You have a background in the modeling industry.  How did that help you to write BRALESS IN WONDERLAND?

I was a model booker for years, which gave me lots of material for the book. I worked at two busy agencies, but I was always scribbling down story ideas onto notepads instead of working. Sometimes I’d be interviewing a model, looking at her portfolio, and a detail about her photos would strike me as interesting or funny, so I’d say, “’Excuse me just a sec,” then I’d whip out my notepad and start jotting away while the poor girl had to wait. I also took notes when models made comments I liked, usually something like, “I’m an excellent actress, as long as there’s no dialogue.” Years later, I referred to all those notepads when I sat down to write BRALESS. I guess I only pretended to be a model booker. I spent most of my time scribbling. I should probably give my ex-boss her money back.

You have a keen ear for dialogue.  Is that a skill you’ve developed?  Any advice for other writers on how to create believable dialogue?

Thanks, I have a degree in screenwriting, so I guess it’s a skill I developed in college. I do think having a keen ear for dialogue is a little like having an ear for music, though, so if you’re not good at it, try this trick: base a character’s speech pattern on someone you know in real life. That way you’ll avoid sounding stilted. Above all, don’t stereotype or make generalizations. One character in my book is from rural Georgia, and I was very careful to research the accent and expressions of that region. A southerner from Georgia speaks very differently than a southerner from Kentucky. Eavesdropping is important too. It helps you develop a memory for speech rhythms and nuances. I highly recommend eavesdropping. Just try not to stare; I’ve noticed that annoys people, for some reason. And be careful with trendy slang, especially if you’re writing for teens. Trendy slang is like fish. It looks good today but it will probably stink tomorrow.

With all the reality shows about the modeling industry, what do you feel you can offer readers in BRALESS IN WONDERLAND that they can’t experience by watching a reality show?

The book really gets inside the mind of a new model, her insecurities, her struggles to get work, her learning curve to know angles and get the shot right. Unlike what happens on a TV show, Allee’s transformation doesn’t happen overnight; it’s gradual. Big changes take time, on the inside as well as the outside. Another aspect of BRALESS IN WONDERLAND that you don’t see in reality shows is the commercial side of the business. Allee isn’t really a “fashion” type, but she is still a busy, working model, with a lot of commercial jobs. That’s fairly common. So many of these TV programs only focus on high fashion modeling.      

Your characters often show a great sense of humor.  What inspiration do you draw on for that?

The whole modeling business is an absurd comedy. I’m fortunate in that I’ve always worked with hilarious people too, and that inspires me. Humor is the way bookers and models deal with the chaotic stress of the business. An agency is a very high-pressure environment. Possibly brain surgeons have less stress, but I’m not convinced. My husband is a really funny guy too. So are my kids.  

What inspired you to write BRALESS?

I know it’s hard to believe when you hear these stories about small-town girls who have no idea that they’re beautiful, then suddenly get discovered and voila, they become stunning divas in front of the camera, but it happens all the time. I witnessed many young women walk into the agency lacking confidence, slouching their shoulders and speaking in these barely audible voices. Then, over the course of weeks or a few months, this transformation would happen. It always intrigued me and I knew I wanted to write about it some day. Some of my personal experiences inspired BRALESS as well. Once, when I was still interning and not a full-fledged booker yet, the agency sent me out on a casting for a drink commercial. To my surprise, I booked the job. What I didn’t know was that I would have to dance the Lambada. (Some of you reading this may not remember the Lambada, but it was THE dance at the time and was considered so racy, it was known as The Forbidden Dance. By today’s standards, it’s about as racy as the Hokey Pokey.) After exactly thirty seconds of seeing me “dance” (or what I thought was dancing), the director managed to stop laughing long enough to hire an extra as my replacement. In the end, they only used my hands in the commercial. I’m probably the reason The Lambada was forbidden. Anyway, that incident inspired a scene in the book.

BRALESS IN WONDERLAND is a fabulous title.  How did you come up with it?

I wanted elements of Alice in Wonderland to be woven throughout the story, so the title had to reflect that. Miami Beach is very Wonderland-esque. It’s surreal. Pink sidewalks, lime green buildings, plastic flamingos, art deco hotels shaped like cruise ships. graffiti and wrought iron balconies. It’s dream-like, nonsensical, yet weirdly beautiful. Plus, South Beach has undergone a makeover from the faded, run-down area it was in the early eighties to the dazzling neon Riviera that it is now. It’s the perfect metaphor for a transformation story. The word “Braless” refers to a scene in the book that explains what a model has to go through with her undergarments to make an outfit fit correctly. Two words: chicken cutlets. And I don’t mean Perdue, people. Read the book if you don’t know what I’m talking about . . .  

The ending of BRALESS is unexpected.  Did you always know it would end that way?

No. I wrote a few different endings. It’s really rewarding when people tell me they’re surprised by the ending.  

How are you reaching your fans?

Tell us about your writing process.  Where do you write?  When?

Process? What’s a process? All I know is, it’s messy. It’s a post-it/notebook explosion. I get my best ideas when I can’t write them down, such as in the shower or when people are talking to me and I’m not really listening. I also talk to myself a lot. Some of the book was written in cafes on South Beach, but sadly, that’s not where I usually write. I write at Chuck E. Cheese with my kids interrupting me to get tokens. I write in my bedroom or at libraries. I write at the dinner table or in my car waiting for a red light to change. I write at Dunkin Doughnuts (an excellent eavesdropping location, by the way). That’s me, writing. Excitement and sizzle all day long. Will the glamour ever end?