Interviews
On November 25, 1997, barnesandnoble.com spoke with Olivia Goldsmith, whose novel MARRYING MOM, now debuting in paperback, takes you on a wild romp through the holidays with the dysfunctional but lovable Geronomous family.
JainBN: Welcome, Olivia, and thanks so much for joining us this evening!
Olivia Goldsmith: My pleasure!
JainBN: We've got many questions lined up, so if you're all set, let's turn our attention to them.
Olivia Goldsmith: Let's go.
Question: For those of us who haven't had the pleasure of reading MARRYING MOM, could you tell us a little bit about the book?
Olivia Goldsmith: Sure. MARRYING MOM is the story of Phyllis Geronomous, a 69-year-old widow living in Florida, who decides it's best for her grown children if she returns to New York to help reparent them. Her three children wonder if they should kill her or themselves when they hear the news. Since that's illegal, they decide on other actions. They decide to get Mom married. The problem is, as Bruce the son puts it to the daughter Sig, "You're 38, you've got a great job and a fabulous haircut, and you can't even get a date. How are we going to get Mom married?" So they go out on Operation Geezer Quest. I won't tell you the rest.
Question: Do you have any plans to turn MARRYING MOM into a film?
Olivia Goldsmith: It's already been optioned by Cort Madden, the boys who brought you "Jumanji" and "Mr. Holland's Opus."
Question: The inspiration for THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is clearly from your own life. Are all your books semiautobiographical?
Olivia Goldsmith: Well, to a certain extent. BESTSELLER certainly was when it dealt with the publishing industry, FASHIONABLY LATE when it dealt with the career motherhood issue. MARRYING MOM actually happened -- at least the beginning of it did. My mother, who lives in Florida, called my sister, who lives in New York, and said she was going to move up. My sister called me and said she was going to kill herself. I suggested we send my mother on a cruise instead. Barbara, my sister, said it wouldn't do any good, because she'd come back like a boomerang. The only hope was marrying her off. Of course, nobody was as crazy as my dad was, so we never got her married. I just got a book out of it.
Question: In MARRYING MOM, Sig has a horrible moment when she realized she's becoming just like her mother. I think every grown woman has this realization. Why did you decide to include it?
Olivia Goldsmith: Because it happened to me and I didn't like it. Sort of like THE FIRST WIVES CLUB. I tell you, when you look in the mirror and you see your mother's jowls and neck, you've got to either wear blinders, make peace with her, or call a really good plastic surgeon.
Question: What book(s) are currently on your nightstand?
Olivia Goldsmith: That's a fair question. THE SIXTEEN PLEASURES and ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN', an unbelievably good memoir by Rick Bragg. And LOLITA again. And Doris Lessing's UNDER MY SKIN (the first volume of her autobiography).
Question: Most writers of your stature have agents. Why don't you?
Olivia Goldsmith: Because I can't get along with any of them. I would like somebody to handle all the aggravation, but the ones I know don't know how to handle aggravation, but manage to cause it. I don't recommend it, but I can't find someone else to do it.
Question: Your first book, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, was rejected 26 times. Ouch! How did you finally swing the deal?
Olivia Goldsmith: I didn't swing it at all. One of the rejected copies had probably been sent from a mail room out to a Hollywood scout. Out of the blue, while the book was still unpublished, I got a call from an agent, Todd Harris, saying that Warner, Paramount, and Touchstone were fighting over the book. Needless to say, after that, it did get published.
Question: I heard that your production company is called Plain Brown Wren. Where does the name come from?
Olivia Goldsmith: Take a look at my picture and then take a wild guess.
Question: When you write a book, do you think about how your characters will translate to the big screen?
Olivia Goldsmith: Umm, sometimes. With a book like MARRYING MOM or my new one, SWITCHEROO, I feel from the beginning that it's good material for a film. With some others, like the BESTSELLER or FASHIONABLY LATE, I think not. I still want to write those books, but I understand how Hollywood works. I still got to write what I wanted to write.
Question: I'm a native Long Islander, and the mom in MARRYING MOM seemed very familiar. Who is she based on?
Olivia Goldsmith: Well, she's not my mom. My mom doesn't criticize or give advice. She's more of a martyr type. But I've spent some summers on Long Island, and now I live in Florida, and all of those women who I observed in my childhood are living in Hollywood, Florida, now. So I had plenty of inspiration.
Question: Do you enjoy collaboration with other writers on films? Is there anyone out there you'd really like to work with?
Olivia Goldsmith: My current flame (in my mind only) is David E. Kelley. He created and writes the "Ally McBeal" show. I think it's terrific, some really good writing. There's lots of really good TV writing now. Of course, there's always "Seinfeld," but I think "Dharma and Greg" and some of the other new shows are fabulous.
