PopSyndicate.com

Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair as we take a few moments to chat with Marilyn Brant about her new book, According to Jane.

Can you tell us a little about your book?

Sure! According to Jane is the story of a modern woman named Ellie who gets dating advice from the ghost of Jane Austen. It begins one day in her high-school English class, just as Ellie’s teacher is assigning Pride & Prejudice. From nowhere, she hears a quiet “tsk” of disapproval aimed at the antics of the cute bad boy who has been teasing her. The author’s ghost takes it upon herself to stay in Ellie’s mind, offering up her own brand of Regency-era wisdom in regards to romance. Years and boyfriends come and go, but Ellie has a lot to learn about love. And, possibly, even Jane may benefit from a new insight or two.

How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I’m definitely more driven by character, but I think a good set of characters leads to situations that can be shaped into an interesting plot. For According to Jane, I started with a “What If?” premise: What if a young woman had Jane Austen’s ghost giving her dating advice? How would Jane instruct her? Would she listen? What might go awry? And what if Jane were wrong about someone? Would the young woman have the courage to follow her heart against the voice of wisdom?

What was the most fun scene in your book to write?

One scene I had a lot of fun with was the bar scene in the first chapter where my main character runs into her ex-high-school boyfriend for the first time in four years. It was a situation I had never experienced personally, but I could imagine the comical possibilities so clearly and feel the frustration of my heroine as if I’d been the one standing there, facing the jerk and his latest girlfriend, while Jane Austen ranted about how “insufferable” he was.

Who are your favorite musical artists? Did you use any musical references in your novel? If so, do they play a significant role?

Oh, yes! I use an ‘80s soundtrack through the entire novel and songs of that era play a pretty significant role in the story. “True” by Spandau Ballet, “Make Me Lose Control” by Eric Carmen, “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner and “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi are four of the biggies, but there are so many…  I think high school is always a time in a person’s life where the music is especially memorable. What’s on the radio when we’re teens becomes the soundtrack of our youth, so the lyrics of those popular songs tend to take on heightened meaning and get all wrapped up with our burgeoning adulthood. The result of this combination can be delightfully melodramatic. ‘80s music aside, I love the songwriting of Rob Thomas/Matchbox 20, Coldplay, Rascal Flatts, the Goo Goo Dolls, Keith Urban, Eagles and post-Eagles Don Henley, Jackson Browne and just about anything Andrew Lloyd Webber composes.

When did you first begin writing?

I wrote songs and poems and little stories in elementary school, but sixth grade was when the notion of writing professionally first occurred to me. But, aside from being on the newspaper and yearbook staff in high school, I didn’t take writing seriously until I was about 30. After that, I started writing parenting and educational essays and articles for magazine and then finally took the plunge into fiction. It’s been nine years since I began writing my first novel (which was dreadful and will never be published!). According to Jane is the 5th full manuscript I wrote.

What tips would you offer to aspiring writers?

I’d say the best advice I could offer is to really understand WHY you write. This is a personal thing, of course, and it’s rare that two writers in a room would share the exact same reason, but what’s YOUR draw? Crafting characters? Plotting something dramatic/suspenseful/funny/heartwarming? The possibility of fame, fortune and lengthy book tours? What brings you back to your notebook or your computer screen, even without a contract nudging you? Remember and cherish that.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Listening to and playing music, traveling, spending time with my husband, son and our extended family, having long conversations with friends over coffee, watching old movies and reading late at night.

Describe how you got your first book deal.

According to Jane had won the 2007 Golden Heart Award for “Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements,” but the chronological story structure had thrown off a few editors because they weren’t sure how to market the book—as YA or women’s fiction. I restructured the novel to make it clear that it was women’s fiction, and my agent submitted it to John Scognamiglio at Kensington in April of 2008. He read it and made us a 2-book offer 12 days later. I will always adore him for that (!!) but, also, he’s proven to be an excellent editor.

Is your main character very much like you?

Ellie is…kind of like me. She and I share a certain introspection and we each had a tendency toward perfectionism in school, plus, we were both children of ‘80s pop culture. However, I have only one sibling—an incredibly supportive and wonderful brother—so a lot of Ellie’s family issues were not drawn from real-life at all. As for dating, while I’ll admit to having made a lamentable boyfriend choice or two, I met my husband right out of college and was happily married pretty young. So, Ellie’s painful relationship problems were (thankfully) extrapolated from things I observed or they were exaggerated from some real events and grafted to modernized versions of scenes I found fascinating in Austen’s novels.

