Q. When did you begin to write seriously?
DS. Fifteen years ago, I decided to take my writing hobby more seriously. I bought books on writing craft, followed blogs of authors and literary agents, and devoted more time to writing.
Q. How long after that were you published?
DS. About four years later, I sold a short story to a print journal in the US. That gave me the confidence to work on my first novel, which took another seven years.
Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper books?
DS. I don’t think paper books will disappear in the foreseeable future, but the bulk of readers might move to digital formats. Audiobooks are on the rise, and so I’ve produced an audiobook for my new novel, Revenge of the Elders of Zion, read by the insanely talented Audi Award-winning narrator, Tim Campbell.
Q. What makes a writer great?
DS. Writers can be great in many ways. I find the authors I love have emotional intelligence and a subtle sense of humor.
Q. and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?
DS. First, I write the novel concept, or “premise”, as a single sentence. I list the ideas, memorable scenes, and themes I’d like to include. After some years of 
writing, I discovered that this is a good time to write the book description or back-cover blurb. This helps make sure the concept will grab readers.
Then, I plan the structure of the main story arc. At the same time, I sketch out the motivation of the characters, their flaws, and arcs. I flesh the story out into a list of scenes and a two-page synopsis. By the time I start writing, I have a good idea of the story content. The writing flows faster, but there’s still room for characters and events to surprise me. Once I’ve raced through the first draft, I take a break, put the manuscript aside for a few weeks, and then return to the “real” writing, the editing.
Q. How has your life experiences influenced your writing?
DS. Life experiences have deeply influenced my writing, from generating story ideas, to identifying with character motivations and relationships.
Q. What’s your down time look like?
DS. When I’m not writing and working (still have the day job), I spend time with my family, exercise at the gym, and of course, read a lot!
Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre`?
DS. My earlier novels are comedy thrillers with some magical realism: A Love and Beyond and the Dry Bones Society series (“An Unexpected Afterlife,” “An Accidental Messiah,” and “A Premature Apocalypse”).
My new novel is a comedy thriller without fantasy elements, Revenge of the Elders of Zion.
But I’m working on a psychological thriller and have story ideas for a bunch of other genres. So many genres, so little time…
Note to Self: (a life lesson you’ve learned.)
DS. Focus. Don’t spread your time and energy too thin. We don’t live forever.
Did you miss part I of this interview?
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Books by Trisha Sugarek
