ISBN:
9781480271487
Number
of pages: 180
Word
Count: approx. 77,000
Book Description:
Juggling
two jobs and mounting bills, Audrey decides she doesn't have time for a
boyfriend, but contemplates a friends plus situation. After placing a personal
ad, she meets Mike, a local cop, former Marine. He's old fashioned and
overbearing, but she just can't walk away.
Unfortunately
for her, Michael is an expert marksman, and her heart never stood a chance. Their
tumultuous love affair crashes to an ending neither foresaw, and Audrey is
forced to make a decision that will change both their lives forever.
1. Where did you get
the idea for the novel?
I was trying to
think of an original contemporary story about two very burned people, because I
wanted to tackle the idea of everyone being worthy of love. But, nothing came
to me for almost a year. Nothing solid at least. One night, after a long day at
work, I listened to a song Born to Die by Lana Del Rey and the entire story
line (the whole series) came to me as well as the basic characterization of
Mike, Audrey, and their friends. I then sat for a week working out the finer
details of their personality before writing. The Rough Draft of this story took
me exactly one month to write. The words poured out of me. The Second Draft
took me another month and four scenes were added that were not in the original.
From there, I began editing which took another two months.
2. Your title. Who
came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
No, I never changed
the title. I guess you could say Audrey came up with the title because when I
was ‘inside her head,’ she was in such denial about falling in love with Mike
that she just kept telling everyone that they were just good friends. The title
just happened organically. I also think that it was humorous from anyone else’s
perspective looking in on Mike or Audrey when they were somewhere public
together. It’s pretty obvious that something is simmering beneath the surface.
3. Which came first,
the title or the novel?
The novel for me.
As I said I had the entire series worked out in the span of an hour. I have
never in my life had such a bolt of inspiration. I wrote it, because I loved
the characters and the idea that no matter what you’ve been through in life,
love is out there for you if you’re brave enough to take a chance.
4. Since becoming a
writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
Messages from
readers who told me how much they loved the story, or that the story resembled
closely what happened in their lives that they felt deeply connected to the
story. To know that your story touched someone or affected them…I doubt there
is any experience greater than that for a writer. Meeting famous people, going
to exotic locations, becoming rich, none of them compare to the feeling that
your work is meaningful.
5. What book are you
currently reading or what was the last book you read?
I just finished
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren.
6. What was your first
book that you ever wrote (very first one you wrote, not published)?
I had two books in
college that I never finished; I was only ¼ finished with them before
abandoning them and thinking that I wasn’t good enough to be a writer. For
years after having my daughter, I wrote video game fan fiction. My longest fan
fiction is still not done (years after first beginning writing it) and it’s
70,000 words. My first completed book is
Just Good Friends
7. What is your
writing process?
Inspiration hits
me, and I type until it’s all out of my head. But, during editing, I think
about the series as a whole and make sure that nothing is contradictory to
later events, etc. So, as George RR Martin explained, There are two types of
writer- the ones who plan everything out and the ones who just sit and write
whatever comes to them- I am the architect and the farmer.
- Who
are your favorite authors of all time?
Jane Austen, JK
Rowling, Tolkien.
9. At a book signing,
do you just sign your name or do you write a note? How do you come up with
stuff to say?
I write a note if I
can. People have waited to talk to you, the least you can do is try and convey
just how much that means to you. If I don’t speak to the person for long, I
just say thank you enjoying the book.
- What is something people
would be surprised to know about you?
I grew up riding
horses and was so talented that at eighteen I wanted to go professional and
join the USET. My parents made me go to college instead.
11. How do you react to
a bad review?
I read what the
person wrote, consider what they have said, and then learn from it. Negative
reviews are just as important to me as positive ones because they are a chance
to become a better author.
12.
How did
you celebrate the sale of your first book?
My husband, who is
incredibly supportive, took me out to a romantic dinner after dropping our
daughter off at grandma’s.
About the
Author:
S.L.
Siwik lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.
She
loves going to NJ diners on the weekend for inspiration, drinks a pot of coffee
a day, and loves finding new music to add to her list.
Just
Good Friends is her debut book.
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