Where are you from?
I’m from Long Island in New York. I lived in the Boston area for nine years after graduating from the University of Massachusetts. Although I loved Boston, I moved back to Long Island when I was pregnant with my second son. I missed my family and my New York Rangers hockey team (and New York pizza and bagels too).
What inspired you to write your first book?
My very first book was a short story ebook, A New Life. Having a baby inspired me to write that book. I wanted to explore the challenges new parents face when they bring a baby home – and the process to get back to a place of passion and love after profound life changes and months of no sleep.
I was inspired to write my first novel, Goddess of Suburbia, during the many hours I spent sitting in my driveway in my minivan while my youngest son napped after nursery school. It was during the time Paris Hilton became famous for her sex tape and I began thinking about what would happen if a regular mom suddenly became famous – the paparazzi trailing her everywhere. I also thought a lot about the restlessness a stay-at-home mom sometimes feels spending a good chunk of her time chauffeuring kids around. I imagined what if that restlessness was suddenly gone, replaced by a life imploded. I always loved stories of either ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances or extraordinary people in ordinary circumstances. I chose the former for this book.
Do you write full-time or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life?
I write full-time, but that rarely translates to a full eight hours in a row spent at my laptop. I generally have to drop stuff off at my kids’ school or run errands in between paragraphs. I do try to write from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. until the first kid gets home from school. I know it’s almost impossible to get anything done when my three kids are home, even though they are older now – middle school and high school. I try to work after they go to bed, as well. In an effort to balance family and work life, I try to be present when my kids are home. But I will admit that when I’m on a deadline, I bring my laptop everywhere – I’ve even worked at the beach! I work my butt off, but I actually enjoy deadlines – because I know I’ll get everything done. I have no choice.
What book are you reading now?
I recently started This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. I’m not very far in, because I have hardly any time to read. I’ve read it while waiting at doctor’s offices. I want to read the book before I see the movie. I’ve also been reading The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted, by Elizabeth Berg for a really long time. It’s a short story collection, so I can pick it up when I have a short window and actually complete a story. That’s why I love short story collections, because when you’re so limited on time, you can read one story and if you don’t get back to the book for a while, it’s fine – you don’t have to remember where you were and what happened before. It’s immediate gratification.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I haven’t gotten to read many new authors lately, but I really loved Sleeping with Santa by Debra Druzy. It’s sweet and spicy. There’s great banter, a sexy hero and a wounded heroine who needs to learn to let her guard down – my favorite kind. I’ve also read excerpts of Arla Dahl’s smart, super sexy erotica. Her series, Immoral Virtue, is about the Salem Witch Trials – really unique. It’s right at the top of my Goodreads TBR list.
What are your current projects?
I’m currently working on two projects: Feel No Evil, a novel and Boys, Dogs and Chaos, an essay collection. Feel No Evil is about a rape survivor, Kate, whose attacker, Vin, shows up decades later as someone she may know on Facebook. Seeing Vin’s face again threatens the “normal” existence Kate has worked so hard to build as a wife and mother.
Boys, Dogs and Chaos is much closer to completion – it’s almost done and will likely be my next print book to come out. The essays touch on so many different subjects – parenting a child with mental illness and an eating disorder is a pretty strong theme; my love of hockey and the New York Rangers; my writing process; my many cancer scares and the possibility that I may be living with Lynch Syndrome – a disease that predisposes one to many different cancers and many other musings. I’m an essayist, as much as a novelist, and I really love the form – I guess I enjoy probing my own psyche.
