Dispatch from Danielle Trussoni - December 2023

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Good morning from the Writing Cave, where I am marveling that we are here, already, at the end of 2023. It has been a wild year, with The Puzzle Master published, a lot of travel and (best of all) meeting new people along the way. 

One new friend is Conundrum, aka Connie, a two year old dachshund we adopted. If you’ve read my novel The Puzzle Master, you’ll recognize Conundrum: she is the hero, Mike Brink’s pet and side-kick. 

In a record year, November is vying for top honors as the most busy and intense. I learned at the beginning of the month that The Puzzle Master was chosen as one of The Washington Post’s Best Thrillers of 2023:

And that it was also a Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2023, too.

I was invited to two conferences in November: The Sharjah Book Festival in the UAE, and Iceland Noir in Reykavik.  

In Iceland, I went to talks given by Dan Brown, Neil Gaimon, Lisa Jewell, AJ Finn, Irvine Welsh and others. After spending months alone writing, these conferences are a chance to talk about writing with people I admire. It was such fun.

Here  is a photo of me with fellow author Ivy Pachoda in the desert:

My birthday is November 9th, and I celebrated it in Dubai.

And here are some photos of Iceland Noir:

And while all of this was a whirlwind, and incredibly fun, the truth is that I am happy to be home, in my office, ready to return to my writing. Authors have all sorts of motivations for doing what we do, but mine has a lot to do with the process and routine of writing. I love the physical act of writing words on the page, watching ideas solidify before me, and the challenge of making something that you will enjoy reading.

#TruReaders

Last month I put out a call asking for anyone who was interested in being a TruReader Ambassador. We’ve had a great response, and a list of people who are interested in joining the fun. But I’d like to put out one more call to see if you’re interested.

As a member of this group, you will be invited to regular meetings with me and each other via Zoom, be the first to receive information on my projects, and exclusive advanced copies of my work, and other information about my projects. If you’re interested in being a part of this group, send me an email at dtrussoniassistant@gmail.com

TruReader of the Month

As a continuation of a newer feature in the newsletter, here is the next installment of Reader of the Month. Each month I’ll feature one of my extraordinary readers. If you’d like to be featured, write to me at danielle@danielletrussoni.com.

Please say hello to Mary!

Mary Reagan lives right outside Jackson, Mississippi in the United States. She is a pharmacist and works full time in a specialty pharmacy dealing with chronic, complex diseases. She has a husband, Robert, and a 16 month old son, Tripp, who is the light of her life. Here is some more information about Mary.

Q) What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

A) If you looked at my genres you would see mostly mystery, thriller, horror, and nonfiction. My favorite books are ones that are completely unique. They draw on history and myth and weave the best story. That is what got me into Danielle’s stories and they are some of my absolute favorites! The Ancestor is my favorite of Danielle’s books! 

Q) What are some of your hobbies and passions?

A) My favorite hobbies are running and reading. I love reading to my son and seeing his reaction to the stories. 

Q) Why do you love to read?

A)I love that reading gets me out of my own head. It’s always something I can go back to that gives me stability and peace. I am in a local book club that meets once a month and they are my favorite ladies. My mom is also in the book club and one of the main reasons I am an avid reader today. 

Thanks for joining us this month!

Q&A

Finally, I opened the floor to my friends on social media again this month to take any questions about my new books or the writing/reading/publishing world at large. If you have a question you want me to answer, send an email to dtrussoniassistant@gmail.com

Q) How long does it take you to write a novel? Can you explain the steps you take to go from idea to finished book?

A) When I first decided to write fiction, the process of writing was difficult. Not actually getting words on paper, but finding the time and discipline to dedicate myself to one story. My first book, Falling Through the Earth, took me nearly ten years to write. That is because the idea for the book– an exploration of my relationship with my father– and the execution of the book were two totally different (even conflicting) things. I did a tremendous amount of research, and wrote a novel, before I understood that the story needed to be a memoir. 

My first novel, Angelology, took about three years to write, partially because I was wrestling with writing a novel, trying to get to my desk every day, and struggling to balance my life with my writing. Since then, the process has become faster. I wrote both The Ancestor and The Puzzle Master in two years, and my forthcoming novel The Puzzle Box was written in about a year. So there’s hope that, with time and experience, writing becomes not easier, but smoother.

Thank you for spending your time with me. For updates, join me on my website, and across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Yours,

Danielle