I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!
Today we are joined by Jean Ende. She is a native NYer who is trying to exorcise her background by writing fiction influenced by her Jewish family in the Bronx, NY. A former reporter for daily newspapers in Westchester, NY and Jersey City, NJ, she was a press secretary in the NY City government and for several political candidates. When she left politics, Jean spent several years doing communications work for public service organizations which led to her decision to go over to the dark side. An English major with a degree from CCNY, Jean got an MBA from the Columbia University School of Business. She became a VP at a major commercial bank, wrote for business magazines and taught marketing in college management departments. Jean has had two dozen short stories published in print and online magazines and anthologies in the US and England and her work has been recognized by major literary competitions. This is her first novel. Jean and her dog now live in Brooklyn which is a foreign country to anyone from the Bronx.
What made you start writing?
I’ve always
been a writer, can’t remember not writing, that was the way I gained
acceptance. The first thing I remember writing was the play my class performed
in the fourth grade. I didn’t think I’d be chosen for a part. But I was pretty
sure I could write a play that fit the theme. I wrote it, the teacher thought
it was great and I cast myself in the lead role. Similarly, my first summer in
sleep-away camp I was a pudgy kid who was useless at athletics and picked last
for the team. But during color war my team needed some songs to pep up our
presentation, I was already writing poetry, found another kid who was feeling
left out but could make up tunes. All of a sudden we both had friends and
someone to sit next to at mealtime.
What’s the most useless skill you
possess?
I remember
song lyrics. Especially really terrible bubble-gum music from the ‘50s and 60s
and theme songs from TV commercials and shows. Total waste of brain cells since
I can’t carry a tune and have learned not to try singing out loud when there’s
anyone around. I have learned to sing under the car radio or tapes when I’m not
alone.
What’s the best money you’ve ever
spent as a writer?
Going to
writers workshops in other states and countries. Nothing beats the opportunity
to travel with like-minded people who ask what sort of writing you do instead
of what you do for a living. I’ve attended programs in Greece, Italy, Wales,
New England, California and Florida in addition to programs near my home in New
York. As a result I’ve now got friends of various ages and backgrounds who stay
in touch, share literary achievements and provide encouragement.
What is your favorite way to waste
time?
I watch TV,
especially repeats of old series. I watch almost all popular shows, medical,
police, family drama but generally avoid quiz shows and never watch sports.
When I teach marketing I have to watch the Superbowl because we discuss the
ads. But now that the ads are shown online I can avoid the game. I subscribe to
almost all available cable networks.
What are some of your favorite books
and/or authors
Anything
written by Grace Paley. I’m in awe of the way she was able to write books that
formed such an immediate connection with the reader and at the same time
maintained a life as a leading social activist. Almost anything written by John McPhee. His books are so well
written that I’ll stay up all night devouring books about things I have
absolutely no interest in. I’m the last person in the world who’d ever build a
birch bark canoe (see question 23) but I couldn’t stop reading his essay on how
to do that. Only exception is his work on geology, just couldn’t get through
that.
What genres won’t you read?
I stay away
from, how to, books. I’m a natural klutz and better off paying someone to put
together things for me than to try to figure it out for myself and wind up with
wobbly furniture and dishes that don’t look or taste like the cookbook
illustrations and descriptions. I’m particularly adverse to gardening books. I
have a black thumb and can kill artificial plants. Let farmers, chefs and real
craftspeople do what they can do and I won’t resent paying them.
Do you read the reviews of your
books or stay far far away from them and why?
I read the
reviews as soon as I can get my hands on them. Then I read them again and
again. Then I ask friends if they agree. Doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad,
I need reassurance that my writing is actually being published and people are
reacting to it. Definitely use negative reviews to try to improve future
writing by understanding what I did wrong or could do better. Have to admit
that I firmly believe that positive reviews are written by people who are
smarter than those who write the negative things.
If you were on death row what would
your last meal be?
My first
reaction is to say, bring on the high calorie, high carb junk food. After a
lifetime of feeling fat, trying to diet and suffering from a guilty conscience
because I was a Weight Watchers cheater, I might welcome a chance to stop
worrying about how I’m going to look. Jewish funerals involve closed caskets,
who would know that I’ve been gorging on buckets of KFC, french fries and the
ice cream sundae called the kitchen sink that my friends and I shared in high
school after Saturday night movies. But on second thought, it’s hard to imagine
what I’d be doing in one of the few states that still permit capital
punishment. Can’t believe someone wouldn’t have enough influence to get me a
last minute reprieve from the governor so I probably shouldn’t overdo it. A Big
Mac, small order of fries and one scoop of ice cream with chocolate sauce and
no sprinkles or whipped cream should do it in case I have to appear on the news
the next day.
What scares you the most?
Senility. I
watched my grandmother and then my mother outlive their minds. They were
bright, proud, independent women who took too long to die and would have been
appalled to see the blithering wrecks they became. I always make sure that I’ve
left DNR instructions before any serious medical procedures.
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So,
what’s a nice girl from a good family doing in a place like the Bronx House of
Detention?
Like
all immigrants who flee persecution, when the Rosens escaped the Nazis they
thought life in America would be perfect. And for a while it seemed like it
was. The men started businesses and provided comfortable homes with a mink
stole in every hall closet, the women served abundant helpings of high carb
food and offered Nobel-worthy diplomacy and grandma preserved traditions while
finishing a bottle of whiskey every week.
But
then cracks began to appear and the whole structure became shaky. American
born, teenager, Rebecca, pushed boundaries so far the family story suddenly
included the police and juvenile justice system; her father, a formerly revered
Talmudic scholar mourned his loss of status in this money-grubbing society, and
a woman with stricter religious beliefs married into the family causing near
catastrophic rifts.
Although
the shadow of the Holocaust is always present, this is frequently a humorous
book. People who eat frozen, pre-packaged bagels are condemned, Cossacks with
fiery swords who once burned peasant villages are now Bar Mitzvah waiters
carrying flaming cherries jubilee, the blonde chippie who’s dating the
synagogue president has a poodle-shaped purse that barks in French and no one
understands how WASPs can wear leather loafers without socks.
This
book has enough twists and turns and turmoil to make anyone, from any group,
immigrant or Mayflower descendant, cry, Oy Vey!
