It's not every day we get to spend time with a real life author. Not someone like you and me who writes for the fun of it, but someone who sweats over the love of it. Tonight, I get to enjoy a night of virtual cocktails with Susan McBride, author of
The Cougar Club. I shared her not-yet-released book with you
back in November after she sent me a top secret copy. Susan's book was just released and we are toasting to her celebration! Pour yourself a tall one and read on.
On most nights, as in 3 of the 3 nights a week I drink, I go for wine. But when Susan orders a margarita on the rocks with no salt, I feel compelled to go with a celebratory (who cares about the extra 2 Weight Watchers points) pomegranate martini. Cheers!
Great to see you, Susan! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and hang out with my readers and me.
Anytime....well, anytime with cocktails. Just kidding! I brought a few signed copies of my book to give away to your readers.
Your latest book, The Cougar Club, is about 3 girlfriends from high school who get reconnected. Have you been able to keep close friendships through the years like these women?
I love the idea of having lifelong friendships, and I think that comes from my having moved around a lot when I was a kid. By the time I was thirteen, we'd lived in five different cities in four different states. So I envy people who've grown up in one place and have friends from grade school. I wanted Kat, Elise, and Carla, my three main characters in The Cougar Club, to have that kind of deeply-rooted relationship, maybe as a type of wish fulfillment since I never got that! My best friends now are people I've known for 10-15 years. They've supported me through thick and thin, and I don't know what I'd do without them.
What is your opinion on this term "cougar"? Is it a compliment or offensive?
I actually find the term "Cougar" silly rather than offensive. Our society seems pretty freaked out by the process of aging, especially when it comes to women. I see nothing wrong with successful women over forty going after what they want, whether it's professionally or romantically. Older men have been pursuing younger women for centuries (and vice versa), and no one blinks. What's so odd about a younger man finding an older woman attractive? It seems perfectly logical to me! ;-) I happened to meet my husband (who's nine years younger) at a party at the Contemporary Art Museum thrown by St. Louis Magazine to unveil their "Top Singles" issue in November of 2005. I was one of only two women over age 40 picked as a "Top Single," which was pretty cool. After the party, Ed pursued me. I wasn't sure that I wanted to date someone almost 10 years younger, but we just clicked from the get-go. So I call myself an "Accidental Cougar." It just kind of happened!
I read from your bio that you claim to be a retired cougar. Any dating advice for those readers who are single and still trying to mingle?
Ed and I have been together for over four years and married for almost two (our second wedding anniversary is February 24!). So, yep, I'm definitely retired from the dating scene. I think the best thing that single women can do at any age is to find happiness within themselves before looking for happiness with someone else. Don't go seeking someone to fill a void inside you. When you feel great about yourself, outside and in, and your life is full and busy, finding a partner is like the icing on the cake. Men want women who've got it going on and who radiate confidence. So get out and do things that you enjoy doing, whether it's taking a painting class, learning salsa or how to cook, or attending a wine tasting. Open yourself up to people you might not have dated in the past. I had a check-list back in high school that I realized I was pretty much sticking to in my adult life. Chuck the list and open your eyes wide. You might miss out on someone really special otherwise.
Which character in the book are you most like?
Hmm, that's an interesting question. All three main characters in The Cougar Club are 45, so we share our age! Kat Maguire is very independent and secure in herself, and I'd love to imagine that's something we have in common! But she's definitely more of a risk-taker than I am, both in her career and in her romantic life. Elise Randolph is probably the most grounded of the three friends. She's a married dermatologist with a son who's a freshman in college. I'm the responsible kid in my family, the perfectionist, and that's who Elise is, too. But she's a little more passive than I am and more afraid to face the truth. Carla Moss is a news anchor and lives her life in the spotlight, which is something I could never do. She's been burned by a bad marriage and is bit commitment-phobic, but she's smart enough to know when she has a good thing going. I probably have fewer similarities to Carla than to Kat or Elise, and maybe that's why I had the most fun writing about her!
It seems like you have mostly written fiction for Young Adults. What inspired you to write this book?
Before The Cougar Club, I wrote three young adult books in my Debs series for Random House and five adult soft-boiled mysteries for HarperCollins in my Debutante Dropout Mystery series. So I felt like "The Debutante Author," even though I was never a debutante. I just knew a lot of them when I lived in Texas. It was great to have the opportunity to write about women my own age and to show the shared experiences we women go through as we get older, yet keep it fast-paced and entertaining. This might sound odd, but I do believe writing The Debs novels from the point of view of four 17 year olds helped a lot with preparation for writing The Cougar Club, since I shift POV between Kat, Elise, and Carla. Honestly, I felt like I'd come home doing The Cougar Club. I think women's fiction is where I want to be.
A lot of my readers are aspiring writers. Any advice for them?
It's a tough road to publication (the traditional route anyway), and it took me ten or eleven years after I graduated from college before I signed my first contract. So you need to have a tough skin, and you have to be able to take rejection. Most of us go through a lot of "no's" before we get that first, "I want to buy this!" Like any other profession, becoming really proficient at writing takes practice. Be prepared to write a manuscript or two (or ten, in my case!) before you sell your first book. Major in public relations or marketing in college because those skills will help you promote your books and yourself, something all authors have to do these days. Learn as much about the business as you can beforehand. There are lots of conferences that take place around the country that feature editors and agents who can provide invaluable advice. Good agents don't charge reading fees so when you're ready to find representation, look to the Association of Authors' Representatives (http://aaronline.org). AAR members are bound by certain ethical standards. Read as much as you can in a variety of genres. Go outside your comfort zone and find new authors with voices you've never read before. And hang in there! It's not an easy road, but it's worth it if you'd just as soon stop writing as stop breathing.
That is some great advice. I see you're done with your margarita. Any chance you'll stick around for another?
I'd be happy to! I know you have been eyeing that wine list!
She read my mind. I went with the Sonoma-Cutre Chardonnay.
Wine side note: This is a great white to drink in the winter when you want white but nothing too fruity and light. It is not too oaky. Lots of citrus notes but still feels creamy and warm. It is from the Russian River Valley area in Sonoma. Here's a tip: If you like a wine, remember the region it is from and then try others from that region. Soon you can compare and find your favorites!
Hope you enjoyed our night of cocktails with Susan. If you would like to be entered in the give-away for a signed copy of The Cougar Club, leave a comment here and become a "follower" (if you aren't already). Three winners will be randomly selected one week from today.
Follow the link below to see Susan McBride at home in her office talking about The Cougar Club.
Behind the scenes at Cougar Tales, I have been at work to pay it forward each month - something I declared in my New Year's resolutions. This past weekend, a group of my friends and family got together to volunteer at the Hoboken Homeless Shelter.
