“We write to taste life twice, in the moment, in retrospection.” ~Anais Nin

Amanda’s Fast Facts

Favorite Books: Lovers & Gamblers, Lucky, Rock Star, American Star and Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins; Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert; Shogun by James Clavell; Aspen Gold by Janet Dailey; Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell; Wifey and Summer Sisters by Judy Blume; Midwives by Chris Bohjalian; Twins by Katherine Stone; Wanderlust and Family Album by Danielle Steel

Favorite Songs: Sara, Mystified and Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac; Everywhere, Amado Mio and Aspettami by Pink Martini; both versions of It’s My Life, Talk Talk and No Doubt; Roseblood by Mazzy Star; LA Woman and The End by the Doors; Can’t Find My Way Home by Blind Faith; Somethin’ Stupid by Frank Sinatra; Bobby Caldwell’s version of Tomorrow and You Go to My Head; Marlena Shaw’s California Soul; Take Me Home and Mixed-Up World by Sophie Ellis-Bextor; Astrid Gilberto’s So Nice; Sixpence None the Richer’s Don’t Dream It’s Over; More, More, More by the Andrea True Connection and about a thousand others

Items I Can’t Live Without: Lip balm, iPod, beer, mascara, pajama bottoms

Favorite Drinks: Sam Adams Summer Ale and Winter Lager, Bud Light, Ketel One dirty martinis and A&W Diet Root Beer

Favorite Cities: Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Ventura, New Orleans, Paris, Cannes

Where I Would Go in a Heartbeat: Rio de Janeiro

Favorite Time of Day: Sunset

Favorite Movies: I couldn’t possibly list them all but Grease 2, Basic Instinct, Adventures in Babysitting, Working Girl and Raiders of the Lost Ark are among them

My Idol: Jackie Collins

Best Writing Advice: Do it because you love it, develop your own style, do your research and never be afraid to say what you want to say

Favorite Sports: Figure Skating and Mixed Martial Arts

Most Annoying: Bad (dangerous, self-involved and dumbshit) drivers

Most Meaningful Writing Moment (So Far): Phone call to tell me Love Like That was getting published

Q&A with Amanda

When did you first start writing?

I wrote my first book when I was six years old. It was called The Missing Kitten.

When did you know you really wanted to be a writer?

From the time that I was about 11. I thought most of the books I was reading for my age group were leaving so many important things out and that really bothered me. The girls in The Baby-Sitters Club were so goody-goody! In reality, adolescence is smutty–or at least, it was for me! My friends and I were already using swear words and reading our older sisters’ dirty teen novels by the time we were in sixth grade–and most of us were familiar with at least one soap opera. In college I took a break from thinking I should be a writer because I figured there were more lucrative, more important careers–you know, like businesswoman. Then two things happened: I took a creative writing class and my professor told me I was one of his best writers; and one night I printed out a teen novel I’d been working on only to come home later and find my roommates had found it, begun reading it and skipped a party just to stay home and finish it. You have to understand–skipping a party at my college was very rare!

Was Love Like That the first book you ever wrote for publication?

Far from it, actually. I just thought at the time, it was the one most appropriate for the current state of female-oriented literature. When I first got my agent for Love Like That, “chick-lit” was comprised of basically any commercial book written by a female author, and a lot of those books were pretty edgy. I remember reading Going Down by Jennifer Belle and Run Catch Kiss by Amy Sohn and thinking vulgarity was in. Let’s face it, too: Bridget Jones, the archetypal heroine of chick-lit, wasn’t so pure herself.

So then what?

Chick-lit was evolving into a sweeter, fluffier kind of literary offering. Nice, sympathetic and somewhat dopier heroines were all the rage. It took my agent two years to sell Love Like That because all the editors were saying it was too harsh. Maybe so…but I still tend to think that if I had written it in the late 90s, it would have been picked up a lot sooner.

Why haven’t you had another book published since Love Like That (in 2005)?

I was originally contracted to have second book published by Red Dress Ink in August of 2006, but that didn’t end up happening. My editor left and her replacement didn’t like my writing style, so my contract was cancelled. After that I kind of went through a period of disillusionment and insecurity because it’s one thing to be rejected by a group of unknown members of the publishing industry and quite another to be rejected by your own publishing house. It was like being kicked out of my own family. Now I realize that it probably just wasn’t a very good fit. I’m not knocking chick-lit or its fans, either–I just think Love Like That probably should have never been published under the banner of chick-lit, especially romantic chick-lit. Love Like that wasn’t really a romance.

