Hey everyone! I had the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Wax, the author of several fabulous novels, including her brand new release, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey (review to come). Please welcome Wendy to StephTheBookworm!

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1.  If you had to tweet (140 characters or less!) what you write about in your novels, what would you say?

“We are strong! We are invincible! We get by with a little help from our friends! #readDownton”

 2. I’m guessing you like Downton Abbey! What are some other shows you like?

WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY is definitely the first time a television series inspired me to write a novel, and apparently it’s one of the first ever written about fans of a television show, but I’ve also enjoyed Sex and the City, Entourage, Selling New York, Property Brothers, and Income Property. As you can probably tell from that list I developed a bit of an HGTV habit while researching and writing Ten Beach Road and Ocean Beach. (It’s not every writer who can call her television a research tool!) Current faves while waiting for season 4 of Downton Abbey are The Voice, Smash, and Nashville, though if I were in charge I’d be authorizing way more episodes at a time!

 3. Which character from Downton Abbey would you want to be? Which character from any of your books would you want to be?

Hmmm… I loved Lady Sybil on Downton Abbey and also Lady Cora, but I tend to identify with underdogs, so I often felt in tune with Lady Edith. I really love her new storylines and how independent she’s become. I’d give a lot for the Dowager Countess’s lines and would like to think that when I reach that age I’ll be as witty.

In my books… every character carries bits and pieces of me, but if I had to choose one I’d like to be… hmmm, this is way too much like having a favorite child. I just can’t do it. They are all my creations and I love them equally!

4. What do you wear when writing? I’m a total sweatpants girl!

I’m with you! Nothing beats sweatpants for the kind of comfort necessary for creative thinking.  The more faded and stretched out the better. Right now I’m wearing purple ones – the hoodie has pockets for my cell phone!

 5. Do you ever feel like any of your characters are mysteries to you, or do you feel like you know them all really well?

They all begin as mysteries. As I write and dig deeper, I come to know them well enough to tell their stories.

6. What’s your number one most asked question you get as an author?

“Where do you get your ideas?” I wish I had a specific answer, but each idea arrives in its own time and in its own way.

Thanks to Wendy for answering all my questions! You may also be interested in checking out the amazing giveaway Woman’s World is offering: a trip to England and a tour of Highclere Castle, the “real” Downton Abbey. Info is at http://winit.womansworldmag.com/

Everybody, I absolutely LOVE Meredith Schorr and her books. She’s got two out so far, both of which I’ve reviewed and loved, and I fully plan on reading everything else she writes in the future. Not only is she a fabulous chick-lit writer, but also just an all around awesome person and a newfound friend. I am so happy to have her here today for an interview. She let me pick her brain about lots of things, so check it out, and be sure to read my reviews of Just Friends With Benefits and A State of Jane.

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1. If you had to Tweet (140 characters or less!) what you write about in your novels, what would you say?

realistic chicklit about women who remind you of yourself or your friends & have issues much like people in the real world w/a humorous spin

Exactly 140 characters – whew!

2. I’ve always wanted to live in NYC. What’s it really like living there?

I think New York City is what you make it. To many people, it’s just “home” like any other place. however, when you really take the time to observe everything around you, it’s pretty amazing.  There is always something happening here and it’s quite beautiful when you look.  The streets are almost always crowded; it’s almost never completely quiet, even in the middle of the night; and it’s never pitch black - there are always lights somewhere, whether from street lights, buildings etc.  You have to be somewhat aggressive to live here because things move so quickly and people are always getting in your way. I really love it though

3. What do you do when you hit the wall while you’re writing? Sometimes, I feel like ‘I don’t know where I’m going with this story. Now what?!’ What’s your solution?

There are a few different solutions I have for that one.  One is to just keep writing anyway.  Even if you have a feeling that you will end up deleting everything you wrote, just do it because it keeps your mind open and you never know what you will come up with.  Another solution, and one that I utilized with my third novel, was outlining.  I am generally not a plotter and do not work from an outline, but half-way through my third novel, I knew how I wanted it to end but I had no clue how to get from where I left off to the end.  Using the outline method really helped me fill the blanks between the half-way mark and the last chapter.

