Susan Wiggs's Blog

Time Travelers & Bookworms Unite!

Join us for “What’s New in Historical Fiction” –a FREE virtual panel moderated by Colin Mustful, founder of History Through Fiction, this lively online gathering features FOUR amazing authors sharing their latest works that spotlight untold stories and the strength of women across time and place.

Meet your time-travel guides: @HazelGaynor with “Before Dorothy” (yes, THAT Dorothy!) @KristinaMcMorris revealing Portland’s hidden past in “The Girls of Good Fortune” @Kelli.Estes bridging centuries in the Scottish Highlands with “Smoke on the Wind” @Susan_Wiggs_ uncovering friendship and survival in “Wayward Girls”

No need to dress up or fight traffic; just bring your curiosity! If you can’t make it live, replays will be available on YouTube afterward. The best adventures are free, and this one promises to reshape how you see the past—and yourself! Click here to claim your spot faster than you can say “historical anachronism”! #HistoricalFiction #VirtualEvent #BookLovers #TimeTravel #FreeEvent #WaywardGirls

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Sugar and Salt Mass Market Edition

Dear friends, Remember mass market paperbacks? You know, those pocket-size reader-friendly little books that are sold in racks at the grocery store, variety store, convenience store, tourist kiosk, airport or news agency… How many of those books did we read over the years? Today I’m proud to announce the mass market edition of Sugar and Salt. Grab a copy and take it along with you. I promise, you won’t be sorry. Love, Susan.

Buy Now

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The Twelve Dogs of Christmas Q&A

Note to readers: The always-inspiring Deborah Kalb and I chatted about my latest, and it was one of the most enjoyable conversations of the season. Please visit ! Deborah Kalb for a wonderful variety of author Q&As. This is the no-holds-barred inside scoop on how The Twelve Dogs of Christmas  turned into the waggiest book of the holidays. Don’t forget to page down for a no-fail cookie recipe.

1.What inspired you to write The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, and how did you create your character, Brenda?

SW: I’m so glad you asked! I named the main character “Brenda” in honor of a real-life dog rescue volunteer. She was fostering a litter of pups rescued from a backyard breeder in Texas, and I met her through HoundsAndHooves.org on a zoom call. During the call, Jerry and I fell in love with one of the pups and adopted him on the spot. Our beloved Dug came to his forever home with us in a transit van filled with dogs. What an exciting moment to meet Dug for the first time! Here’s the first picture I ever took of him. Jerry was so thrilled!

2. Is the community of Avalon in the novel based on a real town?

SW: Avalon, on the shores of Willow Lake in the heart of the Catskills, is completely made up! But one of the pleasures of writing fiction is that you can build the world of the story to your specifications. Avalon appears in all of the Lakeshore Chronicles books. At one point, my publisher hired an illustrator to make a map of it! Look how pretty!

3. The writer Debbie Macomber said of the book, “Don’t miss this charming Christmas tale of thawing hearts, escaping dogs, and finding home.” What do you think of that description, and what do you think the novel says about the concept of home?

SW: Well, praise from the undisputed Queen of the Christmas Novel is music to my ears. I’m so grateful that Debbie Macomber took the time to tell her readers about this book. We writers are all such avid readers, and a recommendation from one of the best is gold!

4. What do you hope readers take away from the story?

SW: Look at these pictures and tell me how anyone could resist rescuing a dog! The first one is my granddaughter Clara, and the second is my mom. They are 90 years apart in age, but their canine companions bring them the same kind of comfort and affection.

5. What are you working on now?

SW: At this very moment I am having high tea on the observation deck of a ship called the Seabourn Quest in Halifax, Canada! I’m writing a new book called WAYWARD GIRLS. Getting away from all the distractions is a wonderful way to get my first draft down on paper. Here’s the exact view from here:

6. Anything else we should know?

SW: A couple of things: A portion of my royalties will go to support my local dog rescue shelter—the Kitsap Humane Society. If you order the book from LibertyBayBooks.com in Poulsbo, WA, you can get a signed copy, AND they’re donating 20% of the price to the Kitsap Humane Society. And finally, a funny story. As my editor was working on the book, she spotted this post on Instagram. We thought it was uncanny, because that’s pretty much how the first scene of the novel plays out, sending Brenda off on her Christmas adventure!

