I received an ARC of Stephanie Appel Lessing’s She’s Got Issuesand now, here’s your chance to grab a copy. Leave a comment below for one entry. For a second entry, retweet the contest on Twitter. CONTEST CLOSES WEDNESDAY, JULY 7 AT 10 P.M. CST. Include an email address or a mailing address.
SUMMARY: Ever since she was a little girl, Chloe Rose has wanted to be a shoe editor for a fashion magazine. But when Chloe gets hired as the assistant to the assistant of the promotion department, she must learn to navigate her way through backstabbing co-workers, including her boss, Ruth, as well as her own cluelessness to prove she has what it takes to make in the fashion and publishing industries.
I recently talked with Stephanie Lessing about She’s Got Issues, comedy writing and influential authors.
LuAnn: Welcome, Stephanie. After graduating from Boston University, you worked as a copywriter for Mademoiselle Magazine. You also have a successful freelance career. You’ve written for Vogue, Glamour, Self, Conde Nast Traveler and Vanity Fair. How did your experience working for fashion magazines play into the storyline? Is Chloe a conglomeration of several people or does she resemble you?
Stephanie: Although purely a work of fiction, “She’s Got Issues” is largely based on my experiences working as a copywriter in the promotion department of Mademoiselle Magazine. I had no idea what I was doing there at first, but eventually learned to love my job, despite all the craziness. Although it may seem hard to believe, nothing in the book is really that different from what actually goes on at Conde Nast!
Ron Galotti (the real “Mr. Big” on Sex and the City) was the publisher at the time and every character walking around the building somehow influenced my development of the characters in my book. As for Chloe, everyone naturally assumes she’s me, and although I do feel somewhat bewildered a lot of the time, I’d like to think she’s much more ridiculous than I ever was.I guess it’s safe to say she’s a composite of a few choice members of my family and myself –and although I hate to sound like a much beaten to death cliche, I do love certain shoes in a similarly bizarre way.
LuAnn:Chloe is rather naive, but positive energy radiates from here, even in the worst situations. Character development is extremely important in a story. Chloe and her sister, Zoe, seem like polar opposites, yet there’s a feistiness in both of them. How important is it for writers to find balance among characters?
Stephanie: Chloe and Zoe are polar opposites in some ways I agree, but they’re also sisters and no matter how different we think we are from our siblings, there are usually some similar traits in there somewhere! Sharing a mother alone will give you a certain perspective, particularly concerning relationships, and Chloe and Zoe have a very strong influence in their mother. Aside from creating characters who are blood relatives, and who therefore may share a similar inflection in their voices or certain values,I think it’s equally difficult and important not to create two characters who share the same voice or even the same attitude. That’s something that happens quite a bit despite every writers’ attempt to avoid it. It’s very difficult for a writer to shut out her own voice and only listen to that of her characters’. In fact, I think it’s one of the most challenging things there is. And yet, when characters lack distinguishing characteristics, it’s almost impossible for the reader to remember who’s who and consequently the reader will quickly lose interest.
LuAnn: I agree! Listening to and honing a character’s voice is such a challenge. She’s Got Issues has quite a bit of humor. Writing comedy can be exhausting. What’s the best process: get the entire story on paper and then add more humorous touches where it’s needed or write scene by scene, perfecting the piece word by word?
Stephanie: It is exhausting! I completely agree, but I’m sorry to say I have no idea about the best process.I typically write bits and pieces on napkins, paper cups, the back of old checks, anything that isn’t too slippery. I write scene by scene without any sort of preordained plan so I can’t imagine writing an entire book and then going back to make it funny, although I’m sure that’s a much more sane method. I just went along and let Chloe do her thing each day. If I wrote a scene and it wasn’t particularly funny, I’d scrap it and wait for her to do something else. She controlled the whole process. I had no idea what she was going to say or do next. It was a very “cart leading the horse” experience.
LuAnn: What authors have influenced your writing?
Stephanie: What authors influence my writing? I can’t even answer that without the risk of embarrassing myself. There are so many authors I adore and I’d never dare mention my name with theirs. I’m far too aware of the fact that I have no idea what I’m doing. But I will tell you that J.D. Salinger had such a profound influence on my life that I tried to write a novel in ninth grade after reading, “A Catcher in the Rye.” And it was pretty bad, as I recall.
LuAnn: It must have made quite an impact! What writing projects are you currently working on?
Stephanie: At the moment I’m working on a novel about two witches in a P.R. firm competing for the same clients in ways you wouldn’t believe. It gets so nasty at one point, I had to stop myself from writing and leave the room. I’m also working on some new material for my blog www.stephanielessing.com, which has sadly taken a backseat to the likes of Facebook and Twitter!
LuAnn: Thanks, Stephanie! I’m looking forward to your next book!
