INTERVIEW: Laurie Notaro - Journalist and a New York Times best-selling author of "The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club"

Welcome to “Up Close and Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing their views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Laurie Notaro. She is a Journalist and a New York Times best-selling author. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated from Arizona State University major in Journalism. Ms. Notaro was a columnist for ten years at ‘The Arizona Republic’ which is a conservative newspaper.

Her book, The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club, was a New York Times Best-Seller in 2002. The book is comprised pieces of Ms. Notaro writing from a magazine when she was in college at Arizona State University. It was a small publication called Java and a Planet magazine she started with her friends in 1994.

Originally The ‘Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club which is a funny collection of biographical essays was self-published through an independent publishing company. Ms. Notaro tried to get published for seven years but was rejected by countless mainstream publishers before taking her destiny in her own hands by self-publishing it through iUniverse in December of 2000.

Through her marketing efforts and a call from an agent Jenny Bent offered to sell her book and it was sold within three days. It was picked up by Random House which was a six-figure, two-book deal in October 2001.

Ms. Notaro is also the author of Autobiography of a Fat Bride, I Love Everybody, We Thought You’d Be Prettier, and An Idiot Girl’s Christmas.

Her new book “Spooky Little Girl” is about Lucy Fisher, an average happy go lucky, self centered girl, up until she gets back from a vacation and discovers her life turned upside down. Her fiancé leaves her possessions in their lawn, she loses her job, and just when it can't get any worse, ends up being killed when she walks in front of a bus on her way to see her sister.

She later finds herself as a ghost, in “ghost school,” and later haunting the last place she ever wanted to be in. She finds her fiancée dumped her and why nobody attend her funeral? None of her friends know that she is dead. To them she is just missing. The only way to a happy ending now depends on how she does in Ghost School.

"Spooky Little Girl" is now available in bookstores and on line.

E.I. Would you share some early self-reflection to give us a sense of who you were as a teenager? What were you like? Give your readers three “Good to Know” facts about your first job experience, the inspiration for your writing career, any fun details or anecdotes that would enliven your page. Also tell us about Laurie Notaro today -- the woman behind the New York Times bestselling author of The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club.

Laurie Notaro: As a teenager? That was a really, really long time ago. I guess I had started to write a little bit in English and Creative Writing classes, I worked on my high school newspaper, I had a horrible little humor column in there that was dreadful. But it was the beginning of what I do today, I suppose. I was in the melt-away middle social class in high school--I definitely wasn't popular, I was in that in-between that no one really ever notices. I had frizzy hair, braces, and bad skin. What can you do? You have to shed those years, you don't get to skip them. While it wasn't enjoyable to go through, I know that having frizzy hair and braces was a base for my writing perspective today. Once you've been that girl, you really never shed her, even decades later.

Three "Good to Know" facts about my first job...?
1. I worked for free.
2. I worked for free.
3. I worked for free.

I get tons of email from young writers who want to know how they can make money from writing. My first real bylines came about because I was willing to work for nothing and I did it because I needed to establish myself as a writer; I knew I had to pay my dues first. I'm big on paying dues, but that was also the best way to get into the game, or break into the profession. You start small. I didn't write my first piece for Vanity Fair; hardly anyone does that. You start at the bottom of the ladder, and more times than not, that means you do it because you love what you do, and eventually, you hope to get a $15 paycheck. Sometimes people don't appreciate things unless they've seen them from the bottom up. I went to journalism school at Arizona State University, and I worked my butt off. My academic record certainly suffered, but in turn, I got a great education in for the college magazine and interning at other publications around the city. For free.

Who am I today? I still work for free on occasion. I'm still building my readership and maintaining it. Marketing has become a part of any writer's life, and you spend half of your time—if not more—working to get your stuff out there. I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunities that came my way, very lucky, and in many ways, I'm glad that it took me so many years to secure a book deal (it took seven years of round the clock attempts) because I know what it's like to work to get one. The fact that i get to write something and it gets published is very, very dear to me.

E.I. What is it about the art form of writing funny memoir and humorous novels entirely that enchants you, and gives you the enduring passion to continue in such a demanding profession?

Laurie Notaro: Honestly, if I can make someone chuckle or laugh when they're having a shitty day, that's all I need. I love doing what I do--once I get into the rhythm of things, it is an absolute ball. Sometimes it takes a while to get there, and I get blocked just like everyone else. But when I'm working on a piece and it's going well and everything is coming together, it's a fantastic feeling. If I can make myself laugh when I'm working, I doubt there's a better job out there at that moment. I doubt very much that there's an art to it. I don't take that kind of thing very seriously. I like telling stories. I like laughter, and if I can get that in tandem, man, that's a gold rush to me.

E.I. Please tell your young readers about your novel “Spooky Little Girl.” What was it that sparked your imagination? What were your favorite aspects about this book?

