Fiction Scribe

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Daily.

Hi! Thanks so much for having me with you.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?

Probably in the crib. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing — from goofy songs about fruit to love stories about my 4th grade teacher to my pre-author career as an advertising copywriter.

You’re currently on virtual tour for Fifteen Minutes of Shame. Could you tell us a bit about the book?

I’m not only on a virtual tour, I’m on a 22-city tour as well.

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME is a story about Darby Vaughn, a small-town girl turned dating guru. She’s finally landed the life she’s always dreamed of: A handsome, charming husband shes crazy about, a fabulous home in an exclusive neighborhood, a bestselling dating book, and tax-deductible pedicures.

Thousands of women have attended Darbys famous Dreamgirl Academy and followed her man-snagging advice to the letter, in hopes that their lives will turn out just like hers. But when she finds out her husband is cheating, her publicity-perfect world spins out of control. Not only is the most humiliating moment in her life splashed across every supermarket tabloid and celebrity gossip show, but her reputation as Americas favorite love expert is shot.

Her book sales have tanked, her publisher has canceled the rest of her tour, and her love life has become fodder for late-night TV. To make matters worse, the ex-wife Gigi keeps feeding the media frenzy in hopes of furthering her own reality TV career.

If Darby takes her philandering husband back, she will be breaking her own most cardinal law of relationships (Never stay with a cheater!), and her career will be over. If she sticks to her own rules, shell lose the only man she has ever truly loved. As her marriage and career fall apart, Darby learns that even dating experts get their hearts broken, and that when it comes to matters of the heart, none of us are in complete control.

What inspired you to write this book? Where did the idea begin?

The week before my dating advice book, Stop Getting Dumped! was first published, a very prominent dating expert was going through a very public divorce, and she was really taking a lot of heat in the media. At the time, my husband and I had just been married a few years — I remember having this moment where I thought about how awful it would be to go through one of the most difficult times in your life with the entire world watching — and the idea for Fifteen Minutes of Shame was born.

As I developed the story, a lot of the funniest scenes dealt with the world of television — the disparity between how something (and some people) look on TV, versus in real life, has always been hilarious to me.

What character do you relate to the most and why?

I’m a lot like Darby, the main character. Shes a funny, somewhat klutzy dating expert who wants to see everybody get a little piece of happily ever after. The trait we share is that we both tend to trust our brains over our hearts.

What is your favourite part of the book?

The TODAY SHOW scene, for certain. Darby’s biggest dream is finally coming true — she’s appearing on the TODAY SHOW, and Matt Lauer informs her that her husband is leaving her for another woman. Darby throws up on national television and then passes out. It’s one of the funniest scenes in the book, and it’s the moment when Darby’s entire existence is turned inside-out.

A trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBRRYCJgaWA

What draws you about writing about relationships?

I’m always searching for patterns in people’s behavior, some overarching theme to explain WHY they are what they are, or why they do what they do. In general, I have a strong need to figure things out. Relationships are so fascinating to me because they’re such a wild card — the decisions we make in our relationships , sometimes our every brain cell will tell us to run in the other direction, and we stay. Sometimes our brains lead us one way, and our hearts another — it’s always interesting to me to watch that play out.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?

My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Delia Ephron, Nora Ephron, Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Oscar Wilde, and Kristin Harmel. I loved Freakonomics for the writing. I’m particularly fond the girls at the Debutante Ball Eileen Cook, Danielle Young-Ullman, Jenny Gardiner, Jess Riley and Gail Knopf-Baker. I love Eats, Shoots and Leaves for the punctuation stickers in the back. Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodworth Thomason was a revelation, and Michael Alvear, Lisa Earle McLeod and Lenore Skenazy crack me up.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new novel, titled THE TRUTH ABOUT GOSSIP. I’m still early in the process on this book, but its a humorous, edgy story about someone struggling to overcome superficiality and preconceptions.

What are your dreams for your writing?

My biggest dream for my writing has come true — when someone says to me how much they loved Fifteen Minutes of Shame or my first book, Stop Getting Dumped!, and that they stayed up all night because they couldn’t put it down. Those are the reactions that every writer lives for.

Like most authors, I dream of the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Mostly, I hope I’m as grateful for the experience of being published as I am today.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?

When I’m not writing novels, I’m writing dating advice books (my new one, How To Date Like a Grownup, comes out in December). I also do a weekly relationships advice segment on DAYTIME, a syndicated morning TV show.

Do you have any advice for writers?

What separates working writers from wannabe writers is sticking it out, getting it done, whether your muse is on vacation or not. Don’t give up when it gets hard it gets hard for everybody.

I recommend that anyone wanting to write books starts by getting the best writing job you can swing (newspaper, magazine, advertising copywriter) where you are surrounded by, and hopefully supervised by, writers who are far better than you are. Learn everything you can, and write every single day. Then, be brave and put your work out into the world.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be here today! Great questions!