How to Write a Book: An interview with author Liz Alterman

On writing across genres, building your brand, and more!

Goooooooooood morning, afternoon, or evening, wherever you might happen to be!

Thanks to everybody who attended my online jokewriting workshop on Tuesday—I had so much fun, and I hope you did, too!!

This week I’m finally sharing another HTWAB post, only this time it’s a little different: it’s an interview with an author! And I’m so very, very grateful to Liz Alterman for being the first interviewee featured on PBP!

I had the idea for this post when I came across a short interview with Liz on the wonderful

Humor Me

newsletter by

Julie Vick

(you can find the post in question here). I’d heard of Liz before, but I had no idea that she wrote across such a wide range of genres, everything from memoir to short humour to thrillers to suspense to romcoms (the latter is the genre of her latest book, Claire Casey’s Had Enough—but more on that below!). I really wanted to know more about how Liz had built up such a successful career in so many different genres, and she was kind enough to let me pepper her with questions!

Read on to learn more about building your brand while writing across genres, and click here for the chance to enter a raffle to win a copy of Liz’s romcom/mom-com!

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Liz! I’m excited to learn about how you navigate life as a writer working in so many different genres. When you’re trying to give people a sense of your work as a writer, how do you describe yourself?

That’s always a challenge! Early in my career, I worked as an energy reporter. When I told people I was a “writer,” initially they were intrigued and wanted to hear more. But when I’d explain that I wrote about natural gas and crude oil markets, their eyes would glaze over. So at least now when I say I’ve written a memoir and a handful of novels, most of the time they stay awake.

I also continue to freelance for several publications and say “Yes!” to nearly every assignment offered before the robots put me out of work, so sometimes I throw in “journalist” as well.

As writers, we’re so often told that it’s important to develop a clear “brand”/voice/platform in order to succeed. Even academics need to figure out how describe their specific areas of expertise clearly in order to succeed. Given the wonderful range of your writing, do you find this challenging?

I definitely find that idea constricting and I bristle at the whole “brand yourself” and “stay in your lane” philosophies. At the same time, I get it. Though it sounds very hypocritical, if someone told me David Sedaris was branching into horror, I’d say, “What on earth?” (Of course, I’d still happily read it…) [MF: Same!!]

But I think as creative people, it’s important to pursue the project that lights you up and makes you excited to sit at your desk or open your laptop, and sometimes that means switching gears.

Also, personally, I find I get a little burned out when I’m focused on the same genre for a while. Because I’ve spent the past year working on my fifth suspense manuscript, I joke with my family that I’m running out of ways to murder people (in fiction). So I may explore a more light-hearted idea in the upcoming year … and after that I’ll probably be dying (pun intended) to get back to thrillers. [MF: This sounds very familiar to me—I find I need to have more than one project on the go at once, partly to give my brain a break from each of them!]

I recently went to the wonderful Highlights Foundation for a personal retreat to revise the suspense manuscript mentioned above and each time I felt stuck, I returned to a humor list I’d started. It might seem strange to toggle between suspense and humor but having success in one piece—even writing a single decent line— gives me a little boost of confidence that carries over when I shift back to the other project.

Another thing I think is so important to remember is that many of our favorite authors might be thought of as having a “brand” but, really, the thing we love is that their work is multifaceted and encompasses many different skillsets.

Mick Herron, author of the Slough House series, comes to mind. Yes, he’s writing mystery and suspense so expertly, but would his novels be as fantastic without Jackson Lamb’s droll wit?

I’d argue that even if you’re “staying in your lane,” you’re still bringing all your talents to your work, creating a richer experience for the reader.

That makes total sense to me. What is your latest book, and what’s it about?

Thanks for asking! My latest, Claire Casey’s Had Enough, is a romcom/momcom told primarily over 13 hours. The story follows a forty-something mom of three who has had it with juggling parenting, working, volunteering, and worrying about her aging parents. Recently-separated from her husband, Claire reconnects with a former flame at her college reunion. While he’s not necessarily “the one who got away,” he’s the one who reminds her of her hopes, dreams, and the woman she used to be. After exchanging emails all summer, Claire’s old beau invites her to meet him at a hotel bar for a drink (and presumably more). She must decide (over those 13 hours!) if she should risk the unknown or try to rebuild the life she has, flaws and all.

I hope this story will speak to anyone who's ever lost themselves while caring for everyone else. [MF: It definitely spoke to me right from the opening scene—I devoured the book during my return trip to Geneva from London, and recommend it to anyone in search of a laugh!]

What advice would you have for other writers out there who write across genres like you do?

Because writing—especially a novel or a longer non-fiction work—can be such a lengthy, full-on endeavor, I think it’s important to be true to yourself and pursue that project that’s calling to you and won’t let you go. Readers, agents, and editors can tell when your heart’s not in a pitch or your pages.

If you’re looking for an agent and you plan to write in a few different genres, you should absolutely let them know that early on because many agents specialize or have preferred categories. I listen to a lot of podcasts and often hear authors say they wanted to try their hand at a different genre—for example, making the move from cozy mysteries to horror or from adult fiction to middle grade, and their agent doesn’t support that decision or doesn’t feel that they have the connections to successfully sell it. So it’s better to know that at the onset. [MF: This is such great advice.]

I was fortunate in that my last agent represented multiple genres and, as long as she felt the project was worthwhile, she was willing to work on it with me and take it on submission.

That said, I had an interesting conversation last summer. Severn House acquired my suspense novel The House on Cold Creek Lane and, later, Claire Casey’s Had Enough, but the editor who bought them moved on to a different publisher.

When I met with my new editor, she said, “Don’t expect your thriller readers to follow you into this new genre.” (Great, thanks!) So that’s been on my mind ever since. I actually pitched a piece on this topic to Jane Friedman for her wonderful website and she suggested I revisit it in a few months when I have a better sense of how true it is. I also plan to interview fellow genre-hopping authors to learn about their experiences and see if they have any tips for bringing readers with them that could benefit other writers.

In terms of how to describe yourself, I’ve never been great at elevator pitching myself. (I tend to want to say, “How much time have you got?”) I typically say I’m a writer who dabbles in a few different genres. Or, I talk about my latest project and leave it at that.

Ultimately, I believe it’s unrealistic to think that a creative person isn’t going to grow and change. Trying something new and honoring your creative spirit should be celebrated not discouraged. I love hearing that a writer or artist is attempting to branch out and follow their passion and their instincts. It’s brave and inspiring. And whether it works out or not, you grow and learn, and isn’t that what this is all about?

Liz Alterman is the author of the memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, the suspense novels The Perfect Neighborhood, The House on Cold Creek Lane, and You Shouldn't Have Done That, as well as the romcom Claire Casey's Had Enough. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post,McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and other outlets. Subscribe to her Substack where she shares the ups and downs of the writing life (and cat photos).

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VB,

M