TBR [to be read] is a semi-regular, invitation-only
interview series with authors of newly released/forthcoming, interesting books
who will tell us about their new work as well as offer tips on writing, stories
about the publishing biz, and from time to time, a recipe!
Give
us your elevator pitch: what’s your book about in 2-3 sentences?
Which character did you most enjoy creating? Why?
I
think that bad characters are fun, since we can have them act out things the
rest of us (hopefully) repress, like fantasies of revenge, and throwing stuff.
The trick is to make these characters sympathetic or likable in some way so
they don’t come across as melodramatic stereotypes, right? My character Dora is
a street-smart petty thief and probably a sociopath, but she’s generous with
the spoils of her pilfering, and she’s a lot of fun at a nightclub.
And, which character gave you the most trouble, and why?
Each
of the three parts of this novel are set in different places and each has its
own set of characters. I’d have to say that my main character, May Marshall,
brought me the most grief. I went through two agents, an MFA program, and
several workshops and classes working on this novel. My friend Mary Kay
Zuravleff (who’s a fabulous teacher and author) told me early on that May
needed to have more agency. She was right. With each revision and draft May’s
character became more complex and conflicted. She found her own voice, and I
was surprised at how much I was able to tap into my own memories of
feelings—especially shame and social anxiety—and attribute those emotions to
her. Sometimes that means delving into those locked drawers and reliving some
painful stuff. In some cases, I found myself wondering why I continued to hold
onto some of this old crap. But we do, don’t we? And here, look! It’s has a
use, at last. As it turned out, May develops agency as the plot progresses, and
maybe I was also developing some agency as a writer. In the final edits with my
publishing editor Jen Pooley, May learned to speak up for herself and make a
stand. Agency ended up being a primary theme in the story, and every scene
seemed to tie back to that one thing. But it was a process and as a writer, I
needed to give myself permission to write a character who is flawed and
vulnerable.
Tell us a bit about the highs and lows of your book’s road
to publication.
As I said above, this book took a lot of
revising. I even did a big revision after it was under contract. It took a
whole year for me to get my publishing contract once it was negotiated. During
that time I didn’t touch the manuscript or even look at it, so when I did go
back in with my editor I had fresh eyes. So that was something of a blessing, I
suppose. As I said before, I submitted this manuscript in 2016 and signed with
an agent. When it became clear, after almost a year that our separate visions
for this story diverged, we split up, the manuscript having never been sent out
to publishing houses. It was tough, and I had a lot of self-doubt. I had to revise
and submit all over again. After I found a new agent the manuscript went out right
away and took about six months to sell. During that time I finished my MFA and
a second manuscript, which is a stand-alone sequel to ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS. I
was fortunate that my agent, Mark Gottlieb, brokered a two-book deal for me.
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice?
Let constructive criticism marinate.
While I worked on this novel I was getting my
MFA, and I was learning SO much about dialogue, and character, and
pacing—everything! It seems now like every lesson and workshop and advisor is
represented in the final product. Taking constructive criticism can be tough,
but I leaned that sleeping on it always helps. My first, gut reaction is
usually feeling wounded or defensive, or misunderstood, and when we feel that
way I think we stop listening. I know I do. The writer’s ego needs to go wait
in the car while we get about the business of sifting through suggestions and
criticism, picking out what resonates and implementing it, even when it’s hard
and we’ve heard something we know is
true (but didn’t want to spend the time fixing) like changing from third person
to first person, or something huge like that—and once you accept it it’s
actually a relief and you can get back to work with purpose.
My favorite writing advice is “write
until something surprises you.” What surprised you in the writing of this book?
Endings! In both of my novels the endings
didn’t reveal themselves to me until I was about three-fourths of the way
through. I realized, once I had an ending, that I needed to know my characters
more deeply before their behavior could be predicted. I needed to let them fall
down, and make stupendously stupid choices even while I was (silently) yelling,
“No! Don’t DO that, you idiot!” or something similar. When the endings came to
me, they weren’t tied up in a pretty bow. Life seldom is.
How did you find the title of your
book?
ETIQUETTE
FOR RUNAWAYS was not the original title. I liked my first title, The Thin End of the Wedge, but it
proved, alas, to be problematic. It was a British idiom I first read in Nancy
Mitford’s fabulous 1945 novel, The Pursuit of Love. As
proclaimed by her character Uncle Matthew Radlett, “the thin end of the wedge”
denotes a seemingly insignificant event or action certain to lead to
catastrophe and ruin. So, being that the phrase was British and somewhat
antiquated, most Americans had never heard it. So it had to be explained, which
involved describing not only the meaning of the idiom but also the source.
This became tedious. People’s eyes glazed over before I even got to start
describing my plot. Then, adding on to that, there was an ongoing issue of the
title being repeated with the wrong wording. The title was THE THIN END OF THE
WEDGE, but people kept saying “The Thin EDGE of the Wedge.” I got tired
of correcting, then going on to explain the meaning, source, etc. as eyes
glazed over. So after this happened several times, I asked my publisher if we
could re-think it, and they agreed.
I pulled a lot of hair out, wondering, What
makes a title great? If I figure it out, maybe I’ll
write a book about it titled, Titles for Dummies, or similar. Here’s
what I do know: good tiles are evocative and intriguing. Many of them challenge
us to puzzle out their meaning—what the hell is a clockwork orange?
What was the curious incident/ the something wicked? Those
phrases would entice me to pick up the book and have a closer look, and maybe
read the cover copy.
So, the final title comes from
several references in the story to Emily Post’s premier guide to manners: Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home, which was first published in 1922.
My main character would have owned a copy. At several points in the story she
wonders what Mrs. Post would do in similar circumstances.
Inquiring foodies and hungry book clubs
want to know: Any food/s associated with your book? (Any recipes I might
share?)
Yes! I have a signature cocktail called a
Bitter Blow. The book is set during prohibition, and at that time people were
coming up with creative cocktails to mask the flavor of corn liquor. In the
book it’s described this way: “Shadblowberry cordial, moonshine, soda
water, and a dash of bitters.” Shadblow
berries are sort of a cross between a blueberry and a currant. My dogs eat them
off the bushes in our yard. I’m
working on translating this into a modern-day recipe. I’m thinking it will be
something like a Cosmopolitan with Cassis instead of cranberry, or something
similar.
*****
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MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR: https://lizanashtaylor.com/
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MORE ABOUT THIS PUBLISHER: https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/
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THIS BOOK FOR YOUR TBR STACK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1982603941?pf_rd_r=B02JCYEYXM38Q8VJFAA4&pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8