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Lisette Brodey Interview 3/9/2013 10:05:40 PM
Author Lisette Brodey discusses her latest novel and the writing life! LTS: Yet again Twitter has proven to be a great resource when it comes to selecting new and exciting literary talent to share with the world. Today, I’d like to introduce you to author Lisette Brodey. I’d like to begin by having you share a little information about yourself with our readers, Lisette. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
LB: First, thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, Lorna. It’s a pleasure to be here.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually thinking about what I want to write. But when I do manage to step away from putting thoughts to paper or screen, I love spending time with friends, taking long walks with my dog, going to the movies, reading, and listening to music.
LTS: You’ve spent about 10 years of your life in the entertainment industry, including a stint at CBS and Paramount Studios. When did writing come into play? Has it been a lifelong dream to become a published author?
LB: There has never been a time in my life when I didn’t want to write. I wrote 50 pages of a novel at 14, 150 pages of another one at 19. I was very good at starting novels and never finishing them. This wasn’t because I was lazy; it was because I wasn’t clear about my direction, and like many people, I just got stuck. I tried my hand at screenwriting (which I plan to try again) and also wrote two plays, but after a while, I realized that I most wanted to be a novelist.
I still work in the entertainment industry, but now I am a SAG-AFTRA background actor.
LTS: You have several published novels, but today let’s discuss your latest title Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! I had a chance to read an excerpt from this novel, and I was able to see how your writing style drew the readers into Molly’s world from the very first page. What was the inspiration behind this story, and can you tell us a little bit about your protagonist, Molly?
LB: Great question! Throughout my life, Lorna, I have always been amazed when people have complained to me that their parents, friends, and other assorted people were bugging them to get married. Many people can do lots of things on their own: lose weight, write a novel, take a trip, and on and on, but who can get married alone?
Nobody, in my opinion, should get married because other people want her or him to do so or make a lifelong commitment to settle for Mr./Ms. Wrong just to be married. I have seen so many people try to acquiesce to the wants/needs of others, resulting only in the most unpleasant of circumstances. And this is how Molly was created. I wanted to write about a woman who was under the very same pressure (even from herself) but simply refused to settle. Maybe Molly Hacker is too picky, but is that a bad thing?
LTS: Without giving away too much, can you reveal what’s in store for the readers when they crack open Molly Hacker Is Too Picky?
LB: In line with what I said above, I wanted to present this character in a positive, quirky, funny, and realistic way. It was important to me that she be someone the reader would like as a friend and also be able to relate to some of the crazy, over-analytical thoughts and schemes that Molly’s brain comes up with. It is never important to me that readers agree with everything a character does (that would be impossible and probably quite boring), but I wanted people to understand what drives Molly to be Molly.
LTS: The road to publication is difficult in the best of times. What made you decide to take the indie route and self-publish your novels?
LB: I spent seven years trying to get an agent. This was back in the day when agents didn’t accept e-mails. In following each agent’s guidelines, this meant that sometimes I had to include an outline, the first 50 pages, or, in some cases, the entire manuscript. This all had to be mailed, and return postage or an SASE had to be included. As if the expense weren’t enough, many times an agent (who requested temporary exclusivity) would take three to four months to read my novel, and in one year’s time, only one or two people would even see it. That made for a painstakingly slow process.
I kept going because I had many top agents tell me that although the project wasn’t for them, they believed I was an “accomplished writer” and that “someone else would pick it up.” I came very close on many occasions. Then, there was a time that a friend took the manuscript for Crooked Moon to one of the top three agencies in the country, where he worked. After taking a look at it, he said to me, “They’ll never want this, Lisette. It’s too well written.” I had no idea how to react to that. I just wanted to bang my head against a wall.
I had an agent in Los Angeles write me such a kind rejection letter, I thought she was taking me on as a client. Actually, she would have done so, but she said that fiction was just too hard a sell. But she did want to represent Crooked Moon.
I hate to admit it, but this process became so depressing that I stopped writing for a while. It felt hopeless. So, when the opportunity to self-publish for a very reasonable cost came along, I jumped at it.
LTS: What is the best and worst part of self-publishing?
LB: I like being in control of my own work. I have a first-rate editor (who works full time as an editor), and I trust her judgment immensely. I don’t agree 100% with her, but I always consider everything she has to say and make the best judgment call I can. Nobody is telling me what to do and asking me to make creative changes that don’t feel right to me. Plus, I don’t have to wait for someone else to decide when my work gets published.
