Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written three novels. The first one, A SLOT MACHINE ATE MY MIDLIFE CRISIS (2011), was a humor book. Fun but hard to write. Being funny for 350-plus pages is not easy! I admire the talent of authors who write many funny novels. My second novel, A DEAD END IN VEGAS (2014), was dark and dramatic. Another challenge, but a joy to write. And my third, POP-OUT GIRL (2017) was just published. I think it’s my best book–fast-paced, amazing characters, compelling storyline, lovely cover. A good read with some real insights sprinkled throughout. I hope readers will enjoy it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The basic idea for Pop-Out Girl came to me one night in Las Vegas as I was standing on a street corner on the Strip waiting to cross. I saw one of those tacky, obnoxious trucks advertising “Girls That Want To Meet You” driving by, and I thought: what would happen if a man came to Las Vegas and met a showgirl and she was actually his biological daughter from a long-ago first love that he was engaged to but never married? He has no idea she’s his daughter; she has no idea he’s her father. The showgirl goes on to get involved with a colleague of his. And the story evolves from there in many interesting and complex directions. It’s a love story with some dark twists and turns.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m sort of compulsive. If I get a great idea at 3 A.M., I turn my computer on and start writing. I like to follow my impulses. I’m always afraid that the mood will pass if I wait and I won’t be able to recapture it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Henry James and Edith Wharton. They wrote novels before there were televisions and computers. It was an important source of entertainment and escape. James and Wharton created entire worlds in their novels, and their use of language was original and stunning. There are many other writers I love, most of them 19th century novelists. Gustave Flaubert is another one. Madame Bovary is a masterpiece.
What are you working on now?
Pop-Out Girl was published a few weeks ago, so I’m still in the marketing and promotion phase. I would love to do a sequel–or another humor novel.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Twitter. Many of my followers are writers–and we re-tweet each other’s Tweets about our books. I also love Awesome Gang because it uses multiple websites to promote authors and their work.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you have a good idea for a story or novel, go for it. Even if you don’t have it entirely figured out, it will come to you as you work. Just get started, and keep going!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think Maya Angelou said: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, accept it.”
And Nora Ephron had this famous quote about being the heroine of your life instead of the victim. I’ll second that emotion.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading an autobiography of British novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard called Slipstream. Her personal life and her novels were amazing. I love it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
When the promotional activities for Pop-Out Girl slow down, I would love to do a sequel. Or a funny novel. You really do laugh a lot on those–and I love to laugh. Writing dramatic novels is difficult because you live through all the emotions of the characters, and sometimes that’s draining. It would be fun to spend the days laughing and creating.
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?
Slim by Slim Keith
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
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