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Sugar and Salt Q&A

Sharing a fun Q&A I did for Sugar and Salt! Recently the book released in Trade Paperback and I have been reflecting on all of the things that went into writing this novel.

 

Q: Sugar and Salt is releasing into the world at a time when women’s rights and abortion laws, especially in Texas, continue to be top-of-mind in America. In these times of change, how do you see the novel fitting into this current cultural and political conversation?

 

SW: The storyline for Sugar and Salt touches multiple hot buttons in the current conversation. It depicts a Texas woman facing a barrage of devastating, seemingly impossible choices. She’s dealing socioeconomic insecurity, sexual violence, incarceration, justice inequity, and firearms issues. In researching the novel, I discovered real-life stories that shook my faith in our leadership. Yet these stories also reinforced my faith in the power of a woman’s strength and determination in the face of overwhelming adversity. Margot, the main character in Sugar and Salt, exemplifies the grace, humanity, and deep resolve that ultimately saves her. Another unanticipated but very welcome current issue in the novel was a surprise to me—diversity in adoption choices. The situation in Sugar and Salt was inspired by some friends of mine, a gay couple who now have two children by surrogacy. What I didn’t know as I was writing the book is that a number of high-profile couples have made the news in the happiest way possible. Anderson Cooper, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and one of my favorite book evangelists, Jordan Moblo, all shared their baby joy while I was writing the novel. Real-life happy endings lift me up and buoy me toward my own happy ending.

 

Q: Readers flock to your novels for their emotional complexity and deeply felt truths about family, love, and ourselves. What do you hope Sugar and Salt will offer readers?

 

SW: As a reader, I’m irresistibly drawn to stories that reflect the things I hold in my heart. So when I write, I try my best to create characters the reader can relate to—people facing life choices, sorrows and joys, adversity and abundance—in the most authentic and entertaining way possible.

 

First and foremost, my goal is the same as it’s been since 1987, when my first novel was published—to entertain and uplift the reader. If I fail at that, any meaning or message my story conveys will be lost. However, assuming I’ve done my job (and believe me, readers are not shy about letting me know), then Sugar and Salt will leave a lasting impression. I hope the novel offers readers an opportunity to take an unconventional and dramatic journey with Margot Salton, who is nearly crushed by adversity, and then pulls herself up by her fingernails in search of a dream. I hope her story encourages readers to develop a greater understanding of the issues of poverty, violence, racism, misogyny, freedom of choice, and injustice.

 

Q: At the heart of Sugar and Salt is a sharp, honest tale of women’s empowerment as Margot Salton strives for a second chance at love and life after an unimaginable, life-changing event. In what ways does her story reflect the challenges facing all women in America?

 

SW: Ida B. Miller, one of the wisest characters in Sugar and Salt, tells Margot (formerly “Margie” because yes, she changed everything about herself), “Everybody has a past. It’s who you are now that matters.” I didn’t pull any punches with this story. Some of the things that happened to Margie might be hard to read. Believe me, these scenes were hard to research and hard to write. But I persevered because this character was so important to me. I want to believe that there is no mountain too high for a determined woman to climb. Margie’s story feels both timeless and of-the-moment. She faces the challenges women have dealt with from the beginning of time—seeking security through a deep emotional bond and finding the heart’s home, and the day-to-day work of making her way in the world. Yet there is an immediacy to her challenges that feels particularly relevant now. In this moment, women are actively seeking new levels of empowerment and meaning in their personal and work lives.

 

Q: Sugar and Salt is filled with irresistibly sweet and savory descriptions of cooking and dining. Similarly, readers will treasure its scenes of romance, newly forged and long-lasting. Food can do more than fill a hungry stomach; it can fill a hungry soul. In what ways does Sugar and Salt explore the personal and profound relationship between food and romance?

 

SW: Before I wrote a word of this story, I knew I wanted the title to be Sugar and Salt, and I’m grateful that my editor and publisher went with it. Preparing and serving tasty food is an elemental expression of caring, a running theme throughout the book. This is where Margot excels and finds meaning in her mission. In a way, it’s one of the key elements that saves her, particularly during her most painful and challenging times. When she first meets Jerome Sugar, the admittedly delectable love interest, she lacks the emotional vocabulary to express her feelings for him. But she can feed him. And feed him she does, letting her culinary arts convey her ardor.

 

Q: What was the initial inspiration and writing process for Sugar and Salt? Did it start from your own relationships and experiences, or was it driven by a desire to explore certain themes?

 

SW: For me, inspiration is a process, not necessarily a single lightning-bolt moment. I’m more like a magpie, collecting lots of little bright, shiny objects because they interest me. I can tell you that a key element of this novel—the “Sugar” portion of Sugar and Salt—came to me as I was writing my previous book, The Lost and Found Bookshop. The bookseller in that story gets her supply of pastries for the in-store cafe from Sugar, the bakery across the street. I started wondering who the baker was, and what made his specialties so delicious. And then the other bits came to me. I read the harrowing real-life story of Brittany Smith, an Alabama woman who shot and killed her rapist—and was forced to plead guilty to murder. My fictional story is radically different (admittedly, much more tidy because—fiction), but it led me to learn more about the life-and-death situations faced by women who are marginalized by socioeconomic insecurity, sexual violence, lack of body autonomy, and injustice. Ultimately, all my novels are inspired by my stubborn belief in the sturdiness of the human spirit in the face of adversity. I wrote Sugar and Salt in a white heat, rushing to get the story out in a matter of months. I hope that creative energy is reflected in the pages of this novel.

 

 

 

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Women Who Inspired my Career

March is a month where we honor women and one thing that I keep reflecting on is the many women who have inspired me in my writing career through the years.

Ruth Krauss – author of THE CARROT SEED, the first book I read by myself, age 4. It’s the ultimate saga of holding on to your beliefs against all odds. This mindset is mandatory if you want to be a writer.Louise Fitzhugh – author of HARRIET THE SPY, which inspired me to tell the truth on paper, even if it gets me in trouble. Note: Please read the book and skip the movie.Mrs Marjorie Green, my Grade 3 teacher in Olean, NY. She told me, “If you want to be a writer, then you should be writing.” She gave me all the materials–paper, pencil, stapler, tape, and sent me off to write. She used to read my stories aloud to the class. One copy remains of A BOOK ABOUT SOME BAD KIDS.Madeleine L’Engle – A WRINKLE IN TIME was one of my favorite books, and it’s now a timeless classic. I met Madeleine when she visited the school where I was teaching. She was outspoken, awkward, honest, and fiercely intelligent. As a new mom and emerging writer, I was trying not to be discouraged as the rejections rolled in, and she said, “The only way to fail is to give up.” She gave me an autographed copy of A WRINKLE IN TIME for my daughter. A year later, I sold my first book.Anne Frank – The pages of her diary are stained with my tears. I read it countless times when I was a young girl. “Look how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” Note: Find a copy of the unabridged version.Brenda Euland – She wrote IF YOU WANT TO WRITE, a manifesto for busy working women who insist on following their dreams.Anne Rice – Her sister Alice Borchardt was in my first critique group. I met Anne just as I was starting out, and she was generous with her advice.Critique groups – since 1986, I’ve participated in some way or other in critique groups and retreats. I love the shared creative energy, the fellowship, and the encouragement and generosity of writers, including the late Alice Borchardt, Joyce Bell, Arnette Lamb, Barbara Dawson Smith (Olivia Drake), Anjali Banerjee, Kate Breslin, Lynn Brunelle, Carol Cassella, Janine Donoho, Lois Faye Dyer, Debbie Macomber, Maureen McQuerrie, Sheila Roberts, Suzanne Selfors, Elsa Watson, Elizabeth Engstrom, and Elizabeth George…to name a few!My publishing team – Through the years, it’s been mostly women at all levels—literary agents, editors, marketing and PR experts and more. To sustain a 35-year writing journey, it takes creativity, business savvy, excellent taste, lively debate, and flexibility. There are so many things that can go wrong in the journey of a book from idea to printed page. so these women have been my most valued colleagues.Booksellers who are in it for the passion – Jane Danielson of Eagle Harbor Books and Suzanne Selfors of Liberty Bay Books.Librarians – They have kept my career alive by knowing what readers want. They’ve invited me to their hallowed halls to discuss, debate, and find common ground in our dedication to intellectual freedom, no matter what.Readers – I’ve never met most of my readers, but I’m inspired just knowing they are out there, eager to read my books, outspoken with their opinions, passionate in their love for stories that uplift and affirm women.My family- I am surrounded by wonderful strong women in my family, my mother, daughter and grand daughter all inspire me every day.