I have a short story ebook coming out on January 11, 2016 from The Wild Rose Press called You & Me. In it forty year old Alex Spencer has given up on love after escaping from the verbally abusive and two decades older Trent Peterson, her life revolving around her daughter, sixteen-year-old Josie, even if Josie wants nothing to do with her. With Valentine’s Day looming, Alex’s thoughts turn to her high school sweetheart, Billy Leibowitz, whom she kicked out of her life twenty years earlier thanks to Trent’s demands. Alex has searched for years for Billy in vain—it seems as if he simply disappeared. When candy hearts, which Billy sent to Alex every Valentine’s Day, start arriving in the mail, Alex wonders if she’s finally getting her chance at happily ever after. It’s part of the Candy Hearts novella series.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I think I might have published Goddess of Suburbia as a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book, since there was an earlier version with a murder (see my answer to “What was the hardest part about writing your book?” below) – if that would even be possible. For example, if you like dark and twisty books, you could skip ahead to page 225 for an alternate plot. In fact, crazy as it may sound, I’ve thought a lot about doing this. I used to love Choose Your Own Adventure books when I was a kid and I think it would be fun for adults to read one…
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Sure – below is an excerpt from Feel No Evil:
2:21. 2:22. 2:23. All I could see were the digital numbers of the clock. All I could hear was his menacing voice, “Is it going to be hard or soft?” All I could say was, “Please stop. Please don’t.” See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. They forgot feel no evil. All I could feel were his hands pushing down on my shoulders and the searing pain ripping through my core.
I close the journal – the flowers on its cover faded; the paper almost silk-like from age. It has been over twenty years – twenty one years, to be exact – since I wrote those words. I wish that they were fiction from a long ago college creative writing class, but they aren’t – they’re real and every year on the anniversary of my assault I pull out that journal and read that entry. After I read it, I put the journal back in my old leather briefcase on top of my closet and drink a glass of wine. It’s my way of marking the anniversary and moving forward. My husband, Dan, keeps our kids downstairs or even takes them out for a slice of pizza or ice cream, so I can read it alone, in peace. So I can shed a tear or two.
I know that it might seem odd for a forty-one year old woman to still think about something that happened so long ago, but if you’ve ever been assaulted, you know that the fact of what happened never really goes away. It just sits like a rotten little bit of food in the back of the refrigerator. The smell will eventually take over the whole thing if you ignore it, so every year I pay attention to it – I take out that rotten bit of food, throw it in the symbolic garbage and try not to think about it, until it starts festering again a year later. It’s an odd ritual, to be sure, but one that works for me or at least it did work, until this year.
It’s a cruel joke being raped on tax day – for months before commercials remind me that the day is coming. “Don’t forget, April 15th is right around the corner.” It’s everywhere, warning people of the day of doom. For me it’s the lead up to reading that passage. I know I’ll pull down the briefcase, I know I’ll open it to the same page and I know that I’ll put it back and lock down any thoughts of that April 15th so many years ago for another 12 months. But, as I put back the briefcase, I know that this year is different. This year I might not be able to lock it down. This year, the person who destroyed my life, Vin Merdone, just popped up on Facebook as “someone I might know” three days before April 15th and I realized that while he damn near ruined my life, his life just went on as happy as could be.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
That’s a great question! I often listen to music – I especially love listening to Ryan Star when I need to jumpstart my creativity. His music just speaks to me. And the lyrics are amazing – every song tells a complete story. Along the same lines, I make soundtrack Pinterest boards for all of my stories – sometimes before I even write anything. Listening to a soundtrack helps me visualize the story. The music can be all over the place. My Goddess of Suburbia soundtrack features artists ranging from Pearl Jam to Echo & the Bunnymen to U2 to Barry Manilow to Matt Nathanson and, of course, Ryan Star and more.
Sometimes I’ll read my old journals – I filled pages and pages of beautiful bound books in my twenties. (I actually worked for a company that imported journals from Europe, so I had a really great collection.) I don’t use the entries word for word, generally, but they are a great spark, especially for flashbacks. Oh and I also often chew about a half a pack of Doublemint gum while I’m trying to think of something. I’m a bit addicted to it.
What was the most fun part of writing your book?
The flashback scenes to when Max and Ben were dating in Goddess of Suburbia were fun to write. I met my husband at a Battle of the Bands contest that his band won, just like Ben’s band. We didn’t start dating until a few years after college, though I did have a crush on him – just like Max and Ben. It was also fun to think back on all the shows I attended when we were dating and first married – I’d stand right in front of the stage and he’d point his drum stick at me (like Ben tossing the guitar pick to Max). He’s a drummer, unlike Ben’s guitarist character – but the feeling of being so special standing among the fans while he only had eyes for me was a really nice memory for me to explore.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
My favorite author is Jill McCorkle. She is a brilliant chronicler of the human condition. What strikes me about her work is that every character is so finely drawn. You feel like you know the characters so well when you finish one of her books or stories. They are regular people – they could be your best friend or your neighbor. And her mastery of language is just unparalleled. Every story is filled with layers of emotion – when you close a Jill McCorkle book, whether it’s a novel or short story collection, it stays with you. I’ve even read some of her books twice. She was also my favorite writing teacher (but I’m not biased because of that, really!).
