It was upon the advice of my favorite advice columnist, the fabulous E Jean Carroll, of ELLE magazine. I wrote asking what to do to find an agent. She is brilliant at giving young women advice on how to turn their ideas into success. She said I should just self-publish.

Maria Elena Sandovici – 6 February 2014

The Back Flap

Liliana is the disappointing daughter of hardworking immigrant parents. She is a girl looking to be rescued from her own insecurities and bad decisions. Unable to afford rent in New York City proper, she is craving a life of luxury that isn’t hers, while subsisting on bagels and coffee. In desperate need of support – emotional and otherwise – she clings to potential saviors, never bothering to question if the attachments she forms really fit her.

In a parallel storyline, her mother, Maria, is trying to reject all offers of help, especially those of her estranged husband, whose unexpected generosity forces her to revisit past mistakes she hasn’t come to terms with. Enmeshed in her own drama, she doesn’t notice her daughter’s troubles until it’s too late. Desperate to keep Liliana from making a mistake that will alter the course of her life, Maria reveals her best-kept secret, a story so shocking it might have the power to jerk Liliana back to reality. It could, on the other hand, alienate her forever.

Dogs with Bagels is a story about the American dream gone bad. It is also a story about mothers and daughters, about female friendships, the struggle to survive in one of the world’s most expensive cities, and women’s secret desire to have wild passionate sex with their exes. A cross between Bridgett Jones’ Diary and Sex and the City – with an accent! – Dogs with Bagels is as addictive as a trashy tabloid you can’t seem to put down.

About the book

What is the book about?

It is about a family of Romanian immigrants in New York City. The story shifts back and forth between the point of view of daughter, Liliana, who is struggling to make ends meet on her own, and sees herself as a huge disappointment to her parents, and the mother, Maria, who is mostly oblivious to her daughter’s troubles because she has problems of her own: unresolved  issues with her estranged husband, and the desire to buy  an apartment she cannot afford.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing about six years ago. But pieces of the story, and ideas for it, had been simmering in my mind for much longer than that. About ten years ago, I myself was a young, fairly lost, foreign woman trying to make ends meet in New York, and, like my character I felt like a failure. I wanted to write something about that feeling back then, but it took a few years for me to get the courage to concoct a real plot and get it down on paper.

How long did it take you to write it?

It took about a year to write the first draft.  When I finished, I liked the story, but was not pleased with the quality of the writing. It took another ten drafts for me to finally feel satisfied.

Where did you get the idea from?

I got the idea for Liliana’s young, clueless, struggling character largely from my own misadventures at that age. Though I wanted her to be a person of her own – not a reflection of me – and so I got her to do, say, and think things that I would not. I love misunderstanding my own characters a little. It makes them feel real to me.

The idea for Maria’s story came from my penchant for drama, and my general fascination with exes – not my own, mind you. I have little interest in my own exes. I just hope, frankly, that they are all sleeping with tons of new girls and that all those girls buy my novel. A gal can dream, right?

Anyway, the idea of Maria and Victor and their strange relationship came from my fascination for couples who loved each other truly, and had a very strong bond, sexually and otherwise, but grew estranged. There is a very nostalgic part of my heart that always roots for them to get back together.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

Yes.  I find Liliana’s relationship with Greg boring. When you find something boring, as an author, you bore yourself writing about it. In the original draft, their relationship was explored in more detail. I got rid of a lot of those episodes, because what’s boring to write is boring to read.

What came easily?

The story of Maria and Victor was a real breeze to write.

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

I have mostly borrowed from myself. Both Liliana and Maria have elements of me. But I get inspired by many things: people I meet, movies and TV shows I watch, books I read, even dreams I have sometimes. I did once have a pretty vivid dream about Maria and Victor, and I tried to recreate the feeling of that dream in one of the crucial scenes.

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?

Definitely. I generally prefer women writers. I can relate to them better. One of my favorites is Jane Smiley. I don’t really write like her, and I wouldn’t want to either. Much as I love her style, I’d rather come up with my own. But I remember looking at her novels for guidance at times when I was wondering about stylistic issues.

Do you have a target reader?

I thought my target audience would be women. Among them, I thought immigrant women, particularly Romanians, would be interested in my novel. Now that it’s out, I find that it appeals to a wider audience. I have a few male friends tell me they enjoy reading it, and even give me updates on the chapters they are on, what the characters are doing, etc. That was a nice surprise.

About Writing

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

Yes. I type with two fingers, making lots of noise. Just kidding. My writing process is simple. I just make myself do it, hopefully daily, and on days when I’m not feeling into it, I allow myself to write just a paragraph. On good writing days, the story grips me and the pages just flow. When I feel stuck, I tell myself that even one paragraph is decent progress.

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

No.

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

I wait until I’m finished.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I considered it. But, since I edited my Ph.D. dissertation myself (my solution to my sense of feeling lost was becoming an academic), I figured I’d be ok editing the book. Having rewritten it so many times gave me confidence. That being said, I’ve found a typo or two when I re-read my dissertation in recent years. There might be typos in the book. But I hope not.

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

I find music distracting. I prefer silence.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes.  Over the past four years or so, I’ve been rejected by probably a hundred agents. It is hard to find an agent as a first-time author. Most of them did not even write back to reject me. Then one sent me an email that started off with the hopeful phrase “It’s finally happened!” My heart skipped a beat. But then it turned out, what was finally happening, was that she was getting too many queries to be able to write individualized rejection letters.

It’s a harsh world out there, if you’ve never published anything before. Other than scholarly articles on individual-level political participation…

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

It was upon the advice of my favorite advice columnist, the fabulous E Jean Carroll, of ELLE magazine. I wrote asking what to do to find an agent. She is brilliant at giving young women advice on how to turn their ideas into success. She said I should just self-publish. Once she mentioned it, I began looking into it, and saw that it’s free, and that there are many advantages. I would have loved to have an agent, an editor, and especially a publisher who’d throw me a fancy book party. But at the end of the day, having spent years polishing the manuscript, I realized I could confidently do this on my own and retain control of much of the process. I read a lot of stuff about authors who had found agents, only to be disappointed by the agents’ apathy in promoting their books.

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

I am an artist, and I wanted to paint something for the cover myself. I chose a view of the Manhattan skyline. I did various paintings, then picked the one I liked best.

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

I am learning as I go.  I find social media very helpful. Though frankly, I am a bit overwhelmed by the marketing process, and wish I had devised a plan ahead of time. But I am having a lot of fun doing this, and I feel confident that in time, with sustained effort, I can do a good job.

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

Do it!  It’s a great feeling to have your work out there, and have others be able to read and enjoy it. But be prepared: doing it all yourself is a lot of responsibility and a lot of work. Still, considering this is a dream that means a lot to you, take it as an adventure, and have fun with it.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Romania, in both Bucharest (where my parents lived), and Craiova (where my grandma lived), with big meaningful chunks of my childhood spent in New York City (where my aunt and uncle lived).  I think New York made a strong impression on me as a child. I didn’t really like it, but it was interesting enough to stay with me.

Where do you live now?

I live in Galveston, Texas.

What would you like readers to know about you?

If they want to know more about me, I’d love for them to read my blog:

What are you working on now?

I am working on a new novel, a story that involves tons of international travel, and a few compelling characters who might or might not be dangerous people. It is also a story about being lost, but in a deeper, more meaningful way.

For those looking to connect with me, I am on twitter and facebook. I am also on Pinterest (Elena Sandovici), where I have constructed a storyboard for Dogs with Bagels.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Dogs with Bagels from Amazon US or Amazon UK.