What was your first job?
Well, I babysat early on. But my first real job was working for a discount department store called Stein Mart in the accessories department. I had to hang up a lot of belts.
How did you celebrate publishing your first book?
I told my parents; they like stuff like that. And I made my first-ever Barneys purchase. A purse that was waaay on sale. And still crazy expensive.
This is your first published book—tell us about your road to publication.
Well, I’ve been a semi-successful screenwriter for a coupla years (translation: They pay me to write scripts, but the movies haven’t been made yet). On a lark, I thought it would be fun to try writing a novel—just for me.
My awesome friend, and fellow writer, Kirsten Smith, introduced me to Writers House agent Steven Malk.
When I had thirty pages, I sent them to Steve. I was
so nervous
to hear back because, unlike with screenplays, I felt intimately exposed. This book has me all over it.
I never set out to be a “novelist,” I didn’t go to Bread Loaf or an Ivy League school or have any fancy pedigree that I assume most people in publishing must have. So, it was scary.
But Steve loved the pages and helped get the book sold in a matter of days.
The hilarious irony is that I’ve worked years to get my screenwriting off the ground, but I stumbled into a publishing career in a matter of months.
However, I am one of those people who take every opportunity thrown my way. Even if I’m scared, I will try something new. Failure is the best learning experience ever. Just like roller derby. Anyone can do it—you just have to be willing to fall on your ass a few (hundred) times. Every once in a while, it really pays off.
Tell us about your writing process. Where do you write? When? What do you eat/drink while you’re crafting a story?
I write in my little 1920s apartment in Los Angeles (a cool city that gets a bad rap), which means I live in jam-stained pajamas. Classy.
I wake up, get coffee, crank my stereo (must have music to think), procrastinate by surfing the Web, then get out ye old spiral notebook and handwrite everything before I type it all in.
I never write in public—it makes me feel like a zoo exhibit (“Look, kids! A writer!”)—but I do a lot of thinking there. Then I go home and put it on paper.
I try to be healthy, but have been known to binge on Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts in the home stretch of a deadline. Mmmm . . . Pop-Tarts.
Where do you find inspiration for your writing?
Everywhere, everything. I’m a culture vulture, I love all kinds of books, music, movies, people. I think the more varied and vivid your life is, the more you can pull from. Doing things that scare me—getting out of my comfort zone—is a great source of inspiration.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I have a baby now, so I’m a forced morning person, but the night owl in me is not happy about it. Not one bit.
What’s your idea of the best meal ever?
When you’re traveling (like in India or Italy) and you’re lost and can barely comprehend the menu, so you guess—and then the meal is delicious. I love those moments. I love to be pleasantly surprised. Also, exploring divey, hole-in-the-wall joints—there are some good meals to be had in random strip malls.
And some awful ones. You take your chances.
Which do you like better: cats or dogs?
Love them both. I don’t like the cats vs. dogs thing. Four legs good, that’s all I’m sayin’.
What do you value most in your friends?
Realness. Humor. Loyalty. A sense of adventure. Warmth. Generosity. The ability to forgive and move on. I don’t like catty people with agendas; life is way too short.
Where do you go for peace and quiet?
I like to hide out in my bathtub, reading and listening to music. I also love to travel.
What makes you laugh out loud?
A clever twist of words, a witty remark from an otherwise shy person, everyday weird occurrences, and some good physical comedy. I’m a sucker for a pratfall.
What’s your favorite song?
There are way too many. But “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, “London Calling” by The Clash, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by The Velvet Underground, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton, “Heavy Metal Drummer” by Wilco, and “Cupid” by Sam Cooke are all damn near perfection. Also “Fox on the Run” by Sweet, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” by Edith Piaf, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Surrender” by Cheap Trick, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “The KKK Took My Baby Away” by the Ramones.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
Dolly Parton. And Maude from the movie
Harold and Maude
.
What are you most afraid of?
Success going away. It’s so fulfilling to get to do what you love and I know I’m incredibly lucky, but I know it may not be forever. Life is short and you have to savor every morsel.
What time of year do you like best?
Early spring, when everything’s starting to bloom. And warm summer nights when the days are long—it’s so sexy!
What’s your favorite TV show?
The Wire
is the best thing I’ve ever seen.
If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want for company?
I would build my own personal Noah’s Arc of kick-ass people, including my close family members, my husband, my son, Dolly Parton, Bea Arthur, and Danny McBride.
If you could travel in time, where would you go?
Paris in the ’20s just before the war. Or Cuba in the early ’50s—the music! The mojitos!
What’s the best advice you have ever received about writing?
Voice is the most important talent; your individual point of view is what makes something special.
What do you want readers to remember about your books?
I hope they laugh, I hope they feel empowered to do whatever they love.
What would you do if you ever stopped writing?
Interior design.
What do you like best about yourself?
My sense of humor. My quiet confidence. I’m not a boaster because I believe in my talent. I don’t have to shut anyone else down to build myself up.
What is your worst habit?
Procrastination. I’ve tried to work on it, but I keep putting it off. . . . Adulthood is hard!
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
That I am who I wanted to be when I grew up. I got here on talent and being nice and I think that matters.
Where in the world do you feel most at home?
Well, I live in Los Angeles now, but the being-home feeling is in Austin, Texas, eating tacos, listening to a band, looking at that big, wide sky.
What do you wish you could do better?
Play music. I’m such a fan, but I’m SO not gifted. I’ve tried. It was not meant to be. And sing. I have the singing voice of a hundred cats dying.
What would your readers be most surprised to learn about you?
I don’t know. Maybe that I was a competitive ice-skater as a kid?