Q: Why do you love writing? I love creating characters and worlds that don’t exist in my real life. Writing allows me to explore and develop someone else’s motivation, emotions, moods, hang ups, quirks – there’s something almost voyeuristic about peeking into a character’s life and then deciding what she’ll do, how she’ll act, what she’ll find funny, sad, frightening. It’s also liberating to turn off my own hang ups and quirks, if only briefly; to get outside of myself and my own life for the time that I’m building someone else’s. And those aha moments – many of which happen when I’m running – when you figure out a critical plot or character development are just incredible. For those few seconds, I feel like I hold the keys to the universe. Then I get home, sweaty and sticky from my run, and try to translate the moment to the page and sometimes it works and sometimes, well, not so much. But the times that it does sustain me through the (many more) times that it doesn’t! Q: Your debut novel, Georgia’s Kitchen, is about a talented chef that escapes to Italy brokenhearted. Where did the inspiration for the plot and characters come from? I’m a restaurant junkie. Or at least I was pre-kids, when I lived in Manhattan full-time. Having logged serious hours in all sorts of New York restaurants, I knew there was a story brewing back in those steamy, cramped kitchens that were off limits to us mere civilians. As my ideas about Georgia began to crystallize, I realized she had to be a chef and a head chef at that, but one who’s arrived at her destination after some struggle. Sending her to Italy made sense because it’s a foodie’s paradise and it’s also one of the most beautiful spots on earth. It was the perfect place for her to become reacquainted with her inner beliefs and her passion for cooking, and the option of throwing in a gorgeous Italian boyfriend didn’t hurt either! Q: Since your novel revolves heavily around food, I have to wonder if you are talented in the kitchen? What is your favorite dish to make? I’m not sure talent has anything to do with it, but I do like to cook. I love to read recipes and certain combos stick in my head, which makes it easy to improvise. I also have fairly simple taste and am all about letting fresh ingredients speak for themselves. I’m not a big meat eater and most of my dishes are vegetarian or fish. My favorite dish to make – and eat – is risotto. My husband swears my shrimp and asparagus risotto is the best he’s ever had! Q: How important do you think writing classes or writing workshops are for aspiring writers? I love writing classes! I think they’re terrific for connecting with other writers, for learning craft, for imposing deadlines. I’ve learned so much from every class I’ve ever taken. For any aspiring writers out there, find yourself a class at an extension university, a library, a community center, your local coffee shop, anywhere. You will not regret it, I promise! Q: How long did it take you to find an agent? A month or so. I’m not sure I’d recommend going this route, but I decided to send out lots and lots of query letters without waiting to hear back. For a while my inbox was very, very quiet and then I started getting tons of responses. In the end, I had to choose between several agents. Q: Are you working on another novel? Yes! In a nutshell, it’s about a thirtysomething woman who trades in her cosmopolitan city life for country living on a goat farm. Like Georgia’s Kitchen, it’s got a food motif running through it and it explores themes of love and family and renewal. Q: How were you able to land editing jobs at Vogue.com and Style.com? I’d been working at iVillage.com for several years so I had solid web editing and producing experience. A friend who worked at Conde Nast told me about an opening at Vogue.com, and I interviewed and got the job fairly quickly. A year or so later, Vogue.com grew into the much larger Style.com and I grew along with it. Q: What is the best part about having twin daughters? There are many amazing things about having twin daughters, but my favorite is how they interact with each other. They’re terrific pals and, as they’ll tell you, know each other better than anyone else. Though they’re similar in many respects, they have their own distinct personalities and it’s been fascinating watching them grow into the wonderful little people they are. Fortunately, they’re both happy, enthusiastic kids who love to laugh and love to learn. I feel so lucky to have them. Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers? Write! Sit down at your computer and start getting down words. The greatest impediment to writing is not writing. And don’t think you need a huge chunk of time, either. If all you have is 30 minutes, grab it! You’ll be amazed at what you can crank out in half an hour when you really put your mind to it! Q: Italy is number 1 on my list of places to visit. What are some of the must see sites you would recommend? Oh, boy. The list is large. I’d start with Florence, because it’s my favorite city in all of Italy. The Ponte Vecchio, of course, because you’ve likely seen many photos of it and seeing it in real life is amazing, the Uffizi is an incredible museum and I also love the Pitti Palace, which offers sheer opulence on a grand scale. After, stroll through the Boboli Gardens, where I always imagine the aristocratic Medici family doing the same. Santa Maria Novella is a must for amazing beauty products based on ancient recipes, and the shop itself is gorgeous. They’re famous for their almond hand cream, but my husband loves their shaving cream and nothing beats their calendula cream for dry, sensitive skin. Moving on, I’d go to Rome where the Vatican never fails to impress, the Spanish Steps are a nice spot to take a rest, and the Piazza Navona offers great people watching. Trastevere is a really fun area to walk around. Walking is my favorite thing to do in Rome, in all of Italy, really, so bring good sneaks! And don’t forget the Colesseum, where you can imagine man versus lion duking it out. Venice is so mind-blowingly beautiful and romantic you’ve got to get there too, and though lots of tourists seem to skip Milan, I had a great trip there. The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is a wonderful house museum that allows you a glimpse into the life of a 19th-century aristocratic Milanese family, and Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper really is magnificent. If you’re tempted to go further afield, check out Sicily (Agrigento and Notto are incredible), Ravello and the Emiglia Romana region, home to some of the best food in the country.