This book has it all: great cover, faboo hook, gorgeous author (see web site link). It’s definitely on my list.
Bev is the Smart One, who finally leaves her artistic ambitions in chalk dust (and her humor-impaired husband in the arms—and legs—of his nubile protégée) to become a schoolteacher. Clare is the Pretty One, who married well and seems to be living a designer version of the suburban dream. Joey is the Wild One, struggling to stay clean and sober now that she's used up her fifteen minutes of fame as a one-hit-wonder rock star.
They love each other but mix like oil, water, and hundred-proof gin . . . a combination that threatens to combust over family tensions, suspected infidelities, a devastating accident, a stunning confession, and the sudden reappearance of their handsome, now all-grown-up former neighbor, Kenny Waxman, who's back in town making his mark as a TV comedy writer.
It seems they'll never understand where their differences begin and their own destructive tendencies end. Then it happens: the sisters discover a decades-old body stuffed inside an industrial drum and begin a bold, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious journey that will either bring them together . . . or tear them apart for good.
What's the backstory behind your latest novel?
The inspiration for THE SMART ONE hit me from several different directions. I always wanted to write a sister story because that relationship intrigues me. This thought was floating around in my head when I got an offer on my first book, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. I was thrilled about the offer, but also in a minor panic about what it would mean to become a world-famous author. (I'll wait a few moments while you finish laughing.) Yes, I was terribly naive, and didn't realize I wouldn't even become a celebrity in my own house. Still, the thought passed though my head, and it made me wonder what it was about some people that made them actually covet fame. Was it something from their childhood? Something about the family dynamic?
I knew, then, that one of the sisters in my next novel would have to be a character who sought--and achieved--fame. It's not a major focus of the book, but it was a spark that started to make the story gel.
The other big inspiration was a news story that happened right in my home town. A man moving out of his home opened a sealed 55-gallon industrial drum that had been in a crawl space since he moved in ... only to discover a mummified body inside. It was a young woman, nine months pregnant, who had been killed thirty years before. After she was identified as a factory employee of home's original owner, who had since retired, the detectives went to Florida to question him. They wanted to get a sample of his DNA to test against the fetus's, but before they could serve a warrant for it, the man shot and killed himself.
This happened so close to home that it captured my imagination and wouldn't let go. How could something like this happen in an ordinary suburban home in an ordinary suburban town? How did the killer keep his secret for so long? And how did it effect the people around him?
Of course, I had no intention of writing a true crime story, so I simply used this macabre event as the inspiration for a discovery made by my three adult sister characters ... and it became the catalyst that drives the arc of their relationship.
How much do you get involved with promotion? Are you doing anything special with your latest release?
If you want a career in today's tough fiction marketplace, you have to take promotion pretty seriously, and indeed I do. I'm fairly ubiquitous on the Internet, with a blog, a website, a MySpace page, a Facebook profile, a GoodReads account, a CafeMom membership, a Gather presence and more. I also do pretty extensive blog touring, thanks to the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, and a terrific service called Blog Stop Book Tours. Of course, I also keep in touch with readers through my mailing list.
In terms of personal appearances, I do a lot locally. But the really exciting new development is that I've hooked up with another Long Island author, Saralee Rosenberg. She's funny, smart and talented, and her new book, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD, came out about the same time as THE SMART ONE. Since we share similar suburban sensibilities (say that three times fast!), it's a match made in heaven, and our appearances together have gotten some wonderful press. My website has update on our events.
Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?
The top of the New York Times best seller list, natch! (Hey, a girl can dream.)
What's the most satisfying part of writing a novel/book? The least satisfying part?
The despair hits when I realize I have to unravel a large chunk of a novel in order to make a change. It's so overwhelming. I start out in a panic thinking there's just no way I can do it. Then I roll up my sleeves and get to work. The best part is when I do something risky in my writing and discover that it works. Woosh! What a rush.
What's been the most exciting thing that's happened to you since you've been published?
This goes back to my first book, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. My cousin, Lisa Kudrow, generously offered to narrate the audiobook. I didn't think anything could get more exciting. But then, the day before the book came out, I was on the phone with Lisa and she mentioned that she was going on The Tonight Show the next night to promote the release of The Comeback on DVD. Before I could even wish her good luck she added, "I wonder if I can think of a funny story to tell about doing your audiobook ..." I nearly fainted, but Lisa was quick to add that she couldn't promise anything, as it would depend on what Jay asked.
The next night I stayed up way past my usual bedtime of 10 pm (yes, I'm that boring) to watch The Tonight Show with my fingers firmly crossed. Lisa spent the first segment telling a charming story about her last trip to France with her husband and son. When they broke for commercial I said to my husband, "Well, that's it. She hasn't talked about The Comeback yet, so that's got to be the topic when they come back from commercial." I was disappointed, but realistic enough to know that it was a long shot.
Then, when they came back from commercial, Jay said to Lisa, "So, have you done anything interesting since The Comeback?" She responded, "Oh, I did the hardest thing I've ever done! I recorded an audiobook for a hilarious novel my cousin wrote and it's called ... oh shoot."
