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Join me for a fun chat with Libby Malin, author of the book Fire Me. And stick around for my review.

Can you tell us a little about the origins of Fire Me? How did you come up with the concept of the book?

I was talking with a dear friend one day, who was very conflicted about whether to stay at her job or chart a new direction. I joked that she could end her torment by just goofing up a lot, forcing her boss to make the decision for her. That planted the seed in my mind for the book—I wondered what sorts of things someone would do if they wanted to be laid off or fired. From there, I had to come up with the reason for the quest for the lay-off. Ideas sort of snowballed after that.

Anne Wyatt is a unique character. Is she based on anyone in particular? Do you share any traits with her? Wish you did?

Anne’s physicality—color of hair, stature, physique—all just came to me. I pictured her as somewhat pixie-ish, since she is doing this very mischievous thing. I have a mischievous side, and I did start out in the arts, wondering what I’d do with myself, but I think that’s about it for similarities. She’s definitely a work of fiction!

If you ever found yourself in a situation like Anne does in the book, would you handle it the same way or differently?

Wow—what fun it would be to try to get the pink slip, if you knew you had another nice job lined up and nothing you did would really damage you in any way! I don’t know if I would have Anne’s courage. That’s one of the reasons I set the book in one twenty-four hour period, though—because I figured most folks would reconsider such a strategy if given the time. I didn’t want her to have time to overthink it.

Although Fire Me was published by a press with more name recognition, I know you have also been published by a smaller press. Can you tell us a little about that?

I’m so glad you asked this question. Yes, my YAs are published by a small press (and the first two were reprinted in paperback by Dorchester). I’ve come to appreciate and really love the small press world. No, you won’t get your books in bookstores as easily. But a good small press can a) get you reviewed; b) help you build readership, and c) demonstrate that you are “publishable,” as you continue to try for bigger contracts. Small presses are often willing to take on things that don’t fit neatly into a genre or niche. They’re less rigid, which is great. The small press that published my YAs, Bancroft Press, has been extremely supportive of me. I strongly encourage writers to look into small presses for publication, and not to limit themselves to the world of the Big Houses.

You also write for young adults. Is it any different writing for two diverse age groups?

Young adult literature these days can include just about anything. But I keep in mind that YA is read by a lot of preteens and tweens, while teens are reading adult literature. So I keep my YA books very clean and suitable for that younger audience. I want kids who read my YAs to enjoy reading them, and, even if the subject matter is serious, as it is in my historical YA, come away from the reading feeling hopeful.

What do you think of crossover fiction? What does it take to appeal to teens and adults?

Another great question. As I said, I think a lot of teens read adult fiction, books like Water for Elephants, The Secret Life of Bees, The Other Boleyn Girl. I’m not sure what makes adults read YA, but some books, like the Harry Potter series and TWILIGHT and its predecessors, have strong stories and characters that interest people of all ages. They defy classification.

Anyone who reads Fire Me will be eagerly awaiting your next book. What are you working on now? Any chance of more stories from Anne and Ken? (Please say yes!)

Aww…that touches me. I’ve been so happy to hear from readers who want to know more about Anne and Ken. That’s one of the reasons why I wrote an extra chapter that folks can email me for when they’re finished the book—I wanted to continue the story beyond that twenty-four-hour period in the book itself. I don’t have any plans for Anne and Ken right now, but here’s a quick round-up of future projects:

a) My next book, due out next year, will be about a soap opera writer who uses the show to work out her personal problems. She’ll be dealing with a lot of them, too, including deciding between two men who are smitten with her, one much older, and one a heartthrob on the show. That book is called My Life as a Soap Opera and I’m very fond of its protagonist, Frankie McNally, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who makes it big, but is always doubting herself.

b) While I work on that, I’m playing with another romantic comedy where the main characters are a college professor (the guy) and a car dealership owner (the girl). The college prof goes back to his hometown for his cousin’s wedding, gets drunk at the bachelor party and accepts a dare to stand up and object to the wedding. He does so….in the wrong church. But the bride doesn’t care—she wants out and leaves the altar to run off with the prof. The working title is Wrong Place, Right Time.

c) And finally, in a more serious vein, I have a historical coming out next year. It’s set in old Hollywood, about a chauffeur and the starlet he works for, and is inspired by Jane Eyre. Titled Sloane Hall, this book was written under my married name, Libby Sternberg, which I use for YA, because I’m hoping for crossover appeal.

