Essex Author Wins Another Award

ESSEX, CT — Juxtaposing real-life experiences with a vivid imagination, local Essex fiction author Susan Moroso Strecker has achieved great success with her first three novels, which have gained her six highly acclaimed writing awards.

Performing a constant juggling act between being a writer, a mother, a wife, an animal lover and a devoted equestrian, Strecker — a dedicated and disciplined author — said the most important thing is to have respect: respect for her writing, respect for the process, respect for her family, respect for her time and respect for those who read and love her books.

“I write from the time my kids get on the bus in the morning until the time they get off the bus,” said Strecker, who said she always puts family first. “And, in the summer, I get up at 4 a.m. to write, so that I can spend my days with my kids doing fun things. We only have a certain number of years with our kids and a certain number of years that they want to do stuff with us, and it has always been important to me to make the most of that time.”

Somehow, this gifted author has found the time in between living her best life to write three amazingly successful books that are praised and revered by her fans and the literary world alike. Her most recent book, “Drive,” is based in part on her life growing up in the gassy fog and hot pavement tracks of NASCAR. It was runner-up for the Big Screen contest, and in December won the Royal Dragonfly Fly Book Award for general fiction, which Strecker is extremely proud of.

“Drive” is called a NASCAR novel, but it is so much more. Much like Strecker, whose own family was heavily involved in the world of car racing, the book’s main character is a NASCAR star, as were her late dad, Dick Moroso, and late middle brother, Rob Moroso. Her father, who owned the Moroso NASCAR racing team, died of cancer; her brother died tragically in automobile accident just 4 miles from his home.

Although it was important for Strecker to honor the racing world in her novel, she said the story is less about the race car world and more about a girl who grew up in the race car world.

Turning her sorrows into successes, Strecker is humble by nature and grateful for her achievements. She is currently working on books No. 5, 6 and 7.

“If I could go live in a tree for a month, I could get these books finished, but instead, it will probably be another year or two before they are done,” said Strecker, who doesn’t believe in writer’s block. “Write, always. Even if you have to revise it, at least it is something. If I waited for the moment when I was going to write the most beautiful sentence I would never write. Don’t try to be perfect — no one is — but give it your best.”

Strecker explained that starting her books is the easiest part for her.

“Coming up with the ideas is easy; the hard part is the ending. The readers are very finicky, and even if the first 225 pages of your book are great, they tend to only remember the ending if it isn’t up to their liking,” said Strecker, who calls first drafts "sloppy copies," a phrase she said she stole from her son’s fourth grade teacher. “The first draft you throw everything in, then you develop your characters, revise, revise and revise.”

She advises others to call on their own life experiences to use when writing.

“It’s easier to take a conversation you overheard in a coffee shop or a memory you have and embellish it and expand on it and add to the story turning real life into fiction,” said Strecker, who knows her character well, although she considers herself the least important part of the book writing. Strecker said it’s her editor Suzanne Kingsbury, her agent, the fans and the book stores that all make her books’ success possible.

When asked what she thought of her writing accomplishments, Strecker simply said,” I think it’s a hoot. I always loved writing, but I never thought I would actually get to do it as my job. I am grateful every day!”

Strecker’s first novel, which came out in 2014, was “Night Blindness,” set against the backdrop of a coastal New England town. Hartford Books Examiner called it “A stunningly evocative and keenly informed debut about the functions, and dysfunctions, of family and friends... Boldly written and entirely unforgettable, this book marks the emergence of an author to watch.”

“Night Blindness” won Strecker the IndieNext Pick award.

“Nowhere Girl” made its debut in 2016 and was an immediate hit with Strecker’s loyal fan base. One Amazon book review said, “This is not your typical mystery.” Another wrote, “This is an amazing book. I fell asleep with my Kindle in my hand. I couldn’t put it down.”

In “Nowhere Girl,” Savannah Martino is strangled to death. The mystery takes place in a small New Jersey town, much like the one Strecker lived in while attending college. This book won the Beverly Hill Books Award for Excellence in Fiction. It was No. 4 on Pop Sugar's list of 26 Must Read Books for Spring 2016, and it was a finalist for the Chanticleer Book Award.