by Book Giver
Member since:
April 20, 2007

Transcript of Live Interview with Brenda Janowitz, author of the novel "SCOT ON THE ROCKS"

July 30, 2007 11:41 AM EDT (Updated: August 02, 2007 09:53 AM EDT)
views: 324 | rating: 10/10 (2 votes) | comments: 64

Today, August 1st from 3-4 pm ET, please join us here for an interview with author Brenda Janowitz LIVE in The Great American Book Giveaway group! Brenda is the author of the touching and hilarious novel, Scot on the Rocks.

During the interview you'll have the chance to personally say hello to Brenda or jump in with questions. All you need to do is type your question in the comment box below (if you're not already a member you will need to join Gather in order to post a question).

To see others’ questions and Brenda's responses in real time, simply hit the refresh button on your browser. You will need to refresh your page continuously to see each new comment.

 

ABOUT SCOT ON THE ROCKS

When her ex-boyfriend, Trip, gets engaged to Hollywood's latest It Girl, Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller plans to attend the wedding. Who says a modern girl can't stay friends with her ex? Besides, Brooke's got her sexy Scottish fiancé, Douglas, to take as her date. Okay, so maybe he's not exactly her fiancé, but they're living together in his apartment, so she'll be getting the ring any minute, right? Wrong.

After a fight leaves her without a boyfriend (much less a fiancé) just days before the wedding, Brooke faces the ultimate humiliation of attending her ex-boyfriend's nuptials alone. Desperate to find a replacement to fill Douglas's kilt, Brooke concocts an outrageous plan to survive the wedding and win the man of her dreams, all with her dignity ever-so-slightly intact.

 

ABOUT Brenda Janowitz

fileId:3096224744294974;size:inter;Brenda Janowitz is a graduate of Cornell University and Hofstra Law School. She lives in Manhattan, where she has bravely attended three of her ex-boyfriend’s weddings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Enter to win a free copy of Scot on the Rocks in The Great American Book Giveaway >>

Learn more about Brenda and Scot on the Rocks in BKgiveaway.gather.com >>
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Comments: 64

Brenda Janowitz Jul 31, 2007, 11:20am EDT
Hope to see you all there!

xoxo
brenda
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 10:04am EDT
We hope that you can join us today to talk with author Brenda Janowitz. If you are unable to make it, please feel free to leave a question for Brenda in the comment thread.
April J. Aug 1, 2007, 11:42am EDT
Hello Brenda! I may or may not be here for the chat because my husband is coming home from a 1 month deployment this afternoon. I don't know exactly what time but let's just say I'm waiting by the phone! :)

Your book sounds wonderfully true-to-life and humorous, just what we need in today's world. I look forward to reading your book and also the comments from the chat even if I can't be here personally!

Best wishes...April
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 2:08pm EDT
thanks so much, april! we'd love to have you there, but totally understand if you cant make it!

thanks for the kind words about my book! i hope you enjoy it.

xoxo
brenda
Kristine B. Aug 1, 2007, 2:38pm EDT
Brenda, what influenced you to write? Also what influenced you for "Scot on the Rocks"?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:01pm EDT
Hey Kristine! I've always wanted to write my whole life.... It's funny you ask about the inspiration for my book, tho, since I have an article about that very thing posted here on gather.com!

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977070974

check it out!!!
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:01pm EDT
Welcome to Gather Brenda! We look forward to spending the next hour with you as you answer Gather member questions about your recent novel "Scot on the Rocks" and life as an author.

Sam L. from CA sent in this question: Hi Brenda. Welcome to Gather. Can you describe your writing process? Do you have a special place just for writing? Are you a morning/evening writer? Do you write your drafts in long hand or on the computer?
Sharon K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:03pm EDT
Hi Brenda - I review books for an online site and I was wondering how you feel when you see a not so positive review of your book? As an author what would you like to say to book reviewers? I hope to read your book very soon. Best of luck.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:04pm EDT
Hey BK Giveaway! thanks for the warm welcome.

And thanks, Sam, for your question! My writing process is a bit erratic, I'm afraid! I really just write whenever and wherever I can! If that is a coffee shop or my living room, that's probably ideal, but I'll also write on the subway or at a restaurant if my friend is late for dinner!

