Saturday, February 8 – 10:41 a.m.
Kate Sugarman is an author and a presenter at the Barksdale Literature Conference.
Detectives Armstrong and Murphy talked to her at the Yoknapatawpha County Conference Center.
Participants:
- Detective Armstrong
- Detective Murphy
- Kate Sugarman
Detective Armstrong: Thank you for speaking with us, Ms. Sugarman. I'm sure you must be pretty busy with the conference still going on. We appreciate your cooperation.
Kate Sugarman: Certainly, I'll help in any way I can
Detective Armstrong: Would you state your name and address for the record, please?
Kate Sugarman: Yes, my name is Kate Sugarman, and I live at 161 Andrieux Street in Sonoma, California. And please, call me Kate.
Detective Armstrong: And what is your profession, Ms. Sugarman? Sorry, I mean, Kate.
Kate Sugarman: I write science fiction novels, and I'm an ER nurse at Sonoma Valley Hospital.
Detective Murphy: We understand that you knew Diane Coates. Can you tell us about that relationship, please? How you met her and how long you've known her, that sort of thing.
Kate Sugarman: Well, I met Mrs. Coates five years ago when I was first invited to the conference to be a presenter. She was the one who contacted me to find out if I was interested in participating. She seemed a pleasant enough woman at first, and of course, I was thrilled to do it as I'd just written my first book. Have you read any of my work? I've written three books now, you know.
Detective Murphy: No, ma'am. I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure. How would you characterize your relationship with Mrs. Coates?
Kate Sugarman: We knew each other professionally. That's all there was to it.
Detective Murphy: From the way you said that, it doesn't seem like that was all there was to it. Is there something else you'd like to tell us about her?
Kate Sugarman: I didn't want to bring this up because I really like this conference and enjoy coming every year. I don't want to cause any trouble for anyone.
Detective Armstrong: It's okay. If you know something, you should tell us. Don't worry about whether it might cause trouble.
Kate Sugarman: Well … she did tell me that if I paid her extra, she'd make sure I got a good time for my presentation and great billing. She also said if I didn't pay, she'd make sure that I was never invited back here and that I was blackballed from several other conferences, too, if I tried to complain to anyone. Well, naturally, I was upset. I mean, I'd never had to pay before. But, well, I just can't afford to be blackballed. How would I ever sell any of my books?
Detective Murphy: How much did she ask for?
Kate Sugarman: She said that she wanted $1,000.
Detective Murphy: And did you pay?
Kate Sugarman: Yes, I'm afraid I did. I didn't want to, but if I didn't and she actually followed through on her threats, the risk to my career could be too significant.
Detective Armstrong: Is it common practice at these conferences for the authors and panelists to pay to appear?
Kate Sugarman: Not at all, but it's so hard to get noticed these days, and I need as much exposure as possible for my books. Being shut out from multiple conferences would be a disaster, so I just treated it as a marketing expense.
Detective Murphy: Was this the first year she asked you for extra money?
Kate Sugarman: No, the last three years.
Detective Armstrong: Do you know if any other writers had similar experiences with Mrs. Coates?
Kate Sugarman: I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Detective Armstrong: Do you know of anyone who might've wanted to harm her?
Kate Sugarman: Probably everyone, but I can't think of anyone who actually would.
Detective Murphy: Did you have any involvement in what happened to her?
Kate Sugarman: No! None at all!
Detective Armstrong: Is there any other information about Diane Coates or her death that you think we should know?
Kate Sugarman: No, but if I think of anything or hear anything, I'll let you know.
Detective Armstrong: Thank you. We appreciate that. We'll let you get back to the conference now.
Interview ended – 10:54 a.m.
