Authors To Watch: Interview with Lara Reznik, Author of Bagels & Salsa @eipress #suspense #romance

Lara Reznik is a native New Yorker who studied at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop. Bagels & Salsa is her third novel.

Writing books since she was six years old, Reznik retired from an executive position in information technology after the success of her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland, published in 2012. In 2015, Reznik published her second book, The M&M Boys.

Reznik currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two miniature Aussies.

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Title: BAGELS & SALSA
Author: Lara REznik
Publisher: Enchanted Indie Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Suspense/Romance/Humor

BOOK BLURB:

Author Lara Reznik blends suspense, romance, and humor in her latest novel, BAGELS & SALSA (http://www.larareznik.com/bagels-and-salsa). Loosely based on Reznik’s life, the story of Laila and Eduardo highlights the turmoil that surfaces when a Jewish sociologist from New York and a Hispanic doctor from rural New Mexico fall hard and fast for each other. Their blossoming relationship develops against the backdrop of terror the Son of Sam created in New York City during the summer of 1977.

Early reviews of BAGELS & SALSA praise the story’s dynamic plot and colorful characters:

“The author tells a simple love story, but she structures the novel to provide a panoramic view of her characters” (Kirkus Reviews).

“Another lovely read from Lara Reznik! . . . As with all her novels there are also plenty of fun subplot twists and turns. I wanted more.”  (Barbara Gaines, Former Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman).

BAGELS & SALSA opens at a high school assembly hall in a rough part of the Bronx where Laila Levin is giving her first postdoctorate presentation on the US teen pregnancy epidemic. Her fear of public speaking and a chance encounter with the Son of Sam unravel her as several loud bangs crack through the air. Laila falls on the stage and injures her right shoulder. Fortunately, Dr. Eduardo Quintana jumps into action.

What begins as a playful flirtation while Laila recovers in the hospital propels into a more serious relationship with the handsome doctor. Their mutual passion is so intense that it stuns them both. The unlikely pair share strong family values and an interest in teen pregnancy prevention. After a brief courtship, Eduardo persuades Laila to accompany him to his family’s ranch near Española, New Mexico, where he plans to open a family practice. The rural town has one of the highest pregnancy rates in North America: the perfect place for Laila’s research.          

Once in New Mexico, Laila is blatantly rejected by Sylvia, Eduardo’s controlling mother. Sylvia wants Eduardo to marry Violet, his high school sweetheart, who has recently returned to New Mexico after a failed flight attendant career and a walk on the dark side of Hollywood. Violet’s mother and Sylvia cook up a plan to send Laila packing and reunite their children. The Quintanas hold a large pig roast and invite a menagerie of tattooed cousins, rodeo stars, and mariachis. And the drop-dead gorgeous Violet makes a grand entrance.

In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret is revealed, and Laila and Eduardo’s love for each other is severely tested. Can their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous intentions of a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila from New York City, and their own uncertainties about the upheavals that their union will cause in their lives?

Reznik’s first goal in writing BAGELS & SALSA is to entertain readers. However, she says, “On a more thematic level, I’d like readers to think about the importance of embracing religious, ethnic, and cultural differences, which have been at the core of so much conflict in the world.”

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Describe your writing process. Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants? When and where do you write?

For years I’ve been both a participant and facilitator of numerous author groups, writing classes, conferences and social gatherings of writers. The topic of how much time and energy is spent plotting out a book versus writing “by the seat of your pants” inevitably becomes a lively debate and even a polarizing discussion.

On one side, there are authors that come from former careers as engineers, scientists, programmers or accountants. Generally, they write pages of outlines, detailed character sketches, and complex structure synopses utilizing techniques of writing gurus such as Dwight Swain (Technique of the Selling Writer), Christopher Vogler (The Hero’s Journey), and/or John Truby (The Anatomy of a Story). These are just a few popular methods used to help authors plan their novels.

While there’s much to be said about spending days, weeks, and months developing detailed plot outlines and analysis of each character’s journey, this method doesn’t work for everyone. One down side is if the author changes the course of the plot while implementing the notes into prose, everything following is then rendered useless. Also, taking months to develop detailed outlines can take away from the passion and momentum an author feels when they first have an idea for a book. One author friend of mine became so sympathetic with his antagonist, that she ended up morphing into a co-protagonist forcing the author to scrap pages and pages of analysis and begin the whole process all over again.

On the other side of the spectrum, many writers, (often from literary, artistic or entrepreneurial backgrounds) prefer to skip all the above and take a more simplified approach. Generally, this includes brainstorming an idea and writing a rough draft as a stream of consciousness. Many famous authors such as Khalad Hoessini and the late Tony Hillerman claim to write their novels without much planning or outline at all.

