1. Can you tell us what Wing Girl is about? What is a wing girl?
Wing Girl is the story of Belinda Carson, who is New York City's top investigative reporter who unfortunately is clueless when it comes to relationships and attracting a man. She dresses down to maintain her journalistic credibility but carries her "prosecutor from hell" persona with her when she's off the clock. Her fame attracts men but her personality repels them like a Star Trek force field. Her friends call her Wing Girl since she ends up "taking one for the team" while they scoop up the men she's turned off. They give her a major fashion and personality makeover in the hopes she'll find her soulmate.
In real life, a wing girl is the female version of a wing man. This is a dating strategy in which two friends go out in search of men. One is the designated wing girl, which means that should they encounter two men, one of whom is the total package, the wing girl will chat up the less desirable man while her friend goes after the best guy. The wing girl "takes one for the team" so her friend can end up with the catch of the night.
2. When did you decide to become a writer?
I started writing sci-fi stories in the fifth grade as I had this wonderful teacher named George Kolok who really encouraged me to write. During my high school and college years I continued to write while spending my summers and weekends working in my dad's delicatessen, which was exhausting. After working in that job I knew I wanted to do something easier and fun for a career. I also knew I couldn't make a living as an author right out of college, so I got a job as a reporter. It was wonderful to get paid for telling stories every day, and I never felt tired at the end of the day.
I got serious about writing fiction as my reporting career was winding down, and found I enjoyed it a great deal. It's a lot easier when you don't have to deal with those annoying things known as facts and can simply make stuff up. (Ironically, this is what our parents told us not to do. "Don't make up stories!")
3. You were working on television before this, do you miss your old job? Or are you writing part-time?
I still work as a freelance field producer for all the major networks. That means I could get sent out to help with coverage of a major story or simply set up a live shot for a show like Meet The Press, Good Morning America or the Today Show. I've done everything from interviewing heads of state to setting up a live shot with sextuplets celebrating their second birthday (which was like herding cats who'd been drinking Red Bull.) Being freelance, I don't work every day.
I do miss being a reporter (high-def is not kind to those of a certain age, as it shows your wrinkles down to the molecular level). I did mostly fun feature stories during my career, so I never considered my career to be actual work. I really miss the camaraderie of a newsroom, which is like having a sarcastic second family.
Right now I'm writing pretty much full time, except on those days when I'm producing. Even then, there's often a lot of down time and I can sneak in some writing. During that crazy Carnival Cruise ship story we had about eleven hours with nothing to do.
4. How long did it take you to write Wing Girl?
Well, some writers might find this hard to believe, but I wrote it in 39 days. Once I got the basic plot in my head I couldn't get it down fast enough, and this book was so much fun to write. I went through withdrawal when I was done. (Solution: possible sequel!) Sometimes you get in a zone and all of a sudden you look up and five hours have gone by. You've forgotten to eat lunch and the cat is ticked off because you haven't paid attention to her. (The latter is not good, as she can hold a grudge.)
There's a key factor in my ability to write fast. I come from a business in which you have multiple deadlines in a single day, and if you miss them you'll be out of a job. The six o'clock news doesn't start at 6:02 if you're late with your story. I've always had to write fast in my job, and that's a habit which has carried over to my fiction.
But every author is different, and not many have as much free time as I do. Some writers can take years to write a book, and that's fine. Writing fast happens to work for me. I also don't outline anything. I know how the story ends but have no earthly idea how I'll get there. I love to "wing it" and be surprised as much as the reader. I'm always amazed at how the story seems to work itself out, and I think that's because it's already in your subconscious.
5. Do you write what you read? High five, if you’re a male chick lit reader!
Sure. I first became interested in strong female characters as a teenager, when I would "borrow" my mom's books from her bedroom since she worked nights. I loved Jacqueline Susann and Sidney Sheldon. The Love Machine and Master of the Game were my favourites.
I discovered chick lit during a writer's boot camp. We were assigned to read novels of different genres to expose ourselves to different styles. One of the books was The Princess Diaries. I dreaded reading it, figuring I'd hate it; what middle-aged guy wants to read a book about a teenage girl? But it was so funny I couldn't put it down. I realized I was writing the same kind of snarky characters and knew women very well from listening to their outrageous sex talks in the newsroom (which made Letters to Penthouse sound pretty tame.)
By the way, if more guys read chick lit they might understand women better. It's like having the other team's playbook. And men might learn a lot from chick flicks as well.
I also like political and legal thrillers, young adult books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and Star Trek novels. (I don't own Spock ears, but I'm very much a fanboy.)
6. Are you working on another chick lit novel (please say yes!)? If so, could you please give us a sneak peek?
Of course! I have a three book deal with HarperCollins, and am busy with It Girl, which is about a snarky New York City local reporter who gets a job as the host of a network morning show. While it sounds like a dream job, getting up at two in the morning turns her life into a living hell while killing her social life. And when you add sleep deprivation to a woman who's already snarky, the result is not pretty. She realizes her only way out of the situation is to get fired, which she tries to do without success.
Meanwhile, the network throws her into a prime-time entertainment project which brings her into a close working relationship with two very attractive men, one of whom is British. I'm having fun writing the "lost in translation" scenes between the heroine and the dashing man from across the pond, as the slang from both countries can be taken the wrong way if not explained.
