Sagit Schwartz

Sagit Schwartz is a writer, producer, and licensed psychotherapist. She resides with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog in a Southern California beach town.

Schwartz's new novel is Since She’s Been Gone.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

My publisher came up with my title, and it’s so much better than my original one! My book is about a psychologist who learns the mom she lost to a hit-and-run 26 years before might still be alive—and keeping dangerous secrets. It’s a dual-timeline thriller, and the past chapters follow the story of my protagonist, a 15-year-old struggling with an eating disorder after losing her mom. The present is her heart-pounding journey, trying to figure out what really happened to her mom and if she’s still alive. The title Since She’s Been Gone encapsulates everything she went through both in the past and present since her mother has been gone.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

Publishing a book has been a lifelong dream. Despite all of the self-doubts and rejection, I persevered. I think and hope my teenage self would be happy and proud.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

My mom died when she was 47 years old, and when I turned 47, I decided to write a book inspired by her. At age 48, a year she never had, I sold the book. The grief that consumed my protagonist, Beatrice, is one I have experienced first-hand. This book is very personal for me despite it being fiction.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I’m obsessed with all mystery detective shows, especially British ones. I love trying to figure out how the puzzle pieces fit together and aspired to write a page-turner that keeps readers guessing what will happen next!

Visit Sagit Schwartz's website.

--Marshal Zeringue