Pump Up Your Book Chats with Phyllis Schieber

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The first great irony of Phyllis Schieber’s life was that she was born in a Catholic hospital. Her parents, survivors of the Holocaust, had settled in the South Bronx among other new immigrants. In the mid-fifties, her family moved to Washington Heights, an enclave for German Jews on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, known as “Frankfurt-on-the-Hudson.”

She graduated from high school at sixteen, earned a B.A. in English from Herbert H. Lehman College, an M.A. in Literature from New York University, and later an M.S. as a Developmental Specialist from Yeshiva University.

She lives in Westchester County where she spends her days creating new stories and teaching writing. She is married and the mother of a grown son, an aspiring opera singer.

The Manicurist was a finalist in the 2011 Inaugural Indie Publishing Contest sponsored by the San Francisco Writer’s Conference.

Phyllis Schieber is the author of three other novels, The Sinner’s Guide to Confession, Willing Spirits, and Strictly Personal.

You can visit her website at www.phyllisschieberauthor.com.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Phyllis. Can you tell us why you wrote your book, The Manicurist?

Of course, I can. I had characters who needed life and who had stories to share. I was merely their conduit.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The conclusion is always the hardest part for me to write. I have to let the story evolve before I even know how the book will end. Nevertheless, it’s always the part that gives me the most anxiety even though I know that ultimately I’ll get it right.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

I think that there are several underlying messages in The Manicurist. However, the most important message is that life generally does not work out as expected, but that doesn’t mean the alternatives are necessarily terrible. In fact, sometimes the alternatives can be life altering in positive ways.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write. Books and writing have been part of my life since I began to read.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Push on through to the end of a book, or a story. The revision, the real work, begins only when you’re done.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live in one of the river towns in Westchester, NY. I am married, and the mother of a twenty-seven-year-old son. He has a wonderful girlfriend whom I adore. I have a seventeen-year-old cat, Whoopi, who was named after Whoopi Goldberg, one of my son’s favorite performers. I have a tutoring business. I teach students how to write effectively, and I also tutor the reading and writing sections on the SAT and ACT exams, as well as help students with their college entrance essays.

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

I grew up in Washington Heights, an area that is at the very end of Manhattan. I am the youngest child of immigrant parents who were Holocaust survivors. I attended public schools and graduated from a CUNY college. I have two graduate degrees. I was a real “city kid.” We played in the school playground when we were young and later took advantage of New York’s bounty—museums, parks, concerts, fairs, etc. I rode the subway alone from the age of twelve, and I thought the Cloisters was my backyard.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I have an office. Half of the garage was remade into an office for me. I like the space very much. It’s away from the rest of the house, and it has a private entrance. Art covers the walls, and I have floor to ceiling bookcases.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I take yoga classes about five times a week, sometimes more. The classes save me from myself. It is time that I devote to understanding the connection between my breath and movement. Yoga allows me to center myself. I have been a diligent yogi for the last two years, and I can no longer imagine my life without it.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I posted on Facebook, tweeted, added The Manicurist to my Goodreads list of works, and I hired a publicist to do a virtual tour.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Yes, I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and Shelfari. I actively participate in all of them.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

The change is huge, and it can be described in one word: Internet. When my first novel, Willing Spirits, was released there was no way to reach an audience other than through face-to-face contact. The world is so much smaller now with the Internet. It’s an amazing difference. There are so many opportunities for reaching the public. An author just has to be a little savvy and very tenacious.

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

The most frustrating part of being an author is promoting my work. It takes time away from what I really want to do—write!

Q: What is the most rewarding?

The most obvious reward is hearing from readers that they enjoy my work. It thrills me every time.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

I would thank my late writing mentor, Hayes Jacobs, my family, my friends, my wonderful agent, Harvey Klinger, and my readers.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Phyllis. Do you have any final words?

“Books are the mirrors of the soul.”

― Virginia Woolf, Between the Acts

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach