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Interview with Janice Kaplan
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Janice Kaplan

Q: You have so many careers on your resume: author, editor, television producer, etc. How do you handle all the variety and stress that comes with those positions?
I’ve always loved doing many things–it keeps life exciting. But whether I’m editing a major magazine, producing a TV show, or writing a novel, the secret is telling stories that will interest and excite people. I also remind myself regularly that life has many cycles–you can do everything, just not all at once. Once or twice I’ve written a novel while I also had a full-time job, but I don’t recommend it. Usually when I’m working on a book, I take six months or a year and write full-time. Then I’m ready to throw myself back into the media fray.
Q: How were you able to break into the industry?
I began writing magazine articles while I was still in college, and wrote my first book, called WOMEN AND SPORTS, the year I graduated. It’s the only non-fiction book I ever wrote. The next two books were YA novels. For me, they were a great training ground for learning how to put character and plot together.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to write women’s novels?
I love writing funny, spirited books that women (or anyone) can enjoy. I think my books can also be inspiring for women, helping them realize the many directions their lives can take. When my co-author and I wrote “The Botox Diaries,” reviewers marveled that our characters, who were in their 40s (aged!) were feisty and fun and liked sex. Before that, most chick lit stopped once the characters got married. We wanted to show how much fun life can be ten or more years after.
Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books?
I often start with a character and try to imagine her life. With “Looks to Die For,” my first mystery, I started with a question: how would a loving wife respond if her husband were accused of murder? Can you keep believing in the man you love when everyone else thinks he’s guilty? I’ve had many great experiences in my life, and I do call on those for nuggets of ideas. Then they get reshaped and changed. I think of my characters as my alter egos–doing everything I wouldn’t dare!
Q: I read that you are often a speaker for women’s issues. What is one issue that you feel especially passionate about?
I want women to know how many doors are open to them at every age and every stage. There’s always a next act in your life. You just the need the courage to go for it.

Q: How do you spend your free time?
I love being with my family–my husband and two wonderful sons. I like to travel and be outdoors–hiking is a favorite activity for our whole family. We’re lucky to live in New York, so we go to theater and music events and museums. And of course, there are always four or five books by my bed.
Q: Are you currently working on any novels?
I’ve just started a new one and it’s such fun to be writing again!

Q: What is your favorite part about writing?
Many writers say they like having a book finished, but I love the process of writing. I like thinking about my characters as I fall asleep at night, or walking down the street and envisioning what the next scene will be. You live with your characters while you’re writing a novel, and they become very real. That’s why my characters are usually fun and funny–they have to keep me entertained.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who has interests in writing?
Write! People often tell me about the great book they have in their head. Well, if it’s in your head, it’s not a book. Sit down and struggle with it. Write and rewrite. And then rewrite some more. When I’m writing full time, I start every day by revising what I wrote the day before, and then moving forward. I think it gets better every time. And the surprise: I’m not usually adding words, I’m taking them out to make the story faster, stronger, and a better read.
Q: What is or would be your favorite place to travel?
I’m easy to please in travel. I love visiting big cities–Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, London. And I’ve been enthralled by remoter spots, like Guatemala and Belize and the Corcovado region of Costa Rica. My husband and I spent a week recently hiking in the Dolomites (the Italian Alps), and it was the perfect blend of gorgeous scenery, vigorous activity, and fabulous food. I wouldn’t be surprised if it appears in one of my books soon!

March 5, 2010
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Chick Lit Author Gemma Burgess
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Gemma Burgess

Gemma Burgess lived in London throughout her twenties, working as a copywriter. It was her love of high heels that eventually got her to begin to writing, after putting her back out and being confined to a bed for three weeks. She wanted to write something that was similar to her experiences, and that could both comfort and charm other women. Burgess published The Dating Detox, an anti-romance romantic comedy. She currently lives in Knotting Hill, London and is working on her follow-up novel.

March 5, 2010
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Interview with Jackie Collins
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Jackie Collins

Q: What made you decide to start writing?
A: I loved creating characters, and from the age of 8 I knew that’s what I was destined to do.

Q: Your novels go in depth on Hollywood and the celebrity lives. How did you start gaining the insider knowledge?
A: Because I arrived in Hollywood at 15, so I’ve had plenty of years to observe all the action. When you’re reading a Jackie Collins book you are getting the real truth, not the front page of a tabloid.

Q: I read a quote from you on your website that intrigued me. “I write about real people in disguise. If anything, my characters are toned down — the truth is much more bizarre.” Can you give just one example of a “bizarre” situation? (I’m sure you have plenty!)
A: Well, who would believe the Tiger Woods situation? If I wrote it, I’d be laughed off the page! Truth is always much wilder than fiction, and Hollywood insiders tell me everything!

