Interview with Lori Gold

I’ve been thinking about writing a lot! You know, planning to write, waiting for the right moment to write. It’s just that I need to get all my ducks in a row and then my family will get their ducks in a row and then the world will get it’s ducks in a row, and then. That’s when the writing will happen, probably.

Which is why it was so refreshing to see what Lori Gold has to say about writing (And reading! And watching!) actually being the thing that holds her together despite everything. Her new book Kiss, Marry, Kill came out on Tuesday and I can’t wait to check out this “Sliding Doors-esq” story, alternately told by three best friends who each wake up in a different reality. I mean, yes please.

Everything feels so chaotic right now, but we still have books. We have creation. And we have each other: people to swap songs and T.V. shows with, who sometimes write the best new stories we’ll get to read.

How are you doing?

Great, just, well, great.

How are you really doing?

The honest answer is great but also…not great? My seventh traditionally published novel releases in twelve days as I answer this question. It’s a time of conflicting emotions. It’s of course exciting to anticipate readers finally getting to see what’s been in my head for years and to see the early reviews. At the same time, pre-release is filled with decidedly non-writerly things (or what most people assume are non-writerly things). I’m currently an event planner, podcast guest, publicist, marketer, graphics and flyer designer, and trying to document it all on social media. The proverbial many hats is crushing me, which sounds like complaining. And I don’t mean to complain. I want to be out there supporting the novel I wrote. But at the same time, the sheer volume of work (and the state of the world) does start to impede that enjoyment. Which leads me naturally to your next question…

What are you consuming that’s helping get you through? (Books, music, food, shows, movies... whatever)

This is the escape! The ability to read new books, watch TV shows I love, try a movie or two and enjoy many a lobster roll (gluten-free version). I recently read and loved my launch conversation partner Annie Hartnett’s The Road To Tender Hearts, a brilliant execution of the omniscient voice. I am also bingeing all things Katherine Center. Her humor makes me laugh out loud, and yet it’s always in service of the great characters she creates. I just finished The Love Haters and can’t recommend it enough to get you through an overwhelming time.

I’m also loving shows with tremendous heart like Shrinking and Nobody Wants This, but also making room for ones that challenge me and the state of our world like The Pitt. I also watched Steal, which was a fun ride and a great way to travel to London from your couch.

What advice would you give to other writers who are zapped and overwhelmed and unable to create right now?

Creation is one of the only things we can truly control. We have power over our minds and fingertips. The best thing to do to get a breather from the things we can’t control is to lose ourselves in the stories and characters we create. As I’m so deep in book promotion, this is the grounding force I don’t have time for but that I miss—and desperately need. When things are hard on the outside, that’s when we dig in to our internal worlds. Keep writing, keep creating, it will give you solace now and others solace when they read it.

Can you offer a song recommendation? 

I’m 100% a Taylor Swift obsessive fan, and her songs also give me comfort and joy. Right now, I’ve been into one from the Tortured Poets Department, “The Manuscript.” Not to be overly “writerly,” but the breadth of that song is like a novel. It walks through her life with a perspective one only has as narrator looking at one’s past. It’s an excellent song to illustrate what we do as writers. And as she says, “the story isn’t mine anymore.”

You can order Kiss, Marry Kill here, or pick it up anywhere you like to buy books! And if you do feel like you need a little Taylor to get your day moving, here ya go:

Don’t wait on the ducks! Write something before they get their little webbed feet in gear. <3