Jane L. Rosen Interview - Eliza Starts a Rumor ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Credit: © Lori Berkowitz

Jane L. Rosen is an author and Huffington Post contributor. She lives in New York City and Fire Island with her husband and three daughters. She often takes inspiration from the city she lives in and the people she shares it with. In addition to her writing she has spent time in film, television and event production and is the cofounder of It's All Gravy LLC, a web and app-based gifting company.

What inspired you to pen your first novel?
I was a screenwriter for many years and wanted to try a different medium.

Tell us your latest news.
My book Eliza Starts a Rumor is coming out on June 23rd! And my first novel, Nine Women, One Dress, was just re-optioned by Hallmark.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
I believe that my life experiences of often having to balance the good with the bad has a great influence on my storytelling.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
I was at my first book signing for Nine Women, One Dress in the Hamptons and a women said to me “I am so excited to read this book, Meg Wollitzer told me it was great.” I lept from my chair, because—Meg Wollitzer!

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
My Kids, always my kids.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
To nurture their friendships. Everyone needs a friend or two that they can really count on.

In your new book; ELIZA STARTS A RUMOR, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it
When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies' Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site's existence, she doesn't think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.
It doesn't take long before that spark becomes a flame.
Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn't quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza's childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can't step out of her front door.

What part of Eliza and Olivia did you enjoy writing the most?
For Eliza, I liked writing her snarky, self-deprecating personality. For Olivia it was fun to research her sleuthing techniques.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I would give Amanda her pick of protagonisst from any of Nicholas Spark’s romantic books, so that she could have her do-over.

TEN QUOTES FROM ELIZA STARTS A RUMOR

“The beauty of women who didnt know each other having one another’s backs simply because of their shared humanity.”
“Dont let her plug her delicate organ with bleached out fibers of oppression.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be me too. It was supposed to be just me.”
“Anger can be expelled but bitterness is internalized. That’s why it leaves such a nasty taste in your mouth.”
“Did you bring a receptacle?“
“Do you know why women stay married to awful husbands? So they have a date on Saturday night”
“Eliza’s mother used to compare them to flowers. She would say Eliza was like an eager crocus that would pop up at the first hint of spring, but Mandy was a hydrangea, never fully blooming until she was 100 percent sure that the warm weather would stick.”
“Do you ever want to get married?” “If I ever find a man who’s better than no man at all I’ll consider it.”
“It always blew her mind how women have the ability to bury things away in order to survive. Never telling anyone for years and years—their mothers, their best friends, all in the dark; carrying the weight and the shame alone.”
“Every life has secrets. Every marriage certainly does. It’s just a matter of whether you can live with them or not.”

What’s the most ridiculous fact you know?
Hobo stands for homeward bound.

What according to you is your most treasured possession?
A seven foot Totem Pole that my father bargained for, for me, at the Indonesia tent at the World’s Fair the year I was born.

Best date you've ever had?
James Taylor concert at Jones Beach Theater with my husband. We had so much fun together and I remember thinking that this was it.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
My oldest sister’s wedding. I was only eight and don’t remember any of it. I wish I did.

If you wrote a journal entry today, what would it say?
The world feels like it’s falling apart, but I am grateful for this time with my family.
What event in your life would make a good movie?
Too many to pick just one, I have a proclivity for getting myself into outlandish situations.

What was the best memory you ever had as a writer?
The first time I sold a screenplay to Miramax. We were in Hawaii on a family vacation when I found out and between the scenery and the circumstance I was literally gobsmacked.

The author of Nine Women, One Dress delivers a charming, unforgettable novel about four women, one little lie, and the big repercussions that unite them all.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies' Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site's existence, she doesn't think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.

It doesn't take long before that spark becomes a flame.

Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn't quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza's childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can't step out of her front door.

In all this chaos, one thing is for sure...Hudson Valley will never be the same.

Funny, romantic, raw, and hopeful, this is a story about being a woman and of the healing power of sisterhood.

You can purchase Eliza Starts a Rumor at the following Retailers: