Interview With Author Lori B. Duff
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Depending on the hour of the day, I am a lot of different things. For my day job, I’m a lawyer and a part-time municipal judge. I’m the mother to two amazing children: my daughter is a junior at Bryn Mawr College, and my son just graduated from Rice University and is going to get his master’s at Yale. I’ve been married since the dawn of time to Mike. We met when I was an assistant district attorney and he was the police helicopter pilot. I would watch the helicopters take off and land from the police headquarters building and I was bound and determined to get a ride. One day, I saw a guy in a flight suit and I asked for a ride. 30 years later, here we are. I know. Sounds like the beginning of a rom-com, right? I’ve written four collections of humor essays, one novella, and (for now) one novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Devil’s Defense”. There were a number of inspirations, but the primary one was me watching the confirmation hearings of a public figure who shall not be named and thinking, “Oh, this guy is such a pompous blow hard. And you *know* there was a whole crew of people who tried to prepare him for this, and he absolutely did not listen to their advice because he thinks he’s smarter than them. I am so tired of those people. What makes them think saying these things is okay?” And then I started writing, because for me, the best way to understand something is to write about it. So I wanted to get in the head of a guy like that and find out what made him tick. I also wanted to read about a female lawyer who wasn’t impossibly beautiful or connected, who just lived a normal life with normal frustrations, and who generally had no idea what she was supposed to do. You know. Like most of us.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Because I do so many different things, my life is very regimented and scheduled. I use a complicated system of what to do when, involving timers and symbols and numbered lists. It’s truly weird, probably diagnosable, but it works for me. Anyway, the first productive thirty minutes of any day — even Saturdays and Sundays — is spent writing. And when that timer goes off, I’m done.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I am a voracious reader, and I read books of all kinds. I’ll read anything that is well-written. Fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, memoir, etc. I love reading books by authors who have backgrounds different than mine. I already know what I think — tell me what your perspective on the world is! Surprise me!
That said, I always go back to Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. It was probably the first book I ever read the cover off, and I had to repair it with tape. I still have that paperback. Harriet made me into a people watcher and made me always carry a notebook. She also made me be wary: you don’t always want to see what you end up seeing. I’ve reread the book a few times as an adult and it holds up albeit differently.
I have a tendency to like books that don’t take themselves too seriously. You can make a serious point without getting bogged down. Terry Pratchett was, of course, the master of that. I love creative, different stories that don’t follow a formula. I’m currently loving the “Emily Wilde” series by Heather Fawcett and anything by T.J. Klune. I enjoy Emily Henry’s voice — when I was shopping my book around, I said it was a John Grisham book written by Emily Henry. Which, of course, it isn’t: it’s a Lori B. Duff book written by Lori B. Duff, but the industry likes its comps.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on the sequel to “Devil’s Defense” which is called “The Devil’s Children”. It’s slated to be released in October 2025.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I take the shotgun approach. If you put all your eggs in one basket, you’d better hope all your customers go shopping at that one store. As a general rule, I think all of life is run by the “It’s not what you know it’s who you know” principle. Your first readers/buyers are always going to be the people who know you and like you and want to support you. So it’s important to have a network of people out there who know you and like you and want to support you. (It’s also important for life, not just marketing.) Then, hopefully, word of mouth will help. I’m terrible at marketing in general, but I do know that people have to interact with an ad something like seven times before they take action. So you can’t just put your book cover up once and say buy it. People are going to have to see that cover and that message seven times before they do anything. The more opportunities you give them to hear the message, the more likely they are to get to seven.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Like everyone else, I’ll tell you to just go ahead and write that crappy first draft. The first draft is supposed to be awful. It’s the vomit draft. But you can edit it and make it better. You can learn from doing. You can’t learn from not doing.
Also, seek out critique. “That’s great! I loved it!” is nice to hear, but it’s also not helpful. Grammatical corrections are easy to get. Find yourself a friend/editor who will work with you and tell you why your characters are or aren’t being psychologically honest. Who will point out when you’re using cliche or when your story drags. Someone who is willing to shred your story to pieces is someone who really loves you.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“This, too, shall pass.” It’s old and often told, but true. My Dad said it all the time, and I hear his voice in my head a lot. Because everything passes. The good things and the bad things. Everything is temporary. Which isn’t depressing, if you look at it the right way — it forces you to stay in the moment when things are going well, to truly squeeze every moment of joy out of the good times; and reminds you that no matter how bleak things look, there’s joy around the corner.
What are you reading now?
I’m in the middle of three books right now, all written by friends. It’s so fun to have so many creative and productive and talented people in my life. I’m reading “Underground Chameleon” by Lynn Hesse; “Countermelodies” by Ernestine Whitman; and “Not Yours to Keep” by Zelly Ruskin.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m about to end my tenure as the President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. That’s a fantastic organization that has great resources for columnists of all kinds — including bloggers — and I’ve enjoyed my time as President, but I’m also excited to have that time back. I’m currently doing a serious edit/rewrite of “The Devil’s Children” and gearing up for the release of “Devil’s Defense.” I have so many ideas, and so little time to get them all on paper!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab
“Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevski
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