I write most of my drafts on my trusty laptop, but I carry a pad with me everywhere I go and write any time the mood strikes!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:05pm EDT
Hey Sharon! What a thoughtful question. It's always tough to see a negative review, but I recently read some advice by a fellow writer: don't pick it up, don't put it down. Basically, what he was saying was: don't get too happy over the good ones, don't get too upset about the bad ones. I just try to keep myself as level as I can and do what I do. I believe in what I'm doing (and so does my agent!), so I just try to move forward and stay positive!
Linda H. Aug 1, 2007, 3:05pm EDT
I read somewhere that you were a full time lawyer. Was there a pivotal moment when the light bulb went off inside your head and you decided to make the transition from lawyer to writer? That's a pretty big leap in careers. And I'll bet scary as well!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:07pm EDT
Hey Linda. Scary, indeed!!! There was no "lightbulb" moment for me, I'm afraid. I really became a lawyer bc of my love of writing, but after a while I was extremely dissatisfied with the practice of law. The stories kept floating around my head, so one day I just sat down and decided to write them down!
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:08pm EDT
Fran P. from VT sent this question: This would make a very funny movie. Which actors do you think would do your characters justice and why?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:10pm EDT
Fran, how much do I love that question!?!

For Brooke, the dream actress would be Drew Barrymore. For Jack, I love Paul Rudd. I also like the idea of making Jack the lead of the film instead of Brooke and going with Adam Sandler or Vince Vaughn. For Vanessa, I like Gabrielle Union and for Trip, Dean Cain (even tho trip was supposed to be blond-hair, blue-eyed!). For Ava, I love Kelly Hu, and for Trip's mom, it's got to be Holland Taylor.

But it's not like I've really thought about this or anything. :)
Linda H. Aug 1, 2007, 3:13pm EDT
Following Fran's question, are you going to shop it around as a movie? Would you want to write the screenplay?
Sharon K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:13pm EDT
Brenda - Some people used to look down on the Chick-lit books but now the genre is very popular. Do you think some people still aren't convinced that chick-lit is a very real genre with lots of followers and how and why did chick-lit become so popular?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:14pm EDT
Hey Linda-- My film agent is shopping it now! Generally, authors don't write their own screenplays since the medium is so different, but who knows?!?
Ann Oxford Aug 1, 2007, 3:15pm EDT
I just loved this book. Some of the situations that Brooke experiences are so cringeworthily well written. Thanks for a memorable character. Any plans for bringing Brooke back in a sequel?
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:17pm EDT
Amy M. from FL sent in this question: I haven't yet read your book. It's waiting for me to finish up two others and then I'm all over it. I'm wondering if you have been promoting the book by going on a book tour? If you have, is there anything that surprised you about the experience? Or is it pretty much what you expected?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:19pm EDT
Lots of people ask me that one, Sharon, and I've really thought about the issue a lot. Chick lit as a genre is almost always under attack, but for me, I think that it is just smart funny fiction, and there's nothing wrong with that!

People in publishing will tell you that "chick lit" is dead, but there are so many people out there who just love it, so I don't tend to agree with that.

As for why it is so popular, I really think it very much reflects our lives today in a fun accessible way. So many women are working these big time jobs and when they get home after a long, long, LONG day, I think it's fun to read a book that is a great escape from life, but one that also reflects your life in some way.
Robin Noack Aug 1, 2007, 3:21pm EDT
Do you ever write any non fiction?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:21pm EDT
Ann, thank you so very much!!!

I'm working on a follow up book to SCOT ON THE ROCKS. It is called JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging your adversary and other things they don't teach you in law school). It will be out in April 2008 and Brooke, Jack and Vanessa are all back! More hilarity ensues.....

If you'd like to be on my mailing list, you can sign up at www.brendajanowitz.com or shoot me an email at brenda@brendajanowitz.com.
Ann Oxford Aug 1, 2007, 3:23pm EDT
Thanks for the great news about a follow up book! I will certainly be on the lookout for it.