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a “blog novel.” EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott sure opened my eyes to a new style of writing, but I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. The novel is written in blog style, a young girl keeping a diary online and discussing private topics. Jade Ashton is a 17 year old virgin, who meets Novan, a friend from the past. Novan was once the geeky friend who crushed on Jade, but has grown into a hot songwriter/musician. Jade writes diligently in her private blog over the course of the year, and readers watch the relationship between her and Novan grow deeper and deeper. But when Novan unexpectedly drops Jade, she is left to turn to her friends for comfort and understanding. The deeply personal writing almost feels like trespassing at times, but helps understand the main character and how she is feeling. Since the novel picks up right as she begins her blog and her friendship with Novan, there is really no background story to get acquainted with. I found myself overly confused when a 17 year old girl seems to be living without parents and spends hundreds of dollars shopping but doesn’t have a job. I think if there had been some background at first or even throughout the story I could have a deeper connection with Jade’s character, but I just never got there. I think Scott’s efforts and talents do shine through at times, because there were two sections that I could not seem to stop reading. But overall, the characters and plot lines were too confusing for me to grasp. An interesting read if someone wants to check out blog novels, but not something I’ll be quick to recommend. Also, if reading sex scenes make you uncomfortable, pass on this one. The sexual language is quite strong and common throughout. Rating: 2/5
Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens will be a good read for those who like chick lit with a bit of edge to the story. Jessica Zorich is a twenty-eight year old living in San Francisco, and the plot follows the chick lit pattern for a few chapters. She is trying to find love with her upstairs neighbor, trying to be happy with her job as a copy-writer, and trying to please her family, especially her mother and sister. But the plot takes a thrilling twist when terrorism is introduced, and the intensity is heightened. When downstairs neighbor Patrick announces he has a girlfriend, Jessica finds herself a new potential suitor. Josh is a dark character, a lithographer with a passion for art, and the relationship between Jessica and Josh is fast-paced and borderline confusing. Hints are sprinkled along the way that Josh may actually be involved with the terrorism that is sweeping the US, and the conclusion is unsettling. There were times during the reading that I couldn’t take my eyes away from the pages, I had to keep reading to see what happened next. But there were also times where I didn’t even want to pick up the book, the plot was too confusing and spotty that I began to lose interest. I appreciate the edgy chick lit, and that a male author could write about the heroine with seemingly ease. An engaging plot, but not enough consistency to keep my attention throughout. Rating: 3.5/5
I recently posted an article on McDonald’s new fruit smoothies, and after checking out their nutritional information, decided that making my own would be the healthiest choice. So I got myself a blender, bought some fruit, and searched for a healthy recipe online. Putting in the words ‘strawberry banana smoothie’ got me pages and pages of link and ideas. And while I of course couldn’t read through them all, I got ideas and suggestions from many of the sites to put my own spin on my smoothie. Here is the recipe I came up with, and that I have been drinking faithfully for the past few days. 6 large strawberries 1 banana (any size) 1 cup low-fat yogurt (I used plain yogurt) 1 cup orange juice 1 tbsp sugar I blended all the ingredients on low until they were well mixed, then added in two handfuls of ice and used the ice crush mode on my blender. This recipe made me four glasses, and taste yummy. I love the fact that I am using real fruits to make this, instead of a sugared up pureed blend as opposed to McDonalds. I have seen that people use different types of yogurt, strawberry was a popular one, so I might try out some of those in the future. Hope you enjoy!
The Cougar Club by Susan McBride isn’t to be passed just because you aren’t a cougar! A cougar, a term coined popular by celebrities such as Demi Moore, is when an older woman hooks a young man, such as Ashton Kutcher. The three characters in this novel are high school friends that drifted apart but are now coming back together, all in their 40’s and at a crucial point in their lives. Kat has just been fired from her cushy job and broke off her relationship with her younger man, and ran from New York to her hometown of St. Louis in need of the comfort from her family and friends. Carla is the top anchorwoman that is determined not to let a much younger bimbo steal her job and spotlight, and Elise is watching her marriage fall apart, convinced her husband is having an affair. The three friends tighten their bond and help one another through their separate journeys. I found The Cougar Club to be a smart, witty, and thought-provoking novel. The characters are all extremely likeable and down to earth, making it easy to feel their problems and search for the solutions along with them. I am not in the “cougar” age yet, but that didn’t hinder my reading experience at all. The life lessons, love lessons, and overall meaning of what true friendships are all about makes this book a must read for chick lit fans.
Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes For a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher is a part memoir, part cookbook of Suzanne’s truly disorderly life. With absent parents, a teenage pregnancy, drug addictions, and a physical impairment, Suzanne’s story of how to overcome so many obstacles makes her novel an inspiring and emotional read. While she highlights the many pitfalls in her life, along with the glory days of opening her own restaurant and finding her husband, readers can see her compassion for baking and cooking, and how her love for the kitchen helped her along the way. Suzanne is a beautiful writer, even comedic at times, but I thought the plot jumped around a little too much for my taste. There are so many events and people that she wants to touch on, that at times the characters got all jumbled around. I did like the many recipes she shares with readers (I hope to try a few out myself) and the wisdom Suzanne evokes. I would recommend Muffins and Mayhem on that alone, but it also is an entertaining, quick read that I think chick lit fans could enjoy.
