Written during her medical residency, Maggie Leffler's book, The Diagnosis of Love, received a rave from no less than Elinor Lipman! Maggie answers our questions below. (Two author interviews this week - we're spoiling you!)
Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:
A young woman physician runs away to England to start her life over.
Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?
I love to write in coffee shops or sitting outside when the weather is nice, a rare thing in Pittsburgh.
Your favourite chick-lit book?
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank
Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?
Oh, that's a hard question, because there are so many to choose from! I love Sophie Applebaum, the main character in The Wonder Spot, and I also love Sophie Stanton, the main character in Good Grief [called Sophie's Bakery for the Broken-Hearted in the UK], because both women are strong, wise, hysterically funny and utterly recognizable.
What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?
Join a writers group if you can. It's a great way to get feedback. And don't give up!
What are you reading at the moment?
The Whole World Over by Julia Glass. I loved her first book Three Junes so much that I had to pick this up.
What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)
Another novel about two women who were in the "supporting cast" of The Diagnosis of Love.
What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)
After rewriting the same novel so many times over the course of seven years, did your family and close friends ever doubt that The Diagnosis of Love would be published?
They may have doubted it, and I don't blame them! But for the most part, everyone was supportive of the process, even as they agonized alongside me.
Thanks, Maggie.
