If you want to be read, you’ve got to get your book out there. The reading public doesn’t come to you, you have to go to it. Writing the book is only part of the story, the other parts are getting it published and getting it read. 

Rita Plush 24 Nov 2012

The Back Flap

Empty nest, retired husband… after thirty-three years of marriage as wife, mother, nursemaid, and family mediator, Lily Gold has had it! There must be more to life than making beds and cooking dinners. A lot more, she discovers, when she decides she needs something of her very own—a job.

Reentering the work forces is harder than it seems, and Lily has difficulty finding a position that’s right for her. When she finally does, husband Leon wants no part of it, and off he goes to the bank to put the kibosh on her chance of opening her own antique center.

This is marriage? This is war!  Lily steps out of the tired old habit of always letting Leon have his way. This time she turns the status quo into quid pro quo and gives him a run for the money. And while she’s at it, with a little help from her friends, she breaks the mold of Lily Gold. But does she have what it takes to create a new Lily—a Lily’s renaissance?

About the book

What is the book about?

“Lily Steps Out,” is a novel about a middle-aged suburban housewife who decides to “step out” of the comfortable life she knows and get a job, much to the mocking disbelief of her loving husband, Leon, now retired, and their grown son, Larry, both of them content with The Way Things Are, such as shopping at Waldbaums—“This cucumber. No that one.” The story is about a woman’s struggle to be more than she is, despite the objections of those she loves, and the obstacles—both emotional and financial—they  put in her path.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing the book twelve years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took five years to write, another seven to get it published.

Where did you get the idea from?

At the time, I was hearing a lot about men having heart attacks. A friend’s husband, a friend of a friend, a close cousin in perfect health, and one day, boom! Some survived, some didn’t, and it scared me, because it got me thinking about my own husband. What would I do? How would I cope? And then my imagination took over, and I invented a woman whose husband has a heart attack. A smart woman. A capable woman. But she doesn’t know how smart and capable she is until she’s faced with a crisis that goes beyond her husband’s health.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I struggled with how to end it. And I don’t want to give it away by telling you how it does end.

What came easily?

What came easily is what always comes easily to me; I love to develop characters, describe them, dress them, give them little quirks and particular ways of speaking.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I would say they’re mostly fictitious, but here and there I’ve borrowed from the real world. It could just be someone I’ve seen whose physical characteristics will morph into a character I’m developing.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Joyce Carol Oates, T.C Boyle, Alice Munroe, Harold Brodkey, Ellen Gilchrist Philip Roth—I spent one summer reading all the books of his I hadn’t gotten to—are among my most admired authors.  I can’t pinpoint it, but I’m sure in some way their storytelling, their descriptions, etc. have influenced my writing.

Do you have a target reader?

I didn’t set out to target a particular group, I just told the story I wanted to tell, but I think Lily  appeals to women in the over forty range.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My process is simple: Every day I sit at my laptop and write. Writing is a job like any other. You slack off, the work doesn’t get done.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I don’t outline, I just dive in and write. The characters take the story where it has to go.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go. Write a paragraph. Edit. Another paragraph. Edit. I also brought Lily to my writers’ group, who critiqued it chapter by chapter. I’ve belonged to this group since I started writing, twenty years ago and they’ve been a tremendous help. Writers fall in love with their words; they’re our darlings. We love them, and sometimes, like our children, we can’t see their faults, we need others to do that for us, to be objective.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Before I sent it out to publishers I hired a professional editor. I wanted Lily to be as polished and as good as she could be.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No music. Just me and my laptop.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I submitted Lily to many agents and finally got one. She loved the book but couldn’t place it.

What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

After my agent couldn’t place Lily, I tried publishers who accepted non-agented fiction, but I had no luck. I put the book aside and began another novel, and then on vacation two years ago, I went to a library talk on self-publishing and got very revved up about it. I took out books on the subject and had even chosen the publisher, when one day, I put my hand in the pocket of a coat and came out with a scrap of paper that had Penumbra Publishing written on it in my handwriting. “What’s this?” I said to myself. This turned out to be the publisher I’d been hoping for, who “thoroughly enjoyed the story and the unique voice and style of the author .  .  . the unique characters that gave the tale a certain refreshing charm.”

Finally, after nearly twelve years of writing, rewriting and rejection, I found a publisher. You might say, the publisher found me.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

When I thought I was going to self-publish, I hired a graphic designer to do the cover. And though Penumbra said they would do the cover for me, when I sent them my cover they said they’d use it.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Winging it? Just the opposite. From the day Penumbra accepted Lily Steps Out, I’ve been promoting it. I got on Facebook, and launched a website so folks can see who I am, what I’ve done, and what I’m doing writing wise. I’ve given several author talks and book signings at libraries and synagogues, and have others lined up in the coming months. If you want to be read, you’ve got to get your book out there. The reading public doesn’t come to you, you have to go to it. Writing the book is only part of the story, the other parts are getting it published and getting it read.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

My advice is, Do it! Write, write, write. Read, read, read, and put out the best book you can. And develop a thick skin; writing/getting published is not for the sensitive types.

About You

What are you working on now?

I’m putting the finishing touches on a collection of short stories, Step into My Heart, the Door is Round and Wide, and winding down Feminine Products, a novel that follows some of the characters in Lily Steps Out.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Lily Steps Out From Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.

For more about Rita, visit her website.