Laurie Notaro: The basis of this book came about when I was getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist's office and the dental hygienist, Jody, said I reminded her of her friend, Lucy Fisher, and she went on to tell me that Lucy had been killed in a truck accident, although it took her friends a very long time to find out that she had died. There was something that was very moving about that story--it was sad and tragic, because no one wants to end that way. We all want to be remembered, no one wants to be forgotten. So that was a great jumping off point for me--to take the story of Lucy's death and start the story from there. I loved being able to sort of bring Lucy "back to life," and create a whole world where the living and the dead are mingling together, very often shoulder to shoulder, though only the dead know it. Creating the ghost school--where Lucy learns how to be a spirit and use the skills of a ghost--was also a lot of fun. It isn't often that you get to build a new universe in a plot, so I had a blast figuring things out and determining the parameters of this new space.

E.I. How do you weave so much fun of information while writing and creating the character ‘Lucy Fisher’ and yet you keep them so fast-paced? Did you work them out in advance, or did they evolve as you wrote the story?

Laurie Notaro: While I didn't know Lucy Fisher personally, Jody told me enough about her to use as a base. But certainly, she built herself as the story moves along. She starts out as a flaky, good-time girl who usually gets out of trouble she's created because of luck--and by the book's end, she's someone altogether different, she matures in her own death. There was so much to squeeze into the plot that I didn't have time to take it easy or plod along, plus, I wanted the rhythm of the book to resemble the romantic comedies of the 30's, Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard movies. Screwbally. Funny, nutty, disastrous, then coming together to weave a great ending. I had Martin and Nola planned out far better than I had thought about Lucy. I let Lucy be who she needed to be, I sort of followed her lead. Naunie, too. Naunie was never supposed to be that naughty, but she was on fire toward the end. Crazy old lady.

E.I. You've created a cast of so remarkably captivating and really fun characters: Lucy Fisher, Martin and Nola that your readers definitely clamor for more; how did you decide what level of details your readers will accept? How does your creative process work?

Laurie Notaro: People accept what's familiar to them; when they recognize something, I think they are more apt to embrace it or find it funny. I know I am certainly that way. I think everyone has known a version of Martin, who's very straight-arrow, no-nonsense, very grounded, and Nola, who is very lonely, desperate, jealous, and biting. I don't spend time telling the reader who these people are--it's more effective to show them through the actions of the character and through the observations of other characters. I learned that from a marvelous mentor and editor I had while working at a city magazine, Dick Vonier--he insisted that you show, not tell. This way, the reader gets to bring their own translation of the character to the page--they ultimately get to decide who this person is, and the way you that is to let them decide. It's not really up to me. I don't want the reader to read the book--I want to put them in the book. I want them to see what I see when I'm writing a scene, to hear what I hear. Every one relates to something different, not one perspective is standard. Show the reader a picture of the character, observe them in their daily life--what they do, how they act, what they say. Maybe it will remind them of their dad, brother, co-worker, let them bring that identity into what you've provided and that will fill out a character for a reader. For instance, my husband told me he knew I had based Martin on him--and honestly, Martin doesn't have any of the characteristics I see in my husband, and is in no way based on him. Martin is not my husband, in my eyes. But my husband did relate to Martin from some angle--enough to see himself in that character, when I think Martin and my husband are sort of polar opposites.

E.I. If you were asked to read a page from “Spooky Little Girl” is there one that you would personally select to share with your fans? And why?

Laurie Notaro: Oh, boy. I have lots of favorite scenes, but my I think my absolute favorites are two of the most pivotal points in the book. They're not funny. One is the last scene in chapter nineteen, both Lucy and Martin go through tremendous changes in a matter of seconds, both facing the honesty about where they are and what they have done, and both of them in very, very different places. It's a very quiet scene, it's very simple, it happens in only several paragraphs, but at the same time, it's the most complicated aspect of the book. Another, of course, is the very last scene in the whole book, when Lucy meets up again with Bethanny to tie the whole thing together. I was elated when I wrote that last line. I was really, really happy for Lucy.

E.I. If you were allowed total control of the Hollywood version of “Spooky Little Girl” who would be in it? And in your opinion who do you think should direct?

Laurie Notaro: Oh boy, what a fantasy, huh? I would love Danny DeVito to direct it; he directed my all time favorite movie, Death to Smoochy. I have never really thought about pairing the characters up with actors, but Lauren Graham comes to mind as Lucy, Betty White as Naunie, I have no idea for Nola--maybe Kirstie Alley or Kathy Najimy? I can see them both being feisty enough. And for Martin--I actually based the physical part of Martin off of the guy who really did work in the produce department at my Safeway. No idea what his name is.

E.I. How many years of research did you do to a ghost protagonist in your novel? How did you overcome these challenges?

Laurie Notaro: I did do research, but this was an area that I had always been interested in and read a lot about already. I love ghost stories, and I love the idea of the possibility of ghosts. The great thing is that there is no hard, fast science about the afterlife, so I was free to make all of it up. So I did. My Nana had just died when I began working on this book, so when I was building ghost school and The State, I used my idea of where I wanted her to be at that moment. Would it be a place where she could finally play cards with Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra, or where you could eat brownie batter with your finger with no consequences? I wouldn't say I spend years doing research, but I did pull the book together over the course of a year and a half before I started actually writing it (I was working on Flaming Tantrum at the time). I watched every ghost show I could, took lots of notes, and followed the sites of real ghost hunters across the country. I did read several books, but there really aren't that many out there that are not gimmicky and that really focus on the science of what might be out there. Mary Roach's "Spook" was fascinating and helpful. I have also been to an "exorcism" when I was covering a story many years ago about psychics, and I used much of that experience to write the scene in the book that parallels.

