Mystery
Date Published: 04-01-2026
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
Creating a cohesive plot and seeing
the book through multiple drafts. While in some cases it may take a year or
more to create a plot from beginning to end, the redrafting phase usually goes
much shorter. All in all, it takes me about 3 years to write a book that I feel
is ready for the world.
What are your most played songs?
“Where the Streets Have No Name” by
U2, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N' Roses, “Angel of Harlem” by U2, the
“Breakfast in America” album by Supertramp, and anything by Linda Ronstadt.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Over the years I’ve belonged to
writing groups that unfortunately disbanded due to Covid and were never
restarted. Nowadays, I rely on the amazing feedback I get from my military
consultant/beta reader named Robert Derencin from Croatia. Without him, I don’t
think I would have a writing career!
What book are you reading now?
“The Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk and
“Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier
How did you start your writing career?
In 2005, after seeing the devastation
of Hurricane Katrina, I decided it was time to do what I always wanted to do
(because life is short!). So I started my writing career by taking writing
courses and reading the Wall Street Journal cover to cover and then writing
letters to the editor to hone my rhetorical skills and vocabulary. I actually
had 3 letters published. Once I felt I was ready, I started my first novel,
“Transfer Day,” which took 5 years to research and write and was called a
“page-turner” by Publishers Weekly.
Tell us about your next release.
I’m going back to Historical Fiction
with: “Leah Sasso’s Last Chance,” the story of a Caribbean Sephardic Jewish
girl who finds after the death of her father than one of her few remaining
assets is the ownership of a rum running sloop. It’s set during Prohibition in
the newly-acquired U.S. Virgin Islands, where rum and smuggling have a long
tradition!
Sophie Schiller is a writer of thrillers and historical adventure tales. Kirkus Reviews called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Her latest novel is BROOKLYN MASALA. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in New York.
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