Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been a Girl Scout, trombonist, toilet-cleaner, beginner ninja, and subversive marketeer. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. My ancestry is Chinese and Russian, so you’d think I would have been a gymnast, but no, I’m not, although I’m more flexible than the average joe.
I currently live in northern Illinois with my husband, two kids, and our dog. And it’s really cold today. Like, really cold. I hear the surface of Mars is not much colder. I miss Arizona today. I also miss feeling my toes.
I’ve written three books, including a mystery, a collection of literary short stories, and also a semi-autobiographical novel that will stay on the top shelf of my closet as long as I’m able to draw breath. I’m currently working on three other novels.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE BRIDE WORE DEAD, A JOSIE TUCKER MYSTERY just came out about a month ago. The main character, Josie Tucker, is a tiny woman with a lot of attitude. She’s a loner at heart, but she’s a people-magnet. Ethnically, she’s half-Thai, but she’s also 100% American. She’s a food critic who can’t eat. She’s a character of many contrasts.
The story centers around a bride who dies under suspicious circumstances on her honeymoon—anaphylaxis, actually, from a bee sting. Josie, who was a fill-in bridesmaid at the wedding, goes to Arizona to find out what happened.
The inspiration for this book came from a tale I heard through a friend of a friend. It involved the Arizona desert. And a shovel. That’s all I can tell you without legal counsel.
I’m kidding.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a big fan of looping a single song continuously on my iPod while I write. I pick out a song for a scene, and every time I play the song, it gets me back into the right mode, the right perspective for what I was working on. Of course, I have to use earbuds or I’d drive everyone around me totally crazy. I’ve been known to listen to the same song for a month. Is that nuts?
Otherwise, I’m not married to any medium. I have moleskin notebooks, a laptop, sticky notes, college-ruled notebook paper, and bargain-bought school supplies. Although, I’m not a fan of wide-ruled notebook paper. That stuff bugs me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My short list of favorite books or authors:
— Interface by Stephen Bury (Neil Stephenson)
— Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo
— Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
— Pride & Prejudice by . . . well, you know . . . Jane Austen
For me, these book are all about characters, dialog, and situations made humorous, not through slap-stick, but by how the characters, as they’ve been drawn, react to them. I love that.
What are you working on now?
A friend of mine, who’s also a skilled reader, just gave me review comments back on a draft of a fantasy novel, the working title of which is UPRISING: MEL OF THE MASK. I’m hoping to get it out this spring.
UPRISING paints an interesting, slightly historical world that’s pre-industrial, but on the cusp of great discoveries. The main character, Mel, is part of a race of people who have been trained to be impartial observers, arbitrators for other societies. In their capacity as judges and mediators, they are required to disguise their identities. She has to give up her personality and don a mask and a cowl. A chance encounter with a hunter changes the course of her future.
As an aside, I think the first draft might have been a little too explicit. One of my reader’s main comments was “more foreplay, less copulation,” which sounds funny. It’s no Slammerkin, for pete’s sake. She asked if I’d been watching Game of Thrones while writing it, which I hadn’t. I have read the first couple books in that series, but I stopped after getting a little queasy and heartbroken over the slaughter.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, word of mouth has been really helpful. I’ve also used sites like Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m still in the beginning stages of promotion, so I gather as much info as I can on almost a daily basis. The experience of other writers is invaluable.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My husband, author JD Kaplan, used to have a series of self-hypnosis podcasts that cracked me up. They were specifically created for writers, and one of the key phrases or mantras you were supposed to internalize was to “WRITE. NOW. RIGHT. NOW.” I’m sorry to say I can’t remember who created the recordings–it was several years ago that we listened to them–but even after all this time, I still remember them, and darn it, it seems to have worked.
The point is, to write well, you have to write often. And now. Write now. Right now.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I get is the kind that makes me cranky. It makes me pissed off. It makes me want to put away my project–whatever I’m working on at the moment–and take a break. Because part of me knows that it’s good advice. If criticism makes me emotional, there’s a grain of truth to it.
Usually, I put the project away for a little while so I can stew about it and internalize it. Then later, when the emotion is gone, I take the advice and apply the parts that I know are legitimate.
What are you reading now?
Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Although it’s partly a comic book, it’s not funny. It’s actually a little painful to read. I’ve been following her online for a little while. And, like Heather Armstrong (Dooce from dooce.com), she struggles with emotional issues like Depression and anxiety. These are real women with real problems. The immediacy of access to them online through social media is creepy and addictive and wonderful all at the same time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m hoping 2014 is the year I start cranking out the books. I spend my daylight hours working for Motorola (now owned by Google) as a technical writing. I write user guides for their phones, sometimes on pretty tight deadlines. This year, I want to focus on writing for me and for my readers. I want to do the kind of writing that feeds the soul.
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?
Maybe Fifty Shades of Gray because those are the only circumstances under which I might be desperate enough to read that book. Not that I have anything against an indie writer winning the lottery like that.
Otherwise,
–The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (a childhood favorite)
–The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
— and a blank notebook, as long as I had something to write with. Otherwise it would be like that Twilight episode where the guy survives the destruction of the world in his library only to break his glasses.
Author Websites and Profiles
EM Kaplan Website
EM Kaplan Amazon Profile
EM Kaplan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account