E.I. And finally what’s next with Laurie Notaro? Can you give your fans a sneak peek about your upcoming book?

Laurie Notaro: I'm going back to non-fiction for this next book, and then hopefully back to fiction for the one after that. I have a great idea that I would love to explore--and again, it takes place in a whole different sort of reality. I'm very excited about it.

E.I. Ms. Notaro, Thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers all over the world?

Laurie Notaro: Tenacity. Write because you love it. And success is whatever wyou call it--if you write something you're proud of, that is success. If you get it published in a hometown newspaper, that is success. Set yourself goals and simply do not give up until you reach them.

Photo of Laurie Notaro by Shelley Spray.

To learn more about Laurie Notaro, please visit her website

To purchase her books, please visit AMAZON and Barnes & Noble

10 Journeys

10 Journeys is due to be released today (including At the Rawlings' Place, of course).  Unfortunately, I can't be in the UK to help celebrate its launch so thought I'd mark the occasion here instead.

At the Rawlings' Place is set in a fictional town in the Western Plains, which we travelled through this weekend, on our way to and from Daylesford (see last blog entry).  Thought I'd take a couple of photos to share an impression of the area, although without stitching several together it's hard to convey the flatness of the landscape, the vastness of the sky.  The story, I hope, will do that and more.

Oh, and hard-on-the-heels of my Five Wounds review, I've just posted an interview with Jonathan Walker and Dan Hallett across at The View From Here.

Press: RESET

Siân and I decided to press the RESET button at the weekend.

There's times when there's just too much crowding the head and it feels like the brain is about to explode.

Rather than redecorate the ceiling, we decided to head off to Daylesford, a few hours north.  No writing, no painting, no reading of other people's work, no reports to write, no chores - nothing.  A weekend of delicious sloth.

The area is renowned for its natural springs and, once upon a time, folk would head that way to take the waters and soak in the mineral-rich soup that sprang out of the ground.  Although we did a fair bit of walking (notably around Lake Daylesford) we didn't go for the waters so much as to soak up the wine and the food.

Found our way to two superb restaurants: Frangos & Frangos on the Friday evening and Mercato on  the Saturday.  Stunning.  If you happen to find yourself in Daylesford, give them a try.

Visited the market on Sunday and finally brought myself a hat that I've wanted to buy since I was 17.  I'm patient.  It only took me 35 years!

Anyway, with a tad more brain-space, I posted a review of Five Wounds by Jonathan Walker and Dan Hallett over at The View From Here today.  Have just finished work on an interview and will posting that soon too.  You can find the review here.

INTERVIEW: Ellen Sandler - Emmy-nominated, Co-Executive Producer CBS hit series Everybody Loves Raymond & author of The TV Writer’s Workbook

Welcome to “Up Close and Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing their views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Ellen Sandler. Ms. Sandler’s long and successful career took off in the early 80’s. She is best known for her work in television as Co-Executive Producer and writer on the Emmy-winning hit series Everybody Loves Raymond. In fact she has written for over 25 prime-time network television series, including Taxi, Coach and Kate & Allie. Her writing talent has been showcased by stars like three-time Golden Globe nominated Susan Saint James, and two-time Emmy award-winner, Jane Curtin, the iconic cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL).

Ms. Sandler’s mastery of the medium can be measured by her success, but not only on screen. Yes, she has managed to stay on top of a ratings driven business that is defined by “the church of what’s happening now” for thirty years proving that her talent is not skin deep. But while meeting the demands of an “A-List” script writer and consultant, she still makes it a point to give back to her industry. She conducts television writing workshops in LA and NYC, and manages to find the time to speak at schools and universities throughout the country.

In the United States Ellen Sandler has created original pilots for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and the Disney Channel. Her international client list for consulting projects includes ABC Australia, CBC Canada, Media Marketing in Dubai, and Singapore Media Corporation. She has also supervised production in Germany and Japan.

Her book, “The TV Writer’s Workbook: A Creative Approach to Television Scripts” is the culmination of a global career spanning three decades. It distills an insider’s view giving clarity to the proven methods. Ellen Sandler’s extraordinary experience provides the nuance that resonates with experienced writers. But her book is a must read for the aspiring novice in search of the building blocks critical to achieving long-term success in the industry.

Her guide offers an authoritative overview of both TV and film writing. It also drills down in several chapters to explore essential core elements. It provides sage advice to new talent, who are working to get traction in the business.

Lessons in the workbook include the art and science of dialogue. Ms Sandler explains the goal of almost every TV script writer, which is to hide exposition through the use of humor. She also discusses ways to punch up dialogue to make it shorter, crisper, and more effective.

