Q and A with Jennifer Banash author of Simply Irresistible in the Elite Book series

Man. What a gorgeous cover. This should fly off the shelves.

Small-town girl turned Big Apple beauty, Casey McCloy is really beginning to enjoy the high life in her high-rise. She's climbing the social ladder, to the dismay of her neighbor and rival, Madison Macallister. And Casey could end up as popular as Madison now that the two are set to star in their own reality show, "De-Luxe." But reality TV can be so unreal…Madison loves the attention, but having every bit of her life caught on tape is often less than glamorous. Yet fame comes at a price-and she's willing to pay. Meanwhile, now that Casey and her almost-boyfriend Drew Van Allen are currently more off than on, she's beginning to wonder if everything in her life is just an illusion-and how much longer the illusion can last.

Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?

Living somewhere in Europe (preferably Paris), with a string of YA bestsellers that would make Stephanie Meyer look unpopular, and a TV movie about my life.

What’s the most satisfying part of writing a novel/book? The least satisfying part?

The best part is finishing! The worst part is the copy editing. I loathe copy editing.

What’s been the most exciting thing that’s happened to you since you’ve been published?

I hired a publicist, and have lately been getting calls to appear on TV! I'll be on NBC in Fresno this Friday! So, that's exciting.

Have you ever had writers’ block? How do you deal with it?

I watch a film. Usually I just need to get my mind off of the idea that I can't think of anything to write, and engage it elsewhere.

Have you ever had an unfavorable review? How did you cope?

I've had one or two that really were not positive. I just climbed into bed and ate ice-cream for two days while watching old Sex and the City reruns until I just didn't care anymore.

What’s next for you?

I'm currently working on a novel about club kids in the late 1980's called WHITE LINES.

If you have a day job, when do you get writing done and how do you manage your time?

I'm a teacher at a private school, so writing during the year is really difficult. I usually write my books in the three months off I have during the summer, then tinker with them throughout the year. It's extremely difficult. I love my students, but I wouldn't say no to writing full time!

Important Lesson in Customer Service

Businesses should do right by their customers cuz you never know who you're gonna piss off. (See below.)

Jennifer Weiner Tour Schedule

One of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner, is coming out with a new novel called Best Friends Forever. I’ll be reviewing it here soon but in the mean time here is here tour schedule, which kicks off on July 14 in NYC.

Happy July 4

I find this photo disturbing on so many levels and yet I can't resist posting it.

Happy Fourth!

Interview with Samantha Wilde Author of This Little Mommy Stayed Home

Samantha is the daughter of Nancy Thayer (Hot Flash Club fame and many others.) They both have new novels out this summer. How cool is that?

The novel introduces Joy McGuire who has gone from being skinny and able to speak in complete sentences to someone who hasn’t changed her sweatpants in weeks. But now with a new baby to care for, she feels like a woman on the brink and as she scrambles to recapture the person she used to be she takes another look at the woman she is: a stay-at-home mom in love with her son, if a bit addled about everything else. As a new mom herself, Wilde, a graduate of Yale Divinity School, wrote THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME after the birth of her son when she was experiencing the ups and downs of new motherhood

What decade are you in (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s,). What’s the best part about being your age? The worst?

I’m in my 30s but I always lie and say I’m in my 20s (not that anyone believes me). It’s actually surprised me to find out I’m not 29 anymore because, really, when I was, I didn’t think it could happen. Not that it’s bad. It’s just that it’s true. Time really does pass and you really do get older. Does any young person believe that?


Will you age gracefully (Diane Keaton) or fight it tooth or nail? (Demi Moore.) What are your reasons?

Gracefully, I think. I’ve always loved old women, and have more than my fair share of old lady cardigans. I can’t wait to have long white hair and pin it in a bun.

What do you prefer older men or younger men? Why?

Older. Because aren’t they younger to begin with?


Name three men you wouldn’t throw out of bed for eating crackers.

I’d never throw them out for eating crackers. I’m a huge believer in eating in bed. I do it as much as I can. Now my husband. He’d like to throw me out! “Well,” he’ll say climbing into bed, “now I know what you snacked on today.”

Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

Right where I am, for the most part. I love the area I live in. I love Massachusetts. I love the hills nearby and the ponds nearby and knowing the lay of the land. I have views I’ve seen for years. And you know what? They’ve just got sweeter with time. I get to pass cows on my way to teach yoga and fields of corn and we’ve still got the biggest names coming in to town to perform. I am a very happy backyard traveler.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

My mother, Nancy Thayer, has been quoted as writing, “It’s never too late, in fiction or life, to revise.” We laugh, because this is true and also not true. (When it’s on the shelves, it’s too late.) Still, it helps when I’m writing to know there is a time later to perfect things. She also always said to me, “put it in your work.” I do. I put it all in my work. It’s a great place for things, the good, the bad and the ugly. And it makes of a mess, a meaning.

Death and the Generation Gap

We all know the death of Michael and Farrah is a big flipping deal, but what do your kids think? To them, they probably seem like relics from another era. Here’s an article that brings home the difference between those of us who were alive in 1977 and those of us who were just gleams in our parents’ eyes. As the author’s 14-year-old daughter says when speaking of Michael Jackson, “To me, he’s just that creepy guy who used to be black.”