Kicking off our new section, What Authors Read, we are starting with Brenda Janowitz, author of SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST.
I read so many different things, it’s hard to keep track! I like to read broadly across genres. Right now, I find myself reading a lot of women’s fiction, since that’s where I feel the natural progression of my writing is going. Right this minute, I’m reading THE MYTH OF YOU AND ME by Leah Stewart.
I recently finished THE LACE READER by Brunonia Barry, FINISHING TOUCHES by Deanna Kizis, THIS CHARMING MAN by the fabulous Marian Keyes (who gave me a fantastic blurb for JACK WITH A TWIST!), THE ICE QUEEN by Alice Hoffman, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen, SUMMER SISTERS by Judy Blume, THE DIVORCE PARTY by Laura Dave, ANY PLACE I HANG MY HAT by Susan Isaacs, TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer, JINX by Meg Cabot, THE NEW YORK TRILOGY by Paul Auster.
I am such a voracious reader, and always have been. So much so that it would be truly impossible to list all of my literary influences throughout the years. There are so many writers out there who I love, but for SCOT and JACK in particular, I was most inspired by Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes. I love the sense of humor in the Shopaholic series—Becky’s voice never fails to make me laugh out loud. Marian Keyes’s WATERMELON was one of the first chick lit books I read, and since then, I’ve always loved everything she’s written (especially her more recent ANYBODY OUT THERE?). Her books are always funny and poignant, and that’s a balance I try to strike as a writer, too.
As for authors who inspire me, I’ve been a long time fan of Elinor Lipman.THE INN AT LAKE DEVINE is one of my all time favorite books.As for other inspiration, in my own genre, in addition to Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes, I also love Kristin Harmel, Carole Matthews, Jennifer Weiner, Melissa Senate and Emily Giffin. For literary fiction, I love Dani Shapiro, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Scott Spencer, Alix Ohlin, and Isabel Allende. As for classics, I’m a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, and Jane Austen.–Brenda Janowitz