Her book provides exercises to strengthen the skills of even the seasoned writer. In much the same way a talented singer practices the scales, a writer can apply techniques to sharpen his pen. Ms. Sandler breaks down TV scripts and gives instruction on how to plot the story so that it will earn notice, while making sure that it is in tune with the ethos of the show. For example, she asks the writer to consider what and who he needs in each scene. She makes the case for continuity reminding the writer that the show is about one central character, and that everything has to flow from that single viewpoint. Ellen Sandler has a gift for rendering artful concept into clear thought.

Ellen Sandler's former students have gone on to write for some of TV’s most popular shows including Sex in the City, Men in Trees, Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Scrubs, CSI: Miami and 24. She is also credited with teaching the cinematographer, who worked as assistant to Titanic & Avatar Director, James Cameron.

E.I. Would you share some early self-reflection to give us a sense of who you were as a teenager? What were you like?

Ellen Sandler: I grew up Jewish in Sioux City, Iowa and I was definitely an outsider there, at least I felt like one. We had to drive 100 miles to Omaha (the “big town”) just to get bagels. I felt very different from everybody, including my own family. I was often described by friends as “rambunctious,” but I preferred thinking of myself as rebellious. Looking back I think I was adventurous, but not really rebellious. I think my parents thought I was rebellious because they found me difficult—I wasn’t enough like them. They were sensible and middle of the road; I wanted to go to New York and have a career in the theatre. They couldn’t imagine that as a real goal and so thought of me as out of control and rebellious.

E.I. Give us three “Good to Know” facts about your first job experience, the inspiration for your writing career.

Ellen Sandler: My first writing job was writing an episode of Taxi. If you’ve watched the re-runs you may have seen it—it’s the two-part vignette show when the garage goes out of business and they all get new jobs. I had some experience writing and directing plays, but not TV, and I really didn’t know the difference. But differences there are! And I had to learn them…fast! First of all, the characters’ speeches are a lot shorter in a TV script than in a play. Secondly, the story line, i.e. the story structure, is much more defined. Those are practical differences, but the biggest difference is emotional. When you write for the theatre, you can write whatever you want. You don’t make much money, if any, but you have a certain amount of freedom. When you write for TV you are being paid a lot of money and that means you don’t write what you want, you write what the people who are paying you want. You still have to find a way to bring your fresh and original ideas to the page, but you must do it inside of the box they give you. It’s a demand that requires discipline and a certain amount of ego reduction.

E.I. What is it about the art form of writing that enchants you, and gives you the enduring passion to continue in such a demanding profession?

Ellen Sandler: When I am at the computer and it’s going well, I’m excited to discover what’s about to appear on the page. I feel like I’m in the right place; I’m where I belong—it’s a kind of high. When the work is soggy or dead and I don’t know what to do next, I want to find that happy place again. I believe it’s there, and if I can get some words down I’ll find it again – I guess that’s the drive, I really want to make it work. I think that’s the drive to write when I’m not getting paid.

When I am writing on assignment, the money is an incredibly motivating carrot. There is nothing quite like getting paid for something you’ve written. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good—in fact, I often like the things I’ve written without pay for the theatre better than much of what I’ve done under a lucrative TV contract. But still, completing a job, fulfilling an assignment, contributing something that somebody else wanted enough to pay for it – that’s a pretty good feeling. And, let’s be very honest, the money comes in handy! TV scripts bought my house, put my kids through college, and this year’s residuals are paying for my daughter’s wedding right now.

E.I. Now, let’s talk about how does someone get to become writing staff on a TV series or show?

Ellen Sandler: Every writer finds his or her own path to the writer’s room – there is truly no “standard way.” However, the one element that everyone who writes on staff of a TV show has in common is that they have written something that someone unrelated to them thinks is great. What I mean by that is it’s been produced or published somewhere– like plays, comedy sketches, magazine articles or short stories. Or they may have won a respected writing contest or been accepted into an intern program as a result of an outstanding spec script—they’ve gotten some kind of recognition somewhere as to their ability to write.

In my case, I had plays produced in little theatres off off Broadway. One in particular was produced by a small theatre company in Los Angeles as part of a short play festival. It was a one act romantic comedy. Jim Brooks, (at the time, he was Executive Producer of Taxi), came to see it and that’s when he hired me to write the episode of Taxi that started my TV career. I tell the whole story how it happened in the form of a mini screenplay which serves as the introduction to my book, The TV Writer’s Workbook.

E.I. So few shows are chosen from many seemingly promising pilots. So many seem to have been potential, but what really makes a winner?

Ellen Sandler: In my opinion, the most important aspect of a series, either comedy or drama, is the emotional relationships between the ensemble of regular characters. For a series to work those characters must genuinely need something from each other and they must be continually affected by each other’s actions. The more impact a supporting character has on the central character’s life the stronger the show will be.

The best shows always have a strong interconnectedness among the significant characters. Everybody Loves Raymond had it; so did The Sopranos, The Wire, Frasier, Seinfeld and Friends; so do 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Damages and Modern Family. Every hit show has it. And conversely, most of the shows that fail are weakest in this area. They may have some funny colorful supporting characters but they are not connected strongly enough to each other to build a “family” and a world we, the audience, want to be a part of week after week.

E.I. On a show that has an ongoing storyline spanning the entire season, do writers work from a story arc outline? What about a show that has a stand-alone episode format?

