 |
| Lynn Steward, Author WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD LIFE |
Reviewers describe Lynn Steward’s literary
fiction novel, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, as “a
perfect Time warp read for all fashionistas” that “offers a detailed and somewhat prosaic
insight into the operations of retail fashion in New York in the Seventies.” It
is the second novel in the Dana
McGarry series. Alathough set in
the 1970s, Steward says her “theme of ambition and the consequences of life’s
choices” can be followed regardless of the time period.
Steward, who had a
career in the New York
fashion industry, is
currently pitching the Dana McGarry series as a TV series. She prefers indoor
activities and enjoys cooking, reading, and redecorating.
Q: In what
genre would you place WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN? Is it romance? Literary fiction?
Historical fiction?
Lynn Steward: Literary
Fiction
Q: Why did you set your Dana McGarry
series in the 1970s? Were you able
to draw from this time period to tell your story?
Lynn Steward: Yes. It was
the time of my career in the New York fashion world.
Q: As a
participant in the New York fashion industry, did you base your characters on
real people? How do you engage readers to care what happens to Dana McGarry?
Lynn Steward: The main
characters were not inspired by fashion leaders. I do introduce real people
from the fashion world but they are woven into the plot in their real-life
role.
Q: Could your
novel have been set in a different place and time and still have told your
story? Did setting and time period contribute to your plot?
Lynn Steward: Yes. The
theme of ambition and the consequences of life’s choices are universal and
transcend any period.
Q: Did the role
of heroes vs villains play a role in telling your story? If so, what makes an
effective villain?
Lynn Steward: An effective
villain gets under your skin – he/she is a person you love to hate.
Q: Did you
write WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN to entertain solely, or did you embed a few messages
along the way?
Lynn Steward: No embedded
messages, although I’m finding that readers bring their own experiences to the
story, either relating to the period or their career journey.
Q: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN is part of a series. What do you find are the benefits of writing a
series? Should we read them in order? Or are they standalone?
Lynn Steward: Reading the
series in order gives you the benefit of seeing the characters grow and you
have a better understanding of their new circumstances, and the choices they
are making. They are building on their life experiences – for better or worse.
Q: How helpful
is humor in creating your characters or telling your story?
Lynn Steward: Ironically,
one of Dana’s antagonists injects the best humor. As snarky as she is, she often makes me laugh out loud. I
don’t think, however, that I make a concerted effort to inject humor, it only
comes naturally for a few characters.
Q: What’s next?
Lynn Steward: I am currently pitching the Dana McGarry
Series as a TV series.
Q: Tell us
about Lynn Steward. What do you like to do when you’re note writing?
Lynn Steward: I’m an indoor
girl. If I’m not in the kitchen cooking, I’m in a comfortable chair reading, or
redecorating a room. I always have a few projects in motion.
About Lynn
Steward
Lynn Steward, a veteran of the New York fashion industry and a buyer on
the team that started the women’s department at Brooks Brothers, created the
Dana McGarry series, set at a transformational time in the 1970s world of
fashion and in the lives of multigenerational women. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN is the second volume in the series. A
VERY GOOD LIFE Steward’s debut novel,
was published in March 2014.
About WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN vol. 2 in the Dana McGarry Series
As a fashion buyer at one of New York’s most glamorous department
stores, Dana McGarry is a tastemaker, her keen instinct for fashion trends and
innovative ideas coupled with a razor sharp business sense. But like the
elegant and conservative store that employs her, Dana is caught between two
eras—between being liked and standing her ground, between playing by the rules
and being a maverick. Dana is sensitive and beautiful, but what you see is not
what you get. Behind the cool and attractive
facade, Dana is both driven by her need to control yet impeded by her
expectation of perfectionism. As she competes to
replace women at the top of their game, she is challenged by jealous
colleagues. And when a wealthy love interest wants to open doors and
support her ambition, she embraces Coco Chanel’s mantra of “never wanting to
weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.” As the women’s movement paves the
way, Dana finds a path to the career she wants at the expense of happiness that
will have to wait.
About A VERY GOOD LIFE – vol. 1 in the
Dana McGarry Series
Although Lynn Steward’s debut novel, A VERY GOOD LIFE, takes
place in 1970s New York City, the emotional story transcends any period. Dana McGarry is an "it" girl,
living a privileged lifestyle of a well-heeled junior executive at a glamorous department
store. With a storybook husband and a fairytale life, change comes swiftly and
unexpectedly. Can Dana find her place in the new world where women have a
voice, or will she allow herself to be manipulated into doing things that go
against her growing self-confidence?
A VERY
GOOD LIFE chronicles the perils and rewards of
Dana’s journey, alongside some of the most legendary women of the twentieth
century. From parties at Café des Artistes to the annual Rockefeller
Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, from meetings with business icons like
Estée Lauder to cocktail receptions with celebrity guests like legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. Steward’s
intimate knowledge of the period creates the perfect backdrop for a universal
story about a woman’s quest for self-fulfillment .
Links
Purchase links
Amazon WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Amazon A VERY GOOD LIFE
Author links
Twitter:
@LynnStewardNY
No comments:
Post a Comment