Q&A with Suzanne Trauth

 

 

 

Suzanne Trauth is the author of the new novel The First to Die. Her other books include What Remains of Love. Also a playwright and screenwriter, she lives in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The First to Die, and how did you create your character Connie?

 

A: I first got the idea for the book several years ago when I heard a story about an elderly woman who knocked over a lit candle on a table at a wedding and nearly caused a huge fire. The details about the woman were interesting and I thought she’d make a great character.

 

But as I wrote and rewrote—and received editorial feedback—the murder mystery morphed and the woman, who initially was a witness to a killing, became a background character.

 

Though the plot changed over a number of drafts, the elderly woman hung around! With a name and nationality change by the final version of The First to Die, she remained in the story and helped provide clues and move the plot forward. But she triggered my initial thinking about the story.

 

Connie Tucker, the protagonist, was present from the very beginning. At first a detective, then a movie and television star, she transitioned into the character she is in this final version: a woman who comes home after being estranged from her family for 15 years to see the remains of her murdered mother buried.

 

Q: The novel alternates between timelines set in the present and the past. Did you write the book in the order in which it appears, or did you focus more on one timeline before turning to the other?

 

A: I pretty much wrote the book in the order in which it appears…but revisions changed the content of the past timelines. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to engage with the past in an immediate way. I wanted to see it lived out on the page, not simply referred to. But Connie’s past life changed as the nature of the character changed, as the primary plot changed.

 

Q: As a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, do you have a preference?

 

A: Not really. I enjoy writing…in all forms. I started as a screenwriter many years ago and through classes and workshops learned about the three-act structure inherent in most screenplays. Understanding this structure was enormously helpful when I started to think about writing a novel…25 years ago.

 

I also taught theatre classes—acting, directing, script analysis—for many years before turning to writing full-time. I learned about dialogue and its function in a play—and novel—to reveal character and create forward momentum. So, I’ve found that my background in theatre has been a help in crafting novels.

 

When I was writing my cozy mystery series, I would write one book, then a play, then a second book in the series, and another play, and on and on for about five years!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from The First to Die?

 

A: I feel that The First to Die is intended to entertain, to provide the reader an experience that combines both a suspense story and a family narrative. There is certainly a “whodunnit” element to the novel, but also a “whydunnit,” and, at the same time, there is a story about a family and how it handles the crime at the core of the book.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am a couple of drafts into a new mystery that again takes place in a small town in New Jersey. The story involves four sisters and includes an historical element; I’m not completely sure whether this is a cozy mystery or a thriller! We’ll see…

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Thanks for the opportunity to talk about The First to Die – in my experience, authors love to discuss current projects. We spend so much time by ourselves with characters and plot points in our heads, that it’s great to be able to share the process of creating the novel.

 

P.S. While all of my murder mysteries take place in New Jersey, the state really is a lovely place to live. And stay alive...

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Suzanne Trauth.