We chat with author Susan Walter about Letters From Strangers, which is a heartbreaking story of two strangers searching for the truth about their families―and discovering a secret that will change their lives forever.
Hi, Susan! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I moved to Hollywood right after college to work in the movie business. I started at the very bottom (on “Twin Peaks, Fire Walk with Me,” where my responsibilities included getting Kiefer Sutherland out of bed and standing alone in the woods all night to relay messages between the set and basecamp). It took twenty-five years, but I finally worked my way up to writing and directing a feature film. It’s called “All I Wish” and stars Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn. I thought I would direct more movies, but then the pandemic hit and nobody wanted to go to the grocery store, never mind a movie set. So I wrote my first novel, “Good as Dead,” about a woman who accepts gobs of money to keep her mouth shut after witnessing a deadly hit-and-run – my very own “Indecent Proposal.” (Great movie if you haven’t seen it). I went on to write three more mystery-thrillers. Then the mystery of my own life started tugging at my sleeve. “Letters from Strangers” is inspired by a personal family secret. Nobody gets murdered! But there are some wild twists and maybe a few tears.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was working on movie sets in a managerial role and, to be honest, was not that great at it. I was more interested in the storytelling than the scheduling, and got behind on my paperwork because I preferred to eavesdrop on the conversations between the writers, directors, and actors instead of writing my production reports. That’s when I knew I was in the wrong profession. I quit my job as an assistant director to try my hand at screenwriting, and never looked back.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Black Stallion. I loved horses. Every birthday I begged my parents to buy me a horse. (I never got a horse.)
- The one that made you want to become an author: “Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn because the main character was a movie buff, which I thought was really cool and also maybe a sign that movie people can write books, too. And also, it was hella entertaining.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry. It’s a multi-generational tale of growing up in India.
Your latest novel, Letters from Strangers, is out May 27th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Family secrets. Forbidden love. Tearjerker.
Or
The. Book. That. Gutted. Me.
What can readers expect?
This was the first time I followed the age-old advice, “write what you know.” Jane, the main character experiences profound shock and betrayal when she finds out her father was not the man she thought he was (as I did). The book begins when she discovers a stack of love letters after his death. (Again, as I did.) Except they are not from her mom. And they suggest the other woman had his baby.
The book is a two-hander. As Jane is searching for the author of those letters, across the country, an adopted teenage boy is searching for his birth mother. Are they looking for the same person? Expect a collision course that might just surprise you.
Where did the inspiration for Letters from Strangers come from?
Finding out my dad had other, um … interests beside our family was super hard for this former daddy’s girl to get her head around. At first I considered writing a memoir. But then I realized I could say what I wanted to say about family and forgiveness in a work of fiction … and give the book the ending I never got.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Adam, the teenage boy looking for his birth parents, is gay and suffers from disordered eating. I was cautioned about stepping into the voice of a gay, adopted teen boy, since I am none of those things. But inhabiting him forced me to have deep conversations with people who experienced some of what he goes through, and I learned so much.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge with this book was knowing when to veer from my true story. A lot of what happens to my main character happened to me, but this is not a memoir. Once I gave myself the freedom to let go of what really happened and embrace plot turns that would make for a better story, the writing flowed. But that was a process.
What’s next for you?
A locked room mystery called “Murder at 30,000 feet.” (Can you guess what the locked room is?) Coming February 2026.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I love Lisa Jewell. She has a new one called “Don’t Let Him In” and I am going to see her on tour when she comes to Santa Monica this summer. So excited to finally meet one of my idols!
Also excited for the next season of “The Night Manager” on Amazon based on the book by John LeCarre. Tom Hiddleston is so fabulous and the plot is twisty and sophisticated. I’m counting the days until it airs.