Ellen Sandler: Every show on television works from outlines. You cannot proceed to script until your outline is approved by the showrunner, as well as by the studio and network executives. Whether the entire season has an overall arc is determined by the style of the show and the working style of the showrunner.

With the cancellation of Ugly Betty, Lost, Heroes and 24, serialized shows seem to be a dying breed with the networks. The current trend is to use an over arching story theme that is serialized as a “B” story in each episode, while the main story (the “A” story) of the episode is a traditional stand alone one that is self contained. A perfect example of this format is The Good Wife. Each week something new happens in the continuing story of her husband’s legal troubles and the effect on her family, but the main body of the show is the legal case she works on. That case is completed within the episode and the next week there’s an entirely new case.

E.I. Ms. Sandler, please tell your readers about your book, “The TV Writer’s Workbook: A Creative Approach to Television Scripts.” What topics for the aspiring television writer are unique to your book?

Ellen Sandler: Most people know a good script when they see it; the real mystery is how the writer did it. In The TV Writer’s Workbook I show you how. I analyze the actual writing process from beginning to end and lead you step by step through it.

I have a favorite exercise that uses the 7 Deadly Sins to tap into your passions and find stories that are personally meaningful to you. I give a detailed breakdown of story structure and specific tactics for turning your ideas into great stories—it’s all based on my own work experience. I have a whole chapter on a practical approach to researching a show before you write it. It’s exactly the procedure I use to prepare myself for any show or project I’m hired to write. There’s a section on how to take a meeting and examples of how NOT to write a inquiry letter. And, of course, there are a lot of anecdotes about my personal highs and lows on the various shows I have written.

E.I. How can other writers working in other venues learn from television writers, when it comes to dialogue? Would you say the dialog is the most important component when writing for television?

Ellen Sandler: The dialogue is important, sure, and if you have fresh, funny and surprising lines for the actors to say, it definitely raises your script above average. But TV shows are first and foremost about story. Without a good story even the most sparkling dialogue wilts quickly. Story is action: a character with a clear motive in pursuit of a tangible goal, who makes choices and suffers the consequences of those choices until he comes to some kind of a resolve; that’s story.

Jokes are dialogue, and in TV comedy we certainly need to have great jokes throughout, but even the shallowest silly sitcom needs to have a story to hang those jokes on. If the story line and the character motivations are not believable—meaning that they are emotionally real and compelling, the jokes will quickly fall flat and the sound you hear will not be laughter, but the click of the remote.

E.I. What advice would you give to a writer who is pitching a pilot idea to major network? What is the process?

Ellen Sandler: Totally depends on your level of experience. Established writers –ie.writers who have been working on existing shows—will have the opportunity to pitch a pilot idea to a network and get a deal to develop that idea into a script solely based on a pitch.

A young or new (to Hollywood) writer will most likely need to write their pilot on spec for agents, producers and network executives to read before deciding whether or not they are interested in hiring that writer or putting the show on the air.

It used to be impossible to get people in Hollywood to read a spec pilot, but now that’s what everybody wants to read. Variety recently reported that the networks are buying more and more spec pilots rather than incurring the enormously wasteful practice of developing hundreds of scripts which for one reason or another, they never put on the air. This is good news for those who are anxious to break in. When networks are buying, agents are looking.

The best advice I can give on how to create an original spec pilot comes in the form of a day long seminar that I teach every few months in Los Angeles and which I will soon be offering on-line for those writers who live outside of Southern California. Schedules for those seminars and other events will be found on my website http://www.sandlerink.com.

E.I. Few writers have been able to stay on top through the tumultuous times of mainstream television and film. You saw the evolution from Miami Vice to CSI Miami in TV, and from Indiana Jones to Avatar in film. How did you survive and thrive?

Ellen Sandler: Survive and thrive comes from doing the work. Everyday. Lots of writing. Lots of reading of other writers—those much better than you and those maybe not as good as you. You learn from both. Talent plays a part, but craft and discipline are more important. Talent wastes away without craft—you’ve got to learn and practice the skills of the medium. However, craft without discipline will not keep you in the game—you’ve got to write and re-write and re-write again, whether you feel like it or not, whether you are inspired or not. And you’ve got to do it on a regular basis.

E.I. How would you characterize the film & TV industry trends in the 80s… 90s… 00s? Where do you see the medium going in the 2010s?

Ellen Sandler: It’s prudent to be aware of what’s going on in the business, but I think that if you let current trends play too big a part in what you choose to write you will usually find yourself behind the curve. By the time your script is ready the trend is probably waning. And more importantly, you will short circuit the development of your original voice, which is the thing that makes people interested in you as a writer. If you write stories you’re passionate about, while at the same time you respect the general commercial requirements of the television medium; then it’s very possible that someone will like your writing and your voice enough to pay you to write something completely different in their voice.

E.I. Ms Sandler, you have enjoyed a long and successful career as a writer, consultant and educator. In what seems like a flawless path to self-actualization, were there any major mid-course corrections, missteps or judgments you made -- or didn’t make -- that had an impact on where you are today? What is one thing you would change if you can do it all over again?