There are many cons of self-publishing, though. For one, I hate the stigma that goes along with it and the ridiculous notion that you must be self-published because you’re not good enough to be published. There are also many people who believe that once you are self-published, you’re slimed with the taint of such for a lifetime. There are brilliant musicians out there who record their own CDs and who are not signed with a label, but somehow being “self-recorded” doesn’t carry the same stigma that self-publishing does.
I wish people would understand that while technology allows anyone to self-publish, that doesn’t mean that all books are poorly written, typo-ridden, etc. Yes, there are many people who publish books who probably shouldn’t. That’s not for me to judge. But each work should be judged on its own merit.
Being self-published also doesn’t usually afford the same opportunities for promotion, book signings, and many other perks that go along with being published by the mainstream press. But I know many people, you included, Lorna, who have done better being self-published than many who are published by a mainstream press.
LTS: Well, thank you! And yet, I know some who tell me that even with a major motion picture in development of my first novel, I’ll never be regarded as a serious writer because I was not traditionally published! ;-) Now, can you share with our readers what is the most important lesson you’ve learned on the road to publication?
LB: The two biggest lessons: (1) People do judge a book by its cover, and even if the cover is well done, if it’s not right, it will severely hurt sales. (2) Never, ever rush a book just to “see it out there.”
LTS: Great pieces of advice, Lisette! Still on the subject of writing styles, are you a plotter or pantser? The readers would like to know if you tend to plot out your story line in great detail or if your writing is more organic with the characters and events unfolding as you write.
LB: Both. All of the books I write, including the one I’m working on now, have multilayered plots with secrets/twists at the end. It would be nearly impossible for me to write the way I do without knowing where the book is going. How do you write a mystery if you can’t plant clues? I always have a general idea of the framework of the book, and I also write character sketches and back stories before I begin. However, I do not micro-plot, I never write scenes out of order, and I’m very open to those wonderful surprises that happen while writing. Aren’t they the greatest?
LTS: Some authors meditate, others need to fuel up on coffee or listen to music. Do you have any rituals, ones that can be shared with the readers, that you must do before you hunker down for a writing session?
LB: I find that being awake helps me to be more productive. Okay, so that sounds like a smart-ass answer, but I really mean it. There’s one level of “awake” where I can write e-mails and do many other tasks. But in order to write, I have to be very alert so that I can focus.
I like my desk to be clean, and I turn off all social media because I can be very easily distracted. Sometimes going for a walk helps to give me the right kind of energy for a good day’s work.
LTS: At one time or another, most writers hit the wall, and their work stalls because of the dreaded writer’s block. What do you do to get around or over this mental wall to resume writing?
LB: Every time I have writer’s block, it’s really because I don’t know where I want to go with my story. I just think that I do. Simply asking myself what my intent is, I often find that I’m not producing anything because I’m looking in the wrong place. I always work much better when I have an outline of the next several scenes in front of me.
LTS: Who is your favourite author, and how has he/she inspired you to write or influenced your writing style or choice of genre?
LB: I’m always reluctant to answer this question because I don’t have one favorite writer. I like books that are well written with distinct characters, have great plots, and aren’t weighed down with so much narrative (no matter how beautifully written) that we don’t get to hear the characters speak for themselves. Some of the classic authors that I like are Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. There are many indie writers who I just love, but I don’t want to write a list because I can’t include everyone.
LTS: What do you foresee in your future over the next five years, and do you hope to branch out into other genres? Can your fans expect a sequel to Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! in the near future?
LB: Yes, I will be branching out into other genres. My current project is a YA paranormal (no vampires or werewolves, though). Actually, I haven’t really written in the same genre twice. Crooked Moon is general fiction; Squalor, New Mexico is young adult/general fiction, and Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! is a romantic comedy that fits best into the chick lit/women’s fiction genre (though I have many male readers!).
My next two novels will be closer to general/literary fiction, and, no, I have no interest in writing a sequel to Molly unless I am paid to do it. I adore the book and the character, but there are so many more books and characters in me that I simply must write.
Thanks again, Lorna. It’s been wonderful having the opportunity to visit with you. And congratulations on all of your wonderful successes.
LTS: Thank you for being such a wonderful guest, Lisette! You shared in some great insight and advice! Catch you on Twitter!
For more information about Lisette Brodey and her novels, check out
Website: www.lisettebrodey.com
Follow Lisette on Twitter: .lisettebrodey
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/BrodeyAuthor
Where to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Lisette-Brodey/e/B002TBELOY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