Q: I have to ask a question on reality TV ‘stars.’ What is your opinion of the reality shows, and do you think the cast members of popular shows such as The Hills and Jersey Shore should be classified as celebrities?
A: Kind of fifteen minute celebrities, because once their show ends, what next?

Q: You are not only a novelist, but have produced many works as well. How were you able to get into producing?
A: I decided I wanted the movies of my books to bring my characters to life. So to gain control, when I did a deal to make a movie of my work, part of the deal included me as one of the producers. I really enjoy the producing process.

Q: I read that you are writing a play, Jackie Collins Hollywood Lies. Can you tell us more about that?
A: It’s a fun project about a pop star fresh out of rehab, whose mother has gained conservatorship and taken over her life. Chaos ensues!

Q: You have achieved so many successes in your professional life, with writing and producing and topping multiple best-seller lists. What is one your proudest accomplishments in your personal life?
A: My daughters! I have three, and they are fantastic, smart, strong, beautiful women. They are my greatest accomplishment. Then comes 27 novels!

Q: Your novel, Poor Little Bitch Girl, just came out February 9th. Where did you get your inspiration for this particular story?
A: I live in Hollywood. Inspiration is all around me! I wanted to write about a role-model career woman, and 25 year old Denver is just that. She’s feisty, great at her job as a lawyer, but also prepared to dip into the relationship scene with great gusto. “Poor Little Bitch Girl” was so much fun to write.

Q: I get overwhelmed looking at all you do! How do you find free time for yourself and how do you spend it?
A: I am a TiVo junkie! Love relaxing while watching all my fave shows – “Dexter,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Big Love,” “Modern Family,” I could go on and on!!

Q: What would be the best advice you could offer to aspiring writers?
A: Do not talk about it – do it!!

Q: I read that you like to visit exotic locations. What would be one of your favorites?
A: Paris and some of the smaller islands in Hawaii. A city and an island. Great combination!

March 2, 2010
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Chick Lit Author Allie Spencer
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Allie Spencer

Allie Spencer wanted to be a writer most of her life, but she received her MA and went on to law school, qualifying as a…

March 1, 2010
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Guest Post from Author Carol Mason
Chick Lit Authors

Guest Post from Author Carol Mason

My new novel, The Love Market, I am told, has just hit the shelves in stores across Canada. I love that expression! I only have to read it to feel that the entire hair-pulling, teeth-grinding ordeal of a year spent writing a novel was all worth it. Of course then I rush to my local bookstore and fail to see the book anywhere. Or it may happen to be in a box, amidst a pile of other unpacked novels in the corner of the store, even though theoretically it’s supposed to be proudly occupying its well-earned space on some up-front and centre shelf where the world can see it and buy it.

Then reality kicks in, and I remember one thing: no dream is ever as perfect as we imagine it. If it was, life would stop the moment we got what we wanted.

I will never forget finding out that I had finally got bought by a top publishing house, that my book would be published in many different countries, I was being paid a slightly more than respectable salary for what I’d accomplished, and what’s more, they were buying a second book off me – one I’d not even written or conceived yet! I must be pretty fantastic, right? Surely after everything I’d been through I could allow myself to think myself fabulous just this once?

It had not been easy. (understatement of the century) I’d given up a well-paid job to write full-time. I’d initially given myself a year to get published and that year had turned into five. I imagined, because I was so gung-ho (and clearly deluded), that I’d make it with my first book. That one book turned into three unpublished attempts that still lurk in the bottom drawer of my desk, because I’m sure one day I will revive them and they will go on to be bestsellers. Actually it was five unpublished attempts. I forgot to count the two novels I wrote ten years previously that I was too lazy to back up on my computer, and my computer got stolen, and the novels went along for the ride. Surely I had earned my stripes?

“Are you sitting down?’ My agent asked me on a phone call from London. I had just woken up. It was 7AM Vancouver time. Then her next question was, ‘Do you have a bottle of champagne in the fridge?’

