Marilyn Brant is the author five books, including On Any Given Sundae, Double Dipping, and According to Jane. She's kindly taken some time from her schedule to answer a few questions for us. Check them out!
Both of your self-published romance novels, On Any Given Sundae and Double Dipping, are set in Wisconsin, where you grew up. How much, if any, of your stories reflect your years growing up in the state?
Marilyn: As with every novel an author writes, there are aspects of yourself you simply can't escape. I grew up in "The Dairy State" and there was just a LOT of talk about ice cream, yogurt, cheese and milk when I was a kid. My family and friends were big consumers of dairy products. I remember making homemade ice cream in 4th grade as a whole-class project and, because my dad was a chemist, we also did some ice-cream-making experiments at home. Plus, I lived in the suburbs of Madison, near the University of Wisconsin campus, which is known for their Babcock Hall Ice Cream (freshly made, rich and creamy, unique flavors -- my favorite is "Orange Custard Chocolate Chip") and my parents would take us out for ice cream or to buy various cheeses on the weekends. It was just a part of our routine. So, to have characters who discussed ice cream flavors and toppings was natural for me.
As far as some of the specific issues and experiences of my characters, though, much of that is not reflective of my life. I'm (sadly) not great at baking like my heroine Elizabeth in On Any Given Sundae, and I've never had any issues with stuttering (although my son went through speech classes for years because of his R's and Th's). I was, however, shy for a long time, and I do still prefer a smaller group of really close friends to legions of acquaintances. With Double Dipping, there is one big similarity between my heroine Cait and me -- both of us were 2nd grade teachers! So, in writing that book, I did know a fair bit about how a school was organized, the rhythm of the workday, the afterschool extracurriculars and what kinds of activities and prep work you needed to do for your class, etc. And, as far as family members who've experienced memory loss as a result of aging, I've dealt with that personally, too. But, I never had a romantic encounter with an administrator in my building -- not ever! And I certainly never investigated any kind of a theft while working in my old school district, LOL.
When it comes to your romantic comedies, do you have a favorite hero or heroine?
Marilyn: In my own books, I tend to fall in love with some aspect of every character...and, just as strongly, I also want to shake them because they have issues and I'd like them to hurry up and work them out! It would be difficult to have just one favorite hero or heroine -- we put some of ourselves and some of our heart into the creation of every one -- but I've gotten particularly strong reader feedback on Ellie and Sam from my debut novel According to Jane (2009). Technically, it's a women's fiction book not a romantic comedy, but the Ellie and Sam relationship was a unique one because it spanned 20 years. There are some extra layers a writer can add to a relationship that has existed (even fictionally) for that long. So, in that way, those two characters are a little unusual, and I enjoyed exploring their relationship over time quite a bit.
In romantic comedies by other people, without a doubt my favorite couple is Darcy and Elizabeth from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! I also love the literary (and cinematic) pairing of Sir Percy Blakeney and Marguerite St. Just in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Regency men, especially ones who are good with swords, make me swoon *grin*. In the slightly more modern world, I love Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn (with Jimmy Steward on the side) in The Philadelphia Story. And, more modern still, Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping. But I could go on and on with favorite romantic comedy heroes and heroines. Don't even get me started on When Harry Met Sally...I'll start quoting from the film!
You gone both the traditional route and the indie route when it comes to publishing your books. Why did you decide to self-publish On Any Give Sundae and Double Dipping?
Marilyn: There are a number of reasons. In part, it was because it's a long time between print books (14 months, in my case, between Friday Mornings at Nine and A Summer in Europe), and I wanted to give my readers something fun to read in the interrum. My indie/romance books both touched on some of the themes I wrote about in my print/women's fiction novels, particularly with A Summer in Europe, but in a shorter, lighter way. I hoped if new readers found me digitally first, they'd get to enjoy an inexpensive sample of my writing and, perhaps, they'd be interested in reading more...
Aside from all of that, though, my very first love was romantic comedy. I wrote several purely lighthearted romances prior to getting my first traditional book contract, and a few of those novels were quite close to being published in their own right. In the case of On Any Given Sundae, an editor really liked it, but the line she was considering it for was discontinued just two weeks after I finished writing the book and a new line was never created to replace it. So, for six years, I waited in hopes that a print publisher would appear, looking for books of that tone and length, but one never did.
