Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™

I am delighted to offer this Q&A with Lisa Scottoline as her new book arrives in stores. And read through to the end to find out how you can win your own copy!

About KEEP QUIET–

Jake Whitmore has been trying to mend an ongoing rift with his sixteen year old son, Ryan.  Just as they’re enjoying a rare bonding moment, when he’s not competing with the multitude of distractions that vie for Ryan’s attention, disaster strikes.  A tragic car accident with Ryan at the wheel threatens to derail not only Ryan’s chances at college, but his entire future.  Jake makes a split-second decision that saves his son from formal punishment, but plunges them both into a world of guilt, lies, and secrecy.

Making matters even worse, Jake’s wife Pam is up for a federal judgeship, with all the attendant background checks and interviews with the FBI.  Ryan is devastated by the accident, and Jake fears he may not hold up under the scrutiny.  Just when Jake thinks he has everything under control, Scottoline throws yet another curve ball their way, pushing them towards their limits.

Powerful and gut-wrenching, KEEP QUIET is the tale of the unraveling—and the ultimate redemption—of a family.

1. Where did the idea for Keep Quiet come from?

The idea for this novel was a classic what-if, which occurred to me as I was driving down a street similar to the one in the book, which is near my house. Every time I round the curve of this particular street, which has a dangerous blind curve, I think, what if somebody was here and I hit them? What if my kid were driving and my kid hit them? What would I do? What should I do? What I love about this novel is that it concerns a decision that a parent could make at any time, which raises a predicament that they never would have anticipated.

2. There is a big theme of choices throughout the book, why did you feel it was important to choose to take on such an moral topic of right & wrong?

I love to write about choices, because I feel that every day life contains so many of them, which turned out to be no-win. This novel’s a perfect example of that, because Jake has to make an emergency decision and he is damned if he doing damned if he doesn’t. The choice he makes can be looked at in so many ways, from a moral, legal, or ethical point of view, and that’s what makes this book and so many of my standalones perfect for book clubs, because those are the choices and topics that engender the most discussion and there are no right answers.

3. Which character do you relate to the most in this book? Why?

I relate to all of the characters, and I think every novelist has to be able to channel each of the characters to make their position believable. That is particularly true in this novel, because Jake’s position is diametrically opposed to his wife’s position. The son has a different perspective, as well. This novel is really the anatomy of a decision and its aftereffects, in addition to being a family story and a crime thriller.

4. Were there aspects of the story that were inspired by real news stories or personal stories?

Except for the experience above, no. I never base any of my novels on news stories were actual facts, because I think that is so derivative, and like to be original.

5. Do you have any special rituals or traditions when you begin writing a new novel?

I have tons of rituals most of which unfortunately concern food, which is why am on a perpetual diet areas I’m always nibbling on something while I write, when there is something supposedly good for me like pistachios and almonds, where the stuff I really love, like M&Ms. I must have Dunkin’ Donuts coffee every day, extra large, and I keep the TV on all day in my office, so I have a steady stream of Hoda & Kathy Lee, the View, the Chew, Dr. Oz, Queen Latifah, and my favorite of all time, Dr. Phil.

As far as writing rituals per se, I write 2000 words a day, and I think this is really important to stick to. I like it because it gives me a goal every day, but the best thing about it is that also gives me a limit. When I hit 2000 words I get to stop working, ride a pony, or walk the dogs. Writers, like everybody else, need a way to turn work off and for some reason, I need help to give myself permission to do that, so the word count really works. I am writing two novels in year, and the 3rd book every year, which is a memoir I write with my daughter Francesa Serritella, and I have to be very disciplined to keep up that pace. But it’s important to say that I don’t regard this as a bad thing, or onerous in the least. On the contrary, I’m living my life’s dream. I’ve been writing whatever stories both fictional and nonfiction, I want to tell for the past 20 some years, and all of them are bestsellers. How lucky am I?

6. What advice do you have for other writers?

I have a lot of advice for writers, like any blowhard, and much of it is on my website in little videos that I made. But the bottom line is that they should just do it. I stole that from Nike and it’s really true. I find that there is a behavioral way to finish a novel and that begins with routine, a word count, and a set time that you work. Even if you still work a day job, as I did for several years when I was 1st published, a new writer needs to set time aside each day to write, even if it’s only 15 min.

But my real advice is softer and gentler, and it has to do with not getting in your way own way. I would tell new writers to just give it a shot and not doubt themselves, particularly women. There are no right answers in writing, as in life, and you really just have to give it a go and keep going, and not stop until you finish the novel and they publish it. Take time to nurture yourself and your dreams. I believe they really can come true, because that is the story of my life.

About the author:

Lisa Scottoline is a 20 time New York Times best-selling and an Edgar award-winning author with over 20 novels (in 20 years) under her belt, including her latest novel ACCUSED. Her stories have been translated into 25 different languages and her wildly popular, weekly non-fiction column, “Chick Wit,” appears in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Over the years Lisa’s books have solidly landed on all the major bestseller lists including The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. Her book LOOK AGAIN was named “One of the Best Novels of the Year” by The Washington Post and honored as one of a select group of books chosen to be part of World Book Night 2013. It has also been optioned for a film adaptation.

Lisa, a Philadelphia native, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, earned a B.A. in English in just three years and received a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School cum laude. Lisa worked as a trial attorney until the birth of her daughter, Francesca Serritella. She left the firm to raise Francesca and began a part-time career writing legal fiction. Francesca is now an honors graduate of Harvard, author and columnist. Lisa, as a single parent, considers her greatest achievement raising Francesca and now they co-write the “Chick Wit” column for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Through her writing, Lisa’s contributions have been recognized by organizations throughout the country. Lisa is the recipient of the Fun Fearless Fiction Award by Cosmopolitan Magazine, was named a PW Innovator by Publisher’s Weekly and was honored with AudioFile’s Earphones Award.

Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, “Justice and Fiction” at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater for which she one an award for Best Adjunct Professor as voted on by the students.

Lisa believes in writing what you know and puts so much of herself into her books. As evidenced in the bond of sisterhood among her characters, family is profoundly important to Scottoline, she has stated, “I come from a very loving, close-knit Italian family.” Lisa says she need not look past her own family, “The Flying Scottolines” for inspiration. In her nonfiction books and columns, Lisa reflects in an honest and humorous way what it is like to be a middle-aged woman maneuvering through life and her relationships with her family (Daughter Francesca, Brother Frank, and her hilarious, opinionated, octogenarian, Italian, Mother Mary), men, and food.

Lisa is an incredibly generous person, (she opens her home to a fully inclusive book club party every year), an engaging and entertaining speaker, a die-hard Eagles fan and a good cook. Her iPod has everything from U2 to Sinatra to 50 Cent, she is proud to be a Philadelphian and American and nothing makes her happier than spending time with her daughter. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her array of disobedient pets, loves the coziness of her farmhouse and wouldn’t have her life any other way.

If you’d like to win a copy of KEEP QUIET –

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 at 9:00 AM and is filed under Guest Bloggers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.