The thing was, I had become so conditioned to the concept of failure that imagining myself a success no longer ever crossed my mind. I disbelieved her when she told me that Hodder & Stoughton had just made a lovely offer on The Secrets of Married Women. What was she playing at? Is this how my agent got her jollies? I had to consciously sit there and reason with myself: Hang on Carol, she has no reason to make this up. Maybe it’s true.
I didn’t have a bottle of champers in the fridge. But by the end of that day I was eating sushi with Dom Perignon. The high I felt was like none I’d experienced before. I had done something that countless people told me I would never do: Even if they never came out and said it, it was there in their faces. I had gotten published. On a big level. Way to go me!
Mysteriously, I became all fixated on death after that. I didn’t want to die before I saw my first novel hit the shelves. Not that, until that moment, I’d ever imagined myself dying. I was in perfectly good health and a reasonably sane driver and I didn’t think I had any enemies who would be following me with a hatchet down a dark street. But after hearing my so-called “job” of writing had been validated by a big publishing house, and I no longer had to feel I needed to make excuses to people about what I did, I had a heightened sense of my own need to self-preserve. All I wanted was to walk into a big bookstore and see myself right there, next to whichever brand name author had a book out at the same time – then I could die happy. Or on a shelf filed next to whatever greatly successful writer bore a last name beginning with M. In my case, it always seems to be Carole Matthews. Seeing a table-load of my novel in Borders on Oxford Street made me want to rip off all clothes and dance naked on top of them. Not only had I hit shelves, I’d apparently hit tables too! I started lurking around the edges of bookshelves, watching to see if anyone would actually buy my book off that table. I never saw it happen. Then I fantasized about seeing someone reading my book on a bus. That never happened either. But then my moment came. I was skimming a British newspaper and saw a photograph of a WAG (Footballers’ Wives And Girlfriends) sitting on a beach reading a novel – and the book was none other than The Secrets of Married Women. A WAG was reading me! How cool was that?
Of course sometimes “hitting the shelves” literally means there is one copy, spine out, under the letter M. A pretty deflating sight to see. Especially as you tend to know it’s not because there’s only one left, but because there never was more than one in the first place. But still, I will always take my “one” copy to the most prominent position in the store, and place it right there – surreptitiously, like you never really saw me do that. But hey! If Carrie Bradshaw can do it, why can’t I?
So this weekend, Olympics fever over in Vancouver (almost), I will do my routine of driving to as many stores as I can hit and signing copies so that the sales team can stick pretty little stickers on them. As hard as it is to be published and to keep on being published, this thing I get to do when new book hits the shelves makes me remember why it is I started writing in the first place.
Signed by Author? Yep, that’s me.

February 27, 2010
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Interview with Cathleen Holst
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Cathleen Holst

