Eileen Cook
Chick Lit Books Author

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Tell us, do you share any personality traits with Sophie? Have you ever been in any of the situations she gets into?

There are a few scenes in the book that are based on my own experiences. For example, when Sophie moves to Canada she has trouble buying lunch meat with metric measures. She ends up with a half of a single slice of turkey. That actually happened to me. I had to go to another grocery for years before I could live down the shame.

Writing Sophie allowed me to indulge in all the crazy ideas that I think of, but would never do, such as breaking into an ex-boyfriend's apartment. I am far more planned and cautious than Sophie- but I admire her for her moxie.

One of the things I like best about writing is the chance to try on different character traits. It's also one of the best things about reading- the opportunity to sink into another world and imagine how it would be to be someone else.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Vancouver is an interesting setting. Why did you choose Canada?

I moved to Vancouver in 1994 with my husband. I had assumed that it would be just like the States (only perhaps with more maple syrup and lumberjacks). Imagine my surprise to find out just how different something so familiar could be. It took us awhile before it felt like home. When I was writing the book I wanted to have the opportunity to have Sophie out of her element and it seemed perfect to set the book here. Then there was the added bonus that because I lived here it was easier to picture the places in my mind.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Sophie is the kind of girl that never stops believing she will come out on top. Is she naive? Innocent? Hopeful? Are there times this could be misconstrued as self-centered?

Sophie's greatest weakness is also her greatest strength. She doesn't wait for someone to rescue her; she’s convinced she can do it herself. She believes in her ability to create her own destiny. On the downside, she can be headstrong and woe to those who stand in the way of what she wants.

I wanted to write a character that was both admirable and flawed. In both real life and in fiction the people I find most interesting are those that have this balance of traits. I remember the first time I read Gone with the Wind I wondered how I could so enjoy the book, while at the same time want to smack some sense into Scarlet.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Obviously Doug wants a servant not a wife. I found it brilliant how you really got into the nitty-gritty of their relationship without ever leading on that's what you were doing. For example, when Doug comes home and walks out the front door with Sophie's lunch because he assumes it was for him, it's easy to see that life revolves around what Doug wants. Why does Sophie spend so much time catering to a man that never even asks how her day was?

I think there are three main issues Sophie is grappling with in terms of Doug. Sophie makes a common mistake. She confuses who Doug really is with the man she wants him to be. When he does something outside of her fantasy, she finds a way to explain it away.

Then, because this has been a long-term relationship, Sophie is reluctant to leave. If she leaves does it mean that the time she spent with him was a waste? It seems easier to assume that her relationship with Doug is just a few short steps away from working out then to face the whole thing may have been a waste of her time. If she can find a way to make it work, then it means she doesn't have to start all over.

Lastly, Sophie is lacking confidence. Her relationship with her father wasn't great and she never felt she lived up to his expectations. Her relationship with Doug mirrors this relationship with her father. She needs to believe that she deserves more, she needs to expect more and she needs to demand more.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

There is much allusion to Sophie's childhood. Sounds like we were supposed to think it tragic and I almost felt like it was implied that she had a bad mom. But then when you meet her mother at the engagement party, she's just wonderful! Are the negative childhood memories over the divorce? Over her Dad's bad behavior?

My day job is as a counselor, so I have a keen interest in an individual's family structure and the impact of that on how they view the world as adults. It would be a shame to waste all those psychology classes. Sophie's mom has always been there for her, but circumstances have made her a realist and perhaps a touch cynical. Sophie went the opposite way, when she's surrounded by something negative she chooses to ignore it and live in a fantasy world- as a result they're destined to clash. The divorce between Sophie's parents, and her dad's resulting bad behavior, make Sophie consumed with the idea of finding the ideal happy ever after situation. Her mother would like her to be less focused on the fairy tale and more on the real world. I hope what comes through is the fact that they need each other and together they make a healthy balance.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

An underlying theme in this novel seems to be that stability equals love in many people's eyes. Sophie is searching out a life partner that she knows will be one half of a solid marriage. How often is love based on anything BUT stability? Like Sophie's mom says is love "sometimes not enough?"

One of life's harder lessons is that passion isn't the same thing as love. Passion won't get you through the hard times. True love is about understanding that there will be ups and downs and that there is solid commitment to be there through both of those times.

