Melissa Senate

I'm a big fan of the lovely and talented New York Times bestseller Allison Winn Scotch, a New York City based author, journalist and married mom of two young kids. Not only have I loved each of Allison's three novels (THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST & FOUND; TIME OF MY LIFE, and the brand-new THE ONE THAT I WANT), but I'm very appreciative of her fun and informative blog, which is constantly updated with publishing news/trends, great writing advice, and questions from her mail-bag–and often, herself. 

Now touring for her new novel, THE ONE THAT I WANT (published today in hardcover by Random House), Allison has kindly stopped by my blog to answer questions about the book, her writing process–and much more. But first, here's what THE ONE THAT I WANT is about…

What if you woke up one day to all your dreams coming true? But those dreams were more like nightmares….

Tilly Farmer is thirty-two years old and has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a school guidance counselor, trying for a baby. Perfect.

But one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into a fortune teller's tent and meets an old childhood friend, who offers her more than just a reading. "I'm giving you the gift of clarity," her friend says. "It's what I always thought you needed." And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her alcoholic father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; her husband uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway. And even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly's perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And as she furiously races to keep up with - and hopefully change - her destiny, she faces the question: Which life does she want? The one she's carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible?

What if you could see into the future? Would you want to know what fate has in store? 

The novel has heaps of praise:

 A Redbook Book Club Pick"[A] novel about the choices we welcome and the choices we resist."–Redbook

“Well-told . . . a good choice for fans of women's fiction and book clubs. It's fast-paced and feels light yet still packs a satisfying emotional punch.” –Library Journal

And my own thoughts? LOVED it. I read THE ONE THAT I WANT with one hand over my heart. I think it's amazing that a novel with a fantasy(ish) based premise (Tilly's visions) is so utterly realistic. Tilly's relationships–with her sisters, with her father, with her husband, with her friends and students–and most of all–with herself ring so true that I became very emotionally invested. THE ONE THAT I WANT is a beautifully written, gutsy, and very honest book. The kind of book that makes you think, makes you wonder. So I was very happy when Allison answered my nosy questions!:

Q: What inspired THE ONE THAT I WANT?

AWS: I wanted to take the concept and heroine of my last book, TIME OF MY LIFE, and flip it on its head and see, frankly, if I could pull it off. Start with a woman who thinks she’s found total contentedness and tug the threads of her life apart and see what would happen. And to be honest, I really wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone: my last two books were fairly easy for me to write, and I hope to challenge myself further this time. (I did, sometimes too much so.)

Q: Do you want to know what your future holds?

AWS: I’ve given a lot of thought to this, and the answer is no. If I saw truly horrific news, I wouldn’t be able to live with the anticipation, knowing that I might not be able to do anything about it. And if I saw wonderful news, well, wouldn’t it be made less sweet than when it happened in the moment? Sure, sometimes it would be nice to have a map of the future, but I think – in the scope of the bigger picture – it would be really detrimental.

Q: What’s your writing routine and what does your desk look like? Do you write at home? Coffee shop?

AWS: I’m lucky enough to have a home office in NYC, so I write from my house – I have three big windows that overlook a tree-lined street. To my right, I have a day bed that’s usually occupied by my big black lab, and above that, there’s a giant (awesome) underwood painting of a typewriter that was our first big purchase sort of as an “adult” couple. I still love it seven years later. To my left are bookshelves and a tv, and behind me is a Precor Elliptical, which I hope on usually once a day to take a break from sitting on my butt all day. My desk itself is sort of controlled chaos. I have a bit of OCD, in terms of things being out of place and my ability to write, and yet, I still have stacks and stacks of papers, and random and various crap left by both my husband and kids. I don’t know why my desk is the dumping ground for all of their stuff but…it is.

Q: Your top five favorite books or authors?

AWS: Impossible question! I have too many author friends whom I admire to name names. But some recent books I’ve really enjoyed: Then We Came to The End by Joshua Ferris, This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, The Island by Elin Hilderbrand (I got an advanced copy, it’s out in July).

Q: What are you reading now?

AWS: I’m just finishing up Leah Stewart’s Husband and Wife, which I really, really enjoyed, and think I’ll pick up Holly LeCraw’s The Swimming Pool next.

Q: Writing advice?

AWS: Listen to criticism and take your ego out of the equation. Too many folks – myself including – think that their early/first work is untouchable, when, in fact, it’s far from it. The only way to improve is to figure out where your weaknesses are, and in order to do that, you need to be open to constructive advice. I sincerely say that if I hadn’t taken criticism early in my career, I never would have been published. Sometimes, you think you know what you’re doing when, if fact, you have no idea.

Q: Favorite “craft of writing” book(s)?

AWS: Oh lord, this sounds TERRIBLE, but I’ve never actually read one. I know, for shame. To be honest, I’ve just gotten on-the-job training, which is how I learn best. I sincerely don’t have the patience to read a book on craft, though I highly recommend that other people do. It’s just not in my disposition.

Q: Does THE ONE THAT I WANT have a soundtrack?

AWS: Yup, definitely. I listened to The Killers non-stop while writing: there was something about the grit and the emotion of many of their songs that really resonated with me for these characters'. And I was fortunate enough – and SHOCKED – that they let me use some of their lyrics for the book’s epigraph. I almost DIED when they granted me permission.

Q: What do you think readers might be surprised to know about you?

AWS: That though I’m pretty driven with my career – I think you have to be if you want to achieve success in this industry – I am totally, ridiculously laid-back in person, to the point where I feel annoyed when I have to put anything on other than my sweats and/or apply make-up for my day-to-day routine. And this extends to my personality too. I dunno: I’m a live and let live person, and as long as my kids are happy, clean, well-fed and read to for a bit every day, pretty much anything else goes.

Q: Okay, I must know: when you found out you hit the New York Times bestseller list for TIME OF MY LIFE, describe how you felt and what it meant to you:

AWS: Well, I remember this SO clearly. I was on the Precor in my office, in an attempt to relieve some of my anxiety of knowing that the list was coming out, and the deadline passed and I didn’t hear anything. So…I just figured it didn’t happen, and I was kind of okay with that, because what other choice was there? Then, suddenly, my Blackberry (this was pre iPhone) started going off. Bam – message after message of congratulations. And honestly, I think my heart stopped. I had to stop working out to compose myself because, of course, I started crying – just there by myself in my office, sweaty and on the elliptical – mostly with relief but also with joy. It’s hard to explain but I really don’t think I realized how much it would mean to me until it happened. Like, I would have been fine if it hadn’t, but when it did, it was monumental. Huge. And then, I settled down and mostly just felt immensely grateful. I mean, that’s really what it was/is about. Gratefulness at how fortunate I am.

Told you she was wonderful. You can check out Allison's website and blog for more information, including an excerpt and how to friend her on Facebook and Twitter. I hope you enjoy THE ONE THAT I WANT–I sure did!

P.S. Visit often for more reviews and interviews with authors of books I loved….