10 Questions with Bestselling Romantic Comedy Novelist Bonnie Trachtenberg (@writebrainedny)


This Author Spotlight features romantic comedy novelist Bonnie Trachtenberg.

Bonnie is the award-winning, bestselling author of Wedlocked: A Novel (see above). She writes a monthly relationship and advice column for LoveaHappyEnding.com. Bonnie was senior writer and copy chief at Book-of-the-Month Club and has written seven children’s book adaptations. She has also written for three newspapers and penned countless magazine articles. She lives on Long Island with her husband, four cats and a dog.

1. How did you get into writing?
I started writing screenplays after college and for a long time wrote them on my personal time while holding down mostly unappealing and unrelated jobs. Then, in 1990, I got my first article published in a national magazine and my writing career snowballed from there with all kinds of freelance work. In 1994 I got my first full-time writing job as staff writer for a community newspaper and from then on, all my jobs were, thankfully, writing jobs.

2. What do you like best (or least) about writing?
What I like least about writing is writing the first sentence. I tend to get writing anxiety and procrastinate every which way I can to keep from writing. Unfortunately, there are a million other things to do and for some reason they all seem more alluring than sitting down to write. Of course, when I finally do begin, it usually flows well and I find time melting away as I get lost in my work. The thing I like best about writing, is having written!

3. What is your writing process? IE do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count, write 7 days a week, etc?
I do outline and lay out the plot in a general sense before beginning the actual writing, although I’ll jot down any relevant snippets of dialogue or other ideas as they come to me. I do not do a daily word count. I’m just not regimented enough for that. Some days are just going to be more productive than others and I’ve gotten used to that fact. But with book marketing eating up hours on end of each day, I have to make sure a certain amount of time is reserved just for writing, especially now that I’m about to begin my third novel.

4. Who are some other writers you read and admire, regardless of whether they are commercially “successful?”
Some of my favorites are Susan Isaacs, Marian Keyes, Jennifer Weiner, Janet Evanovich, David Sedaris, and many more I just can’t think of right now.

5. Should the question mark in the above question be inside or outside the quotes?
Hah! I’d say you got it wrong!

6. What’s your stance on the Oxford Comma?
I support the Oxford Comma—but will not be making a campaign donation.

7. What is your book Wedlocked about and how did it come to fruition?
Wedlocked is a romantic comedy based on my first brief, disastrous marriage in 1999. After living through the nightmare, I knew I had to purge it onto the pages of a book and found the release quite cathartic. Turning a tough time in my life into a comedy was also great therapy!

8. What’s your current writing project?
My second novel, also a romantic comedy, is due to launch at the World Literary Cafe on April 25th and 26th. I’m also about to begin work on the third and am mulling over its plot and characters.

9. What book(s) are you currently reading?
I just finished Following Polly, a funny mystery by Karen Bergreen that I very much enjoyed. I’m now reading a book about the psychic medium Annette Martin called Gift of the White Light by James N. Frey, and Being a Sceptic is Oh So Easy by Linn B. Halton.

10. Who or what inspires your writing?
The bigger than life and often exasperating people I know, and the crazy and funny things that have happened in my life, all inspire me to write. I’ve also learned that old adage is really true: The pen is mightier than the sword!

Finally, is there anything you’d care to add? Please also include where people can read your published stories, buy your book, etc.

You can learn more about me and read my blog at http://www.BonnieTrachtenberg.com.
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/writebrainedny

Find Wedlocked here:
Amazon:
http://ning.it/ovIMiw
Barnes and Noble:


Thank you, Bonnie, for sharing your work with us. Please let us know when your second romantic comedy novel is available!

Be sure to visit Bonnie's website & blog, follow her on Twitter, and buy a copy of Wedlocked today!

Comments

  1. Bonnie, I had no idea! A fellow supporter of the Oxford comma!! Great post, as always, and really interesting to get to know yet more background about you. XX Take care!

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  2. It's amazing what you find out about an author when reading an interview - I don't know how you fit it all in Bonnie! Will be reading Wedlocked very shortly - will have to read quickly as I want to get the new one as soon as it's available. Can't wait!

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  3. Thanks so much, Nicky and Linn! Glad you enjoyed the interview, and I know what you mean. It's great to learn more about everyone. I love Ryan's questions. Thanks so much for hosting me, Ryan!

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  4. You're very welcome, Bonnie. Be sure to let me know when your next book is available so I can help spread the word.

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  5. They say that everyone has a book in them. Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but the difference is that very often people talk about their desire to write a book, but never seem to make the time, and constantly make excuses as to why they never seem to get around to it.Ilchi Lee

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