GCC presents Joanne Rendell

When I finally get my sorry ass over to New York, one of the first things I'm going to do (once I stop staring like a dumb tourist) is go hang out with my lovely cyber buddy, Joanne Rendell. I've known Jo for a few years now and actually got to catch up with her briefly at the RWA conference last year but we didn't have nearly enough time together. Anyway, not only is Joanne totally cool (and far too good looking for my liking) but she is a fabulous writer. Her first book, The Professors' Wives' Club was fast paced and electric and I'm absolutely dying to read her book, Crossing Washington Square which is out this week!!!!!

Professor Diana Monroe is a highly respected scholar of Sylvia Plath. Serious and aloof, she steadfastly keeps her mind on track. Professor Rachel Grey is young and impulsive, with a penchant for teaching relevant contemporary women's stories like Bridget Jones' Diary and The Devil Wears Prada, and for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

The two conflicting personalities meet head-to-heart when Carson McEvoy, a handsome and brilliant professor visiting from Harvard, sets his eyes on both women and creates even more tension between them. Now Diana and Rachel are slated to accompany an undergraduate trip to London, where an almost life-threatening experience with a student celebrity will force them to change their minds and heal their hearts...together.

And now I'm going to tantalize you even more by letting you see the interview I did with Jo, where she talks a bit more about the inspiration behind the book (and of course zombies!!!!)

1 How did you first get the idea for your current book?

The idea for this book evolved over a few years. As someone who has lived the academic life (I have a PhD in literature and now I’m married to a professor at NYU), I’ve always loved books about the university – books like Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim and Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys. But what I noticed about such campus fiction was the lack of female professors in leading roles. Even the female authors like Francine Prose and Zadie Smith, who’ve written campus novels, they too focus on male professors. Furthermore, most of these male professors are disillusioned drunks who quite often sleep with their students! I wanted to write a novel with women professors taking the lead and I wanted these women to be strong and smart and interesting – instead of drunk, disillusioned, and preoccupied with questionable romantic liaisons!


2 I often say that everything I know about writing has come from Buffy. Is there any movie/tv show/book/author that you think has helped your writing career?

Jane Austen. She haunts everything I write (not that I’m claiming to write like her, I just aspire too!) She’s just such a kicka*s storyteller and her characters are so nuanced and beautifully portrayed. Crossing Washington Square is loosely based on Austen’s Sense and Sensibility – with one character being led by her sense, the other by her sensibilities. I always loved how Austen examined these different characters – their strengths and weaknesses, how they clash but also how they learn from each other – and enjoyed putting it into a modern context. In my novel, Professor Rachel Grey is tempestuous and emotional and teaches chick lit in her classes. Meanwhile Professor Diana Monroe is cool, controlled and aloof. She’s also a serious scholar of Sylvia Plath who thinks “beach” fiction or chick lit is an easy ride for students. They really don’t get along!

3 What's a normal writing day for you?

I get up early and start work right away. I basically have to get as much done before my six year old son wakes up! I usually check my emails, FB and Twitter first, which can often be a bad thing as the internet vortex can suck me in for way too long! But usually I can drag myself away and then I get down to writing. I try and write 500 words a day. Often I produce 500 words of utter rubbish, but at least it is ideas on a page to work with. When my son wakes, my “other” life begins. We’re actually homeschooling Benny, so that is why I have to squeeze in writing time while he’s sleeping. “Homeschool” is somewhat a misnomer, though, as we spend a relatively small amount of time schooling at “home.” We live in New York so are lucky enough to have an amazing array of fun and educational places on our doorstep. Benny and I, together with his friends, are always out on trips to the Met, the Natural History Museum, aquariums, zoos, galleries, libraries, and parks. When we’re not out and about, Benny and I love to read – either together or separately. I’m so thankful he loves books like I do. Also I’m learning so much as a writer through Benny’s books and his homeschool experiences in general. Inspired by another homeschool family, we recently started a loose history curriculum in which we’ve studied dinosaurs, early man, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt followed by Ancient Greece and Rome. We’ve combined relevant story and picture books, with many trips to museums. Benny has learnt a lot, but it’s amazing how much I’ve learned too about Greek myths, ancient texts and civilizations. I feel my mind – and my writing – expanding because of these studies!

4 The best blooper I've ever done as a writer was when I had my heroine hand the hero something. Problem was they were sharing the same body at the time! So to help lessen my embarrassment, I'd love to know what your best writing blooper is and did someone catch it before your book went into print?

Okay, I’m not sure if I should admit this, but there are 2 bloopers in my book which neither me or my copyeditors caught. At the end of a chapter, one of my characters rips the phone from the wall, but in the next chapter I talk about her making another call! Also, I talk about a character rushing down a hallway when she’s actually just returned from a transatlantic trip and there is no mention of her struggling with baggage! One blooper we did catch was my character talking to a class of twenty students and then on the next page there are magically thirty-five of them!!

5 And now for the big question. Zombies - love them, hate them, couldn't eat a whole one? Enquiring minds want to know


Couldn’t eat a whole one! Although I do love that wonderful book about zombies written by, now who was the fabulous author? Oh yes, Amanda Ashby!

Hehehe - so now you know the real reason I like Jo so much! But trust me, she really is a great writer so I hope you will all go out and buy her book!!!! Retweet this button on every post blogger