You should have seen me at this point! I leapt off the bed and screamed, "C'mon, Lisa! Remember!"
She continued, "It's called ... uh ... oh! Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA."
It was a pretty dramatic moment for me, as you can imagine!
They love each other but mix like oil, water, and hundred-proof gin . . . a combination that threatens to combust over family tensions, suspected infidelities, a devastating accident, a stunning confession, and the sudden reappearance of their handsome, now all-grown-up former neighbor, Kenny Waxman, who's back in town making his mark as a TV comedy writer.
It seems they'll never understand where their differences begin and their own destructive tendencies end. Then it happens: the sisters discover a decades-old body stuffed inside an industrial drum and begin a bold, heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious journey that will either bring them together . . . or tear them apart for good.
What's the backstory behind your latest novel?
The inspiration for THE SMART ONE hit me from several different directions. I always wanted to write a sister story because that relationship intrigues me. This thought was floating around in my head when I got an offer on my first book, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. I was thrilled about the offer, but also in a minor panic about what it would mean to become a world-famous author. (I'll wait a few moments while you finish laughing.) Yes, I was terribly naive, and didn't realize I wouldn't even become a celebrity in my own house. Still, the thought passed though my head, and it made me wonder what it was about some people that made them actually covet fame. Was it something from their childhood? Something about the family dynamic?
I knew, then, that one of the sisters in my next novel would have to be a character who sought--and achieved--fame. It's not a major focus of the book, but it was a spark that started to make the story gel.
The other big inspiration was a news story that happened right in my home town. A man moving out of his home opened a sealed 55-gallon industrial drum that had been in a crawl space since he moved in ... only to discover a mummified body inside. It was a young woman, nine months pregnant, who had been killed thirty years before. After she was identified as a factory employee of home's original owner, who had since retired, the detectives went to Florida to question him. They wanted to get a sample of his DNA to test against the fetus's, but before they could serve a warrant for it, the man shot and killed himself.
This happened so close to home that it captured my imagination and wouldn't let go. How could something like this happen in an ordinary suburban home in an ordinary suburban town? How did the killer keep his secret for so long? And how did it effect the people around him?
Of course, I had no intention of writing a true crime story, so I simply used this macabre event as the inspiration for a discovery made by my three adult sister characters ... and it became the catalyst that drives the arc of their relationship.
How much do you get involved with promotion? Are you doing anything special with your latest release?
If you want a career in today's tough fiction marketplace, you have to take promotion pretty seriously, and indeed I do. I'm fairly ubiquitous on the Internet, with a blog, a website, a MySpace page, a Facebook profile, a GoodReads account, a CafeMom membership, a Gather presence and more. I also do pretty extensive blog touring, thanks to the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, and a terrific service called Blog Stop Book Tours. Of course, I also keep in touch with readers through my mailing list.
In terms of personal appearances, I do a lot locally. But the really exciting new development is that I've hooked up with another Long Island author, Saralee Rosenberg. She's funny, smart and talented, and her new book, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD, came out about the same time as THE SMART ONE. Since we share similar suburban sensibilities (say that three times fast!), it's a match made in heaven, and our appearances together have gotten some wonderful press. My website has update on our events.
Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?
The top of the New York Times best seller list, natch! (Hey, a girl can dream.)
What's the most satisfying part of writing a novel/book? The least satisfying part?
The despair hits when I realize I have to unravel a large chunk of a novel in order to make a change. It's so overwhelming. I start out in a panic thinking there's just no way I can do it. Then I roll up my sleeves and get to work. The best part is when I do something risky in my writing and discover that it works. Woosh! What a rush.
What's been the most exciting thing that's happened to you since you've been published?
This goes back to my first book, SECRET CONFESSIONS OF THE APPLEWOOD PTA. My cousin, Lisa Kudrow, generously offered to narrate the audiobook. I didn't think anything could get more exciting. But then, the day before the book came out, I was on the phone with Lisa and she mentioned that she was going on The Tonight Show the next night to promote the release of The Comeback on DVD. Before I could even wish her good luck she added, "I wonder if I can think of a funny story to tell about doing your audiobook ..." I nearly fainted, but Lisa was quick to add that she couldn't promise anything, as it would depend on what Jay asked.
The next night I stayed up way past my usual bedtime of 10 pm (yes, I'm that boring) to watch The Tonight Show with my fingers firmly crossed. Lisa spent the first segment telling a charming story about her last trip to France with her husband and son. When they broke for commercial I said to my husband, "Well, that's it. She hasn't talked about The Comeback yet, so that's got to be the topic when they come back from commercial." I was disappointed, but realistic enough to know that it was a long shot.
Then, when they came back from commercial, Jay said to Lisa, "So, have you done anything interesting since The Comeback?" She responded, "Oh, I did the hardest thing I've ever done! I recorded an audiobook for a hilarious novel my cousin wrote and it's called ... oh shoot."
You should have seen me at this point! I leapt off the bed and screamed, "C'mon, Lisa! Remember!"
She continued, "It's called ... uh ... oh! Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA."
It was a pretty dramatic moment for me, as you can imagine!
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