Q: You are a new writer. What made you want to start writing, and how long have you been at it? Writing is something I’ve always loved doing. Even as a young girl I remember writing stories, but it was something I always kept very private. I remember writing a short story for my history class during my sophomore year of high school that was based on the Salem Witch Trials. Ms. Ray, my history teacher, returned the stories and had written a note on the top of my paper that I will never forget. In red ink she wrote, “You’re a great writer.” The seed was officially planted, but I never thought seriously about writing until I read a book (that I will leave nameless) in 2009 that I really enjoyed. The story was great and highly addictive (I literally could not stop reading). The writing, however, was mediocre at best, and I thought if writing like that could get published, than certainly mine could. 
Q: What have you found to be the most difficult so far in your journey? I would have to say that the most difficult thing, for me, is finding good blocks of uninterrupted writing time. My mother-in-law has been so helpful in that respect and watches my four year-old a couple days a week for me. That is such a huge help. But on a technical note, that would have to be the outlining process. I find it almost impossible to outline before I start writing. I will get an idea and just start writing like mad, but inevitably stall around the third or fourth chapter. That’s when I start outlining or really what I like to call my “what if’s”. I’ll take my idea and twist and turn it in as many different directions as I possibly can until I get something I like.
Q: Your debut novel is The Story of Everleigh Carlisle. Where did that inspiration come from? I wish I had some type of prolific answer like how the story came to me in a dream, or I was sitting on train and had this sudden burst of inspiration, but sadly I have none of that. I literally had no idea what I was going to write about when I began. All I knew was that I had this burning desire to write something…anything. I had no outline, no plot ideas, not even the name of a character. I just started typing the first thing that popped into my head. And that’s how Everleigh was born.
Q: Are you currently working on another novel, or some ideas for a plot or characters? Yes. I have the basic plot and a few characters outlined for my next novel. I began working on it while waiting to hear if Everleigh was going to be picked up for publication. After working and reworking that story for so long, I had to walk away for a while and begin something new. I’m excited to get back to it.
Q: How were you able to secure a publisher? Can you walk us through the process? My experience in that is probably different than most. I took the same path that hundreds of other aspiring novelists take by sending out queries to agents by the dozen. But where mine differs is how I met my publisher. After joining a new online networking site for writers I read the profiles of several members, but when I came across a profile belonging to a publisher my interest was piqued and I visited their website. After reviewing the type of material they were interested in, I was curious about why they were not interested in one particular genre. I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure if a fledgling novelist like me should bother a publisher with my little question. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I took a chance and emailed my question to her. She was very kind and answered my question right away. I’m not sure what I did (but I’m glad I did it), she then later took an interest in me and asked to see my manuscript. Even though she’s not an agent, I still had to submit a query letter, synopsis and the first two chapters. And I fully expected her response to be the same as every other agent I submitted to; something along the lines of “Your story sounds interesting, but unfortunately we’re going to have to pass and we wish you all the best in your publishing endeavors.” Imagine my surprise when she said she wanted to publish it! After countless rejections, someone actually liked it. I really couldn’t be happier with my publisher, and couldn’t ask for a better first experience.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your book? Honestly, I hope that if the reader is having a bad day or if they find their life isn’t going exactly the way they expected that they are able to relate to Everleigh—she gets thrown a curveball in her life as well—and realize that even though by all appearances we have everything we want, we still need to listen to our heart. Because if our heart’s not happy then we never will be, no matter how much money we have, what neighborhood we live in, our car, our social status, or even our job title. None of that defines who we are as people, and that is something Everleigh struggles to remember. As we all do at times. But even more than that, I just hope they enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Q: What is the best part about being a “Georgia Peach?” Now that’s an original question.  There’s nothing like good ol’ fashioned Southern hospitality, sweet tea, barbecue, and fried green tomatoes, all of it. I just love the South. It’s my home. Oh, and the weather, I can’t forget the weather. It’s nice to be able to experience all four seasons, and sometimes we experience all four in the same week.
Q: What is the biggest risk you have ever taken? I don’t really know if I’d call it a risk because I didn’t have anything to lose, but deciding to share with everyone that I was writing a book with the intent of becoming published was rather terrifying for me. As I said earlier, I kept my love of writing private so to announce to my family that I was seriously writing was scary. They’ve all been incredibly supportive.
Q: Being a new writer, what would be your advice to aspiring writers? Never stop writing and don’t let rejections get you down. It’s all part of the business. John Grisham, Stephen King, JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and countless others…they’ve all received rejection letters and after receiving mine I was now a member of that club. That’s some great company to be in. If you want it bad enough, it will happen. Don’t let a few “no’s” stop you from pursuing your dream. Another piece of advice I would give is to take your time when writing your first novel, and get as much HONEST feedback as you can. That means stepping outside your comfort zone and sharing your writing with others who are not close friends or relatives. It may be painful sometimes, but believe me it will help you grow as a writer. I received a comment about my writing once that almost had me in tears, but once I calmed down I realized everything this person had pointed out was spot on. It was the best comment I’d received.
Q: What is or do you think would be your favorite place to travel? Oh my…there are so many places I would love to visit. I would have to say Paris or Tuscany. Under the Tuscan Sun is one of my all-time favorite movies, and after watching that I said, “I want to buy a villa in Tuscany and hire the muscular descendents of Roman gods to help me rebuild it!” Hey…a girl can dream, can’t she?

February 26, 2010
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Interview with Allie Spencer
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Allie Spencer

Q: You attended a law school and practiced law for years. Why did you decide to start writing?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for most of my life and dabbled at it for years. However, it wasn’t until I’d had my first child that I finally had the time (during his naps) to sit down and tackle a full-length novel. At the moment, the writing seems to be taking off, but there is always the chance I’ll be back in court if things don’t work out!

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Oooh, that’s a hard one. I think every part of the process has good bits and bad bits, but for sheer excitement, I think it has to be the moment you first hold your published novel in your hand – everything you struggled with suddenly seems worth it. Also, it’s hard to beat the moment a fantastic idea or a wonderful character turns up unannounced in your head; in my experience this doesn’t happened very often so you need to make the most of it!

Q: On the other hand, what do you think is the hardest part of the writing process?

I find the first edit the hardest. I write and write and write until I have a first draft and then I go back over it and try and pull it into some sort of shape. I usually end up doing at least six drafts/re-workings, but that first ‘go through’ feels as though it takes forever and by the time I’ve finished it, I’ve usually convinced myself that I’ve just written the worst book in the history of the universe! But you have to gird up your loins and go back in and do it all over again – and by the time I’ve finished the second edit, I generally feel much more positive.

Q: Do you have a certain area that you get all your work done?

I write in my bedroom, sitting on the bed with my laptop on my knee. I’m sure this isn’t good for me and some sort of ergonomic karma is going to get me sooner or later, but I love the peace and calm of the bedroom (unlike the crazy, untidy study that my husband occupies) and I can hide away from the washing up and unfinished housework lurking downstairs.