What’s the very best line of the very best review you’ve gotten? So far, of course.

I’ve gotten some very nice “official” reviews, but my favorite line was from an informal review by a reader. She’d won an advanced copy of the book in a contest, read the novel in one day and spontaneously emailed me, saying, “…once in a blue moon, a book grips me and makes me fall in love with fiction again. Thank you. A very grateful reader.”  Who wouldn’t love that?
Have you found that as you’ve developed your writing and storytelling skills, you watch movies or read books ‘differently?’ (i.e., like paying more attention to dialogue, plot structure, and character development than you used to, etc.)

Sure. I think this is a natural result of studying any craft deeply. I remember reading the book Ice Castles as a kid, not long after the movie came out, and there was this one scene where the teen ice skater was trying to recapture her feeling of freedom on the ice. She used to skate with her eyes closed, just dancing across the frozen pond. But, after her strict training, she’d forgotten how to skate naturally. Though she was now blind, she could no longer just close her eyes and skate. She was too aware of her posture and her positioning; she couldn’t forget her lessons… I’ve felt that way about all aspects of storytelling. When I reread books I used to enjoy, I find myself pointing out flaws in the structure, noting sloppy characterizations or being annoyed by certain writer tics that I’d simply skimmed over before back when I used to be able to read just for “story.” On the one hand, that’s a loss. I was able to LOVE a lot more books back then! On the other hand, these craft skills were hard won, and the awareness they’ve given me is necessary if I want my writing to keep improving.

What is the most interesting thing that’s happened to you since becoming a published author?

I’m still pretty new at the published-author gig (this is a debut novel, after all!), but I did have an interesting thing happen over the summer. I really like this new Starbucks product—it’s an instant coffee called VIA™ Ready Brew—so I gave some away on my blog, along with advanced reading copies of my book. Well, a rep from Starbucks contacted me! He was pleased I liked the coffee and wondered if I wanted more for future giveaways. I said, “Oh, definitely!” And, between a Jane Austen conference, an RWA conference and a taste test I held for fun on my blog, I ended up giving away about 1,000 VIA™ packets! It was an exciting event for me, and I heard from a lot of people who visited that they enjoyed taking part and, also, really liked the coffee.

What’s one thing no one knows about you?

That I am always watching them—LOL J. That I can’t turn off the writer thing and am, at all times, collecting the quirky habits and mannerisms of the people around me. Now they know this, of course, and will be more careful…

What got you writing in the genre in which you write?

I love *reading* women’s fiction stories—both dramatic and humorous. They were not only what got me into the genre I’m working in, but they were what inspired me to be a writer in the first place. Aside from a lifelong love of Austen, I really enjoyed the domestic dramas of Sue Miller, Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg, as well as the lighter touch of Pamela Redmond Satran, Jennifer Crusie and Jane Porter. I wanted to find a way to merge the relationship themes explored in my favorite novels with my own writing style.

Favorite thing about being a writer?

Getting to do something creative every single day. Truly, that’s been such a gift. Even when the plotting of a scene is giving me fits or the synopsis doesn’t seem to make sense at all…I love knowing that I have a place to play with these characters and storylines. My hope is that by writing about women’s dreams and experiences as honestly as possible, I might get closer to helping readers recognize truths about their own lives. It was this sense of “recognition” that my favorite novelists gave to me.

Least favorite thing about being a writer?

SO much time at the computer! I’m a terrible sloucher. I’m forever having to remind myself to correct my posture so I don’t end up with a sore back and neck.

What’s next for you?

I’m getting to promote my debut novel According to Jane—the last leg of a very long publishing journey—while also starting the process all over again for my next women’s fiction project. The book is done, but we’re still working on finding the right title. It’s a modern fairytale about three suburban moms who shake up their marriages and their lives when one woman asks her friends a somewhat shocking question. That book comes out in October 2010.

Thank you for joining us today, Marilyn, I really enjoyed your interview! If you would like to learn more about Marilyn, her book, or her writing, here are some links of interest:

My Review: http://www.popsyndicate.com/books/story/the_book_chatter_review_of_according_to_jane_by_marilyn_brant

Marilyn’s website: http://www.marilynbrant.com/

Marilyn’s blog: http://marilynbrant.blogspot.com/

Where to buy: http://www.amazon.com/According-Jane-Marilyn-Brant/dp/0758234619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238387155&sr=1-1