Author Interview—Suzanne Baginskie

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for, including a kind and loving husband, family, and friends. I’m also grateful for all of the talented authors who have stopped by my blog to share some of their thoughts and experiences with me. This week I’m talking with Suzanne Baginskie, author of the FBI Affairs suspense and romance series. Her latest book is Dangerous Undercurrents. Enjoy the interview!

About the Author

Suzanne Baginskie retired from a law office as an office manager/paralegal after twenty-nine years. Published by Magnolia Blossom Publishing, she’s written a mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance series called FBI Affairs. The titles include Dangerous Charade (Book One), Dangerous Revenge (Book Two), Dangerous Innocence (Book Three), and Dangerous Undercurrents (Book Four). She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Florida Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Florida Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and The Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Interview

Who or what inspires you to write?

My mother gifted me with a five-year diary on my eighth birthday. It inspired me to write something every day. After that, I received my first library card in third grade. I fell in love with visiting the library, selecting books, and checking them out. All those trips made me a voracious reader. My early writing began as a teen, and I started with poems and simple stories. I took on twelve pen pals next, and before I knew it, the pals grew to sixty. In high school I was asked to type the annual yearbook and write some of the content. All this pointed to the writer in me.

You were busy writing from a very young age. What is the best thing that has happened because of your writing?

I wrote short stories and nonfiction stories for nineteen years and during the down time of COVID-19, I finally wrote and sold my first book, Dangerous Charade. It was published in 2021, which gave me the title of author. It helped me meet and connect with so many other writers and authors, and I made a lot of new friends.

I am amazed that you have published four books in that short period of time. What is the most difficult thing you have experienced about writing or publishing?

I would say that marketing was really overwhelming at first. Where to start and how? All the while you’re trying to write the second book at the same time since the publisher has given you a deadline.

Marketing books is really tough, and most authors seem to struggle with it. Was there anything you didn’t do during your writing or publishing journey that you wish you had?

I’d wished I’d purchased a newer computer sooner. I was writing with an old Dell PC and then I bought a 2016 Dell. At that time, the newer one came with Word 10. Only a week ago, I upgraded to another Dell computer with Microsoft 11. It’s faster than ever and much better for writing my books.

Having good equipment really helps with efficiency. You said you have a publisher, can you tell us a little about that?

My first three books are traditionally published by Magnolia Blossom Publishing, an imprint of D.P. Publishing. Recently the company decided to retire the Magnolia Blossom imprint and my fourth book was published under D.S. Publishing Company. All my books are on Amazon under their contract.

In which genre(s) do you like to write, and why?

I write mostly mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance. I worked in a law office for almost thirty years as an office manager/paralegal. I also volunteered for the county sheriff’s office for nine years and became their volunteer secretary. I wrote their newsletters and helped arrange the monthly meetings and supervised at their Citizen Academies. I learned a lot about crime and law during those years working alongside the attorneys and the deputies at both offices.

You have been a very busy woman—you must be very organized! Do you outline your books before you write them?

No, I am a pantser as they say. I sketch out the story line in my head and then sit and write on my computer. Along the way, I make lists of the characters’ names, what they look like, and their personality quirks and problems. Things change as you write and see how your characters relate to each other and what happens to them all.

Being a pantser certainly sounds successful for you. How do you define success as a writer?

I have written four books in my FBI Affairs Series (mystery, suspense, and a bit of romance) and am now writing the fifth. The publisher has renewed my contract for two more books and two years. My marketing is getting better and I’m working hard to keep the books selling. I have entered one or two of them into a contest and would like to win one or end up with a near win to feel more successful. Time will tell. At this point, my career is evolving and I’m doing all I can to market it.

Congratulations on your contract renewal with the publisher! If you could have lunch with any author, who would it be?

Jeffery Deaver. I’ve had a couple of photos taken with him at conferences. He rewrote Casino Royal for the Ian Fleming/James Bond family, after the author had passed. I bought his novel at a conference and had it autographed for my husband. I greatly admire him. I’d like to discuss how he writes his novels and ask for any tips he has discovered along the way.

It sounds like that would be a very interesting lunch. Tell us about a great adventure you’ve had.

I would say the twenty-five days I spent on the Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas cruise ship. I used some of that experience in my current novel, Dangerous Undercurrents, which came out in August 2023. I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a transatlantic cruise for fourteen-days from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Barcelona, Spain. After that, I did what they call a back2back and stayed on the ship for seven more days to travel to Spain, Italy and France. This was their brand-new ship, and the largest in their fleet. They gave us a real bonus and offered us four free days in between the two trips as their schedule had changed. On those extra days, they stopped at two different ports and travel agents boarded to tour the ship. So, our twenty-one-day trip was extended to twenty-five days. It was the trip of a lifetime.

That sounds like a fantastic cruise! Suzanne, thank you so much for spending time with us. Readers, you can find out more about Suzanne and her books on her website, https://www.suzannebaginskie.com.

Dangerous Undercurrents (Book Four)

Cruising can be murder. Three weaponless FBI agents sail a seven-day Western Caribbean cruise to help security officers solve why women are missing and accidental drownings are happening on their cruise ship.