writing Archives - Trisha Sugarek, Author, Playwright & Poet

My Creative Self has ADD

Here I sit, once again, in my night T-shirt……….. and it’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

It was just fifteen minutes ago (six hours ago) that I sat down to read and respond to email while my morning tea brewed.

As I was replying to my mail, a new author interview response came in and I couldn’t wait to read it and prepare it for my blog calendar .

I just finished (and published) a new short play, Date Night. As I mentioned before I write things in my head for several days, then slam it down on paper, (in my case, computer screen), and then I begin editing. It was a tough one (of the 40+ plays I’ve published) to write because I had never purposefully written a satire before now.

An idea for another true crime mystery (in the series) had bubbled up several months ago and I pushed it away…..’Go away, wait a bit, I’ve got enough to do….’ but it is insistent! Do I’m playing with that too.

And then I began to write this posting in my head …….and then thought of a few more authors I want to contact to ask them for an interview….see? bona fide ADD.

Is this cerebral chaos a bad thing?…I don’t think so…it seems to work for me. I wanted to tell you just how crazed my writing life can be so that any pressure you might be feeling will ease. There is no right or wrong way to how we work when we are writing. The most important thing is to keep writing, every day if you can, even if you think what you are writing is not important; it just might be someday. I think even now, in the early days of my interviews with other authors, that fact is shining through.

…….so guess I’d better go shower, eat something, play with the dogs, (a tennis ball is calling) and turn off my brain for awhile. HA! Fat chance of that!! P.S. My tea is cold.
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BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

If you enjoyed this review, you might love my own stories — full of heart, grit, and unforgettable characters.

The Deep South Trilogy

Ain’t Nuthin’ Gonna Separate Us
Mother Mac’s Boarding House
Coming Soon: Book Three: Living at Mother Mac’s

A Jarring Misstep in Craft Life Unwritten by T.I. Lowe Book Review

1 star out of 5

As a published author, I hold a firm line: fiction should serve the story, not the writer’s personal agenda. In this book, T.I. Lowe—writing in first person—abruptly breaks character to deliver unsolicited religious commentary. It’s not subtle, it’s not earned, and it’s not appropriate.

This kind of narrative hijacking is the literary equivalent of shoehorning in a political rant mid-scene—whether it’s “Trump should be king” or “Trump is a whiny, narcissistic man-child.” Regardless of the viewpoint, it’s a breach of craft and reader trust.

I’ve appreciated some of Lowe’s previous work, but this one felt like a sermon disguised as a story. The Mormon/Baptist insertions weren’t just distracting—they were disruptive. If you want to preach, write nonfiction. If you want to tell a story, stay in character and respect your audience.
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📬 Want more reviews, author interviews, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the writing life? Sign up on the — just enter your email address and never miss a post.

BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

If you enjoyed this review, you might love my own stories — full of heart, grit, and unforgettable characters.

The Deep South Trilogy

Ain’t Nuthin’ Gonna Separate Us
Mother Mac’s Boarding House
Coming Soon: Book Three: Living at Mother Mac’s

Strong Women Battling Life’s Challenges

Reading This Was a Slog…Book Review, The Bucket List

1 out of 5 stars ~~ Book Review

My fans and friends know that I’ve always aimed to support fellow writers. Even when my opinion falls short of a rave, I strive to offer constructive critique. But today, I’m taking the gloves off to review The Bucket List by Rachel Hanna—hoping the sting of this critique might serve as a teachable moment… or several.

📚 A Format That Fails the Basics

Let’s start with the basics: formatting. Writing 101 teaches the importance of justified text—it gives the page clean, crisp edges and a polished appearance. This book ignored that entirely. The font size was awkward too: larger than standard, yet not quite “LARGE PRINT.” It felt like formatting limbo.

🖋️ First-Person Fatigue

Then there’s the choice of tense. First-person narration can work, but here it felt like a shortcut. In my opinion, it’s often a sign of lazy storytelling—used to bypass deeper character development or narrative complexity.

📖 Missing Front Matter

The front matter was surprisingly sparse. No copyright information. No list of other titles by the author. No acknowledgements. These omissions made the book feel unfinished, like a draft rather than a published work.

🧂 Needs More Seasoning

Now, onto the writing itself. Rachel Hanna shows potential, but she needs more seasoning—and a good thesaurus, by her side, wouldn’t hurt.

🙄 Stop Explaining the Joke

Her tendency to “mansplain” her own humor and plot points was frustrating. Rachel, trust your readers. We’re smart. We get it.

😰 Anxiety Overload

Jill’s anxiety, a central theme, was hammered home so relentlessly that it became exhausting.

🔁 Redundant Repetition

Repetition was another issue: the author would describe Jill’s emotion or action, then immediately echo it in the next line, as herself. It felt redundant and clunky.

📉 A Weak Ending Wrapped in Explanation

After slogging through the entire book, the final paragraph delivered yet another dose of “mansplaining”—a summation of the story’s lessons, as if the narrative hadn’t made them clear. That kind of wrap-up suggests the story itself wasn’t strong enough to stand on its own.

🌐 Website Placement Misfire and Typo Trouble

And finally, as the story closes on the last page, the author tacked on her website address—without ceremony or formatting. Typically, this kind of promotional link belongs on a separate page, ideally paired with a graphic or call-to-action that feels intentional.
To make matters worse, there was a typo: “Visit Rachel’s store at store. Rachelhannaauthor.com.” That stray period and awkward phrasing made it feel rushed and unprofessional—like an afterthought rather than a curated invitation.
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📬 Want more reviews, author interviews, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the writing life? Sign up on the — just enter your email address and never miss a post.

BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

If you enjoyed this review, you might love my own stories — full of heart, grit, and unforgettable characters.

The Deep South Trilogy

Ain’t Nuthin’ Gonna Separate Us
Mother Mac’s Boarding House
Coming Soon: Book Three: Living at Mother Mac’s

Tips for Creative Writing * Fiction

Recently, the Professor leading the creative writing department at Pace University wrote to say that she was using one of my true crime stories (Act of Murder) as the sample text in the offered course, “How To Write Mysteries and True Crime”. Such an honor!

I fired off enough copies to cover the students taking the class with these tips:

TIPS:

1. You can’t have too much dialogue
2. You CAN have too much descriptive
3. SHOW don’t TELL. For example: Instead of writing: (telling) Stella walked across the busy street, dodging cars. (SHOWING) Holding up her hand, her badge tucked in her palm, Stella skipped to the other side, between the parked cars jammed to a standstill on the busy street . “Whad’ya waiting for, Jack?” She taunted her partner.

4. Be certain your forensics are accurate.
I once called an ME to ask how long traces of Vanilla Wafers and grape soda would remain in the stomach. (Angel of Murder) I didn’t trust what i found online. He was kind enough to take my call.

5. Your deceased victim is a character in your story. They should be as interesting as the other characters. At the least, they should have a life story.

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A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

From Page to Stage!! Emma’s Magical Journey Performed in Kodiak, AK

Emma and the Lost Unicorn is taking to the stage—and I couldn’t be more delighted to see my story come to life.

This beloved children’s play—adapted from my illustrated book—is a magical adventure filled with friendship, mystery, and a little bit of stardust.

The latest performance brings Emma’s journey to life with vibrant costumes, whimsical set pieces, and unforgettable characters that have enchanted readers and audiences alike. Dive into

children's plays, stage plays,stories for children — Stare, the rhetorical Owl

the world of Emma and explore the rest of the series, each story filled with colorful illustrations and heartwarming themes.

