then, but I do now. Take your time, exhale, breath in love, breath out love. And write. Or read! I think reading is the best, actually.
Did you miss Part 1?
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A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK
