Things are a little rough for Izzy Lane. Still reeling from the break-up of her
marriage, the newly single mom moves back to the Philadelphia home she grew up
in, five-year-old Noah in tow. The transition is difficult, but with the help of
her best friendsβand her elderly neighbor, Mrs. FeldmanβIzzy feels like sheβs
stepping closer to her new normal. Until her ex-husband shows up with his
girlfriend. Thatβs when Izzy invents a boyfriend of her own. And thatβs when
life gets complicated.
Blogging about her βnew guyβ provides Izzy with something to do when Noahβs
asleep. Whatβs the harm in a few made-up stories? Then, her blog soars in
popularity and sheβs given the opportunity to moonlight as an online dating
expert. How can she turn it down? But when her friends want to meet the
mysterious βMac,β someone online suspects Izzyβs a fraud, and a guy in-real-life
catches her eye, Izzy realizes just how high the stakes are. Thatβs when Mrs.
Feldman steps in, determined to show her neighbor the havoc that lies can wreak.
If Izzyβs honest, she could lose everything, and everyone. Is the truth worth
any cost?
Writing a Womanβs Life columnist Yona Zeldis McDonough catches
up with Nathan to ask about what gets her going, what she loves best and what
she hopes readers will take away from her whimsical yet wise novel.
How do you get started writing a novel? What was the inspiration for this
one?
My novels, stories, and essays always start with one sentence that pops into
my head, captures my attention, and demands that I write it down. The story
usually is there, somewhat fully formed shortly thereafter. With The Good
Neighbor, it was the first line in the book: "The doorbell rang an I knew it was
my ex, just like when my lip tingled and I knew it was a cold sore" that came to
me. I knew about Izzy Lane from that one line. For a long time, I'd had the
write about the way we sometimes portray ourselves online. I also wanted to
explore the how's and why's of lying in real life and online. I'd been blogging
since 2006 made it meaningful to make Izzy a blogger. The difference between me
and Izzy is that while we were both anonymous bloggers (I blogged anonymous for
two years) I did it to tell the truth and Izzy does it so that she can fib her
way through some of what's going on in her life.
What was your favorite scene to write? How about your least favorite?
My favorite scene to write happens near the end of the book when Izzy has a
bit of a panic attack and an out-of-body experience. That sounds awful doesn't
it? It meant so much to me to get it right, that feeling when everything is
swirling around, when you're acutely aware of your own body, when sounds muffle,
and you feel woozy, but you keep going. It has happened to me in real life just
once or twice and I knew it needed to happen to Izzy.
I guess my least favorite scene to write was one that I'm the most glad I'd
written -- because it always makes me cry, and that isn't always practical. Many
readers have commented that they've been touched by the scene as well -- and
it's when one of Izzy's friends gets a letter.
In her on-line presence, Izzy tries to make her life sound better than it
really is; do you think this is a common phenomenon?
Absolutely. Although the no-make-up, real-me, honest-life movement is strong,
there are still plenty of perfect poses, happy faces, fabulous vacations, and
smiling families online. Not that it's all fake, but there's just more to life
than that. So many people forget that online isn't all-inclusive and it can
often makes people question themselves as to why they're not as happy and peppy
as everyone else. It's important to remember that we all have things we're
not sharing online.
Can you talk about the role played by Izzyβs friends, especially Mrs.
Feldman? Do you think that in todayβs world, friends are more apt to function as
surrogate families?
We live in a world where families of birth aren't always close by, so I think
as a global society we've taken on the task of building families wherever we go.
You know the saying, you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends but
you can't pick your family. :) As lives become more hassled, harried, and
complex, we seem moved to go back to basics. Even on social media we form small
groups based on similar likes and values, we reach through the internet for
answers and support. Away from the computer people also form friendships that
function as families. I will say though that Izzy relies heavily on her brother
Ethan and one of her best friends is her cousin, Rachel. Unlike me, Izzy lives
near her family so I really enjoying writing these relationships for her.
What do you hope readers will take away from Izzyβs story?
The most important part of the story to me is that Izzy saves herself. She
has help getting there, but she has to leave her comfort zone, let go of the
past, and tread into unknown territory on her own before she can be happy with
herself -- and that's when good things really start to happen. (Just like in
real life!)
Izzy Lane never thought of herself as a liar. In fact, she's always played by
the rules. She's an excellent mother, has loyal friends, and a rich career as a
school counselor. Fresh from a new divorce, however, Izzy feels like she needs
a little fun. So when, on a whim, she starts a blog it seems like a rather
benign indulgence. But as her online quips begin to gain traction, Izzy makes a
slip. Somehow a new boyfriend winds his way into the picture. The problem? Izzy
makes him up.
What, at first, feels like a harmless fib quickly spins out of control and
Izzy must figure out how to balance fantasy and reality. Keeping up appearances
while managing an absent ex-husband, two very nosy friends, a toddler son, and
full-time job soon prove impossible, and Izzy feels utterly lost. It's only when
her long-time neighbor and surrogate mother, Mrs. Feldman, re-enters her life
that Izzy begins to see the mess she's made. And it's with Mrs. Feldman's
guidance that Izzy learns to face reality, find comfort in new norms, and open
herself up to the possibility of real love.
AMY SUE NATHAN lives and writes near Chicago where she hosts the
award-winning Women's Fiction Writers blog. She has been published in Chicago
Tribune, Writer's Digest, the New York Times and Washington
Post online, andHuffington Post, among many others. Amy has two grown
children and is busy writing her next novel.
A compelling novel about one womanβs search for the truth from the author
of YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME.
After suffering a sudden, traumatic loss,
historical novelist Susannah Gilmore decides to uproot her lifeβand the lives of
her two childrenβand leave their beloved Brooklyn for the little town of
Eastwood, New Hampshire.
While the trio adjusts to their new
surroundings, Susannah is captivated by an unexpected find in her late parentsβ
home: an unsigned love note addressed to her mother, in handwriting that is most
definitely not her fatherβs.
Reeling from the thought that she never
really knew her mother, Susannah finds mysteries everywhere she looks: in her
daughterβs friendship with an older neighbor, in a charismatic local man to whom
sheβs powerfully drawn, and in an eighteenth century crime sheβs researching for
her next book. Compelled to dig into her motherβs past, Susannah discovers even
more secrets, ones that surpass any fiction she could ever put to paper...
About Yona Zeldis McDonough
Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of six novels; her
seventh, THE HOUSE ON
PRIMROSE POND, will be out from New American Library in February, 2016. In
addition, she is the editor of the essay collections The Barbie
Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns Forty and All the Available Light: A
Marilyn Monroe Reader. Her short fiction, articles and essays have been
published in anthologies as well as in numerous national magazines and
newspapers. She is also the award-winning author of twenty-six books for
children, including the highly acclaimed chapter books, The Doll Shop
Downstairs and The Cats in the Doll Shop. Yona lives in Brooklyn, New
York with her husband, two children and two noisy Pomeranians.
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