What’s your current status?

I’ve recently completed a new book and plan to send out agent queries in January, after the holidays. I won’t give away the title because I’m really proud of it–but I will say it’s a book that makes fun of our modern view of celebrities and how they are portrayed by the media.

What do you most hope readers will get out of your books?

Well, I want to entertain them, first and foremost. I want them to laugh! I’d also like my readers to experience a life they might have never lived, or likely never will live. I know it’s common for people to want to read about themselves and be able to relate, so I always try to put some common elements into what I’m writing–but what about just getting away from your own existence for a while? Jackie Collins has always been one of my foremost influences and I get mad when people say her books are trash. They might be trashy, but they’re exciting that way. She writes wealth and glamour–things I’d like to have, things I like to read about when I need an escape from the humdrum of everyday life. It’s outrageous! I don’t want to read about my own life all the time because I’m living my own life all the time! I would hope most readers feel the same way. Really, I just hope my readers enjoy my books. If it’s because they were able to relate to the characters or situations, great. If it’s because they were able to lose themselves in something totally different than what they know–hey, that’s great, too. I especially love it when someone says they were cracking up at a certain scene. I probably was, too!

Do you have a job other than writing?

I work in public relations every day of the week. Writing is still a “side job” for me.

What are your writing habits?

If I’m working on a book, I start writing as soon as I get home from work at night and then usually stop around midnight or one a.m. Saturdays are the best because I get up early and write all day. I always write at my desk or if I’m at someone else’s house, like my parents’ or my boyfriend’s, I pick a spot where I feel most comfortable. I never go to Starbucks or any public place to write, I think that would be way too distracting. I’m pretty compulsive when I write–if I’m in the middle of something that really has my attention, I want to work on it every second of the day and feel cheated and desperate when I’m away from it. I’m a perfectionist. I don’t consider a novel finished until I’m at least 95 percent satisfied with it. I’m usually not.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I always listen to music when I’m writing. What kind of music, depends on the book or the scene. Mostly I just put my iTunes on shuffle and take it from there.

How do you come up with your characters?

Some of them are based on the characteristics of people I know or have known, some of them are just original people I like to imagine. They kind of start to define themselves as I go. The ones I love writing most are the totally outrageous characters–like Electra in Love Like That. She was such a bitch–but that’s what I loved about her! I never had to worry about any of her ethical dilemmas or personal conflicts because she didn’t have any. It’s always fun to write a character you can really go balls out with.

Do you do outlines?

Never, and I never have. I’ve tried, many times–but my thought process just doesn’t work that way. Besides–I like my characters to take me on a journey. I don’t want to know what happens to them before they even get there. I usually have a general idea of what a book will be about, but that’s it. I start writing at page one and don’t finish until the last sentence. I like to surprise myself with how a book ends!

What are you working on now?

I’m revising my new novel so I can send it out in January. It’s a satire of celebrity culture and our obsession with it, seen from the celebrities’ point of view. There are some of the most winning characters I’ve ever written in this book. I can’t wait to introduce them to the world. This isn’t a “dreams do come true” Cinderella kind of story about fame. Instead it exposes the reader to the glamour and the grit, the price of having everything, the whole spectrum of the celebrity world from those who have it to those who don’t, but desperately want it to a fault. Both humor and humanity exist in this book, both the reality and the surreality. Stand in line at any checkout counter at any supermarket and just listen to what people are discussing. “Did you hear about Britney?” We talk about these people like they’re our close, personal friends. And they kind of are–which is the whole basis of my new novel. Celebrities belong to the public. We can’t get enough of them, and their lives, even when we shame ourselves for being so interested, so enthralled.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write from experience, write from the heart and soul, write because it’s something you love to do! Don’t try to get into it because you think it’s going to make you rich. Don’t be afraid to develop your own style–someone out there will love it, no matter how long it takes for you to find them! Learn the politics of the publishing industry, but don’t obsess over the statistics. Getting published is difficult, but with perseverance, it does happen.