ReadingFashionably: Author Interview with Juli I Huss

October 21, 2011 by Fifi Flowers

Juli I. Huss is the author of The Faux Gourmet: A Single Woman's Confession on Food and Sex and Dish. She has been a repeated guest author and columnist on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Good Day New York, CNBC, CNN, Lifetime, A.M. Los Angeles, AM Seattle, AM San Francisco, AM Atlanta, Geraldo, The Michael Jackson Show (radio), The Dennis Praeger Show (radio). She is an Adjunct Lecturer for NYU School of Continuing Education and has written freelance articles for many magazines including Cosmopolitan and Manhattan Style interviewing celebrities such as Shania Twain, Lauren Hutton, Lou Reed, Carol Alt, Naomi Judd and Stephen Baldwin.

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Nowwww... it's OUR turn to interview her...

Where are you from?

I grew up in Fullerton, California.

Tell us your latest news?

I am developing a cooking show and working on another novel.

When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote in college. You know, I was one of types of college writer s who drinks a three glasses of wine and puts on a Joni Mitchell album and writes bad, drunken, blubbering prose about how your man should feel the pain of being you loving him while trying to love you too or some crazy thing....

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I saw my name registered in the Library of Congress. I was stunned into absolute delight!

What inspired you to write your first book?

I love to cook and I love to eat. I wanted to write a book about how a single woman learns to feed herself so she can stop surfing between stuffing and starving.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I guess I'm a potty mouth muse with a heart of gold? The New York Post once referred to me as, "insightfully trashy" a compliment that still makes me hold my head high!

How did you come up with the title?

I was writing one of my first columns and I wrote something like: "Some women fake orgasms, I faked gourmet cooking. I am The Faux Gourmet.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I guess the message I always want women to think about is to ask themselves: Am I feeding myself today? Am I feeding myself in a way that truly nourishes who I am. I think so many women wait to be fed, while they stuff or starve themselves waiting to be loved. Food is really a means of self care. When women learn to feed themselves, they discover a self that is wise and courageous and forgiving and knows how to receive all that God intends for them.

How much of the book is realistic?

I am a little more crazy and less endearing, but it is very true to the early part of my life.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

All of the funniest experiences are based on real events.

What books have most influenced your life most?

The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann - loved it! Nothing better than a boozy tart with a heart of gold! And Viktor Frankl's, Man's Search for Meaning", that book changed my life. It made me realize that our have the ultimate say in how we allow the tragic events affect us. No one can take away our power of choice.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

E. Jean Carroll, Elle magazine's advice columnist. She whipped me into submission by allowing none of my excuses to keep me from writing. No amount of rejection, No amount of self loathing, self pity. Every time I started to whine and start to go into my spin she would give me a deadline. I always say a good mentor is one part parole officer and one part priest...She was a tough editor and really taught me how to suck it up and be a professional writer. I didn't need a mentor. I needed a lion tamer!

What book are you reading now?

I am actually reading to scripts written by friends of mine who have asked me to edit their work. So I have my red pen sharpened and ready to make some notes!

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Oh gosh, there are so many. I read a lot of unpublished writers and when ever I really read one I think is great, I call an agent friend of mine and have her read them too.

What are your current projects?

I am developing a TV show and writing a book so I am very engaged at the moment.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Geraldo Rivera. He owned The Two River Times in Redbank, New Jersey. He took a risk and let me write a column about women, food and sex. He really let me do my thing. From that column came my first book The Faux Gourmet: A Single Women's Confessions on Food and Sex. I am very grateful to him.

Do you see writing as a career?

Yes, as a wonderful career! I mean how many jobs can you go to work still wearing your pajamas!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Nope. I am very satisfied. I had a very good editor and he really made sure the story was very polished and complete.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I just knew I was a writer but what didn't know was how to make that happen. I think I knew it in college but I just didn't know the discipline of writing until I met E. Jean Carroll.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Sure, I am working on a novel and a cookbook so here are a couple of great recipes.

WINTER WHITE CHILI with CORN BREAD
Serves: 6 - 8
4 cans of Cannelini Beans - retain liquid
4- 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons of Canola Oil
2 4-ounce cans chopped mild green chilies
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons Chili seasoning
1 Tablespoons Oregano
4 cups diced cooked chicken breasts (use skinless/boneless chicken breasts)
Salt and pepper to taste

GARNISH
3 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese
Green Chili Salsa
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour Cream

In a large pot, add enough water to cover chicken breasts and over a medium high heat bring to a simmer. Poach boneless skinless chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes or until fully cooked and juices are running clear. Drain water and remove chicken to a serving dish, allow to cool and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
In the same large pot, sauté garlic and onions in oil until translucent. Then add Cannelini beans, chicken broth, cumin, chili seasonings, oregano and canned green chilies. Stir all ingredients thoroughly and bring to a slow boil.
Add cooked, cubed chicken, cover and reduce heat, simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve topped with grated Jarlsburg cheese*, fresh cilantro, sour cream and green chili salsa
(Jarlsburg adds an unexpected nutty/sharp bite to this delicious but slightly unconventional chili.)

THE WORLD'S GREATEST CORN BREAD
Serves: 6-8
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in the microwave. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, add melted butter, buttermilk, eggs and beat together. Mix in dry ingredients and spoon into a greased 8" pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

No, I find dieting a challenge. Writing is a wondrous escape. Pilate's is challenging. Writing is a joy.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have been reading a lot of Erma Bombeck and I have to say that I think she was a terrific writer and humorist. She is so present with her reader and so honest...like a dear friend.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Not so much right now but when I go on book tours and working on TV pilots then yes, I travel a lot.

Who designed the covers?

My publishers.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

To just write. To not edit and write but just write. Write through the bad until you get to the place where the words just flows.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

To let the characters speak for themselves. If you really spend time developing your characters, they have their own life and their own perceptions.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write, and let yourself be edited. Have courage and understand that rejection can refine you and make you really possess grit and pluck and persistence. That all the struggle can turn you into a what you always hoped you'd become!

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Thank you to Juli L Huss for giving an interview and donating TWO books to GIVEAWAY...