Ellen Sherman
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman
Author of Bad Girls Go Everywhere
London 1968. Electric and unpredictable. A world filled with characters who are as seductive as they are unreliable. Against her parents' wishes, Rin, a naïve but determined 21-year-old American is off to study acting at an unconventional London drama school. So far Rin's done everything right. This is her one chance to do something daring.
Quickly Rin is torn between the demands of school and the glittering roller-coaster life of Chelsea: a gleefully immoral former deb drags her into a bungled jewel heist, a promising film job in Rome becomes a surreal scheme. There's an affair with a famous actor whose romantic plate is fuller than she knew.
The thrills come at a cost. Expelled from drama school, Rin scrapes by reading soft-core porn to an eccentric dowager and dubbing low-budget horror films. Across the Atlantic, Rin's philandering father and charming but manipulative mother, use family chaos to try and pull her home. Then Rin falls for a charismatic friend who might be the love of her life-or her undoing.
Funny, romantic, and irreverent, Bad Girls Go Everywhere is a coming-of-age story about discovering that sometimes getting gloriously lost is the only way to truly find yourself.
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman
Author I draw inspiration from:
Ann Patchett- Bel Canto because of the breadth of story, variety of characters and depth of compassion for each character
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
My son’s former bedroom (he’s now married and very much not living at home!) It’s small, cozy, enclosed by windows on two walls. Like a ship’s cabin. Perfect for tucking away with a good book.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
“Jason Lamb” in Dead Lions by Mick Herron. Jason Lamb is an irascible misanthrope with an insanely wicked sense of the absurd and beyond witty sense of humor. I would try and make small talk which he would dismiss but then I’d ask him what’s wrong with the world as we know it and what could be done about it. His answer would probably make my hair stand on end but it would be hugely funny and entertaining. Given that personal hygiene-wise he is beyond challenged, any time stuck in an elevator with him would be somewhat horrifying, but it might be worth it.
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I was 10 and my poem had just won a school contest. The prize was reading it at the opening of the Forest Hills Library, my local library. Afterwards the librarian came up to me and said “ You tell a wonderful story in your writing. Keep telling stories.” And I liked that idea.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love having the physical experience of holding and reading from a book. The weight of it and turning the pages. That goes for a paperback if it means a soft cover book, but not the old paperbacks where it was impossible to keep the pages turned properly for reading. Ebooks are convenient for travel and easy to transport so I use them, but hate the cold glare of the electronic light…not very welcoming. I have never listened to an audio book and I know it’s great for people in cars but, and don’t mean to sound snarky, it’s not
“reading”….it’s listening. If that’s the only way you’re going to experience an author, then great, but I’d rather read than listen.
The last book I read:
Jhumpa Lahiri and Unaccustomed Earth- I don’t tend towards short stories since if I like a setting and characters I want to “live” with them for a while but this is a wonderful collection that brought me into a culture of which I had little familiarity…East Indian families settling in the US…and gave me insights I might not have even contemplated.
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Definitely computer. I do make occasional, often indecipherable, notes on a legal pad or scraps of paper but I’m a fairly decent typist so the computer gives me a speed that matches my thought process. I often start with writing recollections or thoughts on a given topic or experience I’ve been drawn to…just random thoughts…and if I continue writing after a few pages, I know it’s something I can elaborate on and maybe, just maybe, it’ll turn into a full piece.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Eloise by Kay Thompson. When I remember my childhood, I always think of myself as being about the same age as Eloise and find myself delighted by girls of that age…just before adolescence. I would love hanging out with Eloise to hear her take on just about anything. She’s audacious, creative, clever and inventive. Spending a day walking around Manhattan and getting her take on the state of NYC would be a treat.
Author Interview - Ellen Sherman | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
A backup singer. Absolutely. No question. Apart from that I’ve been quite a few other things…an actress who actually made a living at it, a journalist, a documentary film producer and a Producer on NBC Dateline.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The Twenties
Place I’d most like to travel:
Greek Islands.Any beach is my favorite place to be. I have traveled all over...Africa, Asia, Italy but have always wanted to return to the Greek islands. I was a vagabond traveling there and sleeping on a rooftop in Mykonos when I was just out of college and haven't been back since. It's time to see more of that amazing place.
My signature drink:
Moscow Mule. And when I’m being healthy, papaya juice
Favorite artist:
Van Gogh, William Kentridge, Bob Marley and Amy Winehouse
Number one on my bucket list:
I know it’s crazy but I’ve “ tried” every activity of which I am not terrified ( like sky diving which I would do….never) Having partially grown up in Colorado ( my mother’s hometown) you’d think I’d seen the best of the West. But I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon. So, yes, seeing the Grand Canyon is right up there on the bucket list.
Find more from the author:
@ellensuesherman- Instagram
About Ellen Sherman:
Ellen Sherman
Ellen Sherman, writer and producer, took a circuitous path to both after an acting career which included Broadway, TV and the lead in a curious avant garde Mexican horror film. She’s been a screenwriter, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Her award-winning doc, All Dressed Up and No Place to Go, chronicling the lives of four heterosexual cross dressers, was featured at the Montreal Film Festival and on HBO/Cinemax.
Her career took an unexpected turn when she began writing and producing crime-centric one hours for, among others, MSNBC and A&E Investigates. She then spent 8 years as a staff Writer/Producer for NBC Dateline. In 2023 she launched the podcast Binge or Bomb which reviews streaming international TV series the world loves, and you might never have heard of.
Ellen grew up in New York City, but also relished her time living in London, Mexico City and Los Angeles. Having had a gloriously misspent youth, it’s the backdrop against which BAD GIRLS GO EVERYWHERE is based. Currently she lives in Manhattan and Bridgehampton with husband, Peter and the amazing Ziggy.
