Sue, what are your ambitions for your writing career?
To hit the top of the New York Times best-seller list and stay there for long enough to buy a private island, of course.
I once had dreams of getting on the Oprah show, but that's off the air, so then I thought, maybe Letterman would be charmed by my rapier wit, but then he retired. In case there's a conspiracy afoot, I won't mention my next hopeful, but her name rhymes with 'Melon DeVeneris.'
Which writers inspire you?
I'm an omnivore when it comes to reading. I love fiction, non-, memoir, you name it, so: Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry, Christopher Moore, Mary Roach, Agatha Christie, Nora Ephron, Jane Austen, Alan Bradley, Helen Fielding...So many, it's hard to know where to stop.
Where did you get the idea for your latest novel?
I went on vacation to Maine and the town was so darned cute with its overflowing window boxes and cedar-shingled houses, I just had to turn it into a crime scene. I also miss Murder, She Wrote, and I think it's time someone brings it back. I'm willing to take the starring role. I've got a bike. I just need a cute wicker basket to stick on the front and then I'm ready to go.
What drew you to write in this genre?
I love a good murder mystery but never thought I was smart enough to write one. But then I said to myself, Self, what kind of self-limiting trash talk is that? And so I gave it a shot. It's even harder than I originally thought.
How much research do you do?
Tons. Google is my best friend. Sometimes he lies, but that just keeps things interesting.
Last question Sue, what is your editing process?
What editing? I use Jessica Fletcher's method of tapping it out in my spare time on an old-fashioned typewriter and then just handing off the first draft to the publisher.
via GIPHY
Seriously, I go through 3 distinct phases:
1) Exhilaration. This phase lasts from the moment I type the words 'The End' to when I start rereading from the beginning, then it quickly moves to phase II which is:
2) Despair. Hair-pulling and crying are usually involved. Phase II can last for months or years. At some point, either when I'm cried out and/or bald, I can advance to the final phase:
3) Teeth-gritting. Get it done at any cost, including a broken neck (feels like).
Thanks for joining us Sue.
More about Sue:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueSeabury
It's great that you decided to write a book and actually got it done. So many people give up when doing something time consuming like this.
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