Emma and the Lost Unicorn by Trisha Sugarek will be presented on July 25 and 26 by the Kodiak Arts Council. (Kodiak, Alaska)

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Emma, an Earthling girl, frequently visits her friends in the forest near her farm. She delights in the antics of Stare, the rhetorical owl, and Cheets, the mischievous elf. One day, she is introduced to Rainey, the Unicorn, a prince who’s been banished for centuries by the warlord, Hazard. He can never return home unless Emma solves more riddles than Hazard’s Lieutenant, Kodak. The fable concludes with a surprising twist that will delight readers of all ages. While written for children, this fairy tale is sophisticated enough to appeal to adults as well.

Queens, warlords, faeries, elves, unicorns, handmaidens, scary henchmen and one small mortal girl child in an enchanted forest. This fable offers many subtle lessons.

For Tickets click on link:https://www.kodiakarts.org/community-theatre

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Did you know? Emma and the Lost Unicorn began as a stage play and evolved into a beautifully illustrated storybook. My work blends theatrical magic with literary depth, making it perfect for classrooms, libraries, and family reading time. Use this Link:
Emma and the Lost Unicorn
Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon
The Exciting Exploits of an Effervescent Elf
Bertie, the Bookworm and the Bullyboys
Emma and the Lady Aardvarks
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To receive my posts, sign up On the home page. Enter your email address. Watch for more interviews with authors.

A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

children's story books, fairy tales, bullying, literacy, new books for kids

Emma and the Lost Unicorn Premieres in Kodiak – A Magical Children’s Play by Trisha Sugarek

Emma and the Lost Unicorn by Trisha Sugarek will be presented on July 25 and 26 by the Kodiak Arts Council. (Kodiak, Alaska)

Queens, warlords, faeries, elves, unicorns, handmaidens, scary henchmen and one small mortal girl child in an enchanted forest. This fable offers many subtle lessons.

Dreamchasers Theatre Co. Production of Emma..

For Tickets click on

.link:https://www.kodiakarts.org/community-theatre

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The children’s plays have been developed into story books with beautiful, colored illustrations. Use this Link:
Emma and the Lost Unicorn
Stanley, the Stalwart Dragon
The Exciting Exploits of an Effervescent Elf
Bertie, the Bookworm and the Bullyboys
Emma and the Lady Aardvarks
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To receive my posts, sign up On the home page. Enter your email address. Watch for more interviews with authors.

A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

My Interview with Charles Bukowski, Poet, Drunk, Reprobate, Genius

I would pay a lot of money to interview the great authors of our time. Steinbeck, Bronte, Hemingway, Austen, Twain, London, Service, John McDonald, Robert Parker. But at the top of my bucket list would be Henry Charles Bukowski {1920-1994}. So I asked myself would it be so very strange or inappropriate to pretend what it might have been like? Post an interview with ‘Hank’ Bukowski even though he’s been dead almost twenty years? The answer was no!

I imagined I was sitting with him, in a corner booth, in some neighborhood watering hole. Old die-hard drunks sit up at the bar minding their own business. I can see tree roots growing from the seat of their pants into the seat of the bar stools. Wet, green tendrils curl around the stool legs. They don’t speak. They stare into their empty glass or into their own smoky reflection in the mirror on the back wall. What do they see? A long-lost heaven? A nearby hell?

Bukowski has already finished his first drink and signals the bartender for another. I am paying of course. (viewer discretion advised ~ language)
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The Interview:

Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?

CB. Anywhere they’ll leave me the hell alone. I’m not particular.

Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write?

CB. A fifth of bourbon, a couple packs of cigarettes. Quiet. Enough paper, which can be a problem when I’m between jobs.

Q. What is your mode of writing?

CB. A pencil or pen, I don’t care. Paper. My Remington typewriter if it’s not in pawn. Sometimes the bartender will let me have the left over stubs of pencils from around the bar. Many years ago, this drunk in a suit was sitting next to me, over there at the bar. He was complaining that his company had bought something called a ‘computer’ and they were making him learn how to do his sales reports on it. He hated it but he said, ‘I fear that it is the face of the future, Hank.’ Goddamn machines, taking over the world and us bit by bit. I’ll stick to my pencil and paper.

