1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
“A wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption when six girls come together in a Catholic reform school in 1960s Buffalo, NY.”
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The book decided for me! I learned of a real place in Buffalo, run by nuns, where “wayward girls” were sent and forced to work like inmates, up until the early 1970s.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. By now, Mairin O’Hara would be about ten years older than me, and she’s the ultimate wise woman, shaped, scarred, and uplifted by her long, eventful life. I’d love to hear more about her daring escape from the Magdalene laundry (Catholic run reform school).
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Impulsive, free-spirited, irrepressible.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Wow, what DIDN’T I learn? As a child in the 60s, I remember more than one babysitter who “went away,” a euphemism for girls sent away when they became pregnant. The more I learned, the more deeply I felt the helpless pain and rage of these young women. Their stories ignited my imagination, and Wayward Girls became one of my most personal and involving novels to date.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try to power through a “discovery draft” without doing too much fine-tuning. But when I get to the end, the fun begins. I revise draft after draft. Then my editor reads the manuscript, and that leads to more revisions. It’s really a process of telling the story in the best, most dramatic way possible.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Seasonal fruit. I am the OG tomato farmer in my neighborhood, known far and wide for my homegrown summer tomatoes. Summer is also the time for Rainier cherries, aka the best cherries in the known world. In the fall, it’s apples, then Sumo mandarins in winter, and strawberries in the springtime.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I’m a peripatetic writer. There’s a whole building on my property where I’m supposed to be writing, and a study in the main house, but since I write my books in longhand, I just drag my notebook to a comfy spot. The patio when it’s sunny, the sofa in front of a roaring fire when it’s not.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Ack, so many. But now especially, Jodi Picoult comes to mind. She is probably the fiercest, most fearless writer I know—a truth-teller whose powerful, topical novels have been banned in the current right-wing climate. Her book Nineteen Minutes was the most-banned book of 2024, and that’s shameful, because that book, about a school shooting, shines a light on the topic and gives readers a context to understand the issue. No one is better at capturing the complex social dynamics and pressures within American high schools and small-town life. Her depiction of cliques, bullying, and teen relationships is deeply authentic rather than stereotypical, and it’s horrifying that some schools and libraries are restricting access to her important books.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Again, so many. But my answer this time is about a book no one will ever read, because there’s only one copy in existence, and it’s stored in a ziploc bag in a drawer in my house. It’s called “A Book About Some Bad Kids” and I wrote it when I was in third grade, cutting and stapling the pages so it reads like a real book. My teacher, Mrs. Green, was so proud of me that she read it to the entire class. And each time I’d write a book, she would read it to the class. I can still remember the overwhelming feeling of being a storyteller. I knew I would always write, so that’s probably the most life-changing book there is!
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My kitchen, 1987. My baby daughter was toddling around with the dogs, I was grading papers (I was a teacher), and the phone (a landline with a CORD) rang. I scrambled to answer it. The caller was Wendy McCurdy at Kensington Books, and she said, “We like Texas Wildflower, and we want to publish it.”
In that moment, the world shifted.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Contemporary fiction. I do love wonderful narrative nonfiction, too.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Changes with my mood, but one movie I want every reader and writer to see is American Fiction. It’s based on Erasure by the fabulous Percival Everett.
15–What is your favorite season?
Winter. I love love love to ski! And after skiing, I get to wear my favorite sweaters and cozy up by the fire with the dogs and a good book to read.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With the people I love, of course. Doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re eating.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Bad Sisters (season 1) by Sharon Horgan. In the States, it’s on Apple TV. Brilliant plot, amazing dark humor, and a fantastic cast (including Sharon).
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love all kinds of food, mostly plants. So it would have to be “Mediterranean” with all the wonderful cheeses, olives, and fresh veg. But I also adore Indian food. And then there’s French, and Italian, and…don’t get me started!
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Read, garden, hike, bike, hang out with my husband…repeat!
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I’ve got a few things I’m juggling right now, including a screenplay I wrote with my best writer buddy. One is a contemporary novel that’s a spinoff of the Calhoun Chronicles, and the other is a historical set in wartime Washington DC. The best way to stay updated on my books is to go to my website and subscribe to my very occasional, non-annoying newsletter.
WAYWARD GIRLS by Susan Wiggs
From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, a wrenching but life-affirming novel based on a true story of survival, friendship, and redemption. Set in the turbulent Vietnam era in the All-American city of Buffalo, New York, six girls are condemned to forced labor in the laundry of a Catholic reform school.
In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd—a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns—locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly.
Mairin— free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.
Angela—denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.
Helen—the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.
Odessa—caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.
Denise—sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.
Janice—deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay—except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.
Sister Bernadette—rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.
Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption…and justice.
Women’s Fiction Historical | Literature and Fiction Literary [William Morrow, On Sale: July 15, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9780063118270 / eISBN: 9780063118294]
Buy WAYWARD GIRLS: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Susan Wiggs
Susan Wiggs’s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.
From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people. At the age of eight, she self-published her first novel, entitled “A Book About Some Bad Kids.”
Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family, and the fascinating nuances of human nature.
She lives with her husband and family at the water’s edge on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where she divides her time between sleeping and waking.
No Comments
Comments are closed.