Like most novices, when I wrote my first novel I used the “seat of my pants” method without planning much in advance. Later, after studying the craft of writing, participating in critique groups and working with professional editors, I ended up throwing out more than half of the first draft because it didn’t have a coherent plot let alone a story structure. Also, many of the subplots took the reader down rabbit trails that led nowhere.

After four decades as an author, I’ve discovered the method that works best for me is somewhere in between writing by the seat of my pants and creating complex outlines and deep analysis. It works something like this:

·        Novel idea:  generally comes from current news, or a historical event, an incident from my own life, or someone else’s life.

·        Research: I gather all types of research on the time period, the setting, and develop sketches for each character including many details of their lives that may or may not be in the story. For instance, it helps to know where a character grew up, what type of childhood they had, level of education, marital status, etc.

·        Outline: I develop a series of scenes and or chapters with very short synopses of the plot in each one. You can have multiple scenes in a chapter or each scene can be a chapter.

·        Technique: I utilize Dwight Swain’s Technique of the Selling Writer which breaks each chapter into “scenes” and “sequels.” Each scene consists of real time action including action and dialog, the POV character’s goal and conflict. I try to end with some type of disaster or call it a “hook” to keep readers engaged. The scene is followed by a “sequel” that includes the character’s reaction, dilemma and decision to the action.

·        When I’ve completed the first draft, I submit it to my critique group for peer review. Inevitably, this results in revising ideas, developmental editing, and rewriting. Once I’ve implemented all of the changes and edit the manuscript to a point that is as good as I can get it, I submit it to my “editing team,” a group of fellow authors and retired English teachers to copy edit the manuscript. Last but not least, I hire a professional proof reader for the final polish.

If you’re serious about becoming an author, it behooves you to study the craft of writing. Read books on writing, attend a course at a local college or online, and join a critique group. Know the rules before you try and break them. Although writing is not a paint-by-number endeavor, the more you understand about structure ahead of time the better your first draft will be, and the less work you’ll need to do in subsequent revisions. Bottom line, do it your way because guess what?  There is no right way, just the way things work best for you.

One last piece of advice that was passed on to me by my professor, Rudolfo Anaya (My Blessed Ultima). He said, “A writer writes.” Every weekday morning following breakfast and an hour of exercise, I sit down at the computer in my office and write until about 4pm.

Can you tell us about your most recent release?

Bagels & Salsa is a multicultural suspense novel about two cultures colliding when a Jewish woman from New York falls in love with a Latino doctor from rural New Mexico.

Set in the summer of 1977 as the Son of Sam terrorizes New York City, Laila Levin, meets the dashing Dr. Eduardo Quintana while presenting post doctorate research on the epidemic problem of U.S. teenage pregnancies. What begins as a playful flirtation propels into a more serious relationship. Their mutual passion is so intense, that after a brief courtship, Eduardo invites her to accompany him to his family ranch in New Mexico where their relationship is tested by Eduardo’s controlling mother who blatantly rejects Laila, his drop dead gorgeous ex-girlfriend who recently returned after a walk on the dark side of Hollywood, and a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila cross-country. 

In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret is revealed and the question becomes can their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous intentions of a Son of Sam copycat, Eduardo’s mother’s rejection, and their own uncertainties about the upheaval that their union will have on their lives.

How did you get the idea for the book?
 

Bagels &Salsa evolved from a screenplay I wrote in 2001 that was a finalist in a Writer’s Digest contest. Since numerous fans of my bestselling suspense novel, The Girl From Long Guyland, wanted to learn more about the relationship of Laila, the Jewish protagonist, and Eduardo, her Hispanic husband, I adapted the semi-autobiographical screenplay into Laila and Eduardo’s love story. 

Of all your characters, which one is your favorite? Why?

My favorite character is almost always my antagonist. It’s fascinating for me to explore the mind of a narcissistic, egotistical and/or pathological individual. In Bagels & Salsa the antagonist, is Violet, Eduardo’s ex-girlfriend who left Espanola after high school for the bright lights of Hollywood. Violet returns to New Mexico after failing as both a flight attendant and an actress and is hooked on cocaine and prescription drugs. She joins her mother and Eduardo’s in a plan to rid themselves of Laila and win him back for herself.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book?  

This is the first novel I’ve ever written that contains a lot of humor. It’s a daunting task to write humor as I had no idea if people would get my jokes. I’ve gained a new respect for stand-up comedians who put themselves out there every night and often get heckled if members of the audience don’t find the material funny.

What projects are you currently working on? 

 I’m currently writing another psychological thriller based on a real-life murder mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction and I couldn’t make up a more spellbinding plot or create more devious characters than the true story of a Manson-like con man; his jealous mistress, a professed alien queen; and a salt-of the-earth soccer dad, surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful Japanese bank teller.