Susan Coll
Author Interview - Susan Coll
Author of The Literati
An unexpected catastrophe of literary proportions . . .
Aspirant, bookish, and close to broke, 26-year-old Clemi steps into her dream job at a prestigious literary nonprofit and finds herself in the bull's eye of a financial, legal, and existential calamity. The executive director has disappeared, leaving behind an inscrutable cat to which she is highly allergic. Meanwhile, the bank accounts have been overdrawn, the FBI is asking questions, and she has three days to pull off the annual fundraising gala, a glamorous affair filled with famous writers and local literati.
On the upside, she will get to meet her all-time favorite writer, who has won the award. Clemi has read and reread her novels, pouring over her every word. But her interactions with the author and her eight-year-old son, as well as with the nonprofit's Board Members, leave her wondering whether certain writers are better on the page than in person.
All the while, Clemi is trying to sort out her own life: her current boyfriend is, like every boyfriend before him, a pompous poseur, and the clock is running on her apartment-sitting gig. She finds herself wondering what all the goings-on in this dysfunctional, scandal-plagued nonprofit have to do with literature. And if it's time to let go of her literary aspirations and apply to law school.
In the week in which this madcap story unfolds, USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Coll weaves together a charmingly witty and warm comedy of manners that offers a peek behind the literary curtain--one that anyone who's ever been a little bit uncertain of what the future might hold can relate to.
Author Interview - Susan Coll
Favorite place to read a book:
The bathtub. I have destroyed any number of books while reading in the tub, but I persist, nonetheless. I recently finished a PDF of a book that isn’t yet in print, which meant I read it on my iPad. I had to prop it on the side of the tub and hope for the best.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Does a comic book count? If so, let’s say Spiderman, for obvious reasons. I don’t want to have a three-hour conversation about anything --- I just want to get out!
Author Interview - Susan Coll | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
There wasn’t any aha moment that made me want to become an author, but I always knew I wanted to do something that involved working with words. I told myself that I’d be happy in any language-adjacent job – editing crossword puzzles, writing advertising copy, proofreading whatever. Right out of college I applied for a job writing captions for the local public television network, which I was pretty excited about, but I wasn’t hired. Even captioning the evening news seemed glamorous---and for a long time out of reach.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I am agnostic when it comes to format. Sometimes I have both a hardcover and an audiobook going at the same time, and if I’m not near a bookstore and I need something quickly, an e-book is fine. But because my favorite place to read is in the bathtub, paperbacks work best.
The last book I read:
I just finished reading Jenna Blum’s forthcoming Murder Your Darlings. It’s a very entertaining (and chilling) thriller about writers that is so close to the bone about the business of publishing that it’s making me think about switching careers.
Author Interview - Susan Coll | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer. I’m not sure I could write effectively with pen and paper. I’ve been working at either a typewriter or a keyboard of one sort or another since high school term paper days. I’m a fast typist and I think my brain is hardwired to the keyboard.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Oh I ask myself this question pretty much every day and I might at long last have an answer. I’ve been working at an independent bookstore on and off for some 15 years, and I find that just as satisfying most days as writing. I think I would throw myself into bookselling full time if I decide to stop writing.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Berlin has been on my bucket list since Covid; I don’t know why I haven’t booked tickets yet. Why? Museums, restaurants, music, plus I’ve never been to Germany, apart from long layovers at the Frankfurt airport.
Favorite artist:
I love Maira Kalman's work, and even have one of her paintings as the background on my desktop. I once took painting lessons and told the teacher I wanted to paint like Maira Kalman. We tried that for a while, but after a few weeks she gave up on me, and suggested I go back to writing.
Number one on my bucket list:
Ha, my bucket list is sort of the opposite of a bucket list at this point in life. I’m always a little too busy, so I’m looking forward to doing a little less, and finding more time to read and write and spend with family.
Find more from the author:
susan_keselenko_coll
About Susan Coll:
Author Interview with Susan Coll
Susan Coll is the author of seven novels, including Bookish People and Real Life and Other Fictions, a Washington Post 2024 Notable Work of Fiction and USA TODAY bestseller. Her third novel, Acceptance, was made into a television movie starring the hilarious Joan Cusack. Susan's work has appeared in publications including the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Moment Magazine, NPR.org, and Atlantic.com. She is the events advisor at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC, and was the president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for five years. Visit Susan online at susancoll.com; Instagram: @susan_keselenko_coll