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Foreign Affairs

My writing usually takes place while I’m sitting alone in a room, but every once in awhile, the job takes me farther afield. This fall, I made a thrilling visit to Berlin to research a novel (and sample too much beer, curry wurst and fries, strudel and berliners (aka jelly donuts). There is nothing like visiting a place in person to absorb the atmosphere, the sights and sounds and smells and textures that will bring a story to life.

The wall that used to divide East and West Berlin

And—bonus—I was able to visit my German publisher in Hamburg. This was a really important moment for me, because the very first translations of my books were in German. Vielen Dank to Juergen, Sara, Sophie, and Johanna for the warm welcome to gorgeous Hamburg.

Then it was on to Portugal for more book research! My upcoming novel, Welcome to Beach Town, features a big story, including global travel and surfing. Nazare has the biggest waves in the world, so off we went.

Soaking up the atmosphere on a windy hilltop in Lisbon Nazare, the ultimate beach town

And of course, when you’re in Portugal, you’d better study the historic sites…

Mosteiro (monastery) da Batalha

…and drink the wine…

new favorites: Sangria Branca and Porto Tonica

…and eat the food. New favorite recipes: Curry Wurst (a post-war classic from Berlin), Caldo Gallego from Galicia, kale soup from Portugal, and Portuguese Arroz de Tomate.

…and take the time to live and learn each and every chapter of your story.

Where is your story taking you today?

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The Moment Every Author Dreams About

This is my favorite moment in the life cycle of a book. It’s the moment the book leaves the author’s control and makes its way into readers’ hands. Up until this moment, the book has been a private matter between myself and my publisher, and we’re a very small circle of insiders. Now it’s being published. It will be made public. Readers will find it in the library. The bookstore. The discount store. Online. Wherever books are sold. If you’re one of those sainted readers who knew Sugar and Salt was coming out and preordered it, then maybe the book will magically appear at midnight on your e-reader, or arrive by special delivery on your doorstep on the day it’s published. By whatever magic means a reader finds an author’s book, it has now been released into the wild!

The story doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to readers. It takes on a life of its own, because reading is a fundamentally creative, collaborative process. When you read a book, it becomes a part of you, because you bring in your own unique experiences and perspectives. The story plays out differently in your mind than it does in the mind of anyone else who reads a book.

One of my favorite things about book club meetings is that we get to see this phenomenon in action. We discover that every reader reads a different book. Some of you will read Sugar and Salt (oh my gosh, I hope you read it), and you’ll read a woman’s coming-of-age journey through the key moments of her life. Someone else will read the same book, and it will be a love story. And another reader might relate to a story of trauma and recovery. Some of you will read a heartfelt interracial romance. Others will be intrigued by the story-within-a-story about a forbidden love that happened during the unrest of the late 1960s. And I bet a lot of readers will flip straight to the recipes  and get cooking, because Sugar and Salt  is about making people happy with tasty food.

Sounds like there’s something for everyone in this book.

Sugar and Salt is a good choice for a book club discussion, because it’s multifaceted in that way. When my editor created The Reading Group Guide for Sugar and Salt it turned out twice as long as a typical guide. I think that’s because there’s so much to process in this novel. And I’m not sure I should say this, but it’s the truth, so I will. The events in this book are even more relevant in the current news cycle. The drama Margot faces in Sugar and Salt involves issues such as body autonomy and freedom of choice, justice inequities, racial matters, and diversity in families. Also, cocktails, snacks, and dessert, but those are not controversial.

We read to escape the grim news of the day. But we also read to frame the things in the world around us and to make sense of them. That’s one of the reasons I wrote Sugar and Salt, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

I hope you’ll read my latest novel. I hope you’ll prepare some of the tasty dishes mentioned in the story, and share with your friends. I’m especially fond of Baja Oklahoma–a refreshing, powerful margarita. Cheers, yall! Look at this amazing recipe booklet for all the great recipes from the book: Recipes from Sugar and Salt

If you are considering ordering SUGAR AND SALT and want to check out an excerpt you can read it here!