Q. Do you have a set time each day to write or do you write only when you are feeling creative?

CB. Listen, girl, I wish there were more times when I didn’t ‘feel creative’; didn’t need to write. Occasionally when I’m f—ing or I’m blind drunk, or both, I can take a break and forget.

Q. What’s your best advice to other writers for overcoming procrastination?

CB. Legitimate writers don’t procrastinate.

Q. How does a writer begin? How do you write, create?

CB. You don’t try. That’s very important: not to try, when it comes to Cadillacs, creation or immortality. You wait, and if nothing happens, you wait some more. It’s like a bug high on the wall. You wait for it to come to you. When it gets close enough you reach out, slap out and kill it. Or if you like its looks you make a pet out of it.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing and for how long?

CB. I’m lost right now. Wait fifteen minutes…..(he stared into space) nope, still lost. Does that answer your question?

Q. Who or what is your ‘muse’ at the moment?

A. Ha! You’re funny. Let’s see, junkies, slant-eyed women, barkeeps, dogs, cats, mocking birds, my landlady, bums, women….oh yeah, women most definitely. War, rain, politicians, pigs, beautiful young girls as they walk by, Jane, the shoeshine man, booze, my father, gravediggers, whores in Mexico.

Q. When did you begin to write seriously?

CB. I don’t remember…a long, long time ago.

Q. How long after that were you published?

CB. Decades. I sent my stuff to every sex rag, publisher, and agent I could find. It was always rejected until one day It wasn’t. I’d sell my blood so I could buy stamps.

Q. What makes a writer great?

CB. You can’t have rules. No woman who is so important that she gets in your way. No job that can keep you from what you have to do. Knowing that sometimes when you’re drunk you are a better writer.

Q. ….and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?

CB. There’s never ‘no book’ for me. It might not be down on paper yet, but it’s always there. When my head gets so full it might explode then I find a pencil and write it down. I don’t give a shit if a book is ‘finished’. That’s what publishers are for. I just send them my stuff and if they print all of it or some of it, I’m happy. The thing that I won’t let them do is change anything. Not a word. It drives ’em crazy.

Q. What inspired your stories and your poetry?

CB. Mostly the streets of L.A. And don’t call my shit ‘poetry’. That’s what the suits call it so people will buy it. “…my poems are only bits of scratchings on the floor of a cage…” Mostly I just write what I see and how I feel about it. And I see a lot of sick shit. And I don’t feel so good about it.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know?

CB. Yeah, a few things: ‘We have wasted History like a bunch of drunks shooting dice back in the men’s crapper of the local bar.’ and……

‘There will always be something to ruin our lives, it all depends on what or which finds us first. We are always ripe and ready to be taken.’ and….

‘The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting’……. and finally,

‘I don’t like jail, they got the wrong kind of bars in there.’

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More books ….

Conclusion ~ Interview with author, Christina Dudley

Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper
books?

CD. I doubt it. They’re expensive, but plenty of people love paper books. I do think traditional publishers might start to do smaller print runs for books that aren’t expected to be blockbusters. I myself don’t do print anymore unless I want to look at maps or find it at a used bookstore, because who has the space?

Q. What makes a writer great?

CD. No two readers will ever agree on this! When I put my own fiction-reader hat on, I’m looking for books with rounded characters and plausible situations, even if it’s set in a fantasy world. Bonus points if the story makes me laugh. Not too much navel-gazing, please, and a plot with a traditional conflict-rising action-climax-denouement. I must be too old to enjoy the stories where there’s no real conflict, or where it’s resolved with 25% left to go, and then it’s just 25% of people riding off into the sunset. Yawn.
When it comes to nonfiction, which I also love, I want to learn something and have it told to me like a story. Books like The Boys in the Boat and Into Thin Air delight me.

