Susie I am so excited to have you joining on me on Blogiversary this morning! I can't tell you how big of a fan I have become since reading The Balance Project!
1. I absolutely LOVED The Balance Project, where did the idea for the book come from?Thank you so much! I had been doing my Balance Project interviews for over a year at that point. When I was trying to decide what to write my second book about (my first, ON GRACE, was about turning 40 and all that comes along with that for mothers of young children) I was struck by how much everyone—as evidenced from my interviews, the media, and basically just society—was struggling with work-life balance. I thought it would be interesting to explore that through fiction. Since all women experience it differently, I featured two main characters: a 25-year-old woman (single, no kids) and her 45-year-old boss (married, two kids, highly successful professionally). I wanted to show that no matter where women are in their lives, careers, etc., work-life balance is still something everyone is dealing with in one way or another.2. I juggle with balance between my children, my job, graduate school - how do you find the time to balance your life?It’s definitely a struggle and I’m figuring out each and every day. But here are a few tips:1. Reject perfection. Accept that you can’t do it all perfectly all the time, and that perfection serves no purpose in your life.2. Spread the balance out. Life has a way of presenting itself in phases so rather than thinking that each day needs to have a healthy balance of work, family, and self, it’s more realistic to balance those things out over a few weeks or a few months or whatever time frame works best for you.3. Stop glorifying busy and learn to say no.4. Be efficient and strategic with your time management techniques. Schedule. Schedule. Schedule.5. Define your own version of “having it all” and don’t buy into what the media, your friends, etc. tell you it should look like.3. If The Balance Project were made into a movie (which it should be!) - who would you cast?Reese Witherspoon as Katherine. Shailene Woodley as Lucy. Tony Goldwyn as Theo. Theo James as Nick. Zosia Mamet as Ava. Neil Patrick Harris as Evan. And Kristin Chenoweth as Brooke. Yes, I’ve thought about it! :-)4. I love all of the pieces you have tied into the book from actors and authors and other alike- are you still collecting interviews? I see you are up to 159 currently on your webpage.The interviews informed the subject matter of the novel, but I tried to keep the two projects separate. The interviews are definitely ongoing. I’m just taking a bit of a hiatus this summer while I focus on writing my next novel. But I love doing them and I’m always fascinated by the experiences and stories of the women I feature. I’ve been blown away by the response the interview series has gotten and I’m looking forward to resuming them in the fall.5. Do you have another book in the making that you would like to share any details with us about?I do, actually. Thank you for asking! My next novel will feature dual story lines with alternating chapters. The first storyline is set in 1949 and based on a really interesting advertising program that took place in NYC during the last century. The second storyline is set in the present. Toward the middle, the stories will intersect. The main theme is women realizing their dreams and finding their voices.6. Lastly, when you are not writing fabulous books - what are you doing for fun and relaxation?I spend most of my time taking care of my three boys, ages 11, 13, and 15. I also love to read, see movies, go hiking, eat dark chocolate, and go for happy hour with my husband!Thank you so much for asking me to participate, Bethany, and congratulations on your Blogiversary!!
I can't wait to chat again! You are always welcome at One Book At A Time by dear friend!
Bethany xx
A little about Susie
Find Susie!Susie Orman Schnall grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her career, she has worked for advertising agencies, non profit organizations, Internet companies, and magazines doing marketing, communications, website creation, and writing. Susie’s writing has appeared in local and national publications, most notably in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, and Glamour, to name a few. Susie has written two award-winning novels. Her first, On Grace, is about rediscovering yourself as a woman after motherhood. Her second, The Balance Project, is about work-life balance and was inspired by an interview series she does with working women on her website. Susie lives in Purchase, NY, with her husband and their three boys. More information at susieschnall.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment