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TRRC is delighted to welcome Judith Marks-White,
acclaimed author, as an author of the month! Ms.
Marks-White is the author of SEDUCING HARRY and BACHELOR
DEGREE, as well as a well-known news columnist.
Angela Etheridge: Please readers a little about
yourself. How long have you been writing?
Judith Marks-White: As soon as I could hold a pen in one
hand and a black and white composition notebook in the
other, I was on my way to my writing career. As a child
I enjoyed penning poems, stories and short skits for my
friends and family. These would be performed for a mere
five cents of an admissions price. That was the stepping
stone from which the urge to write blossomed. I majored
in English at college and went on to earn a master
degree in creative writing. My first job was with Time
Inc. and Time Life Books. Later I moved on to feature
writing, and wrote extensively for many newspapers and
magazines throughout the country including "kiddy lit"
for children's publications. In 1985, I joined the staff
of the Westport News in Connecticut where every
Wednesday for the past twenty-three years I have written
a reflective/humorous column, "The Light Touch." I
taught writing and college English Composition for many
years and now teach humor writing. I am presently
devoting all my time to my column and writing novels.
AE: Your website (http:///www.judithmarks-white.com)
reveals that you have had a wide range of writing
experiences. How have you adapted your writing style to
create novels?
JMW: Each of my writing experiences has served as an
excellent tool for propelling my writing career forward.
I utilize each style to my novels incorporating both a
serious and humorous tone to my work, character
development and research. Every phase of my development
comes into play and has helped me grow as a writer. In
that way, I have been lucky to have experienced so many
writing genres.
AE: Humor is clearly an important element in your work.
Are you a "funny" person yourself? How much effort goes
into developing a humorous tone in a novel?
JMW: I tend to view the world through a distorted lens
and a pair of "funny glasses." Humor is all around us
and as a humor columnist; I have honed this skill over
the past twenty-three years and developed a satirical
voice. My novels reflect this greatly. I would say that
I am less of a funny person than one who appreciates
humor and is always looking at subtle ways to express
myself that translate best into the humorous genre.
Hopefully, this has helped to make my books entertaining
and appealing to my readers.
AE: On your website, you state that SEDUCING HARRY falls
in the Chick-Lit category. Do you believe BACHELOR
DEGREE does as well? How is Chick-Lit different from
romance?
JMW: The genre is similar but in no way does BACHELOR
DEGREE mirror SEDUCING HARRY. The characters are
colorful and fun, and become embroiled in naughty and
scintillating adventures, but the premise is entirely
different. BACHELOR DEGREE falls into the chick-lit
category in that it appeals to the crowd who appreciate
the fun and hi-jinks that SEDUCING HARRY provides. My
target audience is a sophisticated bunch of women and
men who identify strongly with my characters, allowing
themselves to be taken on a glorious ride through the
literary peaks and valleys of my imagination. I write
about real issues and situations that affect our lives,
always with a humorous layer running throughout. Humor
is what defines Chick-Lit and runs the gamut of a wide
range of topics. Purely, personal observation: When I
think of Romance novels, in my mind's eye, I see a
handsome, rugged protagonist who saves the damsel in
distress, all leading up the grand seduction. Chick-lit
is a more modern-day love story, but as sexy and
provocative as Romance novels with perhaps with a more
contemporary setting and tone. It is the Romance
novel-gone-modern, with strong female characters who are
less influenced and controlled by the dominant male.
Both Chick-lit and Romance novels serve the same
purpose: to titillate and entertain. From my
understanding, romantic novels are divided into series
romances and single title romances with its focus on
developing romantic relationships with happy endings.
AE: Some people belittle romance novels and Chick-Lit.
How do you respond to people who look down on these
genres?
JMW: For a while, Chick-Lit was handed a bad rap, made
to seem trite and unimportant. Fact is, Chick-Lit, aka
Women's Lit. has recently come into its own and become a
widely accepted genre of writing where no holds are
barred and endless possibilities take flight. What I say
to those who pan Chick-Lit is what I tell my humor
column audience: "people who don't have senses of humor
have no business reading humor columns." The same
applies to novels that dare to say what we're all
thinking, but aren't often willing to admit. Writing
Chick-lit is such fun. It can be unabashedly outrageous
with one goal: to provide a feel good laugh and
hopefully some food for thought that lingers long after
the read is over.
AE: BACHELOR DEGREE highlights the relationship between
daughter/mother duo Samantha and Madeleine. What
inspired the unique relationship between these women?
How did you develop such strong and distinct
personalities for each woman?
JMW: A strong mother/daughter theme prevails with two
strong women often competing with each other while
simultaneously providing much of the novel's humor.
Samantha's search and ultimate success in finding Mr.
Right would certainly keep Madeleine at bay, but until
that happens, mom can't help but interfere. The only
thing separating their two apartments is Central Park.
Not big enough.
Mother and daughters have been forces of nature to
reckon with since the beginning of time, and utilizing
them as a basis with which to propel a novel, seemed
natural and compelling. Each of these women are dynamic
in their own way. Madeleine can be infuriating in that
she won't stop until her daughter lands a husband. She
has advice for Samantha about everything from fashion to
beauty regimens to men. In the process, she also has her
own agenda for finding love.
The mother/daughter duo has always intrigued me. I
pulled out all stops and pushed these women to their
limits, this creating a balancing act that set the stage
for BACHELOR DEGREE to flourish and succeed.
AE: Many men appear throughout the course of BACHELOR
DEGREE. Which men were the most fun to write? Which men
were more difficult to develop into characters?
JMW: The bad boys are always the most fun to write, and
BACHELOR DEGREE certainly has its share, Blake Hamilton,
the hottie artist du jour, heading the pack. My
characters, especially the males, are composites of lots
of men I know. They are heavily disguised, but what a
kick it is to take a real person and turn them into
lively figments of my imagination. Of course, for every
bad boy there must be a bad girl along for the ride and
BACHELOR DEGREE provides that as well. The book is
directed to those who are in the mainstream of high
society and all that it entails: high couture, expensive
meals at trendy restaurants, travel, spas and all the
privileges of the upper-crust that live on the edge and
dabble in so-called harmless indiscretions.
AE: Were you a big reader when you were younger? What
childhood books did you cherish? What would we find on
your bookshelf today?
JMW: My childhood literary cravings knew no boundaries.
I was an avid reader growing up, and tended to gravitate
toward books which featured girls on the brink of
womanhood, all trying to gain independence and find
their way in a male-dominant world. My tastes were
eclectic. I adored the classics, applauded Madame
Bovary, was a fan of the Bronte's, Jane Eyre, and moving
into the modern day female role model, thought Nancy
Drew was the cat's meow. The very first book I loved and
veraciously read was Sally Goes Shopping Alone about a
girl named Sally who wanders through a large department
store, taking escalator rides and finding a plethora of
exciting adventures on each floor. But mostly, it the
wonderment and excitement she feels being on her own. I
also love Eloise, the little girl who reigns supreme at
the Plaza Hotel and gets herself into all sorts of
mischief. These are my female role models: the naughty
adventurous girls who wouldn't quit until they explored
all avenues leading toward self-fulfillment and answers
to questions they posed at every turn. Similarly, they
are the ones I enjoy I love creating to star in my own
novels. My bookshelves today are piled high with novels
yet to read, short stories through which to pore,
biographies of people whose lives have influenced
others. Each night, I read a chapter and fall asleep
knowing how lucky I am to be keeping such grand company
with other authors whose lives and imaginations I am yet
to discover.
AE: What do you hope readers get from your books?
JMW: Most importantly, I want to entertain my readers,
take them on the ride of their life so they can giggle,
find surprises and discover perhaps something new about
themselves they weren't aware of. My books are highly
sexual too, but it's playful sex (as sex should be) not
to sensationalize or shock, but to draw the reader in
and move the characters along. It's fun inviting myself
into the lives of the people I create and living
vicariously through them, letting my imagination soar
and not be restricted by conventionality. I allow myself
to roam freely through the pages and write novels that
are a fanciful escape into a world I made happen. My
hope is to have my readers identify with these
characters and after they put down the book down feel as
though they've been on a lavish, mini-vacation, sit back
and say: "now, that was refreshing!"
The best message I hope to impart is that no matter how
old we are we keep getting better and smarter and are
less influenced by other people's opinions of who we
should be. In that sense, we become the best versions of
ourselves, enjoying our lives I all its rich, diverse ad
unpredictable ways.
AE: Many readers are also aspiring authors. What is the
one most important piece of advice you would give them?
JMW: In a word: WRITE! You can take writing courses and
those can be helpful especially because you're
interacting with others who are sharing the joys and
agonies of your craft. But in the end, you must stay
true to your dreams, which means putting pants-to-chair
and not get up until you've reached the goals you've set
for yourself each day. Writing is hard work, but it is
an exquisite obsession that will lead toward your true
happiness and fulfillment. All creative people suffer to
some extent. The act of prying loose thoughts from your
mind and putting them down on paper can be a daunting
experience. But, if you're serous, it's worth the
effort. The writing process is fascinating and one of
life's grandest excursions. Enjoy the ride.
(Click for a review of
BACHELOR
DEGREE) |
