Sally Koslow, the author of With Friends like These, has written two previous novels, Little Pink Slips and The Late, Lamented Molly Marx, which Target has chosen as a Book Pick. Her work has been translated into ten languages, with Ich, Molly Marx, Kurzlich Verstorben, a bestseller in Germany. Koslow had a long run editing magazines, including being the editor-in-chief of McCall’s. She contributes essays and articles to More, Real Simple and other magazines, teaches creative writing privately and at Sarah Lawrence College, practices as an independent writing coach and is working on her next book, The Wander Years. You can reach her at www.sallykoslow.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Q: What compelled you to write your first book?

My last job. Being the editor-in-chief of a start-up magazine called Lifetime for Lifetime Television for Women, crashed. It happens. I decided to seize the moment and write a book. Thus, Little Pink Slips was born, inspired by the very real event of having Rosie O’Donnell take over McCall’s, where I’d been editor-in-chief and was, as a result, kicked to the curb.

Q: Tell us briefly about your book.

With Friends like These is the story of four women whose friendships get messy as they wrestle with the challenges of love and motherhood. It’s for anyone who’s ever been—or had—a less than perfect friend. In other words, almost everyone, young or old.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

The Wander Years: A mom’s public display or reflection, a non-fiction narrative about adultescents, a term coined by my son Jed to describe people aged 25-35 leading lives that their parents find baffling.

Q: How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Like I’d given birth and this time it was a gorgeous 320 page girl.

Q: If you could live in one of your books, which one would you live in? (If you’re promoting your first publication, feel free to talk about an unpublished piece.)

In The Late, Lamented Molly Marx, Molly lives in The Duration. It’s a pretty sweet place, except she’s dead. So I’d prefer to dwell in any one of the hometowns of the With Friends like These characters: Minneapolis; Westport, Ct; Brooklyn or Manhattan.

Q: How do you balance out the writer’s life and the rest of life? Do you get up early? Stay up late? Ignore friends and family for certain periods of time?

I get up early, go for a run to connect my creative dots–works every time–then get cracking. Once I’ve composed a draft, I tweak from morning ‘til night.

Q: The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

My characters are a mix of many people I’ve met, my trusty imagination and me. As someone once said, if you want to tell the truth, write fiction.

Q: Is there anyone who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

Every English teacher I had in Fargo, North Dakota.

Q: Is there anything you’d go back and do differently now that you have been published, in regards to your writing career?

I wish I’d started writing fiction earlier. So many books to write, so little time.

Q: Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?

The biggest high in the world is to have someone like your book. The second biggest: to be called “witty and wise.” I had no clue that it would feel this great to be published.

Use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know. Include information on where to find your books, any blogs you may have, or how a reader can learn more about you and writing.

I hope readers will visit www.sallykoslow.com and click through to The Author, then Essays, Etc. where they’ll find my essays, blogs and articles, learn about books singings as well as read excerpts of my novels and find their discussion guides. I’d love to visit your book club! Please email me at spkoslow@gmail.com to let me know when your club meets—or ask me questions about my books.

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