Writing is a passion. Publishing is a business.

LISA ROGAK

Interview with LISA ROGAK

Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books. Her works have been mentioned in The Wall Street Journal, Parade Magazine, USA Today, Family Circle, and hundreds of other publications. She has also appeared on Oprah. Her latest biography, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTHINESS: THE RISE (AND FURTHER RISE) OF STEPHEN COLBERT, was published by St. Martin’s Press in the fall of 2011. THE DOGS OF WAR: THE COURAGE, LOVE, & LOYALTY OF MILITARY WORKING DOGS followed shortly after.

What are you reading right now?

I usually have 10 books going at once. I am reading lots of books on farming and raising sheep, though I have no desire to do so…in my stack: THE DIRTY LIFE, SHEEPISH, THE WORLD’S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN, STRINGS ATTACHED.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

I read voraciously as a kid, but I didn't think of being a writer as an adult. I like to say I became a writer when I learned I could get paid for indulging my curiosity and getting to ask total strangers nosy questions.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?

I love the research part the most.

The least: waiting to get paid.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

I spend very little of my time writing, only about 10%. I'm not sure if that is the case for most writers, but the research takes up the bulk - after I start a book, I research various stories, figure out who to contact, and then how to contact them, and then communicate with them - along with the business end of things. Research is the polar opposite of writing, so I can't do both at once. The writing goes very quickly once the research is done.

What are your passions?

I love to bake and cook. I used to love to travel and spent a few years as a nomad, but now I'm settled back in New Hampshire quite happily. And I have to get outside and move - walk or bike - every day or else I'm cranky at day's end.

What inspires you?

Getting up every day. Each day is a gift.

Why write about dogs?

A lot of the books I write are based on ideas from editors, publishers, and my agent. I've never owned a dog, but am surrogate aunt to several dogs here in New Hampshire. After researching DOGS OF WAR and DOGS OF COURAGE, I really understood dogs a lot better; in a past life I was a crazy cat lady. Today I have no animals.
Why biographies?

Again, because of market conditions: who's popular, who doesn't have a current biography available, etc. That's the kind of writer I am. That said, once I dig into the subject of my book, I'm intrigued and energized by the topic for the length of the research.

How was THE DOGS OF WAR born?

After the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, word got out there was a military working dog on the mission. All of a sudden, people wanted to know more about these dogs. My publisher asked if I wanted to do a book, and we were off and running.

Which do you enjoy more: research or writing?

Research.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read everything and just start writing. Create your own reality and ignore the rules.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

If the photos in my new book ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY: HEARTWARMING STORIES OF ANIMALS CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER don't make you go “awwwwww,” then you should check for a pulse.

SUZY SORO

Interview with SUZY SORO

Suzy Soro is a comedian, actor, and writer. On Seinfeld she got the last chocolate babka, and on Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David called her a very bad name. Her first memoir, CELEBRITY sTALKER, was published in 2012. She lives in Los Angeles, waiting for the next earthquake to destroy her enemies.

What are you reading right now?

IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME? by Mindy Kaling, BOBBED HAIR AND BATHTUB GIN by Marion Meade, and ALL MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO BE STRANGERS by Larry McMurtry.

No, I don't have ADD.

What first sparked your interest in writing?

When I was sixteen, I told my Dad a story and he said I should write it down on his old upright Underwood, which weighed about a hundred pounds because it was surely made out of Civil War cannonballs. He was an intimidating Army Colonel and I was scared of him so I did. I still have his typewriter. It's in a closet because I can't lift it.

What do you love the most about writing? The least?
 
The thing I love the most about writing is when I finish a chapter and consider it perfect.

The thing I love the least about writing is discovering that my perfect chapter really isn't so perfect after all.

Moral of the story: Reread at your own peril.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

First I make sure there's nothing good on TV or Netflix. Since there's always something good on one or the other, I persuade myself that the sale of what I'm writing will pay my rent. Obviously I'm delusional.

What are your passions?

Acting, traveling, reading, staging people's homes for resale, feng-shui.

What inspires you?

Sometimes I reread Sedaris or Burroughs and they inspire me to try harder.

Did you know without a doubt what you would write about in your NO KIDDING essay or did you have a few topics from which you narrowed it down?

While others struggled with their innermost thoughts on the subject and came up with insightful responses, I didn't even have to think about it. My goal in writing is the same as my goal in being a comedian. If I can't be funny, I should choose another profession. So How Can I Make This Funny trumped Why I Never Had Children.

Was if difficult writing about something so personal?

I'm not Jon Stewart. I don't talk about politics. I'm not Jerry Seinfeld. I don't talk about lost socks in the dryer. I'm a blabbermouth who talks about everything personal.
If my therapist ever publishes the notes on my sessions, my point will be proved.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Marry for money. Then you won't have to write.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?

Yes, but this is a PG site.