Lisette Brodey was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. After high school, she moved to New York City, where she attended Pace University and studied drama. After 10 years in New York, several of them working in the radio industry, she moved to Los Angeles, where she held various positions at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and CBS Studio Center in Studio City, CA.

She returned to Philadelphia for several years, where she worked as a freelance writer, specializing in PR and the entertainment industry. Recently, she relocated permanently back to the Los Angeles area.

 

 

When did you first know you wanted to write a book? I began writing at the age of six. My first try at a novel was at the age of fifteen, and again a few years later. But those were very young, half-hearted attempts. I decided to seriously write novels in the mid-90s. Prior to that, I was trying my hand at plays and screenplays.

Are you a traditionally published author or indie? Indie.

What made you decide this route? I had been querying agents for many years for both my general fiction novel, Crooked Moon, and my young adult novel,Squalor, New Mexico. While most of the time, I just got back form letters saying that the project wasn’t right for a particular agent, I did receive several extremely encouraging letters from top-notch agents who had read the book. One agent said a novel was right for her, but she had a strong feeling another agent would pick it up. Another told me I was “clearly an accomplished writer.” One agent in Los Angeles wrote such a complimentary rejection that I almost thought she was accepting it at first. In fact, she only turned it down because she said fiction was too hard a sell for agents. My favorite comment came from a friend at one of the top three major talent agencies in the country, who, after reading Crooked Moon, said, “I can tell you right now; they’ll never want it. It’s too well written.” I think I was more frustrated than flattered. I wanted to bang my head against a brick wall. Metaphorically, I did.

I had enough positive feedback that I might have kept going if the marketplace hadn’t changed so drastically. But more so than the rejections, the copious amount of waiting time was what did me in. With every agent who chose to read my manuscript, I had to grant temporary exclusivity to them and often waited months to hear back. Also, I was tired of waiting for interminable periods of time just to find out if an agent would even take a look at my novels. Often, a year would pass, and only two agents had looked at my books.

So, in 2007, when I saw an ad for CreateSpace in Publisher’s Weekly, having a best friend who is a graphic designer at my side, I decided to first publish my second-written novel, Crooked Moon. I did not use their creative services; I only used them to print my book.

What was your biggest resource of information as an indie author? In early 2008, when I first started, I spent a lot of time on MySpace. My greatest resource of information was the other writers who I connected with at the time. To this day, other writers remain my greatest resource, but so much has changed/evolved in three years and there is a wealth of information out there via all the social media networks, blogs, articles, personal connections — the list goes on.

How many novels have you had published, or is this your debut? I have published two and have a third one due out in the fall of 2011.

What genre do your write in? I really consider myself a general fiction writer. My first-written novel, Squalor, New Mexico, was not meant to be a YA novel. It was simply a coming-of-age story that happened to fall into that genre. My second-written novel, Crooked Moon, is general fiction. My third novel, to be published in fall 2011, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! is in the women’s fiction genre. Interestingly, I began this novel in 2006 when I was still going the agent route. After enduring all the frustration of querying agents, I saw that women’s fiction/chick lit was selling well and decided that I would write a novel in that genre to better my chances of being accepted. I was halfway through writing the book when I learned I could self-publish. So, after publishing my first two novels, I decided to complete the women’s fiction book I had begun earlier. It’s been a lot of fun to write but to my surprise, the most difficult of the three in many ways.

Tell us a little bit about your latest novel (or upcoming novel)? My upcoming novel, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! is scheduled for a fall 2011 publication. On February 21^st I launched Molly’s blog “Too Picky? (I think not. . .).” I blog every Monday as 32-year old, snarky, overanalytical, love-seeking Molly. She gabs about anything and everything in her line of vision: dating, male/female relationships, pet peeves, and the world around her. Readers can get to know her at www.mollyhacker.com.

There is a full synopsis of the book and a sneak peak at Chapter 1 on Molly’s blog.

Which of your characters do you most relate with? There are pieces of me in most of the characters, though the percentage of “me” vastly differs. InSqualor, New Mexico, I relate a great deal to the main character, Darla, especially when she speaks her mind at times when it may be ill-advised to do so, or perhaps when she makes an unpopular choice. Her endless curiosity, persistence, and need to get at the truth are all relatable qualities.

Where did the inspiration for this book come from? Throughout my life, whenever I heard about someone living in squalor, it always sounded like the name of a town or city to me. I then got the idea to start a book with the sentence “My aunt lived in Squalor.” Eventually, I began the novel with the first line “My aunt Rebecca lived in Squalor,” and then I went on to plot an entire novel around the opening sentence.

The word “squalor” was the seed I planted to grow this book. But the story that I developed came from many different places. It was a story I needed to tell.

Did you know the title before you started writing, or did it come to you later? Absolutely. Squalor, New Mexico titled itself. The explanation for the weird title is made clear on the very first page of the book. I don’t like writing novels if I don’t have a title. It’s unsettling to me for some reason. A great title inspires me to do my best to write a great book.