I'm just curious what is on your summer reading list.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:24pm EDT
Hey Amy! I'm very excited that you'll be reading my book. I just finished a massive book tour that took me to Miami, DC, and Philly, as well as all over my home town of NYC. It's been great fun, and exhausting! Just as my book tour started winding up, my boyfriend proposed! So, I have truly been on a whirlwind!!!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:24pm EDT
Hey Robin! I don't really write non-fiction. Writing the article on the back story for SCOT was really the closest I ever got to writing non-fiction!
Ann Oxford Aug 1, 2007, 3:25pm EDT
Congratulations on getting engaged. Do you plan on inviting any of your exes to the wedding? Sorry, I couldn't resist. :)
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:27pm EDT
Ann, I try to read about a book a week, so get ready:

I recently read GLOSS by Jennifer Oko, and NEXT THING ON MY LIST by Jill Smolinski. Both fabulous. I'm now reading THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Phillippa Gregory and next up is Kristin Harmel's THE BLONDE THEORY, Dani Shapiro's BLACK AND WHITE, and Sophie Kinsella's SHOPAHOLIC AND BABY.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:28pm EDT
Ann, you are hilarious. Thanks for the well wishes. I was recently asked that very question at a reading, and I was so surprised that all I could blurt out was: "Hell no!" The truth is, my exes have all moved out to the burbs and we aren't really in touch as much as we were when they still lived in the city. Altho, I guess I should invite them since I'd probably get another book idea out of the experience!!!
Liz K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:29pm EDT
Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite books? I'm always curious what authors cite as influencers.
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:30pm EDT
Mel R. from MA sent in this question: Since the story was based on your real life experience, did you write a lot of yourself in the character of Brooke?
Robin Noack Aug 1, 2007, 3:32pm EDT
A lot of characters in the book reference Scottish culture from a sort of "naive" American perspective. Did you ever feel like you were making a commentary on stereotypes or American attitudes?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:34pm EDT
E.K., so many!!! In my genre, I love, love, LOVE Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, Kristin Harmel, and Emily Giffin. For literary fiction, I love Dani Shapiro, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Scott Spencer, Alix Ohlin, and Isabel Allende. As for classics, I'm a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, and Jane Austen.

This question is always so tough. I'm sure that I am leaving tons of people out here....
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:35pm EDT
Mel, they say your first novel is all about you, and in my case, I was no exception. There is so much of me in every part of the book-- and not just Brooke. At readings, when I'm asked if Brooke is based on me, I often joke: they are all me! Even that cab driver in the end! He's me, too!!!
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:35pm EDT
Jane A. from TX sent in this question: Whom do you allow to read your drafts besides your editor?
Sharon K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:36pm EDT
Brenda - many authors like Stephen King, Julie Smith, and Susan Wittig Albert go on to not just write their novels but to also write books about writing. Stephen King wrote ON WRITING, Susan Wittig Albert teaches writing, and Julie Smith also holds writing classes. Do you think you would consider writing a book about how to write chick-lit and have you ever read a book by an author who wrote a book about writing, like King's ON WRITING?
Liz K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:39pm EDT
Thanks for answering my question. I am unfamiliar with some of those writers and will have to check them out.

How would you describe chic lit? I always feel like it gets a bad rap.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:40pm EDT
Oh, yes, definitely, Robin. I think humor is always a great way to make a commentary on something. I've spent a large amount of time living abroad and so I just couldn't resist making fun of that old ugly-American sterotype!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:42pm EDT
Hey Jane! I usually let my mom and two best friends read early drafts because I know that if they have critiques, they'll always be gentle! I also give everything to my agent the second the ink is dry! It's important, as a writer, to have people you trust reading your work.
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:42pm EDT
Pam S. from WA sent in this question: How do you feel that the internet has changed/impacted the publishing world?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:43pm EDT
I think ON WRITING is amazing and I actually recommend it to my students! I don't see myself writing a book on writing, but I do teach classes and workshops through mediabistro.com in New York City. If any of you are in the NYC metro area, I'd love to see you there!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:44pm EDT
E.K.- Chick lit *definitely* gets a bad rap!!! Dunno why people are so darn pissed off about it!

For me, chick lit is just smart, funny fiction that reflects our lives today. How would you describe it?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:46pm EDT
Pam: That is a tough one! The great thing about the internet is that you have all of these wonderful new opportunities to meet people and tell them about your work. Case in point!!! It's been so much fun meeting people out in cyberspace and then when they pop up to readings, it's like a long lost reunion!

