Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
DAHLIA SCHWEITZER is a writer, curator, educator, and performer. Her books, articles, concerts, and installations–found across mass/mainstream, critical/academic, and emergent/underground channels–touch upon themes of media and identity; sexuality and femininity; decay and reinvention. Sometimes her intention is to critique and suggest, others to transform and advance, and yet others to arouse and entertain.
Schweitzer’s other works include erotic fiction (Seduce Me, Queen of Hearts, Breathe With Me, I’ve Been a Naughty Girl); cultural criticism (Some Kind of Monster: Cindy Sherman’s Office Killer); impassioned essays in publications including Hyperallergic and The Journal of Popular Culture; and an album of electronic dance music (Plastique). A former resident of Berlin, Tel Aviv, and New York City, Schweitzer currently lives in Los Angeles. Here, in the city of angels (and devils), she teaches critical thinking and creative writing while working toward her PhD at UCLA.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
QUEEN OF HEARTS is my latest book — it will be out early next year — and it was inspired by a visit to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. I promptly fell in love with magic, and so I decided to write a book about love AND magic. I may also have been inspired by a broken heart, but I couldn’t possibly say. 😉
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to chew gum and listen to techno — with headphones.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Bret Easton Ellis and Jackie Collins and I devour detective novels, although I have yet to write one. Because I’m a teacher, I also read a lot of non-fiction, and I watch a LOT of movies.
What are you working on now?
I’m just finishing up a final edit of QUEEN OF HEARTS and getting ready to release BREATHE WITH ME, which should be out in a couple months.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This one? 😉
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write. There are no short cuts.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Everyone writes shitty first drafts.
What are you reading now?
Candice DeLong’s SPECIAL AGENT, about her life in the FBI.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to write another non-fiction/film analysis book.
What is your favorite book of all time?
That’s hard. There are so many. Maybe Jackie Collin’s Hollywood Wives or Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary or Jackie Under My Skin by Wayne Koestenbaum.
Author Websites and Profiles
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