Show notes
Susan Wiggs sold her first book in 1986 while teaching full-time with a one-year-old at home. She's since written more than 60 novels, won three RITAs, and hit the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. We talk about what that life has cost — a decade of television, some friendships, the steadiness of a predictable paycheck — and what it's given back. Also: the insecurity that never leaves, the bicycle wreck that nearly stopped her, and why she says you have to be ready when your luck comes around.Key topicsWhat she peeled away to make room for book after bookWhy she told almost no one she was writing a novel"Writers are one of the most insecure populations I can think of"Wayward Girls, the Good Shepherd homes, and New York's look-back lawWhy she'd rather be called a writer than an authorOperation Baby Lift, and the book she's researching nowThe 2025 bicycle accident and a year of recoveryBook signings where nobody cameTimestamps02:03 A decade of TV, and the friendships that went03:30 Uncertainty, anxiety, and the stress of being a sole proprietor05:30 Creative gratification, and writing first drafts by hand06:20 A stranger in foreign sales who sold her books around the world07:34 What it cost her family — and her daughter's honest verdict09:38 Texas in the eighties, and a first husband who wasn't a patron of the arts10:15 Why she kept the novel to herself until she could point to a publisher12:14 Confidence, insecurity, and never quite dropping the backup plan14:19 Where the next book comes from — and Operation Baby Lift16:47 On the term "women's fiction," and why she says commercial novels18:18 Writer vs. author, and why the distinction matters to her19:19 What she'd be doing if the writing hadn't taken20:56 What she gave up: a predictable schedule, and health coverage22:25 A typical writing day, and the four-hour limit24:40 Admin, social media, and the other hats27:14 "You don't want to be just a life support system for an imagination"28:44 Stephen King, James Lee Burke, and why envy isn't the word29:50 The Carrot Seed, the first book she ever read alone30:53 What she'd tell her younger self — and what she wouldn't33:15 The advice she got, and where to find the straight story35:24 The imprint that closed, and the launch slot that opened37:35 When paperbacks came out like magazines40:30 A million words of apprenticeship, and avoiding writing programs42:10 Whether it's harder to start now43:28 The bicycle wreck, the airlift, and the year after46:02 Beach-read covers with unplanned pregnancies inside49:39 Her process: the pitch, the synopsis, and leaving room to be surprised52:32 What people get wrong about writers' income and hours54:29 The most unglamorous thing she did this week55:59 The signings where nobody came59:27 What's next: an eclipse in the North Sea