I try to bring a fair amount of both romance and humor into my longer books but -- as a reader myself -- sometimes I'm just in the mood for a story that's a short, entertaining read. Like wanting to watch a half-hour sitcom one night rather than a two-hour feature film. If both the sitcom and the film were written and directed by the same person, there would certainly be similarities in writing style and favored camera angles. But the sitcom has to be less complicated and faster paced than the film, and it has to be structured in a way that delivers the humor and the closure the viewers have come to expect from a half-hour comedy. The movie, of course, has different rules and more flexibility, needs to be longer and have multiple layers or subplots. For me, writing romantic comedies vs. women's fiction is a lot like that. Different lengths, different expectations, but it's all still in my voice.
Have you faced different challenges when it comes to traditionally vs. self-published works? If yes, what has been the biggest difference?
Marilyn: On the macro level, the challenges are exactly the same: getting noticed by readers and staying noticed by them. On the micro level, however, there are some differences. With a self--published project, you have to learn how to handle wearing all the hats. You're the one in charge of editing, proof reading, back cover copy, front cover design, marketing, advertising, pricing and distribution. You can hire people to help with all of these, but you're still the one that needs to research a great cover artist, for instance, and you still have to be prepared to give a lot of input to your designer so he/she can craft just the right image for your story. With traditional titles, there's a publishing staff in place to help you do all of those things, however, having less responsibility also means having less control. You're on the publishing house's time table and you can't really move things along faster -- or slow them down overly much -- without it creating a problem.
On the financial side, there are no advances when you self-publish something -- it's a pure leap of faith. One benefit to a traditional contract is that you'll get some (typically small) amount of money upfront. But, with self-publishing, you do get a larger share of the royalties on what you sell and you can check your sales record at any time, day or night. (Still not sure if I should call this a "good" thing or not, LOL. The ease with which an author can become obsessed with his/her indie sales numbers is frightening!) With a traditional house, you usually don't get a good picture of your opening month's sales for 6 months to a year. I do think gaining the attention of readers and reviewers remains the biggest challenge for self-pubbed novels, but that's a struggle with print titles as well. The thing I keep telling everyone is that BOTH methods are a lot of work. There aren't any shortcuts to publishing a well-written novel. Period.
On your website you mention that you’ve traveled to 30 countries. Do you have a favorite? Which country, and why?
Marilyn: Ooooh, this is a tough question. I've always found wonderful places and met fascinating people when I've traveled. I was an exchange student in Australia when I was in high school, and there's just nothing like snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef or holding a koala in your arms... And I took a class in England on the subject my literary idol, Jane Austen, so between that and the amazing theater and the unbelievably delicious Cadbury bars (I'm all about exploring the foreign chocolate), that country is really high on my list, too. But if I could only pick one, it would have to be Italy.
For me, there is nothing like the magic I found in the city of Venice. I know it's not everyone's favorite place -- visitors tend to have a very strong reaction to it, either loving or hating it. Me? I loved it and could barely tear myself away from that city. But I also really enjoyed other parts of the country like Florence (omg, seeing The David and eating their gelato!!) and Rome (getting to visit the "Mouth of Truth" oracle as well as the Colosseum and the Vatican). The "Walk of Love" in the Cinque Terre region along the Riviera coast was so memorable and the Island of Capri was breathtaking and the northern lake district, particularly Lake Como, was stunning, too. Sigh. I get excited just thinking about Italy. It's one of the main reasons I wrote my upcoming women's fiction book, A Summer in Europe. I wanted to create an experience for a character who would be as awed by Italy -- and by the European experience -- as I was.
(Side note: As I write this, I'm getting excited to go to a live cooking demonstration hosted by Top Chef Fabio Viviani this weekend -- a birthday present from my Mom! I'm hoping he'll teach us how to create a few dishes with the flavor of Italy at home!!)
Thank you so much to Marilyn for taking time out to answer some questions! Make sure to stop by Marilyn's website to learn more about her and her books.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 8:00AM
Reader Comments (3)
Kristyn, thank you so much. It was a pleasure to visit your blog today -- I really appreciated the thoughtful questions you asked ;) . And, ohhhh, your lovely review! I can't thank you enough for that. I'm thrilled you liked the story -- yay!! -- and look forward to sharing the links to both the review and the Q&A with everyone!
Hi Kristyn and Marilyn! Great interview! I didn't know you'd been to 30 countries, Marilyn! Wow! And hey, I went to Australia as an exchange student when I was 13!
Robin, I didn't know that!!! I would LOVE to hear about your exchange sometime! And 13...wow. That's a long way to go at that age. It seems esp. young since my son will soon be 13, but I remember feeling so very mature once I became a teen ;) . Thank you for visiting me here!