Skinny by Diana Spechler

SKINNY

by Diana Spechler

General Fiction
Harper Perennial

www.DianaSpechler.com


3 autographed copies will be given away on Friday, November 4, 2011!




About the Book:

In the aftermath of her Orthodox Jewish father's death, twenty-six-year-old Gray Lachmann finds herself compulsively eating. Desperate to stop bingeing, she abandons her life in New York City for a job at a southern weight-loss camp. There, caught among the warring egos of her devious co-counselor Sheena, the self-aggrandizing camp director Lewis, his attractive assistant Bennett, and a throng of combative teenage campers, she is confronted by a captivating mystery: her teenage half-sister Eden, whom Gray never knew existed. Now, while unraveling her father's lies, Gray must tackle her own self-deceptions and take control of her body and her life.

Visceral, poignant, and often wickedly funny, Diana Spechler's masterfully crafted second novel illuminates a young woman's struggle to make sense of the inextricable link between hunger and emotion, and to make peace with her demons, her body, and herself.

Check out our Exclusive Interview with the author here:

1) Your characters seem so alive and real... what's your secret?

The trick to building a flesh-and-blood character is to determine what he wants. This is one of the first things you will learn in a writing class—hone in on your character’s desire. It could be something small: Maybe he wants to run a mile. Maybe he wants to make a new friend. Or it could be something big: Perhaps your character wants to save the world.

But here’s my personal trick: I’m part of each of my characters. Often, I don’t insert myself intentionally, but I wind up in all of them anyway. For example, the protagonist of SKINNY, Gray Lachmann, is like me: The summer I was twenty-seven, I, like Gray, was at a crossroads in my love life. I was struggling with body image issues. I knew that my life was about to change drastically. So as I wrote about her summer at weight-loss camp, I could relate to Gray. Of course, she’s also different from me—a little braver, a little more reckless, and consumed by a grief I’ve never experienced.

2) What kind of research did you have to do to bring this story to life on the page?

Because SKINNY is set at a weight-loss camp, I worked at a weight-loss camp for ten weeks as the water aerobics instructor and head of the oldest girls. I didn’t tell anyone why I was there, and I wound up forgetting why I was there, too. I loved water aerobics, which I’d never heard of before the camp director told me to teach it. I loved the kids. I loved the constant exercise and the sunshine. I never wanted to leave. Writing the novel was a gift because I got to relive one of the best summers of my life.

3) Which fictional character do you have a secret crush on?

Holden Caulfield. I’m twice his age now. If I slept with him, I would be breaking a law. And yet.

4) When you got that first phone call announcing you had sold a novel, how did you react? How did you celebrate?

I was at the gym when my agent called to tell me that she’d sold my first novel. Specifically, I was in a kick-boxing class, fighting an imaginary villain, so the adrenaline was already pumping. I was half-expecting the call, so I had my phone nearby, and when it rang, I ran outside and jumped up and down and cried while my agent read me the offer letter. Later, I had to go to work. I was a cocktail waitress at the time, and when I broke the news, my regulars bought a bottle of expensive champagne. It was the best toast of my life.

5) What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?

I’m re-reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett because I’m teaching it. The last time I read it was a decade ago and it’s even more beautiful than I remembered.

About The Author:

Diana Spechler is the author of the novels Who By Fire (Harper Perennial, 2008) and Skinny (Harper Perennial, 2011). She has written for The New York Times, GQ, O Magazine, Esquire, New York Magazine, Self, Details, The Wall Street Journal, Nerve, Glimmer Train Stories, and elsewhere. She is also a Moth StorySLAM winner and has been featured on NPR. She received her MFA degree from the University of Montana and was a Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University. She teaches writing in New York City and for Stanford University's Online Writer's Studio. Visit the author online at: www.DianaSpechler.com.

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