1.
Lets begin with having you introduce yourself.
Hi,
Jamie. Thanks for having me here. I am originally from Philadelphia,
but I moved to New York after high school to attend Pace University.
I lived there for ten years and then moved to Los Angeles. It's a
long story: I came back to the east for many years, and now am
permanently resettled in Los Angeles.
2.
I love your book, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! What made you
write, Molly?
I
really wanted to take a stand for all the women (and men!) who are
badgered to death by friends and family because they're "too
picky" when it comes to finding the love of his or her life. My
goodness, shouldn't we all be picky in that respect? It's not about
agreeing to have dinner at a mediocre restaurant; it's about being
happy for the rest of our lives. Be picky!
In addition to
standing up for picky people, I wanted to write a more lighthearted
book that encompasses themes and situations we can all relate to, but
with humor, sass, and snark.
3.
When did you start writing, Molly? How long did it take you to
finish the final revision?
Well!
That's tough to answer. I started writing Molly
in
2006, but then I put the manuscript on the back burner to publish my
two previously written novels. In 2009, I went back to Molly.
I actually finished the writing on New Year's Eve: December 31, 2009.
I didn't publish the book for another two years. A lot happened,
including a move back to California. Additionally, I spent a lot of
time editing the book, blogging as Molly for eight months prior to
publication (www.mollyhacker.com),
and implementing a professional editor's notes. (I'm not big on
rushing books to publication before they are ready!)
4.
What did you want to be when you were five?
An
actress.
5.
Now, I know this answer. But, what do you do other than write?
I
work as a background actor in TV and film in Los Angeles. Maybe
someday I'll do more than background.
6.
Do you use some of your life in your writing? Any of your experiences
in, Molly?
This
is a question people often ask writers. For me, I use a lot of what I
observe in people and know about people. I've never written about my
life experiences directly (by simply changing names), but much of
what I write indirectly does have a great deal to do with my own
life. I make up a whole lot of stuff, too, but in the end, it all
comes from what I have seen, even if not immediately recognizable as
such.
7.
What was your favorite scene to write?
My
favorite scene in Molly to write was the longest. It takes place at a
holiday gala in Molly's town. Friend and foe alike come together for
a society bash. Relationships are made, relationships are broken,
MANY secrets are exposed, and lives are changed forever.
Because Molly is written in the first person, it was
especially challenging to write a scene involving so many characters.
8.
Who is/are your favorite authors? Why?
If
I had to choose one, it would probably be Charles Dickens, because I
love his colorful, brilliant, larger-than-life characters.
9.
What was the first book you ever read?
I
have absolutely no idea! :-) But the first book I remember being read
to me was Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of
Verses.
10.
What is your favorite book? Why?
I
don't really have ONE favorite book. I mentioned above that I adore
Charles Dickens, so I'd have to say that David Copperfield would
definitely be on my list of favorite books. I just loved the
characters and delicious plotting. One of my very favorite works
is Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas. His writing was
just brilliant.
11.
If you were on a deserted island and could only have three things for
the rest of your life. What would they be and why?
Well,
I would go crazy if I couldn't write. So at very least, either a
whole lot of paper and pens or a computer. (I suppose it would have
to be a computer that is powered by water or sand. Do they make
those?) I would also use that same computer to stay in touch with my
friends; they are my greatest treasure. And last, but not least, a lifeboat to bring me to safety in case I decide that being on an
island for the rest of my life is just a tad too much to handle. :-)
12.
How many books have you written? What are they?
I
have written and published three novels. Squalor, New
Mexico (YA/General Fiction), which has nothing to do with
the state of New Mexico, is the story of Darla McKendrick, growing up
in East Coast suburbia in the 1970s. It's a coming-of-age story
shrouded in family mystery.
Crooked
Moon (General Fiction) is the story of two childhood friends
who reunite after 23 years apart. Callie and Frankie have lived very
different lives and there is a lot of joy and pain in their
reconnection. Each woman ends up with a life-altering secret about
the other and the burning question of what to do with it.
13.
And finally, is there any advice you'd like to share with my readers?
Anything you'd like to say?
No
matter what you're aiming for in life, keep trying, even on the
bleakest of days. Keep hope alive and plant miracle seeds every day.