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part was probably tackling revisions. The book went through three major rewrites. At first it was a fairly short, feel good farce, more of a novella. The first agent who had it loved it, but wanted it darker and much longer. I added a murder and over 22,000 words. That agent left the publishing industry before my revisions were even finished. The next agent felt that it was too dark and requested that I take the murder out. I spent another three months completely rewriting the book. The beginning and the end have always remained the same – I knew those before I even wrote the book – but the path of Max’s journey, getting from point A to Point B, changed drastically. For that last rewrite, I took the best parts of each version and melded them together. It wasn’t just a feel-good novella, nor was it a dark and twisty murder mystery. There was sadness, but also light. I really think this version works the best – neither too dark, nor too light – but at times it was an arduous journey getting there.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned to listen to my characters – often they’ll tell me the path they should take. I know point A and point B, but how the characters get there is sometimes a surprise even to me. There was one scene in Goddess of Suburbia where I thought that Max was going to behave in a certain way, but as I wrote it, I realized that she just wasn’t ready for the moment I envisioned so soon after her divorce. The moment ended up packing a bigger emotional wallop than if I had just written what I planned without thinking about what the character really needs.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
No matter what, don’t ever give up – even if it seems like your story will never see the light of day, don’t give up. Everybody experiences rejection. It’s not the end of the world and more importantly it could be the beginning of something even better.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I’d like to say thank you for reading my work and even more importantly, I want to thank every reader who has reached out me about my writing, both fiction and essays. There is nothing I love more than hearing from readers who have been touched by my words.
What do you think about e-publishing versus technical publishing?
Skipped this one – sorry I’m not exactly sure what technical publishing is, beyond computer manuals. I’m old LOL.
Do you have an agent or publisher? How did you go about finding one?
I have two publishers – Booktrope (my novel) and The Wild Rose Press (my short stories). I found both publishers through my Romance Writers of America chapter – Long Island Romance Writers. For Booktrope, a few of my fellow writers were published by them and they raved about the experience and the company. I followed Jesse James Freeman, a vice president at Booktrope on Twitter and when he followed back, I tweeted to him that I planned on submitting to Booktrope, because I had heard such good things about it. I submitted Goddess of Suburbia about two weeks later and it was accepted a couple of weeks after that. My advice is to follow publishers, editors and agents you admire on Twitter. You can usually get an idea of what they are looking for and if you engage positively with them, you foster a connection and boost your name recognition.
Regarding The Wild Rose Press, Rhonda Penders, the president of The Wild Rose Press, attended the Long Island Romance Writers’ annual Agent & Editors Luncheon and invited all members to submit. This is another great way to find an agent or publisher – attend publishing industry functions where you can pitch your work. Luncheons, conferences and workshops are all a great way to forge connections with those who can make your dream a reality.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
My first thought was an island somewhere in the Caribbean, but when I really think about it, I’d have to say Oyster Bay Cove or Centre Island on Long Island. Oyster Bay Cove is only about fifteen minutes from me and Centre Island is just a few minutes farther over a small drawbridge, but it’s my favorite place for a quick escape and the houses along the water in both places are amazing. (Billy Joel lives in the area, so you know it’s really nice!) Centre Island beach is where Max goes to escape the media circus in Goddess of Suburbia.
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
I’ve actually been thinking about this, because I asked the same question during my takeover for The Lost Heir! I think the ability to heal – both others and myself – would be a great super power, but not just injuries, illnesses too. As a parent, I can’t think of anything that would be better – being able to heal your children. Though flying would be nice too – it would be fabulous to be able to get away to a warm climate whenever I wanted.