4. Was there a specific moment or incident that made you decide to become a writer?

I had no idea I wanted to be a writer until my colleagues at work began to comment on my business writing skills.  I decided to see if I had any talent writing fiction and wrote a few children’s stories.  It wasn’t for me and so I started writing a personal blog. I found it extremely easy to pour my deepest feelings into this blog and was told that I was a great writer pretty often, but I became uncomfortable having my business “out there.”  After a failed relationship with someone I really liked, I started daydreaming about what could have been and decided on a whim to write a fictional story based on the guy and his friends and Just Friends with Benefits was born. I swear, I was walking to work and thought, “I’m going to write a book” and I did.  I actually did

5. What’s the most frustrating thing about being a writer?

Wanting everyone to read (and love) your book and knowing that you cannot control what people read/don’t read and that inevitably someone will not like it.

6. What do you think it takes to become an author?

In addition to innate writing/story-telling talent, I believe it takes desire, commitment, thick skin (still working on that one), perseverance, and the ability to listen to constructive criticism but also know when to follow your gut.

7. What are your top three things you can’t live without on a daily basis?

At least one cup of coffee, physical exercise, a shower

8. What’s your favorite form of social media?

I really love Twitter, except I do find the character limit challenging sometimes.

9. Do you favor either of your books?

If I’m going to be completely honest, I do believe that A State of Jane is a better book from a writing perspective. Practice makes perfect and all that. However, some people preferred the storyline in Just Friends with Benefits, perhaps because of the romantic element or the sub plot involving Stephanie and her friends. Just Friends with Benefits will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first book I ever wrote.  When I made that very whimsical decision to start writing on my way to work that day, I had no idea that only 5 years later, I would have two other completed novels under my belt.

10. Can you tell us more about your future books?

I have completed my third manuscript and am hoping to finish my own edits and submit to my publisher in the spring.  It is a chicklit romance about a very popular book reviewer/blogger who is asked to review the debut novel of her high school nemesis, i.e. “the mean girl.”  A legal secretary by day, she starts dating a hottie attorney from her law firm who insists that she is hiding behind other people’s books because she secretly wants to be a writer herself. The working title is Don’t Judge a Book. For my fourth book, I am toying with either a sequel to A State of Jane or a story about a woman who has just turned 39 and is faced with the fear of not having reached all of the traditional milestones (marriage, children) by 40 and questioning her decisions. I am going to work on both of them until I decide which one drives me.

I am so pleased to have the wonderful Amy Hatvany here today for an interview! Her newest book, Heart Like Mine, hits shelves today, so run out and get your copy ASAP. You can also check out our review of another one of her novels, The Language of Sisters. Please welcome Amy!

1. My favorite question – if you had to tweet what you write about in your novels (140 characters or less), what would you say?

I write about how everyday people fight their way through difficult times and hopefully, come out stronger and wiser on the other side.

2. What kind of reaction do you usually get when you tell people you’re a writer?

The first question is always, “Oh! What do you write about?” Which is always difficult to answer because I write about so many different things, though now that I’ve composed the above Tweet, I think I’ll go with it!

3. What’s the process like for titling your novels?

I usually start out with “Book #5” or whatever number I’m working on, and then attempt to come up with a title after I’ve finished the first draft and am about to send it in to my editor. Then we brainstorm to come up with a better one, because the first one isn’t a homerun. HEART LIKE MINE is the only time so far that she loved the title right off the bat and we didn’t have to change it.

4. Can you give some book recommendations for people who like your novels and type of writing?

I’ve often been called a conversational writer, which are the kind of books I like to read, so I’ll tell you a few of my favorites: Anything by Elizabeth Berg, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin, Sarah Pekkanen, and JoJo Moyes. This list could go on for pages!

5. What is something you wish people knew about you?

That’s a tough question to answer because I’m a pretty open book. I don’t leave much to the imagination.

6. Who would you like to switch places with for 24 hours?

A woman whose metabolism allowed her to eat whatever she wants and not gain weight.

7. If you could be on any reality show, which one would it be?

I think there should be a Real Housewives of Seattle! Then I could be the writer who sits around in her yoga pants and refuses to go tanning, get Botox, or wear makeup to the grocery store. Now THAT would be reality television!