I often tell the story that the day I was married I went to a hair salon to get my hair done. In the chair next to me was an elderly woman who had been married over 50 years. My mother asked me if she had any advice for me on my big day. The woman told me "With this man you will build a home, you'll sleep with him, create a family with him. You'll care for him when he's sick and cook his meals. You'll work side by side to make a life together. What you need to know is that there will be days that you will wake up in the early hours and look over at him sleeping next to you- and you'll want to kill him because he annoys you so much. The good news is that the feeling goes away." I still think it's the best piece of wedding advice I got. When we hit a day when I want to run screaming from the house I just remember that the feeling will go away.

Sophie chases the illusion of stability at first. She's looking for who she thinks should be the perfect match instead of exploring what really would complete her.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Jane is an interesting character and I feel quite certain there is a whole story brewing underneath her surface. Any possibility we might see these leading ladies again, from Jane's point of view?

Jane and her quiet rationality are a good counter balance for Sophie. She is the character who says the things to Sophie that I knew readers would be thinking. Primarily: What the heck are you doing? Have you lost your mind?

I would love to write a book from Jane's point of view, but at the time I don't have anything in the works. Jane is loosely based on my best friend from college. I thought I was clever about the whole thing, but those that know us instantly said "Is Jane really Jamie?" This is the danger of being friends with a writer- we steal you for our books.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

As for psychic abilities, do you mind sharing with us what you believe?

I love the idea of psychic powers, but I have yet to see anything that has convinced me it exists. In writing the book I met with several skeptic groups that showed how readings could be faked. It's much easier than you would think as it plays directly into people's expectations. I went to a dozen psychics looking at how they did their readings before I started the book. I didn't have any of them say anything that I couldn't explain away.

It's mentioned in the book, but it is true, there is a million dollar award for any psychic that can prove psychic abilities under scientific conditions. To date, no one has taken the award.

I do believe there are people who are more intuitive than others. They can "read" people and emotions easier than others. I don't think it is psychic ability- but still darn handy. As with many things, I think it is important to keep an open mind and I would love to see more research into the area. One of my favorite things so far has been hearing from readers about their personal experiences with psychics. So far it seems split with about half having an experience they think is real and half feeling that they were ripped off.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

Sophie talks herself out of feeling like a con artist by thinking it's not so bad to give people good advice and help them to feel hopeful. I agree to some extent. With so much misery in the world, is it really so bad to promote a little faith?

I worry that if someone is going to a fake psychic they aren't getting faith; they're getting a lie. It is a situation that can easily become manipulated and there are cases where fakes have increased fees to keep the lines of communication open, or to remove a curse. Some people have lost all of their savings in a desperate bid to talk one more time to someone who has passed away or to discover something they think will be key to their future.

I have no problems with someone going to a psychic (or someone who calls themselves a psychic) for fun and entertainment. I often think if a psychic tells us something such as "you will meet the man of your dreams in three months" or "you’re destined to take a big trip" then we open ourselves up the opportunity, we're looking for it. If the prediction comes true is it because the psychic was right, or because we were then instilled with the confidence to make it happen in our own lives? For me, that is a hard question to answer.

In the end if going to someone who tells you they can tell your future makes you happy then it is your choice. Who am I to cast stones? I buy expensive moisturizer that swears I'm going to look younger.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

What are you working on now?

I have a young adult novel, What Would Emma Do, coming out in January. It is a modern retelling of The Crucible set in high school. I wanted to explore that time period where everything in our lives seems to be changing, what we'll do with our future, our friends, our family relationships and our deeply held beliefs.

Early comments have been good. Jacqueline Mitchard (author of Deep End of the Ocean) said "Not since Judy Blume's Margaret introduced herself to God has there been such a a funny, genuine, conflicted, Wanna-Be-Sorta-Good-Maybe-Later girl as Emma in Eileen Cook's new novel, What Would Emma Do? Cook's tone as she takes on the big ones — life, love, faith and friendship — is pitch perfect."

Meg Cabot (author of the Princess Diaries) said: "Sassy and sly and sweet all at the same time, Eileen Cook's What Would Emma Do made me laugh out loud. Never has irreverence seemed like such good clean fun."

I'm currently working on another YA, which is a tale of friendship and revenge.

Chick Lit Books Author Chat: Eileen Cook

If you could give one piece of advice to a fledgling author, what would it be?

The best advice I have is to read as much as you can. It gives you a chance to learn from other writers and to see what types of things are being published. You learn what you like and what you don't. You see how stories are crafted, what works and what doesn't. You'll start to realize that writing is a craft, but publishing is very subjective. Why one book is published and another isn't published is often a mystery. If you can understand this it will make it easier to keep your focus on what you can control- your writing.

Thanks so much for having me! I hope everyone enjoys the book and if they would like to tell me what they think or send in question from their book clubs- I can be reached at eileen@eileencook.com