Ellen Sandler: I have made many mistakes. I’ve been fired, I’ve split with partners, and I’ve been heartbroken when projects were canceled for ridiculous reasons. I’ve worked on good shows with bad people, I’ve worked on bad shows with terrific people, and I’ve learned from all of them. I consider my missteps and my disappointments as much a part of my “success” as the exciting, happy times. Yes, going to the Emmys in a limo (okay, it wasn’t a limo, it was a town car), was fun, but I’ve also had my scripts ripped to pieces by my boss and that was not fun, I assure you. I learned a lot more from that, though. A rewarding and long career is about all of it – learning, growing, evolving, rolling with the punches and facing another challenge every day. In that sense, I don’t think about what I would change if I could do it over, I think about what I can change to do it again.

To learn more about Ellen Sandler, please visit her website

Photo of Ellen Sandler by Christiane Covington

To purchase her book, please visit AMAZON, Barnes and Noble,
The Writers Store and The Drama Book Shop, Inc.

Recent Reads

 

Sometimes Jane Austen got things seriously wrong.  I came across this recently in Mansfield Park:

"If Fanny would be more regular in her exercise, she would not be knocked up so soon."

Hmm.  Quite the opposite.

Have been reading a remarkable book lately: Five Wounds, an illuminated novel by Jonathan Walker and Dan Hallett.  I'm not going to say much more about it right now, because I'll be reviewing it (as well having a chat with Messrs Walker and Hallett) over at The View From Here very soon, but you can find out more about it on Allen & Unwin's website.

10 Journeys

Just released over at the Legend Press website is this 'ere cover design for 10 Journeys - Legend Press' latest anthology of short stories featuring At the Rawlings' Place by yours truly.  The cover matches the style of the previous four anthologies superbly.

10 Journeys is available on the 27th May, but can be pre-ordered directly from Legend Press, Amazon and the other usual suppliers, of course.  Or get it from UK book stores in a couple of weeks time.

LYNN REDGRAVE - AUTHOR, ACTRESS & PLAYWRIGHT: “FAREWELL GEORGY GIRL” March 8, 1943 – May 2, 2010

Lynn Redgrave was a two time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning English actress, playwright born March 8th 1934 in Marylebone, London, England. Marylebone is an affluent, inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster.

She was born into one of the British great acting dynasties. Her parents were critically acclaimed actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.

Her brother was the late English actor and political activist Corin Redgrave. Her sister is the Academy Award-winning English stage actress, screen and television, as well as a political activist Vanessa Redgrave. She is the aunt of the Joely Richardson and the late Tony Award-winning actress, Natasha Richardson.

Lynn Redgrave had been chosen in the 2002 Queen’s New Years Honors List for her services to drama, to be an officer of the Order of the British Empire. OBE is one of the highest honors a civilian in Great Britain can obtain, short of being knighted.

On March 19, 2002, she was accompanied by her three children, to Buckingham Palace for the ceremony of investiture, where Queen Elizabeth presented her the medal.

Lady Redgrave was trained in London's Central School and made her professional debut in a 1962 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Court Theatre.

She was invited to join The National Theatre for its inaugural season at the Old Vic, working with such directors as Laurence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli and Noel Coward in roles such as Rose in The Recruiting Officer, Barblin in Andorra, Jackie in Hay Fever, Kattrin in Mother Courage, Miss Prue in Love for Love, and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing, which kept her very busy. During that time, she appeared in films such as Tom Jones, Girl With Green Eyes and The Deadly Affair.

In 1966 at the age of 23, she appeared in the title role in Georgy Girl, which earned her the New York Film Critics Award, the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

It wasn’t the theater that brought Lady Redgrave fame. It was the film ‘Georgy Girl,” that made her famous. She was billed as ‘the wildest thing to hit the world since the miniskirts’. She had to put on 14 pounds to play the title role: a previous generation’s Bridget Jones in the 60’s.

The film is about a free spirit, ugly duckling pudgy young Londoner surrounded by somewhat pathetic, bizarre characters. Her roommate Maredith treats her carelessly and can’t conceal a soul of a witch, but Georgy basks in her glamour.

Jos, a loveable, overgrown child; who is sometime Maredith’s boyfriend, who beds her beauty but seems to prefer Georgy’s company. In the movie, her father is a servant to a married middle-aged rich lonely employer who wants Georgy as his mistress. The movie "Georgy Girl" is a fascinating film, with terrific performances and vivid sense of London in the sixties.

On April 2, 1967, Lynn Redgrave lives have changed. She married British actor and director John Clark. They had three children, Benjamin born 1968, actress Pema on All My Children, born 1970, and Annabel Lucy Clark, born 1981, an author and professional photographer in Manhattan.

In 1967, she made her Broadway debut, and performed in several stage productions in New York while making frequent returns to London's West End.

Lynn Redgrave received Oscar nominations for her 1966 star-making turn in "Georgy Girl." She was also awarded the 1976 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Guest Artist for her performance in the play, "Misalliance" at the Academy Festival Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

She received Tony nominations for "Mrs. Warren's Profession," "The Constant Wife," and "Shakespeare for My Father" in 1993, for her performance in her one-woman show about her relationship with her father, Michael Redgrave.