Question: The youngest daughter in MARRYING MOM made me so sad (until the end, but I won't give it away). She was in a bad marriage, had really low self-esteem, etc. Do you hope women like her find inspiration in the book?
Olivia Goldsmith: Absolutely! I always identify with the wallflower. Of course, I'm very fond of Annie in THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, Camilla Clapfish in BESTSELLER, and Sharon in MARRYING MOM. Sharon had to be the butt of the jokes to rise above, but she does, doesn't she? I'm glad she made you sad -- I meant her to.
Question: The Geronomous family somehow manage to make it through the holiday season without killing each other. Do you have any suggestions for how the typical dysfunctional family can get through the holidays without throwing yams at each other?
Olivia Goldsmith: Yes, I do. Spend the holidays with good friends.
Question: Are you spending Thanksgiving with your family?
Olivia Goldsmith: With my family of choice. I am invited up to Boston to be with my sisters, their spouses, and nieces and nephews. This year I'm not going. I'm having Thanksgiving in Florida with friends. I will see my mother as well.
Question: Halfway through MARRYING MOM, Phyllis has a gem of a line: "Nowadays every woman should stay single or make four marriages." Would you give the same advice?
Olivia Goldsmith: Well, I certainly would advise staying single for as long as you can possibly manage. This doesn't mean staying celibate, in my opinion. I don't see any advantage for marriage. I don't think there's any financial advantage for women to marry. I think the comment Phyllis made about why women need four marriages is more important than whether or not people actually make the commitment legal. You know, the idea that you make one stupid mistake, one for lust, one for financial security, and one for companionship, seems utterly sensible to me.
Question: The shopping spree in Bergdorf's is every woman's dream come true! Where's your favorite place to shop in New York?
Olivia Goldsmith: Bergdorf's it is. How did you guess? Write about what you know! (Do you think they'll give me a discount if I send them a copy of the book?)
Question: I love how you call the three kids "the Sibs." Do you have brothers and sisters? Are you close to them?
Olivia Goldsmith: I have two sisters and we are close, but we are not called the Sibs. However, we did call my parents "the 'rents." Unfortunately, my father has died, and it doesn't really work in the singular.
Question: Can you tell us a little bit about the contest that's being run right now in conjunction with the paperback release of MARRYING MOM?
Olivia Goldsmith: Well, some genius at HarperCollins came up with the idea of a contest based on this headline: "Every year, 179,000 moms move down to Florida. What if Florida sent your Mom back?" They are sponsoring a contest. Write a personal to get your mom or some other family member or friend out of your hair. And you and she win a makeover and a bunch of other goodies from Cosmopolitan magazine. I get to judge the personals, so it could be fun.
Question: Olivia, I love THE FIRST WIVES CLUB! Thanks so much for your wicked and savvy humor. Can we expect a sequel next year? If so, can you give some details?
Olivia Goldsmith: Oh, you little minx! How did you know that my next project is THE FIRST WIVES CLUB: THE NEXT GENERATION? I'm not telling anything else, because I need to save my energy for the book. But I already think it's pretty devilish. And if my supply of Mounds bars holds out, I should be done at the end of the summer (don't ask what my hips are going to look like!).
Question: The first paragraph of MARRYING MOM tells how Phyllis was always mistaken for being "difficult and insensitive," when in actuality "she was just honest." Why is brutal honesty from women often misinterpreted as a detriment instead of strength of character?
Olivia Goldsmith: Because our society is sexist and deeply gender-biased. Of course, this gives me something to write about, so I can't totally complain.
Question: You've been called the "queen of revenge." So have you had any problems in social life with men because of it?
Olivia Goldsmith: I know that some people think my books are vengeful, but I have always said they are about getting justice. And aside from my rotten marriage, which was a long time ago, I would have to say most men in my private life would probably give me very nice written recommendations. But I only hang out with nice guys now.
Question: What informs your wonderful sense of humor?
Olivia Goldsmith: If I inherited my sense of humor, it's from my dad. He was very funny. But frankly, I believe most humor comes from pain. I think I look at very painful truth in my books, and you can either cry or laugh. I prefer to laugh and have others laugh with me. I know that sounds like corny pap, but I mean it. I think there was a serious issue under FIRST WIVES CLUB jokes. And I think that jokes about female aging, female aggression etc. are at the core of my books. I do a lot of funny window dressing so we can laugh about what is painful. Let me end with one thought: Why is it that when a 62-year-old woman gave birth it was a scandal -- people said it was disgusting and unnatural and it made the cover of People magazine -- but when Tony Randall, at 78, impregnates his new young wife for the second time he's offered congratulations? So is Anthony Quinn. Am I the only one who thinks there's something wrong with this picture?
JainBN: Olivia, thanks so much for joining us. Please come again, and have a peaceful holiday season!
Olivia Goldsmith: Thanks everybody and goodnight!
