Interview with Salem Burning Author Daniel Sugar. -If Only They’d Known…You Can’t Burn A Witch.- **Giveaway**

Salem Burning

Daniel Sugar

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Daniel Sugar

Date of Publication: February 20th, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-7752675-0-8

ASIN: BO79YZL9L

Number of pages: 151

Word Count: 34,289

Cover Artist: ebooklaunch.com

If Only They’d Known…You Can’t Burn A Witch.

Salem Burning, a magical re-telling of the Salem witch trials, is now available exclusively on Amazon.

In 1692, disreputable Kyle Edwards breaks his engagement by accusing his fiancee, Lilly Parris, of witchcraft.

Kyle is a liar - he does not really believe in witchcraft, he is simply trying to get rid of Lilly. But Kyle is in for a shock because, as it turns out, Lilly really is a witch.

“Salem Burning is a fast-paced, brand-new take on the Salem witch trials.

Amazon

An Interview with Daniel Sugar

Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder 

Tell us about your newest book. 

In 1692, a disreputable young man named Kyle Edwards breaks his engagement by accusing his fiancée, Lilly Parris, of witchcraft. Kyle is a liar; he does not believe in witchcraft, he is simply trying to get rid of Lilly. But Kyle is in for a shock because, as it turns out, Lilly really is a witch. “Salem Burning” is a fast-paced, brand-new take on the Salem witch trials. 

Writing isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing your newest book? 

The only real challenge I faced was the first sentence. I thought about it for months because I wanted to get the tone and the tense exactly right. As soon as I had the first sentence it was smooth sailing – I never looked back. 

Tell us a little bit about your writing career. 

I started writing when I was five. I loved comic books and tried to write my own comic books. Because my name is Sugar, one of the comics was about a giant sugar cube that was being pursued by a giant cup of coffee. I wrote movie reviews for my law school newspaper. That was fun – the studios would send free passes so I got to go to a lot of premieres. (But it wasn’t all fun and games because after the movie, I had to actually write the review!) The studios would also include still photos in the press package so the reviews looked really professional. They still exist somewhere deep in the Osgoode Hall law library in Toronto - in a newspaper called “The Obiter Dicta.” Then I started writing screenplays and jokes and I was hired to write a TV show at Global Television called “Grumps” – it was very similar to Bill Maher’s show and I wrote the opening monologue for the host. After that I sold some comedy to “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and then I wrote a lot of jokes for a lot of celebrities. It was fun and I’m still writing jokes everyday on my Twitter page which you can find at Daniel Sugar@1692SalemWitch. Luckily, one day I thought, what if someone told a lie and it just happened to be true? And then I thought, and what if that happened in 1692? The second those two thoughts entered my head I suddenly saw the entire story, the story that turned into my first novel, “Salem Burning”. I’m proud to say that the novel has, (24 days after it was published on Amazon KDP), gone to #1, (in its category), in the Canadian Amazon Kindle Store and has reached the top 40, (in its category), in the American Amazon Kindle Store. 

They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be? 

Don’t be so hard on yourself! I’m a perfectionist and what I’ve learned is this: you can fix it tomorrow. Just get something down. Anything. Then go back and look at it the next day. That’s what I do, I write and then I go back and fix it. 

What was your most difficult scene to write? 

The trial. I wanted it to be extremely accurate. I did a lot of research. I even read transcripts from the Salem witch trials. I was very nervous about making a mistake there because those trials really happened and people actually were executed. I took it very seriously. 

Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much? 

Definitely. The major themes of “Salem Burning” are: 

Judgement – Lilly is judged for being different, for being a witch. 

Survival – Lilly has to find a way to cope with the people who are trying to destroy her. 

Love – various kinds of love: the type of love you feel towards a friend, the type of love you feel towards a lover, the love you feel for a parent or grandparent; love that is true and love that is false. 

Heroism – Despite her young age, Lilly is very heroic. 

Good Versus Evil – Lilly Parris and Kyle Edwards are as different as night and day. If you think you had a bad break up, read “Salem Burning” - you’ll feel better. (That would have been such a great title for the book: “Bad Breakup”.) 

Suffering – Lilly doesn’t have an easy time of it, that’s for sure. 

Deception – I don’t want to give anything away but let’s just say deception plays a major role in the story. 

Coming Of Age – “Salem Burning” is also a story about growing up and finally accepting who you are. Everyone’s been through it - growing up isn’t easy. 

What are you working on now? 

I’m working on the sequel to “Salem Burning”. It’s set during the French revolution and it’s called “The Witch And The Guillotine”. I just have to bring Lilly back – I adore her. And, fortunately, a number of people have asked me if there will be a sequel. So, the answer is yes. 

Is there a release date planned? 

I’ve just started researching 18th Century Revolutionary France. I’m not sure how long the research will take or how long it will take me to write the novel once I’m satisfied with my research efforts. I can’t start writing until I feel really comfortable with the period. Until I can very clearly see the clothes and the food and the homes. Until I really understand the politics. Once I’m satisfied, I start writing. I’m hoping to have the sequel completed by Christmas but that might be overly-optimistic. I really don’t know what to expect this time – it could take six months, it could take 3 years – your guess is as good as mine. The great thing about the first one, “Salem Burning” was that no one knew I was writing it. I told no one. So there was no pressure. No one knew or cared. And I didn’t expect anything from myself. I’d never written a novel before – I just wanted to see if I could write a novel. But now “Salem Burning” is out and people are telling me it’s a page-turner and asking about a sequel so I do feel a bit of pressure. Of course, I just have to forget about everyone and write the book I want to read – that’s what I did the first time and that’s what I have to do with the sequel. You can’t please everyone and everyone can’t please you. 

Who is your favorite character from your own stories, and why? 

Well, again, it’s Lilly Parris. She has the coolest life. So many incredible adventures. Who wouldn’t want Lilly’s life? I would. 

Most writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school? 

“There’s An Elephant In The Bathtub”. I still remember it really well. I’m sure I’d love it just as much today. 

What are your plans for future projects? 

Actually, I already have an idea for the 3rd book in the series. It’s called “The Witch And The Revolution”. (Poor Lilly, she keeps stepping in it! No peace for that witch…) I’d love it if the series continued right up to the present day – I’d love to see Lilly in a Mercedes driving around L.A.! (It would be such a great contrast to the horse she rode in 17th Century Salem.) 

That sounds like a lot of fun.

Is there anything you would like to add before we finish? 

Yes, quite a few people have contacted me through Twitter, to talk about “Salem Burning”. I want to thank all of those people for their interest. Honestly, when I was writing the novel I didn’t think one, single person would ever read it. All of this has been a really cool surprise. I still can’t believe “Salem Burning” went to #1 in the Kindle store 23 days after it was published. I took a screenshot when it happened and I look at it sometimes just so that I’ll know that it really happened because I still can’t believe it. It’s ironic that there’s so much magic in the novel because that seemed magical and unreal. (But I have the screenshot to prove it!) 

Good luck with your newest release, and thank you for being with us today.

About the Author

Daniel Sugar has written for a number of celebrities and for several TV shows, including "The

Tonight Show, With Jay Leno". He has always been fascinated by witches, magic, the Salem

witch trials and the French Revolution. "Salem Burning" is his first novel. He is currently working

on the sequel, "The Witch And The Guillotine".

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