Switched – Book Tour and Giveaway

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I wanted to be an artist, but I had more success writing so I stuck with it.

Tell us something really interesting that’s happened to you!

Last December, I tripped and fell while running and suffered a concussion (and some bleeding in the brain, which healed on its own over six weeks). I haven’t been the same since, but I have learned some things about neurology and the brain that goes beyond what I hinted at while writing Switched. Lived experience always supersedes book knowledge and interviewing experts. One of the things I experienced is a phenomenon of being in my body but being disconnected from my mind, much like a computer that cannot connect to the Wifi, I couldn’t connect with my higher consciousness or God, and I consider myself a very spiritual person. To not have a direct connection with God and to experience a literal static between this world and the next was the most alarming thing I’ve dealt with to date. Thankfully that part of my healing journey has recovered, for the most part, which is a relief.

If you knew you’d die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?

I would spend the time with loved ones, and probably post a bunch of goodbyes online for the people I couldn’t visit in person.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Intuitive, passionate, creative, impulsive, loving.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Hmm…that’s a great question. I wrote and illustrated a book called Just Kidding, when I was eight years old. But I considered myself more of an artist than a writer. I think winning the district wide essay contest about What I Like Most About School solidified my switch from artist to writer since I won a $50 savings bond. Money changes everything, even at ten years old.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

Several. Mostly my romances like Legs, The Divorce Planner, and Friends First.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

I didn’t plan this pilgrimage, but I ended up in Denver, Colorado, so I walked to the No Name Bar where Kerouac used to frequent. The experience was a little deflating because a place can’t embody the spirit of a person who visited it if that spirit is no longer there. The most profound experience I’ve had was at Jack London park in the room where Jack London died. I was pregnant at the time, and I felt the baby move, and I became quite nauseous. I told my husband, “He (Jack London) doesn’t want this place to turn into a writers’ retreat. He wants to be left alone.” To this day, those who were with me at the time believed I was communing with the spirit of London. I’m not the only one who has had such an experience. Several people who have visited the site claimed to have felt his presence. I think someplace like that where the energy still lingers is what we mean when we say a place is haunted. London never left. Kerouac, on the other hand, hasn’t been back to the No Name Bar since his death. That’s the difference.

What inspired you to write this book?

A few things coalesced around the same time: I read The Last White Man by Mohsim Hamid and admired his ability to transcend racism through magical realism. I finally read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and was haunted by the dystopian world where women lost all rights. I was still recovering from the pandemic and could not write directly about it since no one wanted to publish anything to do with it. And, finally, my own experience within my immediate circle of influence regarding the challenges posed by transgenderism, bisexuality, and ageism surfaced. All of these factors, both read and experienced, inspired Switched.

I like how Publisher’s Weekly Booklife Prize describes the novel:  “Ultimately, the work’s greatest strength lies in its examination of age, gender, and sexuality–and how these characteristics inform identity and relationships with others.” That’s what I was aiming for, and I’m thankful the reviewers at Publisher’s Weekly recognized that accomplishment.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I don’t know. As I said before, I’m still recovering from my concussion and haven’t been writing. But I am leaving all doors open, all things possible, so you’ll have to sign up for my newsletter or visit my social media sites periodically to see what transpires.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

I needed names that could be both genders, so that’s how I came up with Joe/Jo and Maxine/Max.

How did you come up with name of this book?

Ugh. I hate titles. I wish the publishers would name all of my books, but they don’t. I tried out several titles with beta readers and selected the one with the most positive votes. That’s how I ended up with Switched.

What did you edit out of this book?

I edited out an entire point of view. Originally, Switched toggled back and forth between Maxine’s story and Joe’s story. But when I was in developmental edits, my editor said she was confused. The story was too complicated. Did I want to focus on corporate espionage and gender discrimination in the workplace, or did I want a more intimate story about how gender impacts daily life? I chose the latter and scrapped Joe’s chapters. Some readers will sense the ghost of this absence. But the things I don’t show from Joe’s point of view are covered by Maxine’s point of view as the romantic partner who knows Joe better than anyone else. So, there is a shadow of that other story lingering in this novel.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing professionally at sixteen years old when I went to work for the San Jose Mercury News.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

I am a voracious reader. Before my concussion, I read 75 books a year in every genre, from nonfiction to fiction. My favorite genres are romance, women’s fiction, thrillers, science, humor, memoir, literary, and current events.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

I prefer listening to music when I write. Most of my novels have a soundtrack. Switched includes the songs, “This Little Life” by Cordelia and “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Ellish among others.

Pen or type writer or computer?

I write my notes in a notebook by long hand, but I write the first draft on a computer.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?

Having a voice was important, and when I wrote, people listened. Of course, I feel it was the right decision. Everyone needs to have a voice.

Advice you would give new authors?

I teach writing through Gotham Writers Workshop, and I always tell my students to write from their hearts without caring about the market. Some authors are good at pandering to the market, and others are better at creating a market for their unique style. But if you aren’t writing what you want and need to say, who cares if anyone is listening?

What makes a good story?

I’m an old-fashioned Aristotelian and believe in a beginning, middle, and end.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I follow the principle of cause and effect based on character which allows me the freedom to write without an outline. I outline after the first draft to shape the story as needed in subsequent drafts.