SUZANNE BAGINSKIE – Location + Location Equals Marketing!
Suzanne Baginskie worked for thirty years at the same Florida law firm as a paralegal/office manager. She also volunteered for the local Sheriff’s Office and became their Volunteer Corporate Secretary, where she wrote their newsletters and helped run the Citizen Academies for eight years. A former short story writer, she finally authored her first book, Dangerous Charade, in 2020. She shopped it around and received a five-book contract from D.S. Publishing, a traditional publisher. The first book led to a series titled “FBI Affairs.” Each book features a strong FBI Special female agent and her FBI Special male partner who solve pulse-pounding crimes as they seek justice and fight off evil offenders. Her latest in the series is Dangerous Triangle-Book Five.
Dangerous Triangle – FBI Special Agents Olive London and Jason
Monroe are thrown into a decades-spanning case that will keep you on the edge of your seat. As they hunt down a serial killer and unravel a terrorist threat in Tampa, Florida, the chemistry between them is undeniable—but will they risk everything for love? Blending intense action, heart-pounding suspense, and a sizzling romance, this book is a must-read in the FBI Affairs Series.
Where do you place your settings—real or fictional locations? Real!! Here’s where the location comes in, where location equals marketing. I use my fifty-four years’ experience of living in Florida and fill the books with real town settings. I tend to do lots of research to use the correct interstates they’d travel to and add some highlights of the cities with their cultural region, tourism, and ambiance. I also like inserting the weather because it plays a role in my books. My first novel starts in Las Vegas and then immediately goes to a small fishing village in Crystal Springs, Florida.
The second is set in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It includes the Pocono Mountains, the third in Daytona Beach, my fourth begins in Miami, and the agents end up boarding a cruise ship at the port for a seven-day western Caribbean mystery cruise. The last book is set in Tampa, the third largest city in Florida, the lightning capital of the world, and features the large Port of Tampa.
Do you write in more than one genre? Yes. I’ve written mystery, horror, romance, thrillers, and non-fiction. I originally started with short stories and went back to writing for the True Confessions magazines in the early 2000s. I have also published in several anthologies of the assorted genres that I mentioned above. I’ve also written and sold twenty-three non-fiction stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
How do you come up with character names? I like to have names for the series that suit the characters as federal agents. Since I have a female and a male officer, I want to make their names go together in a memorable way. I used London and Monroe in book five, which worked well for me. I usually search for first names in an old baby name book I purchased at a garage sale. That book reveals the meanings, origins, and derivations of 60,000 names. Sometimes, you may need to check the name meaning for your character, making them more personable. I always suggest to new writers they could also borrow first or last names from the daily obituary page, but please mix them up.
What is the best marketing advice you have for a new writer? After you’ve written the book and published it online, the next step is the “toughest.”
Marketing!! How do you get your name and brand out there? Everyone, including me, blanks out on the subject. Where do you go from here? I have found that even with a publisher and books for sale on Amazon, I still needed help. You can post about them on Social Media, but that only goes so far. One thing I subconsciously did was to set four of my books in Florida. Next, I decided to start signing up for the many craft shows and farmer’s markets in my area. As a local author, I set up a table, inside or out, with a tent. Then, I pitched my books to the people who stopped at my table. Most of them are readers. I mention they are mystery & suspense, and they look them over but then walk away. That’s when I say, “My books are set in Florida.” They pause, and I fill them in on the towns, and they usually buy one or two or the whole set. I also mention I’ll autograph the books for them. Both are the best marketing tools I’ve found. Vendor shows are a great way to sell books locally. Real readers like to support local authors and go for my “Location, Location Equals Marketing” trick.
Looking to the future, what’s in store for you? My contract was just renewed for two more years, and I’m writing my next book. The title is a secret now, and I’m still deciding. I will mention that I’ve changed the genre of this novel. It’s a western romantic suspense. So far, so good. Follow me on Facebook for my author posts and vendor shows. You can also find me at the links below:
Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JPCX2CX
Website: http://www.suzannebaginskie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbaginskie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbaginskie
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14062235.SuzanneBaginskie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBaginskie
Groups I belong to:
Mystery Writers of America,
Florida Mystery Writers of America,
Florida Gulf Coast Sisters-in-Crime,
Sisters-in-Crime,
The Short Mystery Society,
Suzanne Baginskie recently retired after twenty-nine years as a paralegal/office manager with the same law firm. Formerly a short story writer, she has written and sold many fiction and non-fiction stories. During Covid-19 in 2021, she authored her first book, Dangerous Charade, submitted it to a traditional publisher, and was offered a five-book contract to write a series. Her FBI Affairs novels blend mystery and suspense with a bit of romance. Suzanne has been writing ever since her mother gave her a diary for her eighth birthday. Unknowingly, her mother’s inspirational nudge helped the writer inside her emerge.
He’s assigned to keep her safe. Deep in hiding, someone targets Noelle. Kyle vows to protect her, unaware she has a secret—one her assailants already know.
I loved learning about Suzanne’s local marketing focus based on the settings of her books. I’m hoping to one day be off to Boston to do the same thing–once I’m lucky enough to get published ( ;
Great marketing tips, Suzanne. Best of luck to you on your next one.