Where
did you grow up?
Brookline,
Massachusetts which is just outside of Boston.
When did you begin writing?
I’ve
loved creative writing since I was a little girl. My mother recently found some
of my first stories, which I also illustrated and bound with old wallpaper and
glue to make them look like books. On the back of one, it says I was only six
years old.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
Usually
during the day. I write seven days a week, no matter what. Weekends, holidays,
vacations. It’s a non-negotiable for me. When I’m on vacation or something like
that, I usually only write in the mornings. I’ll often set an alarm in a hotel
to make sure I have some time to write, or sneak into a café or museum coffee
shop in the afternoon. I’ve even brought my laptop or a book manuscript to the
beach on many occasions.
What is this book about?
An
eccentric filmmaker is shooting a film in Sweden over the summer where he lives
in an inn with the lead actors. Before arriving in Sweden, we get a glimpse
into the lives of the actors in the cast—each at a personal crossroads. The
filmmaker invites his friend Ella Sinclair, a beautiful, free-spirited, provocative
philosopher to join them for the summer. Hollywood star Finn Forrester is
instantly enchanted by her and the two fall madly in love, embarking on a sexy
and romantic affair. Meanwhile, the film they’re all making is about the
meaning of life. The subject of the film and the deep bonds the group builds
over the summer push everyone to reflect on their own lives. When the shoot
ends, each returns home, changed. The group reconvenes months later on the red
carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and we see the impact of their summer
together. In the simplest terms, The Location Shoot is a love story. At
the core, it’s about living and loving with
everything we have.
What inspired you to write it?
It
was a lockdown project. Like so many others, I was bored at home, binge
watching movies, double fisting potato chips, and filled with existential doom.
I
wanted to escape to someplace joyful, romantic, and creative. Due to the
pandemic, I was thinking about the big questions of life, and so I decided to
write a novel about a group making a film about the meaning of life and living
together in seclusion. Given the topic of the film, my heroine became a
philosopher.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?
I
was fortunate that I had changed fiction publishers with my previous novel, Hollyland.
I had an outstanding experience with my publisher and finally felt like my fiction
had the right home. Luckily for me, they were willing to invest in me long-term,
so I signed on for The Location Shoot and several other forthcoming
novels. At this point in my career, I’ve published over 40 books, working with
about 10 different publishers, so I’ve had a huge range of experiences, and of
course stacks of rejections along the way too. It makes me deeply appreciative
to feel like my fiction has a good home.
If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done
differently?
I’ve
made a lot of mistakes over the years as an author, and I see missed opportunities.
That said, regret is a rabbit hole. Everything we go through gets us to where
we are. I can’t undo any of my life experiences and assume I would be the same
person having just written the same book. So even though there are things that I
wish had gone differently, I wouldn’t change anything. I’m happy with where I
am now, and I love the books I’m writing.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
The
Location Shoot
is available everywhere books are sold. Here are the links for Amazon and Barnes
and Noble, but you can also go to your indie retailer or favorite store and if
they don’t have it, they can order it for you.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Can you share an excerpt with our readers?
She paused and said, “Albie, tell them about how you met
Margaret. It’s such a wonderful story. I’m sure everyone would love to hear
it.”
“I would,” Finn said as he and Ella exchanged a smile.
“Me too,” Charlotte added. “In the many years we’ve known
each other, I don’t think I’ve ever heard this story.”
Albie smiled. “All right,” he said. The waitstaff returned
and passed around plates, each with a slice of tart and generous dollop of
freshly made whipped cream.
They all began eating and Albie said, “I met her at a party
in London thrown by some aristocrat. Completely pretentious. I was the lead in
a play on the West End, and the director invited me. You know how that
blue-blooded set loves to have a celebrity in their midst, something to gab
about when they’re at their holiday homes.”
Everyone laughed.
Albie took a bite of his tart and continued, “I brought a
girl with me, some actress, can’t even remember her name. We were all dressed
in absurdly formal attire, could hardly tell the guests from the waitstaff,
eating catered, crustless watercress sandwiches or some such rubbish. All of a
sudden, in walks a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a simple, sky-blue frock
and holding a pie. It’s hard to overstate how extraordinarily out of place she
looked. I was immediately transfixed. She had the biggest, most beautiful eyes,
and her hair fell in waves.” He paused, as if reliving every detail. “Anyway,
the host’s wife ran over, greeted her, and ferried the pie over to the dessert
table. I couldn’t take my eyes off this woman. The way she moved, her smile,
the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. I watched her for hours. I asked
someone about her, and they said she was an elementary school teacher who
happened to know the sister of the host. Eventually, I saw her standing alone
at the dessert table and decided to make my move. The table was covered in
mile-high meringues and fancy chocolate tortes encased in sugar domes, no doubt
from the finest bakery in London, and there was her humble homemade pie off to the
side. I sidled up to her and said, ‘Everything looks good.’ She smiled at me
and I felt like I was struck by lightning. I picked up a plate and a serving
utensil and said, ‘I think I’m going to try this one,’ and I took a slice of
the blueberry pie. She looked at me and said, ‘I made that. To tell you the
truth, I feel like a bit of a fool. I didn’t know what kind of party it was.’ I
said, ‘I’m Albie, what’s your name?’ In her angelic voice, she said,
‘Margaret.’ I’ll tell you, I fell completely in love with her then and there.”
“What about your date?” Michael asked.
“Broke up with her at the party. I called a car for her and
sent her home. Felt terrible about it, but when you meet the one, you can’t let
anything stand in your way. True love is the greatest gift in the world; one
mustn’t squander it or be foolish enough to think it will simply wait until it
obliges our schedules.”
“So, it really was love at first sight,” Charlotte said
wistfully.
“Indeed. Anyone who tells you that love at first sight isn’t
real, well, those unlucky bastards have just never experienced it. Take it from
an old fucker like me: when you get hit by lightning, you surrender to it. All
the details, the little things you don’t know about each other, you’ll learn
those over time, and if you really love each other, most of it won’t matter.
There’s no replacing that inexplicable, inconvenient, all-encompassing feeling
of love. Standing there in that moment, holding that slice of pie, I knew I
couldn’t live without her. These days, people court each other like they’re
applying for a job or running through a checklist. But this is where the
artists—the poets, the novelists, the filmmakers—have always known better: true
love has no reason.”
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors
everywhere?
Develop a relationship with your work that isn’t dependent on anything external,
praise or critique.
What is up next for you?
I
loved writing Ella and Finn’s love story so much, that I didn’t want to leave
it. My next novel, After the Red Carpet, picks up where The Location
Shoot ends. It comes out in September 2024 (She Writes Press). I’m also
working on a series of romance novels that explore different dimensions of love.
It’s a special project and I can’t wait to share it.
Is there anything you would like to add?
When I was writing this book, all the love on the pages lived inside of
me too. It filled me with joy and affection. It gave me all the good feelings. I
hope it does the same for readers.
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