Kim
Gruenenfelder lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and
continues to avoid anything even remotely resembling a real job. Her
acclaimed debut novel, A Total Waste of Makeup, has been published in six languages and eight international editions to date. In addition to her three published novels, A Total Waste of Makeup, Misery Loves Cabernet and There’s Cake In My Future,
she has written feature films, episodic teleplays and two stage plays.
Kim loves her fans and readers, who can contact her here, as well as
follow her through her Facebook. and Twitter.
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Let's talk Cake with Kim...
Where are you
from?
Los Angeles. I've been here since I was 7, so I consider myself a native. My husband and son were
actually born here, so they will politely disagree.
Tell us your
latest news?
I’m writing
the sequel right now to “There’s Cake in my Future.” Or I should say I am
procrastinating by filling out this interview.
When and why
did you begin writing?
I started
really writing at 19, when I was still in college. Wrote some categories for
the teen tournament of Jeopardy! (which became kind of a writing sample for
me), then got staffed there when I graduated. I wrote my first screenplay at
21. Not sure why. I don’t think anyone really sets out to be a writer exactly,
the writers I know just had to do it.
When did you
first consider yourself a writer?
When I was
19, I wrote my first category. They were doing a teen tournament, and I was a
PA for the show and begged the producer to let me write. The category was
“Boys”, and it was a word play: Beastie Boys, Beach Boys, Lost Boys, etc. I was
so excited when my category aired. Game show writing is nothing like
screenwriting or writing novels, but that little taste of success gave me hope that
I could make a living at it.
What inspired
you to write your first book?
Two part
question – the sitting down and writing came after I had my son. I had been
writing TV scripts and screenplays for years, with mixed success, and I felt
like I had been typecast as a romantic comedy writer. I wanted to do something
totally different, and something where I felt like I could write whatever I
wanted – I didn’t have an audience yet, so it was just my take on life. The
inspiration for the book itself was turning 30.
Do you have a
specific writing style?
Um…
conversational?
How did you
come up with the title?
”A Total
Waste of Makeup” was a phrase we used in college to describe bad dates. I was
shocked to learn no one had ever used it before. "There’s Cake in my Future”
came from a wonderful editor at St. Martin’s named Jennifer Enderlin.
Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
None of us
feel like we know the answers. We’re all figuring it out as we go along. Having
friends to help you navigate (and laugh at your missteps) is crucial.
How much of
the book is realistic?
I hope all of
them are realistic – the first book is completely based on my real life, and
those of my friends, and most of the other 2 are based on my observations of
everyone around me.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
“A Total
Waste of Makeup” was absolutely my take on turning 30 the same year I was a
maid of honor for both my best friend’s as well as my younger sister’s
weddings. I was miserable. And yet, every time I described the craziness of the
families to others, I would get laughs. So I wrote down my stories. Drew was
based on a few famous actors my friends worked for.
What books
have most influenced your life most?
I always have
a hard time with questions like this. I love everything from A Connecticut
Yankee in King Arthur’s Court to War and Peace to Jonathan Franzen to Celia
Rivenbark to Laurie Notaro to anything chicklit.
If you had to
choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I love Joe
Keenan – he’s a 7 time Emmy winner who has also written 3 novels, all
hysterically funny, and he always gives great notes. He might be annoyed with
the mentor title, but he is a writer I respect so much.
What book are
you reading now?
I’m actually
reading Quinn Cummings new book on Homeschooling. (It’s not out yet.) I find it
alternately funny and disturbing.
Are there any
new authors that have grasped your interest?
I like lots of authors – I always hesitate to name one.
I like lots of authors – I always hesitate to name one.
What are your
current projects?
I have
written a TV pilot, and am finishing up the “Cake” sequel.
Name one
entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My friends
are mostly artists, and work in Hollywood or publishing. I could not do what I
do without them. They remind me daily that this career choice is hard, but worth
it.
Do you see
writing as a career?
Yes. Many
days I wished I had picked a calmer one, but there you go. I have never done
anything for a living that didn’t have to do with words. I am qualified for
nothing else.
If you had to
do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
There is a
scene in “Cake” where Nic is on the phone with her husband, who’s out of town,
while her ex-boyfriend is texting her, asking her to go bowling. My friend
Carolyn really hated the scene, and thought Nic was being underhanded and
unsympathetic, so I cut it out. But I think I should have kept it in – it
showed that women sometimes don’t understand that men are chasing us, (Oh,
Hell, we rarely, if ever, know that men are chasing us.) and I think that was
important.
Do you recall
how your interest in writing originated?
I wrote a
play in 6th grade. Didn’t get made, but I was hooked.
Can you share
a little of your current work with us?
Nic, Seema
and Mel are another year or so along in their lives, and once again they pull
the wrong charm at a shower. Havoc ensues.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I want to
make people laugh. It’s very easy for me to get into the darkness of problems
we all face – dating, marriage, career, family, etc. But if people don’t feel
better after they’ve read me, then I don’t feel like I’ve done my job.
Who is your
favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I love so
many authors. I love Mark Twain and Shakespeare, because they can be very
funny, yet serious at times.
Do you have
to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I have
travelled to Maui and Shanghai for the book I’m working on, “Let Me Eat Cake”
which is the sequel to “There’s Cake in my Future.” I also go to Manhattan once
in awhile to see my agent, editor, and various people at St. Martin’s who
support my career.
Who designed
the covers?
Good
question. I have no idea –should really find that out. But I knew “Cake” would
do well when I saw the engagement ring on the cover.
What was the
hardest part of writing your book?
For “Makeup”
it was finding the time – I had just had a baby, and was still working from home
doing other little writing. For this sequel, it’s trying to write about life
after happily ever after – which is what the women are going through. One is
having a baby, one is getting married: these events are seen as a finish line
of sorts. But then reality hits and you sometimes have to ask yourself, “Okay,
now what?”
Did you learn
anything from writing your book and what was it?
I’m sure I
learn as I go, but there is nothing I can think of at the moment.
Do you have
any advice for other writers?
Writing is
hard. Doesn’t matter how successful or prolific you are, it’s still hard. I
don’t know a writer who actually likes writing. I know lots of writers who like
to read what they’ve written afterwards, but not the writing itself. Keep
writing. The first draft is supposed to be crap – write it anyway. You are
going to have days when you can’t think of a damn thing, and just stare at your
computer and wallow in self pity. Write anyway. You will have days when, after
a full day tearing your guts out, your word count is the same, or lower, than
when you started. Write anyway.
Do you have
anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for
buying my books! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have a job!
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Thank you to Kim for doing an interview with us...
YOU can purchase There's Cake in My Future and other books by Kim Gruenenfelder HERE
Keep up with Kim Gruenenfelder via her Official Website HERE