She'll end up with one of these guys when Cupid's arrow finds its mark. But she's a moving target.
7. What’s your all-time favourite chick lit book? Only one!
I gotta go with the first, The Princess Diaries. And thank you, Meg Cabot, for getting me out of the traditional male way of thinking.
In real life, a wing girl is the female version of a wing man. This is a dating strategy in which two friends go out in search of men. One is the designated wing girl, which means that should they encounter two men, one of whom is the total package, the wing girl will chat up the less desirable man while her friend goes after the best guy. The wing girl "takes one for the team" so her friend can end up with the catch of the night.
2. When did you decide to become a writer?
I started writing sci-fi stories in the fifth grade as I had this wonderful teacher named George Kolok who really encouraged me to write. During my high school and college years I continued to write while spending my summers and weekends working in my dad's delicatessen, which was exhausting. After working in that job I knew I wanted to do something easier and fun for a career. I also knew I couldn't make a living as an author right out of college, so I got a job as a reporter. It was wonderful to get paid for telling stories every day, and I never felt tired at the end of the day.
I got serious about writing fiction as my reporting career was winding down, and found I enjoyed it a great deal. It's a lot easier when you don't have to deal with those annoying things known as facts and can simply make stuff up. (Ironically, this is what our parents told us not to do. "Don't make up stories!")
3. You were working on television before this, do you miss your old job? Or are you writing part-time?
I still work as a freelance field producer for all the major networks. That means I could get sent out to help with coverage of a major story or simply set up a live shot for a show like Meet The Press, Good Morning America or the Today Show. I've done everything from interviewing heads of state to setting up a live shot with sextuplets celebrating their second birthday (which was like herding cats who'd been drinking Red Bull.) Being freelance, I don't work every day.
I do miss being a reporter (high-def is not kind to those of a certain age, as it shows your wrinkles down to the molecular level). I did mostly fun feature stories during my career, so I never considered my career to be actual work. I really miss the camaraderie of a newsroom, which is like having a sarcastic second family.
Right now I'm writing pretty much full time, except on those days when I'm producing. Even then, there's often a lot of down time and I can sneak in some writing. During that crazy Carnival Cruise ship story we had about eleven hours with nothing to do.
4. How long did it take you to write Wing Girl?
Well, some writers might find this hard to believe, but I wrote it in 39 days. Once I got the basic plot in my head I couldn't get it down fast enough, and this book was so much fun to write. I went through withdrawal when I was done. (Solution: possible sequel!) Sometimes you get in a zone and all of a sudden you look up and five hours have gone by. You've forgotten to eat lunch and the cat is ticked off because you haven't paid attention to her. (The latter is not good, as she can hold a grudge.)
There's a key factor in my ability to write fast. I come from a business in which you have multiple deadlines in a single day, and if you miss them you'll be out of a job. The six o'clock news doesn't start at 6:02 if you're late with your story. I've always had to write fast in my job, and that's a habit which has carried over to my fiction.
But every author is different, and not many have as much free time as I do. Some writers can take years to write a book, and that's fine. Writing fast happens to work for me. I also don't outline anything. I know how the story ends but have no earthly idea how I'll get there. I love to "wing it" and be surprised as much as the reader. I'm always amazed at how the story seems to work itself out, and I think that's because it's already in your subconscious.
5. Do you write what you read? High five, if you’re a male chick lit reader!
Sure. I first became interested in strong female characters as a teenager, when I would "borrow" my mom's books from her bedroom since she worked nights. I loved Jacqueline Susann and Sidney Sheldon. The Love Machine and Master of the Game were my favourites.
I discovered chick lit during a writer's boot camp. We were assigned to read novels of different genres to expose ourselves to different styles. One of the books was The Princess Diaries. I dreaded reading it, figuring I'd hate it; what middle-aged guy wants to read a book about a teenage girl? But it was so funny I couldn't put it down. I realized I was writing the same kind of snarky characters and knew women very well from listening to their outrageous sex talks in the newsroom (which made Letters to Penthouse sound pretty tame.)
By the way, if more guys read chick lit they might understand women better. It's like having the other team's playbook. And men might learn a lot from chick flicks as well.
I also like political and legal thrillers, young adult books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and Star Trek novels. (I don't own Spock ears, but I'm very much a fanboy.)
6. Are you working on another chick lit novel (please say yes!)? If so, could you please give us a sneak peek?
Of course! I have a three book deal with HarperCollins, and am busy with It Girl, which is about a snarky New York City local reporter who gets a job as the host of a network morning show. While it sounds like a dream job, getting up at two in the morning turns her life into a living hell while killing her social life. And when you add sleep deprivation to a woman who's already snarky, the result is not pretty. She realizes her only way out of the situation is to get fired, which she tries to do without success. Meanwhile, the network throws her into a prime-time entertainment project which brings her into a close working relationship with two very attractive men, one of whom is British. I'm having fun writing the "lost in translation" scenes between the heroine and the dashing man from across the pond, as the slang from both countries can be taken the wrong way if not explained.
She'll end up with one of these guys when Cupid's arrow finds its mark. But she's a moving target.
7. What’s your all-time favourite chick lit book? Only one!
I gotta go with the first, The Princess Diaries. And thank you, Meg Cabot, for getting me out of the traditional male way of thinking.
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