Examiner.com
Inyterview: Irene Zutell
This past week the headlines were dominated by a story of an acclaimed American actress who was blindsided by her husband's infidelity. The mass media, ignoring important issues like the healthcare debate in Washington, focused its efforts instead on uncovering every possible detail of this salacious story.
But what if it was the other way around? What if the famous American starlet, an absolute bombshell -- beautiful, talented and rich -- had an affair with and ended up marrying the cheating husband of the average American woman? And what if, in this story, the media cast the actress, not as a home-wrecker, but a determined, professional woman fulfilling her destiny of living happily ever after?
Well, this is the true story that inspired the new novel Pieces of Happily Ever After by acclaimed author Irene Zutell, whose neighbor was caught up in a similar media flurry when she was left by her husband for a beautiful A-list actress (find out who in the interview below). After failed attempts at urging her neighbor to share her story in print, Zutell, a former People magazine writer and author of the critically-acclaimed roman à clef, They're Not Your Friends, decided to explore the issue herself in her fiction.
In the book, we meet Alice Hirsch, wife of a Hollywood entertainment lawyer Alex Hirsch, who is suddenly caught up in a major tabloid sex scandal involving her husband and his new client, box-office queen Rose Maris. Unfortunately for Alice, this is just one of the many challenges suddenly plaguing the former New Yorker as she tries to navigate her way back to happiness in the suburbs of Los Angeles -- including a mother with Alzheimer’s, her precocious 5-year-old daughter, the sudden reappearance of a college sweetheart, a charming paparazzo who wants more than just pictures, and a host of divorcees and other odd characters who make Pieces of Happily Ever After a funny and thoughtful page-turner that both readers and reviewers are calling addictive.
A. Absolutely. There was a woman who lived a few blocks from me. We'd see her and her husband around the neighborhood. One day I heard how her husband left her...for Julia Roberts. His name is Danny Moder and he ended up marrying Julia. They're still married and have three kids now. I thought, wow, this poor woman's marriage ends, she's thrust into the spotlight and worst of all, she has to hear about how madly in love her husband is with Julia Roberts. And of course, the press puts a spin on it like it's this perfect fairytale union, forgetting about the ex-wife.
Also, I was deeply affected by my mother-in-law's struggle with Alzheimer's. I wanted to write about it for years, almost as a kind of therapy, because it was such a difficult time and such a terrible thing to witness. So, I gave Alice, the main character, a mother who was in the final stages of Alzheimer's. Looking back, I did give this woman a lot to deal with. But she handled it all with grace.
Q. Your cast of quirky characters fit right in with our tradition of California literature. How do you come up with these mainstay characters while still keeping them fresh and new?
A. Thank you. I love that you say that because I love California--especially Los Angeles--literature. I'm from the suburbs of NYC, so moving to the suburbs of Los Angeles was the biggest culture shock in the world. So much of what I write is based on real people and then I embellish it a bit. I'm that person who is always eavesdropping in on other conversations.
Q. In your book, 5-year-old Gabby’s obsession with fairytales is almost parodied in the events of her mother’s life. As a mother and daughter yourself, what’s your message to young girls today still looking for their Prince Charming? Is there a happily ever after?
A. Yes. I think there is, if you realize that it's never going to be perfect.
Q. Pieces of Happily Ever After has been labeled Chick Lit and for the most part is targeted at women. But should men read your book, and what will they learn or discover from your story?
A. Yes, of course men should read my book! I need to sell lots of books!...But seriously, I've had a few men write to me and say they totally related to Alice's struggles with her mom. A friend of mine said her husband cried. So many people are taking care of their elderly parents and it's not just women doing it.
Q. Would you ever consider writing this same story from Rose Maris' point-of-view?
A. Good question, but no. I can't relate to Rose at all. And I feel like it would be like betraying Alice.
Q. You’re a successful journalist and author, a mother and a wife. You seem to have it all. Can you discuss your career path and how it led to becoming a successful novelist?
A. First of all, can I just tell you that I love you? I don't think I'll feel successful until my book is on some bestseller list (hint: EVERYONE BUY MY BOOK). I spent years writing for magazines and newspapers. My best job was writing for People magazine. It really taught me how to notice EVERYTHING.
Q. With so much to do in your work and your life, how do you make time to write? Do you have a writing routine or ritual? What advice would you share with other aspiring writers/moms out there?
A. I write whenever I can, but I don't have a set time--usually when the kids are at school and then at night, but I find if I write too late, I get wired and can't fall asleep. My advice to other writers is, if you love it, don't give up. And make some time every day to write.
Q. Sometimes when I write stories, my friends and family swear they see themselves in my work, even when it’s not even remotely true. How do your husband and your family members respond to your fiction? And how much of you and your life appear in your work?
A. It's a mix. That's a good question. I guess there's some of my observations and humor in Alice, but I'm not her. But it's funny how people will talk about Alice and refer to her as me, which she isn't. My neighbor still hasn't spoken to me since she read the book because Alice goes on about how all people who bake are secretly evil. My neighbor is a big baker and she thought I was talking about her. But Alice was just in a bad place and angry at the world at the time.
Q. If you had to live out your life alone on a deserted island, what 3 books would you take with you?
A. I'd probably take a big anthology of short stories. You know, one of those ten-pound ones that would keep me occupied for years. Then I'd probably want a cookbook that would teach me how to make great meals with coconuts and sea anemones. My daughter is reading over my shoulder and said I'd have to also take a big photo album so I could look at pictures of her all day.
Q. What’s next for Irene Zutell?
A. Bed.