#fiction #newreleases #newbooks #reading #writing #readSusanWiggs

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Getting Ready for Sugar and Salt!

The bakery called Sugar, on Perdita Street in San Francisco, was first introduced in THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP. We learn more about this iconic neighborhood institution in SUGAR AND SALT. 

Here is one of my favorite recipes to share, just because you probably have these ingredients on hand. You can be totally creative, adding favorite flavors, using seasonal ingredients, and even turning it into a holiday masterpiece. There’s no way to mess up this cake. It was first shared with me by fellow author and bookseller extraordinaire, Suzanne Selfors. [LINK]

The Cake of a Thousand Faces

½ cup butter (never margarine)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
(optional flavorings: vanilla, almond extract, orange liqueur, amaretto…)

Spread the thick batter into a buttered tart pan. A cake or pie pan or a springform pan would also work.
Now add what you want: blackberries or blueberries, pressed into the top of the tart. For a pear theme, thinly slice very ripe pears and press into the batter in a pretty pattern. You could also try raspberries, apple (sauté first), plum, and peach, sliced almonds.
Bake at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of your pan, it can take anywhere from 35 to 45
minutes. Test the center with a thin blade. Unmold while still warm onto a platter. Glaze with flavored simple syrup, melted apricot jam or marmalade thinned with lemon juice. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with a generous heart, along with crème fraiche or ice cream.

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Tell Your Story!

One thing I know for sure is that everyone has a story. I was that fortunate kid who had mentors who encouraged me to write. The first and most important, of course, was my mom. Even when I was too little to read or write, she would take down the stories I dictated.

My mom also taught me touch typing at the age of six.

 

Later I had Mrs. Green, the Grade 3 teacher I wish every child could have. She told me, “If you want to be a writer, then you should write.” She treated my stories with the same respect she gave to authors like E.B. White

That’s the key, isn’t it? Be an encourager, not an enforcer.  Let a young writer know you respect his ideas without judgment. That you love to hear her natural voice come through. That their stories matter.

When it comes to my granddaughter Clara, I practice what I preach!

 

 

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Baking with Ida

While writing Sugar and Salt, I did a lot of baking because A) I like to bake and B) it was a way to channel the energy of Ms. Ida Sugar, who founded her bakery–also called Sugar–in San Francisco in the 1970s.

It was a time of upheaval and unrest, protests and police action, division and derision–but Sugar was a sweet spot on Perdita Street that persists to this day. Readers of The Lost and Found Bookshop will remember Perdita Street.

Back in the 70s, the neighborhood was rough, but Ida turned Sugar into a community gathering place. For her, it was a place of safety. She could dream up recipes, cherish memories of a passionate, forbidden love, and raise her boy Jerome to take charge when she was ready for her next chapter.

Ida was resourceful. She was famous for coming up with something delicious out of thin air. Here’s an example. These cookies have a tender, old-fashioned quality, probably because my grandmother was a lot like Ida, making do with the ingredients she had on hand.

Rejected Nut Cookies

Brazil nuts, it must be said, are the old maids of the nut mix. No one wants them. They’re always the last ones left in the bowl, maybe along with a scattering of filberts. Save them for this recipe and you won’t be sorry.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar–white or brown or a combination
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup coconut flakes
2 cups finely chopped (or even ground) Brazil nuts, or any combination of Brazil nuts, hazel nuts, pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1-1/2 cups butterscotch chips (white or dark chocolate chips would be fine, too)

Oven at 350 F. Grind the nuts in the Ninja, which is a thing you need if you don’t already have one. That vintage nut mill is cute, but you’ll be at it all day.

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. A stand mixer makes this easy. Add the dry ingredients, and stir in the coconut, nuts, and chips.

Ignore the haters who say don’t eat raw cookie dough.

Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on racks.

Optional: If you have a tub of caramel icing that’s been in the freezer since Christmas, glaze some of the cookies with it and add a pinch of flaky salt on top.

Pro tip: If you happen to break one on the way to the platter, don’t worry. All the calories will rush out of it.

Another tip: There is a special place in heaven for readers who preorder books. Pre-order your copy of Sugar and Salt now.

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