Jessica asked Catharine Riggs:

How long did it take you to write What She Gave Away?

Catharine Riggs I wrote the first draft of What She gave Away in four short months. I’m what you call a ‘seat-of-the-pants’ writer, or in technical terms, a ‘pantser.’ So on the very first day I put pen to paper, I have a basic premise, my protagonists’ early voices, a starting point and a clue of an ending. Obviously, a lot can happen in-between. For example, one of the two protagonists in What She Gave Away began life as the antagonist until I became enamored with her character. It took another five drafts to straighten out the voices and nail down the plot. If you add in edits from my first readers, my agent and my editors, it took me a year to complete What She Gave Away. At the moment, I’m mid-way through the second book in my Santa Barbara Suspense series and I’ve encountered a few surprises along the way. Can’t wait to see how the new novel ends.

flag