The Trouble With Flirting - Interview Claire Lazebnik

From Goodreads ~~"Franny's supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can't blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . . Franny Pearson never dreamed she'd be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she's not, exactly. She's working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady. When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can't hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected."

Preorder at :  Amazon.com  Barnes and Nobles
Release Date : 26th March 2013 ( Mark it in your calendars now)

Here's interview with author Claire Lazebnik,  whose novel Epic Fail became Epic Success ; published by Harper Teen

Akansha : When did you first start writing   and do you write everyday?

Claire : I was a huge reader as a kid and my dream from very early on was someday to write books like my favorite authors. After college, I wrote for magazines while working on a couple of novels that never got published. I wrote my first published novel when my fourth child was an infant--and I've been lucky enough to have had a fairly steady career since then. The only time I don't do any writing at all is when I'm on vacation or sick or just in an extremely lazy mood--but even then I'd probably try to write at least a Facebook status or blog post! I can't imagine a life without writing. I love thinking about characters and plots--I'm already fantasizing about the next project before I'm done with the last one.

Akansha : Do you have a preferred time of day or spot  to write??

Claire : I'll write pretty much any time I'm not doing anything else, but my schedule's most open in the morning, so that's probably my favorite time to write. My computer is always open and running and nearby--it's a small laptop so I can move it around easily and I like to be near the family action, so I usually keep it downstairs where I can answer the door, get a snack, talk to whoever's home, etc. But sometimes I'll go upstairs for a change of pace. I definitely don't have any one spot to work at--but you're LIKELIEST to find me standing up at a tall table in our den. I like to work standing up--it's easier on my back and I hear it's healthier than sitting all day, which I could easily wind up doing since I'm always on my computer.

Akansha : What  made you write The Trouble With Flirting ( or prompted you as in the first time you thought about it's characters) ?

Claire : Well, I'd written EPIC FAIL, which is loosely based on Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and I wanted to do another modern adaptation of an Austen book, so I suggested MANSFIELD PARK to my editor, who liked the idea, especially when I suggested setting it at a summer acting program for teens. I reread the original Austen and knew I wanted to follow the basic outline of the story--but I ended up making a few major changes along the way, including one really big one that might get me in trouble with Austen fans. But times have changed and Austen's heroine puts up with more than she should. I wanted my heroine to stick up for herself more.

Akansha : What do you look upto for inspiration ?

Claire : The truly great authors of the past: Dickens, Austen, and Bronte are all favorites of mine. I know I'll never be in their league but it's still inspiring to think about how their books have entertained so many generations of readers. Also, they're all just such good storytellers: it helps to remember that your job first and foremost is to tell a good story.

Akansha : Which is your favorite novel and why?

Claire : It's so hard to choose just one! I adore Austen's EMMA and Dickens' OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. Bronte's incredible--both JANE EYRE and VILLETTE. I also love Colette's Claudine books, especially CLAUDINE AT SCHOOL.

Akansha : Does your novel  have any parallels that could be drawn from your life ?

Claire :  I borrow a lot from my kids' lives, actually! My son actually went to a couple of summer acting programs, so I based a lot of details in THE TROUBLE WITH FLIRTING on what he told me about them.

Akansha : Did you have a music playlist while working on The Trouble With Flirting?

Claire : I haven't quite mastered the ability to concentrate on writing while listening to music, although I do everything else to music (walk the dog, cook dinner, play games with the kids). But it's a little too distracting when I want to hear the dialogue in my head. If I were to play music? Lots of Elvis Costello, the Shins, some showtunes, Florence, the entire soundtrack from the movie JUNO . . .  I tend to just put my phone on shuffle and listen to it all in a crazy mix.

Akansha : How did writing help you in real life ?

Claire : Back when I was deep into the whole motherhood thing--at one point I had a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old, a three-year-old and an infant--it gave me something to think about that wasn't just snack foods and diapers and nap times. It let me feel creative and grown-up and in charge of my own dreams. I love being a mother and I'd give up writing before I ever gave that up, but the balance between the two has been very important to me.

Akansha :Which movie do you connect to most and how ?

Claire : I adore BROADCAST NEWS. James Brooks wrote and directed it--it's about the way the news industry changed in the eighties--how reporters started to think of themselves as TV stars and cared more about how they looked on camera than the kind of reporting they did. But it's also about love and being too smart for your own happiness and frustration and downsizing and a million other things. And it's incredibly funny, with amazing lines like"Wouldn't this be a great world if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive? If "needy" were a turn-on?" And "Except for socially, you're my role model."

Akansha : State your one irresistible desire

Claire : Potato chips. I can't resist them. My son told me he thought I should make a New Year's resolution to give them up for a year and I said, "NEVER! There'd be no point in getting up in the morning!"  Okay, that's a slight exaggeration . . . but around five o'clock every afternoon, I crave a few.

Chole Moretz

Nicholas Hoult

Akansha :Do you have a dream cast for The Trouble With Flirting or Epic Fail?

Claire : I'd take Chloe Moretz as the lead in either!  Or Elle Fanning. They're both amazing and around the right age.I had to ask my 15-year-old daughter for help casting the guy, because I couldn't think of anyone. She suggested Nicholas Hoult (whom I loved in the British TV show SKINS) or Logan Lerman.

Akansha : Which season do you think you are and why so ?

Claire :  Fall. It's possible I feel that way because I was born in October, but I really have always loved that time of year best. I liked it better on the east coast--the way the evenings turn cool and smell like wood smoke--but I still enjoy it here on the west coast too. I like when it's dark just in time for dinner. And I don't like hot nights. And I like all the holidays in the fall. And I'm a stay-at-home-curled-up-comfortably kind of person, so the fall just works for me for that too: it's the time when everyone's settling back into a school and work rhythm but you get a couple of great family-oriented holidays too!

Akansha : If you had a minute to go live on International Network ,what message would you give to world ?

Claire : Be tolerant. Don't impose your beliefs on others. Be kind, accepting, understanding, and open-minded.

Akansha: What are you next planning to work on ?

Claire : I just handed in the rough draft of my next YA novel. My editor will give me notes and so I'll be revising that for publication in the summer of 2014. I'm also writing a novel with a friend and hoping to revise the nonfiction book about autism I co-wrote with Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel, called OVERCOMING AUTISM. And I actually have a couple of other projects I want to work on. I like to stay busy!


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