Q. How have your life experiences influenced your writing?

CD. With Pride and Preston Lin, I threw in everything from my life, it felt like. I sent Lissie Cheng to my high school and had her live in my hometown. The family restaurant was one I ate at frequently throughout my life. My husband and I met in grad school at Stanford, so that played a prominent role. Heck, even my English country dance lessons and my time as a swim official for youth swimming made it in! And though the book takes place mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area, I placed a pivotal scene at the King County Aquatic Center up in my neck of the woods, as a nod to all the hours and hours I spent there when my kids were swimming.
But even my Regencies reflect my life: my love for Austen and Regency romances; how I almost studied 18th century literature in grad school because I had a fabulous professor for an Austen seminar; how my favorite stories involve lovable families (think Laura Ingalls Wilder and Betsy-Tacy and All-of-a-Kind Family); how I love English literature in general, from Renaissance poetry to the end of the 19th century, etc.

Q. What’s your downtime look like?

CD: I walk daily, am involved at my church, belong to the same book club I’ve been in for decades, and otherwise love all things sedentary, including reading, eating, and watching baseball.

Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre?

CD. Yes! I’d love to do more contemporary romance and am excited to do another. But I’ll always love Regency.

Q. Note to Self: (a life lesson you’ve learned.)

CD. Trying to make a living wage writing is like trying to be struck by lightning. You can’t make it happen, but you can put yourself in the best places where lightning strikes.

Did you miss the beginning of my Interview with the talented, Christina Dudley?
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A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

Part 2 ~ Interview with author, Christina Dudley

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?

CD. Oh, so rarely! Only about 10% of the time does a chapter just write itself. The rest of the time it can be a slog, an act of discipline. Is this scene doing anything? Is it developing the character or moving the plot along? If not, into the trash it must go…Though even then, certain lines or bits can be salvaged and pasted back in later.

Q. What compelled you to choose and settle on the genre you now
write in?

CD. I started in women’s fiction and general fiction, but when I wrote a contemporary adaptation of Mansfield Park and rediscovered the world of rabid Jane-ites, I decided to write a Regency romance like all the ones I’d read and loved when I was younger. Jane Austen is a like a public-domain Marvel Universe—so many of us have launched ourselves from her work.

Q. Are you working on something now or have a new release coming up? If so tell us about it.

CD. I’m working on Book Three in my current Regency series Lord Dere’s Dependents. The Bestowed Bride is the widowed sister-in-law’s story. And then after that I am contracted to write my second traditionally-published romance, an Emma-based follow-up of my first trad book Pride and Preston Lin.

Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper books?

CD. I doubt it. They’re expensive, but plenty of people love paper books. I do think traditional publishers might start to do smaller print runs for books which aren’t expected to be blockbusters. I myself don’t do print anymore unless I want to look at maps or find it at a used bookstore because who has the space?

Q. What compelled you to choose and settle on the genre you now
write in?

Q. Are you working on something now or have a new release coming up? If so tell us about it.

CD. I’m working on Book Three in my current Regency series Lord Dere’s Dependents. The Bestowed Bride is the widowed sister-in-law’s story. And then after that I am contracted to write my second traditionally-published romance, an Emma-based follow-up of my first trad book Pride and Preston Lin.

Q. Do you think we will see, in our lifetime, the total demise of paper books?

Q. What comes first to you? The Characters or the Situation?

CD. They’re almost simultaneous.

Q. Do you ‘get lost’ in your writing?

Q. What makes a writer great?

Did you miss the beginning? Interview
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A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

World of Murder, (A Collection) Now in AUDIO Books

My collection of true crime mysteries is drawn from the ten books in the series. Now available in audiobooks.

Click here for more information and to hear a sample of the audio.

Included are three complete novellas.
* Dance of Murder
* Act of Murder
* Angel of Murder

Synopsis: In the World of Murder series, Detectives Jack O’Roarke and Stella Garcia, two murder cops, seek out killers on the streets of New York City. Their investigations take them from the sleazy world of strip joints to Manhattan’s upper Eastside. Poor and rich alike, no one is exempt from murder. O’Roarke and Garcia are stars at NYPD with their careful forensic investigative skills and just plain, solid cop work.
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A few BOOKS BY TRISHA SUGAREK

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