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CHRISTINA: I love social media. Especially when I discover a new-to-me author. Susie Orman Schnall first came on my radar when I saw the book cover for her latest release in my newsfeed. I was intrigued by the cover, title, and then back cover information and wanted to know more. I read Anna Bright Is Hiding Something over a weekend and found it a smart, edgy, and timely page-turner. So, of course, I started following her on Instagram. Imagine my delight when she agreed to this interview.
What comes first: plot or characters?
SUSIE: For me, it’s more of the overall concept and then I create characters to drop into that world and devise a plot to support a viable story. For instance, when deciding what to write my fourth novel about, I found myself reading the famous swimmer Esther William’s autobiography and discovering that when she was nineteen in 1940, she auditioned to be a swimmer in the San Francisco production of the Aquacade. Aquacade? I’d never heard that word before. So, I looked it up and learned that it was the highest-grossing attraction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. (It was a spectacular production featuring synchronized swimmers, dancers, divers, musicians, and comedians.) I ended up going down a rabbit hole and became fascinated with the 1939 New York World’s Fair. I thought it would be a great setting into which I could drop a couple of ambitious women. Then I came up with who those characters would be and what challenges they would face. That became my fourth novel, We Came Here to Shine.
CHRISTINA: What an incredible rabbit hole to drop into. I love that pre-WWII era. This sounds like a fascinating world.
Is there one of your characters you most identify with and why?
SUSIE: I identify with all of my female main characters, because I write about ambitious women who are finding their voices, going after what they want, standing up to challenges, and overcoming great obstacles in their personal and professional lives. At the beginning of my novels, my FMCs [female main characters] are all going through something—as most modern women are—but I love to watch (and write!) their transformations and give each of them the chance to become a fully realized woman capable of reaching her potential. Kinda like how I feel about myself.
CHRISTINA: Indeed. And my favorite characters to read are those I can relate to or their reaction.
Which of your own novels is your favorite?
SUSIE: I would have to pick two. First, my most recent release, Anna Bright Is Hiding Something, is my favorite of my three contemporary novels. I loved exploring the world of female entrepreneurs, tapping into the popularity of shows like Hulu’s The Dropout about Elizabeth Holmes and Netflix’s Inventing Anna about Anna Delvey (two women who are ethically challenged!), and writing a character who behaves badly. Second, We Came Here to Shine is my favorite of my two historical fiction novels. Although I loved the history of New York City’s Miss Subways contest which was the setting of The Subway Girls, I truly fell in love with the New York World’s Fair: the spectacle, the history, the possibilities, and its peek into the future. And it was a lot of fun to create my two main characters, Max and Vivi, and watch them navigate that world as young women with big dreams.
CHRISTINA: Sounds delish! Just my kind of read. I might have to suggest We Came Here to Shine to #MyTotallyLegitBookClub, too.
If you were to revise any of your books, which would you choose and why?
SUSIE: My immediate response is to say my first novel, On Grace. I have learned so much in the almost fifteen years since I wrote that book about story structure, pacing, character development, creating stakes, etcetera that I could incorporate into that book in a major edit and make it that much better. But I also think there’s something quite poignant about a first novel. A first stab into a world—novel writing—I knew nothing about. The story still holds up because people still tell me they’re reading it, so I want to leave it preserved in a bit of resin even though there will always be part of me that wants to give it one more edit.
CHRISTINA: I can totally understand that sentiment about something poignant in that first novel, something pure before becoming the experienced writer you are now. Maybe, it will become a screenplay, and you’ll have the chance then.
What do you think makes a good story?
SUSIE: I once watched a Ted Talk by Andrew Stanton, who wrote Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and so many other wonderful movies. He said something to the effect of… a good story is one where the reader/viewer has absolutely no idea what’s going to happen and cannot wait to find out. I love that!
CHRISTINA: I kinda love that too.
Best advice for new writers:
SUSIE: Three things:
1. Learn as much as possible about the industry by reading publishing websites (i.e., Jane Friedman, Writer’s Digest), listening to podcasts/interviews with editors, agents, and other industry figures, and find a mentor if you can in another author. It’s vital to understand as much as you can about the world you’re entering, including the business side of it, and there’s a world of free info online you can tap into.
2. Learn as much as possible about writing craft. There are authors who are “pantsers”—who write “by the seat of their pants” and figure out their plot and characters, etcetera, as they go. But I think new writers would benefit from learning craft and understanding story structure. Some of my favorite books for that are Save The Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody and Story Genius by Lisa Cron. There are also many incredible blogs and articles online about craft. If you’re writing commercial fiction, I think it’s vital to be a student of all the parts that go together to make a great story.
3. Butt in chair!
CHRISTINA: Thank you for that great advice. As a writer in the query trenches, I appreciate your sage advice. Thank you for taking the time to answer my nosey questions. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your backlist. I’d love to arrange a Zoom Q&A with my book club. We really do read the books, despite what our husbands claim to be an excuse to get together and eat and drink. As if we'd need an excuse.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Hulu's "The Dropout," about Elizabeth Holmes, meets Netflix’s "Inventing Anna" in this cinematic and page-turning read. Anna Bright Is Hiding Something is a propulsive and ripped-from-the-headlines story that explores the fascinating world of female founders through the exploits of an earnest and bold journalist who exposes the fraud of an enigmatic founder on the eve of her company’s IPO. Set in the glossy worlds of Silicon Valley start-ups and New York City media, the novel is a love letter to hard-working businesswomen and a universal story about ambition, women in the workplace, and the true meaning of success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susie Orman Schnall is the author of five novels about ambitious women: Anna Bright Is Hiding Something, We Came Here to Shine, The Subway Girls, The Balance Project, and On Grace. Her writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Writer’s Digest, and Glamour. She’s also shopping her first pilot and feature-length screenplay. A mother of three sons, Susie was born in Philadelphia, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and lives with her husband in New York. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her doing a crossword puzzle or hiking up a mountain.
You can connect with Susie via her Website
and Instagram.
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