Divorce is a tricky business, particularly during the back nine of one’s life.
They all wind up living together in a seaside Massachusetts house where things get … interesting.
What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?
Credit: Sharona Jacobs; Flatiron Books
A story about a boy who gets blown out to sea on a sailboat.
I think it was my fantasy of getting out of the suburbs.
What is the last book that made you cry?
Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward.
The book that made me cry hardest wasStoner, by John Williams.
What is your favorite part ofMy Ex-Life?
Which book is at the top of your current to-read list?
Speak No Evil, by Uzodinma Iweala.
Where do you write?
I write in public libraries, and sometimes coffee shops.
I can’t write at home and gave up trying long ago.
I need activity around me that I’m forced to block out.
It helps me focus.
Which book made you a forever reader?
ProbablyJohnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes.
What is a snack you couldn’t write without?
Is espresso a snack?
What was the hardest plot point or character to write inMy Ex-Life?
Fortunately, almost everyone I know had a story to tell.
If you could change one thing about any of your books, what would it be?
Ididmake changes on one book between the hardcover and paperback editions.
I loved the heroine, but readers found her heartless, which wasn’t what I wanted to convey.
I asked the paperback editor if I could make some judicious line edits, and he agreed.
I spent weeks doing it, but I’m not sure they made her any more appealing.
