-We’re so incredibly excited to have you here for an interview, Barbara. Thank you for joining us, today. Over your lifetime, you’ve published a
number of books. Is there any one work which you are most proud of?
Barbara: I’m
probably most proud of a novel I wrote years ago called Close to Home. It was the
moment where everything I wanted to say dovetailed with the editor I needed at
the time to support it. Second to that,
I am incredibly proud of a book I did with this same editor at a different
publishing house (Algonquin) called The
Music Teacher. It was a book about
music and physics and all the worlds I cared most about came together in that
book. My latest novel, Charisma, is something I’m also quite
proud of. But I published that book in
an entirely different business model.
That said, I worked with a brilliant editor and am really proud of the
result. I’ll take a moment here to talk
about how important a great editor is to a writer. A great editor doesn’t, actually, edit but
instead guides conceptually and offers a big picture view. I have been quite lucky with my editors.
-Are you currently working on any new
novels and when might we expect to see those hit shelves?
Barbara: I am
not currently working on a novel. My entire backlist has recently been published
on Amazon so it’s like being published for the first time. If you’re curious about me, want to know
about my books? Go on Amazon. It’s all there. I’m not saying I’ll never write a book again
but until the public catches up to what I’ve already done, I don’t feel the
need to write another book.
-Most of our readers are aspiring
authors, many in the midst of developing their first manuscript (me included).
Considering the huge amount of success that you’ve had, what advice can you
give to those of us who are just starting out and learning to navigate the publishing
world?
Barbara: The
publishing world is an ever changing one.
In keeping with my character, I never have advice about how to get
published or how to succeed. I have tons
of advice about how to be a better writer.
Sadly, very few aspiring writers ever ask me about that. I give lectures often and at the top of the
event I say, “I have almost no advice for you about how to succeed as a
writer. I have tons of advice for you
about how to be a better writer.” Sadly.
aspiring writers almost never offer such questions. This clues me in that aspiring writers don’t
want t learn about writing, they just want to learn about how to be perceived
as great writers. I have less than no
time to teach about that. In fact, I
have no wisdom to offer about that. If you want to be a better writer, I’ll sit
at your knee and lecture you. If you
want to know about how to be perceived that way, I have tons of time consuming
hobbies to get to.
-In addition to writing books, you are
also a successful musician and a 4-time Emmy-nominated writer & producer (Joan of Arcadia, Judging Amy, Homeland). How can you possibly manage to juggle
all of these aspects of your life? Do you have room for anything else?
Barbara: I
juggle it all because I want to. I have
things I want to do and so I guess the best answer to this question is that I
understand time management. If you have a
billion things you want to do, then you have to cut out some time sucks. If you have lots of things to say, stop
staying them for free on Facebook and blogs.
If you really value your POV, stop giving it away. The time you use going to parties or just
generally hanging out is time you could use getting your work done. I don’t like parties. The time I’ve saved not going to parties has
added up to time I’ve used getting work done.
If you like parties, stop apologizing.
Go to parties. If you want to use
your time worrying about what people think of you, just know it’s time away
from working and heading toward a bigger goal.
I guess the bottom line is that I prioritize. I don’t judge people for not doing that. If you want to swing from the chandeliers, go
for it. But that’s time you could have
spent working on your craft.
-You’re currently working on a new
project with the great Morgan Freeman. What can you tell us about Madame Secretary?
Barbara: I
can’t tell you much about Madame
Secretary because it’s still in its nascent state. It’s Morgan Freeman’s company but Morgan
isn’t in the pilot as an actor. It’s
good and we’re still waiting for the official pick up.
-Your albums Bad Man and Handsome are
both currently available for purchase. What musicians, bands, songwriters, etc.
have had the most influence on your work?
Barbara: Bruce
Springsteen and anyone who ever influenced Bruce Springsteen. Post that, I have been influenced by Gillian
Welch/David Rawlings and Wilco’s record, Yankee
Hotel Foxtrot.
-Your writing for television has spanned
generations. You’ve written for Family
Ties (in 1983) and for episodes of Homeland
(in 2013). Those are two wildly different shows. Is this simply an
illustration of how far you have come or do you have crazy range/interests as a
writer?
Barbara: You
have identified it—I am crazy. But
seriously. I started out as a comedy writer
and I haven’t changed much. I switched
to drama writing because I so hated the process of comedy writing—which
amounted to comedians in a room performing their ideas. I’m really a writer—by which I mean I have no
acting bones—so I just hated being in the spotlight that way. I never feel comfortable as a writer until
I’m alone in a room with just me and the blank screen and drops of blood
forming on my forehead. It’s not like I
haven’t examined avenues of escaping that.
But end of the day, I always end up alone in the room with a blank
screen, prompting me to make something out of nothing. It’s what I do. I can’t escape it.
-Where can we buy Charisma and any of your other books and music?
Barbara’s website: www.thehallmonitor.com
-Teaser/blurb for Charisma:
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17239299-charisma
Barbara, it's been a pleasure having you. Thanks for the chat! Everyone else, please make sure to check out Charisma and the rest of Barbara's library of work.
For more info and insight on the publishing universe, from fo-realsy authors, please keep checking back here and on my twitter pages @BookTalkGuy and @RimerTom
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