Some authors start out with a plot in mind, others with characters whom they’ll follow to reveal the theme. What works best for you and why?

I think I usually start with a “what if” premise. What if someone tried to get fired? What if a head writer used her show to right what was wrong in her personal life? What if someone stopped a wedding on a dare and it turned out to be the wrong wedding? What if the genders in Jane Eyre were reversed? Then I start world-building, shaping characters, thinking through their backstory. Sometimes I jot down bullet points, but I don’t outline before I start writing. Once I have the “what if” idea, though, the characters really drive the story.

Where did you receive your most valuable lessons in becoming a writer?

There are so many lessons one learns along the way. I became a much more analytical reader when I decided to write fiction, trying to pinpoint why a book worked for me, what triggered my sympathy, what made me want to keep turning pages. I also had a terrific critique partner at one point. And my agent, Holly Root, has been wonderful with her advice on changing this or that.

When I first started writing fiction, I learned a great deal from writing contests and a conference I attended, all of them through RWA chapters. Before I was published, I entered a bunch of RWA chapter contests, finaling in one, winning Honorable Mention in another, and getting lots of feedback from the ones where I lost. Sometimes the feedback was way off base (like the time one judge circled every “was” and wrote “passive voice” in the margin!), but those contests were invaluable in letting me see how complete strangers viewed my writing. I also attended the New Jersey RWA chapter conference one fall, and it was extremely useful and a real morale-booster. I highly recommend that conference—it’s big enough to offer many great workshops and editor and agent appointments, but it’s small enough to be manageable. One of the workshops was taught by a writing instructor, I think, and she really helped me see how showing could be more effective than telling. Rather than say “Nancy was afraid,” in other words, tell the reader precisely what Nancy is going through—“Nancy’s hands trembled,” for example. My friends and family have been very helpful, too, patiently reading manuscripts and offering feedback.

Beyond writing lessons, I also gained a lot of knowledge about the book business from books on publishing and RWA and various writer email groups.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Just that I’m so very, very happy to be a working writer. It’s something I always wanted to do but didn’t pursue until about ten years ago. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d keep writing. I am very appreciative of readers who tell me they like my books, and I hope I don’t disappoint them. If anyone would like to know more about me and my work, they can visit my website at http://www.LibbysBooks.com

Fire Me, My Review

If you like romantic comedies in the vein of The Devil Wears Prada and Bridget Jones’ Diary, then you are going to love Fire Me by Libby Malin. This is the depiction of twenty-four hours in the life of Anne Wyatt who, unable to tell her boss that she accepted a better job in another city, jumps at the chance to get herself fired when her boss announces his plans to lay someone off by the end of the work day. What follows is a fast-paced, witty, sometimes poignant dance of intentional incompetence by Anne, complicated by her own ambiguous feelings toward her boss, her co-workers, and even herself. If only her cubicle neighbor Ken didn’t take it upon himself to “help” her by fixing her bungled tasks.

This was one of those rare books that grabbed me with the title and sucked me in with the first few paragraphs. Anne Wyatt is the type of heroine that anyone who works in an office for an unappreciative boss can identify with. She always puts in the extra time, goes the extra mile for her job - even when she decides to leave it. She doesn’t do anything half-way. She is full of life and vibrant, even in her low moments, and you can’t help but to root for her. Some of her actions are so over-the-top that I laughed outright and shook my head, and thought, “Go, Anne.” I wanted her to succeed, even though it’s the exact opposite of what we are conditioned to want. Nobody really wants to get fired, right? And Ken, what can I say about Ken? The perfect foil for Anne, so sweet and steadfast and noble. Doing what he thought was right, protecting the woman he cared for. Who wouldn’t want that in a partner?

This book reminded me of those wonderful comedies from the thirties and the forties with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn and the like. I think it would make a fun, entertaining movie as I could picture all of Anne’s antics so clear in my mind as I read it. Until then, I am left with the book and the hope that Ms. Malin will revisit these characters in the future. They are the type that will stay with you long after the last page is read, like dear friends. So, if you’re looking for a fun, yet engrossing read to take along to the beach this summer, why not try Fire Me?