Ellen Meister’s debut novel, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, received acclaimed reviews from, among other places, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and numerous writers. Her second novel, “The Smart One,” is forthcoming from HarperCollins in early 2008. Ellen lives in Long Island with her husband and
three children. Visit her here.

Your first novel, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, a story about three women PTA members who join together to try and get a George Clooney movie filmed in their town, was published in August of 2006. Tell us about the process of seeing it through to publication.

How much time do you have, Kelly?

It’s been quite a process, and I honestly have no idea how people who aren’t obsessive, compulsive and utterly neurotic get books published.

In a nutshell, I got the idea for the novel in late 2000 and finished writing it about two years later. It was a tough process for me because for the first year I had no writer friends to go for input and no idea what I was doing. Then I found a critique pal on the internet, and shortly after that stumbled onto the Zoetrope online writers’ workshop, where I became fast friends with a number of talented and knowledgeable writers. The learning curve took a sharp turn at that point.

Once the manuscript was finished, I spent about nine months querying agents before I landed one. My agent is a brilliant editor, and had some great suggestions for making the novel stronger, so I did a pretty major rewrite before she sent it out.

The editor who bought it is Carrie Feron of William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins). It took about two years from the initial offer until the book appeared in stores. So … from the day I got the idea to the day I walked into a Borders store on Long Island and wept at the sight of my book on the New Fiction table, it was almost six years. People outside the publishing business think this is an insanely long period of time. My writer friends think of it as an overnight success story.

*

How has the publication of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA changed your life?

I bought a red minivan. I used to have a green one.

*

Lisa Kudrow, whom most people know from her character Phoebe on “Friends,” read the audio version of your novel. It too has been well received, garnering reviews from Publishers Weekly and Entertainment Weekly. Did you work with her on the project?

I wish I could take credit for Lisa’s performance, which Entertainment Weekly called “a comic tour de force.” Alas, the writer actually has very little involvement with audiobook production. The publisher sent me a “script” of the abridged version for approval, and that was about it.

It’s unusual for a celebrity to read an audiobook—especially one from a debut author– but I hit the lottery in the relatives department by being cousins with Lisa Kudrow. I’m so grateful to her for taking on this massive project. Lord knows she didn’t need the work. And as if that wasn’t enough, she went ahead and mentioned the book on the Tonight Show, even though she was really there to plug The Comeback on DVD. Of course, my heart nearly stopped in my chest as I watched her, because she led into it by saying, “My cousin wrote this really phenomenal book called … oh shoot.” A second later she remembered the title so I didn’t need the defibrillator after all.

*

So, we all want to know: have you met George Clooney?

Only in my dreams, Kelly.

*

You’re currently hosting a contest titled “I Want A Freaking Character Named After Me.” What’s that all about?

Thanks for asking about that! I’m giving readers a chance to enter a drawing to have a character named after them in my next book. For anyone who’s read Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA and remembers the multi-syllable curse Maddie uttered throughout, it’s pretty easy to enter. Instructions are here (and a clue appears below).

*

Your new book, “The Smart One,” is scheduled for release early next year. What is this novel about, and what inspired you to write it?

It was two separate ideas floating around in my head that crashed like weather fronts. The first was an actual news story that happened in my own little corner of suburbia and captured my attention. A neighbor discovered a body in an industrial drum that had been in the crawl space under his house since he moved in. The police determined that the deceased was a young pregnant woman who had been murdered twenty-five years ago, and suspected the home’s original owner. Before they could issue a warrant for his DNA, he shot and killed himself. While I was thinking about this, I kept revisiting the notion that I wanted to write a sister story exploring how we often define ourselves in terms of our position in the family dynamic. So the two ideas collided and in the ensuing storm, I wound up writing a story about three sisters who discover a body under the house next door, and the journey of self-discovery that sets in motion.

*

After “The Smart One,” what’s next for Ellen Meister?

I have this high concept idea for my next book that I haven’t even discussed with my agent yet, so I’d better keep my mouth shut. Suffice to say I plan to keep writing novels as long they’ll let me.

*

Is it true that once your first book goes to print, you’re under enormous pressure to produce another one within a year? What happens if you don’t deliver?

Yes, once you’ve sold a book they’d like you to produce another one every 12-18 months. I don’t know if I consider that enormous pressure, but it looms large. It really comes down to being a career issue. If you want a career as a novelist, your readers are going to need to see books from you with some frequency so they don’t forget you. Also, the best way to keep your agent and publisher happy is to keep making money for them. And it’s hard to do that if you’re not writing new books.

*

Do you think the pressure does, or could, hurt the final product?

I think it could hurt the final product if you were dealing with people who were willing to compromise quality for speed. Fortunately, my publisher would rather push back the pub date for rewrites than print a book they don’t believe in one hundred and ten percent. I’m grateful for that!

*

You’ve worked in publishing, advertising, and have even been an assistant to a literary agent. How has this helped you understand the business side of writing? What should writers know about the other end?

Even with my background, every step of the process has been a learning experience for me. So I guess my best advice is to do your homework, but not worry about looking like a rookie. Ask as many questions as you need to ask. It’s the only way to learn.

*

You seem so together and down to earth. Are you as neurotic as the rest of us?

Ha! Can I read this question to my husband, who witnessed me having a panic attack this morning?

Someone once accused me of being a balance and harmony freak, which cracked me up. I mean, I love the thought that we live in a world where even mental stability can be pathologized. But I know what she meant. I wouldn’t work so obsessively hard at creating some Yiddishe version of a Norman Rockwell life if I didn’t need to quiet some internal chaos.

*

What’s your favorite swear word? Come on! You can say it!

Mothershitfuck.

*

Upcoming Events:

Ellen will be at the Rockaway Writers Conference and Literary Arts Festival on Sunday, April 22, in the Gateway National Recreation Area, Rockaway Queens. The event goes from 10 am to 5 pm. She’ll be on the Women’s Panel (time TBA).

Contact Ellen

Join mailing list

Order Secrets of the Applewood PTA from Powells

Read a synopsis of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA

Read an excerpt of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA

Read reviews of Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA

Read other interviews with Ellen at:

Newsday

Ink Pot

Novel Journey

Lit Park


Filed Under: The Writer Profile Project |