Is there a message in your novel you wish for the reader to grasp? This is the story of a family. There are many messages, but one of them is to illustrate how things that happen can splinter our lives forever if we choose to shun the truth and exist on supposition and judgment.

If you could use only FIVE words to persuade us to read your book, what would they be? Coming-of-age family mystery. Or I can use one word five times: secrets, secrets, secrets, secrets, secrets.

What do you find are the biggest obstacles to overcome when writing a novel? For me, the greatest obstacles I face revolve around time management. Before independent authors had the opportunity to publish, we could sequester ourselves in our writing caves and write the day away. Everything has changed. The good news is that now we can publish and get our work out there; the “bad” news is that it takes an extraordinary effort to do everything that is required to promote our work.

The tough part is that most of the promotional efforts we put forth, while usually quite enjoyable, do gobble huge blocks of time. This often leaves me with so little time left to write. I only speak for myself now, but I know that many others echo my sentiments in one way or another. Finding time, finding balance, reducing distractions, figuring out what to do and not do, and wearing many hats are the toughest parts of being a writer. For me, they’re the biggest obstacles to overcome when writing a novel. Self-discipline is key here; I’m still working on it.

For those writers who have not yet completed their first novel, what advice would you give them?

You can’t edit a blank page. Keep writing. If you’re working on something that doesn’t make sense, ask yourself, “What am I trying to say? Does what I am writing advance the character and/or the plot?” If your answer is no, you might want to rethink where you’re going rather than trying to rework something that shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Don’t quit. If you’re really stuck, put your writing away and look at it again later with “fresh eyes.” Work on something else. Keep a journal and make notes of any ideas you might get, no matter how trivial. You never know which seeds might grow. But whatever you do, don’t quit.

What is one book (besides one of your own) that you think everyone should read? What an impossible question! Taste is so subjective. I’ve read so many wonderful books in my lifetime; how do I choose? Just recently, I read Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield and absolutely loved the extraordinary characters that made Dickens such a master at his craft.

What book are you currently reading? I am just starting a new book, The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby. I recently finished Musical Chairs by Jen Knox,The Yoga Divas and Other Stories by Rob Dinsmoor, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, and, Beyond My Control: One Man’s Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond by Stuart Ross McCallum. All wonderful books by fellow authors and friends.

eBook or hard copy, or do you not have a preference? I have just started reading books on a Kindle. I think there are pros and cons to each, but it makes me very sad to think of books disappearing. I love looking through the bookshelves in my home, in other people’s homes, and of course, in bookstores. Physical books are warm and inviting. But having an electronic library to carry with you and to be able to add books in seconds is very cool too. And wonderful for trees.

My favorite writing snack is wine and fruit snacks, do you have a favorite? A small Diet Pepsi and peanuts. Wakes me up and gives me protein. I really try not to drink much soda, though. I drink a lot of spring water.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? For me, it is extremely important to have a beginning, middle, and end to my book. I will plot out the basic structure and everything that is integral to my plot or story. That said, I don’t micro-plot my book. As I begin to write, I get many more ideas, characters boss me around, and things often come together in ways I hadn’t thought they would. Writing a book, to me, is like living life. We makes plans, but, well . . . stuff happens.

Some of my favorite moments in all three of my novels are ones that I didn’t plan in advance. In fact, there are some moments that I didn’t have a clue about until the character revealed his or her secret. It’s kind of amazing when that happens.

Have you ever thought of a great opening chapter and a devilish closing chapter but just can’t work out how to get from one to the other?No, that’s never happened. As I said, every time I sit down to write, I’m taken to places I didn’t imagine going, therefore, I’m a long ways off from knowingexactly how I want to end the book. Making a smooth transition from one chapter to the next is always key for me.

What kind of routines to you keep when writing (i.e., exercise, food, chores, etc.)? The first thing I do every day is check my email and make the social media rounds. If I’m in the process of writing, I then do what most writers do and that is to edit the previous day’s work to get my head into it. My routine varies. Sometimes I’m in a place where I cannot stop, and if that’s the case, I’ll go on as long as I can. Other times, if what I’m working on lends itself to being interrupted, I try to take a walk or do something else just to get away from the computer and MOVE. Moving is really important.

What current project are you working on? Currently, I’m editing my third novel, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! and working on weekly blogs as the main character, as mentioned in question #5. In addition to that, I’m putting notes together for my fourth novel that I am very eager to begin writing as soon as time permits. I am also planning to co-write two non-fiction books, but those projects have not yet begun.

I regularly announce all updates on my Facebook Author Page (Lisette Brodey, Author), on my Goodreads profile, Twitter, etc. I would love to have any interested readers/fellow authors join me on my author page. Just for the record, I never send promotional emails. We all have enough in our in-boxes!

Lisa, thank you so very much for the opportunity to write this interview. It’s a pleasure to know you.

Tell us a funny unknown fact about yourself. I love orangutans.

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Get Connected with Lisette

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Goodreads

Molly Hacker Website

The Books and Where to Purchase Them

In addition to the Kindle editions on Amazon.com, the eBook edition of both of my current novels can be found at all major online retailers, including Smashwords.com, BN.com, and OmniLit.