It’s about ordinary people, far from the glitter of Hollywood, who are still influenced by celebrity.

Mary Camarillo – 6 July 2021

The Back Flap

Brenda Lockhart’s family has been living well beyond their means for too long when Brenda’s husband leaves them—for an older and less attractive woman than Brenda, no less. Brenda’s never worked outside the home, and the family’s economic situation quickly declines. Oldest daughter Peggy is certain she’s heading off to a university, until her father offers her a job sorting mail while she attends community college instead. Younger daughter Allison, a high school senior, can’t believe her luck that California golden boy Kevin has fallen in love with her.

Meanwhile, the chatter about the O. J. Simpson murder investigations is always on in the background, a media frenzy that underscores domestic violence against women and race and class divisions in Southern California. Brenda, increasingly obsessed with the case, is convinced O. J. is innocent and has been framed by the LAPD. Both daughters are more interested in their own lives—that is, until Peggy starts noticing bruises Allison can’t explain. For a while, it feels to everyone as if the family is falling apart; but in the end, they all come together again in unexpected ways.

About the book

What is the book about?

The Lockhart Women is about a working-class family living beyond its means in Huntington Beach, California in June of 1994. Brenda Lockhart’s husband announces he’s leaving her for (in Brenda’s always overly judgmental opinion) an older and less attractive woman. He drops this bombshell on the night of the OJ Simpson slow speed chase through Southern California. Brenda’s devastated. She’s never worked outside the home and now she needs to find a job. Instead, she sits down on the couch, turns on the TV and gets hooked on the media frenzy surrounding the Simpson trial. She’s convinced he’s innocent. Meanwhile, her two teenage daughters are busy making their own bad decisions with lovers and crime.

When did you start writing the book?

About six years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

About six years (although the last 18 months were spent on prepublication tasks which gave me free time to start a new novel).

Where did you get the idea from?

I’m interested in mother/daughter/sister relationships because I don’t have a sister and I’ve never been a mother. I also wanted to explore what it would be like to marry and start a family early in life and then regret the decision.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

My characters are not always likeable, and I worked hard to make the reader care about them anyway.

What came easily?

The mother (Brenda) was really fun to write because she’s so self-centered and judgmental.

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

They’re all fictitious and all based on pieces of real-world characters, including myself. I had a long career with the Postal Service and found lots of character inspiration in my coworkers.

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?

Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again were big influences on my work. I love unsympathetic characters like Olive. I read very widely. I love Chekhov’s short stories about ordinary people. Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary was helpful in figuring out Brenda. And I relied on many sources to refresh my memory on the Simpson case. Vincent Bugliosi’s Outrage, Marcia Clark’s Without A Doubt, Christopher Darden’s In Contempt and Jeffrey Toobin’s The Run of His Life were extremely helpful as was The Los Angeles Times archives.

Do you have a target reader?

My novel falls in multiple categories–general fiction, women’s fiction, literary fiction and appeals to a wide variety of readers. It’s set in a critical point in our country’s history, the birth of reality television and the rise of Kardashian fame. It’s about ordinary people, far from the glitter of Hollywood, who are still influenced by celebrity. And everyone seems to know someone who works at the post office.

About Writing

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

I was lucky to be in a workshop with the novelist and short story writer Richard Bausch who told us how important it is to work every day, even if it’s just for fifteen minutes, just to touch the work and stay involved with it. It’s also important to realize that life can get in the way sometimes and that’s okay. My normal routine is to drink coffee, read the LA Times, get some exercise, and then sit down at my desk. Some days I’m there all day. Some days life gets in the way.

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

I am not an outliner. I wish I were. It would probably be more efficient.

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

I try to get as much as I can down on the page before I start revising, but I love revising and I can’t help but edit as I go. This is also inefficient!

Did you hire a professional editor?

My press had a wonderful proofreader. I had already workshopped and worked one on one with two writers before I submitted my final manuscript.

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

I love music and there’s lots of it in The Lockhart Women. I’ve even created a Spotify list. But I never listen to music when I’m writing. My husband plays ukulele, and I can’t listen to him either when I’m working. He bought me some great sound canceling headphones.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I submitted The Lockhart Women to over 100 agents and got wonderful feedback on my work and requests for full manuscripts. I heard the same thing over and over again. This is great but it’s not for us. In hindsight, I see several reasons why. The novel was too long when I first submitted it (106,000 words originally which I cut down to 93,000 words) The 1990’s is a tricky time period, not exactly historical fiction and not exactly contemporary. And I’m an older writer with a small social media platform.

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

I heard terrific things about She Writes Press from several writers I respect. I submitted my manuscript and heard back from them almost immediately that they loved it and wanted to publish the book.

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

I found the image online, but the fabulous Julie Metz at She Writes Press turned it into a book cover.

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

Booksparks is my publicist.

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

There’s a lot to learn about getting a book out into the world. I didn’t even know what questions to ask at the beginning and this hopefully post pandemic publishing world is in constant change. The other authors at She Writes Press have been extremely generous and helpful. There are many writing communities on social media that I also belong to. My advice is to know your strengths, think about how much time and money you have to invest, and ask for help. It’s out there.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Charlotte, North Carolina until I was fourteen years old, and my dad got transferred to Southern California. We were fish out of water with our accents and unstylish clothes. I still feel that way.

Where do you live now?

Huntington Beach, California

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’ve been a voracious reader my whole life. I wrote poetry in high school and thought about a career in journalism but unfortunately let a bad experience with a teacher convince me that wasn’t a good idea. I went to work after high school at the post office. Although it’s in my DNA (my grandfathers were both railway mail clerks) I never intended to make my career there. I stayed for all kinds of reasons. I believe in the postal service mission of universal service, I made lifelong friends, I married a coworker, I loved the benefits and the five-weeks-vacation, and I realized there were lots of jobs to do besides sorting mail. I found a home in accounting, went to school at night, got a degree and a promotion, transitioned to the Office of Inspector General, earned my CPA and wrote countless audit reports on USPS finances and performance operations. Writing all those audit reports taught me discipline and how to get a point across in a way that people would actually read. Audit reports tell a story. Writing fiction is more fun though.

What are you working on now?

A novel told in linked stories about characters in my neighborhood, set post Trump, pre-pandemic.

End of Interview.

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Get your copy of The Lockhart Women from Amazon US or Amazon UK.