SUSAN WIGGS ON WAYWARD GIRLS, ISLAND LIFE & IRREPRESSIBLE SPIRIT
July 16, 2025
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Welcome to Undercurrents of Romance with host Tracey Devlyn!
In Episode 45, Tracey Devlyn sits down with New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs to discuss her new historical women’s fiction, Wayward Girls.
Six girls. One brutal institution. A bond stronger than fear.
In Wayward Girls, Susan Wiggs delivers an unforgettable tale of survival and sisterhood at a Catholic reform school in 1968. With gorgeous prose and rich historical detail, this moving novel celebrates the strength of women who dare to demand justice—and find hope.
💖 Coming-of-Age Historical Women’s Fiction | Teenage Crush, Friends-to-Lovers
“An evocative tale packed with resilience and secrets.” — Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestseller
❤︎
Susan Wiggs’s life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on an island in Puget Sound, and in good weather, she commutes to her writers’ group in a 21-foot motorboat. She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today, has given programs for the US Embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and is a popular speaker locally, nationally, internationally, and on the high seas.
From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family and the fascinating nuances of human nature. Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries and languages. According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with “refreshingly honest emotion,” and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is “one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book.” Booklist characterizes her books as “real and true and unforgettable.”
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, where she divides her time between sleeping and waking.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Grab Your Copy of Wayward Girls 💖 Historical Women’s Fiction
https://books2read.com/SWiggsWG
Author’s Website:
https://SusanWiggs.com
Instagram:
@susan_wiggs_
Facebook:
@SusanWiggs
Susan’s Recommended Read:
Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey
https://books2read.com/KWHarveyBHR
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