As for whether the internet changing the way books are published, I think that people still like the feel of a book in their hands. I hope that I'm right about that one!
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:46pm EDT
Unfortunately, there are only fourteen minutes left in the chat. Brenda will try to answer as many questions as time permits.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:49pm EDT
Before we leave the chat, I'd like to thank you all for coming by sending you all SCOT ON THE ROCKS bookmarks and pencils. Please just shoot me an email at brenda@brendajanowitz.com with GATHER.COM CHAT as the subject heading and your address in the text of the email. I'll put you onto my mailing list and send you the SCOT ON THE ROCKS goodies!
Liz K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:50pm EDT
I would describe chick lit as literature that I can relate to and have a good laugh mulling the characters and plots over with my friends.
Bridget Riley Aug 1, 2007, 3:50pm EDT
Hi Brenda - I love the concept for your book. I think we've all been there at some point (although maybe not with a kilt involved...). What was the best piece of advice you have received about the craft of writing? How about the worst?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:50pm EDT
E.K.- I like that one! Me too!!! Sometimes I embarrass myself in public by reading chick lit and laughing out loud! I love it when that happens....
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 3:51pm EDT
This is from Gather Editorial: What would people be surprised to know about you? In a recent interview we did with Dean Koontz, he revealed to us that he is a competent home contractor and likes to collect radios from the Art Deco period. And you?
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:53pm EDT
Bridget, thanks so much!!! The best piece of advice is to read a lot and write a lot. Also, write what's in your heart. Don't try to write what you think you *should* be writing. I don't know that there's any advice that I'd deem the worst. There's been advice that I didn't follow along the way, but it just wasn't right for me, and not necessarily the worst. I think you just have to believe in what you are doing and try to keep on moving forward.
Liz K. Aug 1, 2007, 3:54pm EDT
I'm going to depart from the norm. I'm wondering what your "fail safe" signature summer dish is if you were invited to a pot luck.
Bridget Riley Aug 1, 2007, 3:55pm EDT
I've got the reading part down, but somehow the writing part never seems to come out as easily. I get a million ideas, but when I go to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, as it were) it never seems to come out quite right. I'll keep at it!

Thanks, and best of luck with the book!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:55pm EDT
What would people be surprised to know about me? Many times, after people meet me, they are surprised that I was once a lawyer. But since we all already know that, I must reveal that I am a great hula hooper! Really. I actually have won prizes for it! There's this place in NYC that has hula hoop contests and I've won so many times, I've lost count!
Bridget Riley Aug 1, 2007, 3:57pm EDT
Boy, E.K. - Why don't you just ask her "If you could be any animal, what would it be?" She's psychoanalyzing you, Brenda! Run away!

(j/k, E.K.!) :)
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:58pm EDT
E.K.- I always bring my killer artichoke dip to any party. Email me if you want the recipe!

A quick story on my cooking:

My fiance and I recently had his two nephews over and I made them breakfast. Ethan, who's four, said, "Your cooking is so good! Why is it so good?"

I said, "Well, Ethan, that's because everything I cook is made with love."

To which he then replied, "No, that's because everything you cook is made with BUTTER!"
Ann Oxford Aug 1, 2007, 3:58pm EDT
I'm really looking forward to see what you come up with next! Thanks for chatting with us. It was a lot of fun.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:59pm EDT
Bridget, that's all of us! Starting to write is the hardest part. I'd suggest writing exercises to get you started. I have a link to one on my website. Shoot me an email if you'd like the link!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 3:59pm EDT
Bridget, LOL!!!!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 4:00pm EDT
Thanks so much, Ann!
Book Giver Aug 1, 2007, 4:00pm EDT
Brenda, thank you for joining us this afternoon. And thank you to all the Gather members who participated. Until next time!
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 4:01pm EDT
And thanks so much to all of you for coming! It's really been so much fun to chat with you today. I'd love to see you all at upcoming events, so please check my website to see if I'll be coming to you anytime soon! (And don't forget to email me for the goodies!)

xoxo
brenda
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 4:02pm EDT
Thanks so much to the Great American Book Giveaway for organizing this wonderful event!
Sharon K. Aug 1, 2007, 4:02pm EDT
Brenda, thank you so much for answering our questions. It was wonderful to meet you.
Brenda Janowitz Aug 1, 2007, 4:02pm EDT
Thanks, Sharon! Nice to meet you, too!
Machiavelli Dayupay Aug 2, 2007, 8:04am EDT
TOO LATE HOT CHOCOLATE...

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