She became well known in the United States after appearing in the 1979 -1982 CBS television series House Calls, for which she received an Emmy nomination.

She performed with her sister Vanessa in Three Sisters in London, and in the title role in a television production of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? in 1991. She made a return to films in the late 1990s in films such as Shine in 1996 and Gods and Monsters in 1998, for which she received another Academy Award nomination.

She played "Final Interview Subject" in Kinsey 2004 as well as "The Queen" In 2004, she also won the Barrymore Award honoring Philadelphia Theater for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play for "Collected Stories." In 2005, she was nominated for the Tony Award in New York City for Actress in a Drama for "The Constant Wife". She also played “Queen Elizabeth I” in The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama in Summer of 2006 in Manteo, NC.

In recent years, she made appearances in the TV shows Ugly Betty, Law & Order and Desperate Housewives.

After her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, she wrote "Journal: A Mother and Daughter's Recovery from Breast Cancer" with her daughter, Annabel Clark, and Barron Lerner.

Lady Redgrave, was divorced from actor-director John Clark in December 2000. She is survived by her sister, her children and six grandchildren.

AUTHOR OF THE WEEK: Jeff Lindsay - Responsible for penning the Emmy & Golden Globe Award-winning most watch bone-chilling TV series Dexter.

Jeff Lindsay is actually the nom de plume of Jeffry P. Freundlich, born in July 14, 1952. He graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1975. He is a playwright and crime novelist. He is responsible for penning the bone-chilling novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which later spawned the simply-titled, gruesome television series, Dexter.

Mr. Lindsay has already released three spin-off books, Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter in The Dark and Dexter by Design, to complement the first installment of this dark and murderous tale. As well as the Dexter books, Jeff Lindsay is also the author of two non-fiction books; Hunting With Hemingway, which he wrote with his wife, and Tropical Depression. Some of his plays have been performed on stage in New York and London.

The series Dexter is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning television drama series that airs on Showtime. The show is set in Miami, it was adapted for television by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter James Manos, Jr., who wrote the pilot episode. Dexter is the most-watched original series episode ever on Showtime. It broke records for all of Showtime's original series and it was their highest rated telecast in over a decade.

The series blends drama, horror and black comedy as it follows the day-to-day events in the life of Dexter Morgan a corrupt forensic expert blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, who also happens to be a serial killer.

Dexter was taught by his adoptive father, Harry, only to kill those "who deserve it"; mainly, other killers who have managed to cheat or escaped the legal system or were never suspected in the first place. The series shows him balancing an everyday life with his secret identity, all while keeping up a facade of normalcy to quench his demanding thirst for blood.

The first time you see the Dexter’s opening title sequence which features an extended montage where ordinary day-to-day events such as shaving, flossing, dressing, preparing breakfast and eating are used visually to evoke Dexter's sinister nature, it tells you everything you need to know about the character.

Jeff Lindsay, is also a broadcaster, musician lives in Cape Coral, Florida with his family. His wife Hilary Hemingway is the niece of the late Nobel Price-winning author, Ernest Hemingway.

Jeff Lindsay's photo by Hilary Hemingway

To purchase his books, please visit AMAZON and Barnes & Noble

INTERVIEW: Catherine Fisher - New York Times Bestseller And Award-Winning Welsh Children’s Fantasy Author of “Incarceron”

Welcome to “Up Close and Personal.” For every interview I will be introducing a literary personality discussing their views and insights, as well as upcoming literary events around the world.

Today’s interview is with Catherine Fisher. She was born in Newport Wales and graduated from the University of Wales in 1980. She has worked in teaching archaeology, lecturing creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She writes full–time specializing in myth and history.

She began her career writing poetry. Her poetry has appeared in leading magazines, newspapers, anthologies, and she has published numerous award-winning novels.
Catherine Fisher is well known for her fantasy novels for children such as The Snow-Walker and Oracle trilogies, and her award-winning poetry collections since the late 1980s.

She won the 'Welsh Arts Council Young Writers' Prize for her volume of poetry Immrama in 1989 and the Cardiff International Poetry Competition. Another award in 1990 to her initial novel, “The Conjuror’s Game”, and was shortlisted for the Smartties Book Prize. Her novel, “The Snow-Walker’s Son” made the shortlist for WH Smith Award in 1993.

In 1995 Ms. Fisher won another award Tir na n'Og Prize for "The Candleman” and was shortlisted for the “Whitebread Children’s” Book Award for the Oracle in 2003. She was involved with BBC Wales History project “Celtic Myths” and wrote the story of “Becoming Merlin” in autumn of 2009.

Her latest novel “Incarceron” is about the two main characters, Finn and Claudia, who are both searching for a means of escape, are very different characters in two parts of a stagnated future world.

She, the Warden's pampered daughter, is trapped in her own form of prison which is a futuristic world constructed to look like a past era. She is about to be married off to a playboy prince for her father's benefit.

He, a young prisoner is an amnesiac boy in the Scum gang, plagued by seizures that give him prophetic visions of an earlier life.