You never know when one might grow.
Thank
you for doing this interview. I'm sure my readers will enjoy your
answers just as much as I do.
Thank
you, Jamie. You're truly one of the most delightful, talented, and
supportive people I've had the pleasure to meet on social media. You
rock!
Lisette was kind enough to include an excerpt from Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: Another Wedding
Three
weddings ago, when my best girlfriend, Claudia Porter-Bellman, got
married, I swore it would be the last one I would ever attend until I
was the bride. Claudia Porter-Bellman — and people tell me I’ve
got baggage.
I
didn’t, however, count on my mother’s long-divorced best friend,
Susan Decker, getting married again. Having tried every trick in and
out of vogue to find a husband, Susan was ripe for success. But
despite the odds being on her side, I figured Murphy’s law would
sabotage her efforts.
Cynical?
Nah. It wasn’t just Murphy or the fact that his law had wreaked so
much havoc in my own life. It was simply that Susan just seemed too
desperate, as opposed to my own state of being: nonchalantly
desperate.
Back
to Susan. One night, an insistent neighbor dragged her to a local
community center for a fun night of number calling, and bingo, six
months later, she was engaged to a widower of two years.
He
was a nice enough man, quite handsome, and seemed to truly care about
her happiness. Luckily for me, Susan’s good fortune veered far
enough away from my own romantic hallucinations that I was able to
attend the wedding without insane pangs of envy stabbing my chest
like daggers.
I’ll
admit it: watching Susan and her new husband take their vows did fill
me with a bit of “why the hell isn’t that me up there?” but
having to deal with the busybodies at the country club reception
proved to be the real pebble in my Jimmy Choos. Although I had been
wise enough to bring Tony Lostanza, my dear friend from high school
who was estranged from his wife, my mom had already told a few
friends (translation: it was broadcast to the world) that Tony was
just an escort of sorts. As if that weren’t bad enough, the ones
who didn’t know, but who knew Tony, were horrified that I was
attending a wedding, of all occasions, with a married man.
That
night, I was forced to fend off several not-so-subtle dirty looks,
glances of pity accompanied by sad head shaking, and, once again,
comments from those near and dear who felt compelled to remind me
that if I weren’t so darn picky, if I would just give a nice man a
chance, I wouldn’t have to bring another woman’s husband to my
mother’s best friend’s wedding.
If
you think I just took all of this in stride, think again. I had no
problem letting each and every person know that my business was just
that —†my business. With some people, I find the best way to deal
with unwanted questions is to ask a few of my own. For example, when
my aunt Pauline asked me why a pretty girl like me couldn’t have
brought a man who wasn’t attached to someone else, I asked the
thrice-divorced sister of my mother to explain to me how settling for
three Mr. Wrongs had enhanced her life, and I inquired as to the
price of divorce and whether her legal fees had been worth the paltry
settlements she had received.
“Smart
ass; stay single, Miss Picky,” she snapped, and headed off to
articulate her discontent to any random guest with ears willing to be
mangled by a wart-nosed barfly.
I
knew Pauline would shake off my admonishment the same way my cat
shakes off my kisses. She had more important things to concern
herself with: after all, a wedding was a perfect place to scour the
crowd for Mr. Wrong number four. Pauline had a way of bypassing any
man who didn’t have one elbow on the bar and who was able to make
it through an evening without slurring his words. Perhaps this had
something to do with her less-than-stellar track record. I’m
babbling. I need to refocus.
Twice
that day, Tony had been asked to temporarily excuse himself so that
the presiding snoop could have her way with me. Each time, he looked
at me for the green light to do so, which, regrettably, I gave him. I
don’t understand why I should be polite to people who I know are
about to say or do something rude. I know I said I had “no trouble”
standing up to people, and for the most part I don’t, but I should
have told them that whatever they wanted to say could have been said
in Tony’s presence. In hindsight, I always have some pesky little
regret; it’s a bad habit, and I need to work on it.
“Molly,
you’re such a pretty woman,” Naomi Hall-Benchley began. “And
you’re smart. But smart women often make foolish choices (blah,
blah, clichÈ, blah) and being with a married man, even if he’s
‘just a friend,’ is not a good choice. I’ve got great news for
you. I’ve arranged a dinner for next week. Art has a new marketing
VP who just moved here from Dallas. He’s single, and he’s
looking. Great guy and quite the avid golfer.”