Q: Where do you find the inspiration for your books?

Sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere: I’ll be watching television, picking the children up from school or going for a run, and I’ll think ‘wouldn’t that be a good idea for a book?’ or, ‘oh, yes – that’s the way the plot needs to go!’. At other times, I’ll find myself in a particular situation, or perhaps reading an article in the paper, and ideas start sparking out of that. I got the inspiration for Tug of Love whilst sitting in a crowded corridor outside a courtroom: I suddenly wondered what it would be like if the door to that courtroom opened and your boyfriend came out – and there you were, in the most public situation imaginable, having just found out that your boyfriend was going through a divorce he hadn’t told you about.

Q: How do you enjoy any free time you get?

I seem to spend most of the time I’m not writing running round like a headless chicken sorting out the house or looking after the children. However this New Year I made a resolution to get back into some of the things I used to enjoy such as going to the theatre, cinema and concerts. I haven’t made it to the flicks yet, but I did go to see Noel Coward’s Private Lives a couple of weeks ago and I’ve got two more theatre trips booked – one is for a show at the Globe Theatre which I am really excited about.

Q: What is one thing about you that most people wouldn’t know?

Er, tough one. The answer would either have to be something a bit bizarre, like the fact that I was once in a play where all my lines were in Anglo Saxon and I had to wave a broad sword around (!) or something more serious, like the fact I am dyslexic. Thankfully my dyslexia is not at the serious end of the spectrum, but it does mean I need to put in extra effort to make sure my writing’s up to scratch.

Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?

I like anyone with an unusual, humorous take on life so my favourites include Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella (I have just finished Twenties Girl – it was amazing), Douglas Adams and the fantastic Jasper Fforde.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Never give up: keep writing, keep polishing and keep sending your work out to editors and agents. If you give up, you can be absolutely certain you will never be published; keep going and you are always in with a chance. I think it’s also worth going to writers’ conferences or joining groups such as the Romantic Novelists’ Association (who, by the way, run a critiquing scheme for unpublished authors). By meeting and talking to the editors and agents who attend this sort of function, you get yourself known and also get a feel for what publishers are looking for.

Q: What is or do you think would be your favorite place to travel?

If I could go anywhere, I think I’d hop in a time machine and whiz back through some of my favourite historical eras. I studied the Middle Ages at uni, so a quick visit to the Fifteenth Century would be interesting to see if our ideas about life back then are anywhere near the truth! Then a stop-over in Regency England – possibly a visit to the great Jane Austen herself, if that could be arranged – before winding up in the Roaring Twenties for champagne cocktails and a spot of Charleston dancing!

February 26, 2010
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Chick Lit Author Irene Zutell
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Irene Zutell

Irene Zutell started her career as a newspaper reporter, writing on police and city hall news. After becoming bored with that work, she became a travel writer, touring continents and countries including some of her favorites: Paris, St. Petersburg, Dubrovnik, Prague, Florence, and Rome. After years of writing and traveling, Zutell moved to Los Angeles and started a career as a reporter for People magazine, writing human interest articles and following celebrity lives.
Irene Zutell has three books published: They’re Not Your Friends, I’ll Never Have Sex With You Again!, and Pieces of Happily Ever After. Her writing has also been featured in Us Weekly, The New York Times, The NY Daily News, and Newsday. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

February 21, 2010
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Chick Lit Author Cathleen Holst
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Cathleen Holst

Born and raised in Atlanta, this “Georgia Peach” has her stilettos firmly planted in the south. Despite whisking her characters off to glamorous places like New York City or Beverly Hills, she has no desire to relocate herself to a city where good ol’ fashioned sweet tea is not readily available. However, she would have her boarding pass in hand in a New York minute for a shopping trip off Rodeo Drive.
Cathleen currently resides in a small suburb of Atlanta with her extremely patient husband (and former high school sweetheart) of five years with their three children and two, sometimes over-the-top, rambunctious dogs. She has been writing stories as long as she can remember, and to this day is still perfectly happy to be left alone in a room making stuff up. (Much to the dismay of her husband as he often has to do the lion’s share of the cooking.)
Although her love of literature is not confined to one particular genre, it has always been the “feel-good” stories that have resonated with her the most. Calling her stories “chick-lit” does not offend her in the least. All stories, whether they’re an edge of your seat mystery, a decadent regency-era romance, or heart pounding thriller or sci-fi, have their place in our hearts. And for Cathleen, these frilly (yes, sometimes a bit frivolous) delightful easy reads are as perfect as the cherry sitting atop a banana split.

February 21, 2010
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