“Incarceron” is a futuristic prison, sealed from view with a mix of high technology. It is everything a fantasy novel should be: exciting, scary, thought-provoking, and imaginative. It's poetically written by Ms. Fisher, well characterized and beautifully paced.

E.I. Would you share some early self-reflection to give us a sense of who you were as a teenager? What were you like? Give your readers three “Good to Know” facts about your first job experience, the inspiration for your writing career, any fun details or anecdotes that would enliven your page. Also tell us about Catherine Fisher today -- the woman behind the bestselling author of more than fourteen fantasy novels.

Catherine Fisher: I was the sort of teenager who is always reading or out walking in the courtyard. I had a feeling I would be a writer but didn’t really know, so I studied English. I had a selection of jobs after college, including working on an archeological dig and as a lab technician. But I was always writing poems and stories and gradually I began to try and get them published.

E.I. What is it about the art form of writing fantasy novels for young adults and children that enchants you, and gives you the enduring passion to continue in such a demanding profession?

Catherine Fisher: My favourite writers were often experts at fantasy. I loved Alan Garner’s novels, especially The Owl Service which is based on Welsh myth, and also Tolkien and Ursula Le Guin, and my fellow countryman Arthur Machen, a genius of terror. So when I began to write, magic and strange things came into the books at once. I feel this genre gives me far more scope to explore people and nature and indeed the supernatural than any other.

E.I. Please tell your young readers about your novel “Incarceron.” What was it that sparked your imagination? What were your favorite aspects about this book?

Catherine Fisher: INCARCERON was sparked by several things - an exhibition of prints by Piranesi called Imaginary Prisons, showing huge and strange buildings where the prisoners were tiny and remote. Also a conversation with someone, and literary sources like Ghormenghast and others. All these things came together and started the book. My favourite aspects were creating the two different worlds - one sunny, open, luxurious, the other dark, enclosed, savage- and the relationships between characters, like Claudia and her father, or Finn and Keiro.

E.I. How do you weave so much suspense and elements of information while writing and creating the characters Claudia and Finn and yet you keep them so fast-paced? Did you work them out in advance, or did they evolve as you wrote the story?

Catherine Fisher: Not much is worked out in advance. I tend to work things out as I go, and then I can’t give information away by accident. The only thing I really knew from the very start was the dimensions and whereabouts of the Prison- if you’ve read the book you know what I mean. Everything else evolved. I try to keep the action fast and drop information in discreetly. The chapter heading quotes area great help with this.

E.I. You've created a cast of characters: Giles, Earl Casper, Sapient Gilda, Attia and Keiro so remarkably captivating that your readers definitely clamor for more; how did you decide what level of details your readers will accept? How does your creative process work?

Catherine Fisher: I wanted a disparate group of characters, so that people will be able to identify with at least one. I became interested in several of the characters: Jared in particular grew in importance as the story went on. The Warden was fascinating to write, and Keiro was great fun, as he’s fairly uncomplicated. Finn is a troubled character and he was interesting, as was Claudia. I also had fun with the secondary characters like Gildas and Rix, who you’ll meet in SAPPHIQUE.

E.I. If you were asked to read a chapter from “Incarceron.” is there one that you would personally select to share with your fans? And why?

Catherine Fisher: I often have to read from INCARCERON at schools and so on. I usually choose the part where Claudia breaks into her father’s study. But I think my favourite chapter is 29.

E.I. If you were allowed total control of the Hollywood version of “Incarceron” who would be in it? And in your opinion who do you think should direct?

Catherine Fisher: I don’t know much about Hollywood actors so I don’t have a clue. There’s a British actor called “Charles Dance” who would do the Warden very well.

E.I. Ms. Fisher, how many years of research did you do pertaining to create a 17th century manor house and include a totally different world run by computers? How did you overcome these challenges?

Catherine Fisher: I don’t do research really. I just read a lot- history, archeology- and I invent. These are invented worlds and don’t have to be perfectly correct. And I went to school in a 17th century manor house so I know what that’s like.

E.I. And, finally, could you give us a sneak peek about your upcoming book, “Sapphique? What was it that sparked your imagination about this new novel?

Catherine Fisher: SAPPHIQUE leads directly on from INCARCERON. Finn is finding life at Court difficult, he’s worried about Keiro and Claudia is afraid for her father. In the Prison, Keiro and Attia find a magic glove said once to belong to Sapphique- Keiro thinks it will get him out. But the Prison has its own plan. And then the real Giles turns up.....

E.I. Ms. Fisher, Thank you for contributing to my blog. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know your work a little better. Would you like to end your interview with a writing tip or advice for young aspiring writers all over the world?

Catherine Fisher:
My writing tips are simple:
Read
Write about what you like.
Believe in yourself
Read your work aloud
Keep things moving
Get inside every character

To learn more about Catherine Fisher, please visit her website
To purchase her books, please visit AMAZON and Barnes & Nobles

Book trailer for The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore

I'm blown away by this amazing book trailer that Jen Persson (The View From Here and formerly aka The Amateur Book Blogger) has created.  Thanks, Jen.  All other words are redundant.  Gob-smacked.