I
had never picked up a golf club in my life, but suddenly, looking at
Naomi, it felt like an excellent idea. She was the town’s premier
socialite and often looked more like a wax museum replica of herself
than a real person. For years, I harbored fantasies of finding a wick
on top of her head, lighting it, and watching her slowly burn to the
ground. Just imagining the flame licking every inch of her skintight
Herve Leger cocktail dress as her mascara kissed her melting pearls
made me tingle with delight.
“And
he makes oodles of money,” she jabbered on, subtly glancing from
side to side in hopes of being photographed. “What time is good for
you? Shall we say seven p.m. next Friday?”
“You
know, I’m busy that night. Sorry.”
“No
problem, we can reschedule!” She laughed. “Rescheduling is the
least of our worries.”
“How
about the twelfth?” I asked, as I noticed Tony watching intently
from the bar.
“But
today is the twenty-seventh…the twelfth is two weeks away!”
“And
the twelfth of never is even further away,” I informed her, taking
delight as her jaw dropped. I saw Tony laughing now; I knew he
couldn’t wait for a recap with his nightcap.
“You’re
ungrateful, Molly,” she said, taking a swig of her vodka martini.
“I have a perfectly fine man for you, and you refuse to give him a
chance.”
Now
I was angry. “Have you ever met him?” I challenged her.
“Well,
no…” she said sheepishly. “Not yet.”
“But
he makes a good salary and loves golf. Those are your criteria for a
hot prospect? Does he have a sense of humor? Is he sensitive? Does he
do anything but play golf in his free time?”
“Well,
I, I don’t know…”
“No,
you don’t,” I scolded. “You don’t care about my happiness at
all. You just want to be ‘the one’ who set up ‘Picky Molly
Hacker’ and simultaneously score points with Art by playing
matchmaker for his new vice president.”
“Now,
that’s just silly—”
“Do
you think if I were to meet someone new that I would want to do it
with people watching, listening to our conversation, butting in to
try and push us together? Do you realize this is the twenty-first
century?”
“You’re
too picky, Molly Hacker. And if you don’t wise up while you’ve
still got something to offer a man, if indeed you do, you won’t
have all the things that life has to offer. Not to mention that
children are best had while one is still fertile.”
I
started to roar fire but stopped myself. Tony was approaching, and I
didn’t know if his clothing was flame retardant.
I
was thirty-two, and Naomi was only eight years older than I was. I
wondered if she considered herself to be “old.” But I chose a
different question.
“Are
you and Art in love?”
“How
utterly inappropriate of you,” Naomi said, reeling in feigned
horror. “Of course we are. Besides, I live very well. I have a
beautiful home, beautiful children, and a full life.”
“But
are you in love with him? Is he in love with you?”
“Of
course and of course! You’re too picky, Molly Hacker, and
deflecting the seriousness of your situation to me will not help you.
I’m surprised you haven’t found someone at the Herald. It’s a
fine newspaper with some very smart men working there.”
By
this time, Tony had arrived and put his arm around me, smiling at
Naomi just to rattle her.
“If
you don’t mind, Naomi, I’ll do things my own way. Call me funny,
quirky, picky, or whatever you like, but I kind of had my heart set
on love being part of the equation. Not that it’s any of your
business!”
Naomi
finished her martini and put it on the tray of a passing waiter.
Tony
smiled at her again, this time more broadly. Naomi and I took one
last opportunity to scowl at one another, and I swore, no matter
whose it was, I would never attend another wedding again†until I
attended my own. And I meant it. I sailed through the next year
without attending one wedding — despite being invited to three.
***
So
here I sit today, August twenty-seventh, just about a year after
Susan’s wedding, on a bright and beautiful summer day, glammed up
in my dress, as I watch my younger sister, Hannah, get her hair
pinned up with flowers for her big day. Hannah is bursting with joy.
She’s only twenty-six and is marrying her longtime guy, Matthew.
Nobody ever told Hannah she was too picky.
You can grab your own copy of Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! today on Amazon or B&N today!
Thank you again, Lisette for stopping by and doing this interview. Until next time everyone, happy reading/writing!
