Lara Reznik is a native New
Yorker who studied at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa’s
Writers’ Workshop. Bagels
& Salsa is her third novel.
Writing books since she was
six years old, Reznik retired from an executive position in information
technology after the success of her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland,
published in 2012. In 2015, Reznik published her second book, The M&M
Boys.
Reznik currently lives in
Austin, Texas, with her husband and two miniature Aussies.
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Q: Welcome to The Writer's
Life! Now that your book has been
published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having
you take us at the beginning? When did
you come up with the idea to write your book?
Bagels & Salsa evolved
from a screenplay I wrote in 2001 that was a finalist in a Writer’s Digest contest.
The novel is both a prequel and a sequel to my bestselling psychological suspense
novel, The Girl From Long Guyland,
which is told in alternating chapters set in 1970 and 2012. Since numerous
fans of Guyland wanted to learn more about the relationship of the
Jewish protagonist and her Hispanic husband, I fleshed out the semi-autobiographical
screenplay into Laila and Eduardo’s love story.
LOGLINE: Summer 1977. As the Son of Sam terrorizes New York
City, Laila Levin, a Jewish sociologist from Long
Island, takes a romantic gamble and follows Eduardo Quintana, a dashing Latino
doctor, to rural New Mexico where their love is tested by his controlling
mother, a drop-dead-gorgeous ex-girlfriend, a deranged ex-student of Laila’s
who stalks her cross the country, and major cultural differences.
Q: How hard was it to write
a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would
make the journey easier for other writers?
Since this is my fifth novel, the
process of writing novels becomes easier with each one.
Like most novices, when I wrote my first novel I used the “seat of my
pants” method without planning much in advance. Later, after studying the craft
of writing, participating in critique groups and working with professional
editors, I ended up throwing out more than half of the first draft because it
didn’t have a coherent plot let alone a story structure. Also, many of the
subplots took the reader down rabbit trails that led nowhere.
On the other side of the spectrum, many writers
(often engineering, accountants or scientific types) spend days, weeks, and
months developing detailed plot outlines and analysis of each character’s
journey. One down side to this method is if the author changes the course of
the plot while implementing the outlines into prose, everything following is
then rendered useless. Another down side is a writer can lose the passion and
momentum of their story idea if they spend months writing synopsis and plot
analysis. One author friend of mine became so sympathetic with his antagonist,
that she ended up morphing into co-protagonist forcing the author to scrap
pages and pages of analysis and begin the whole process all over again.
Study the craft of writing
to save an enormous amount of time and grief. This can be accomplished by
reading books on novel writing by writing gurus such as Dwight Swain’s, Technique of the Selling Writer, Christopher Vogler’s, The Hero’s Journey, and/or John Truby’s,
The Anatomy of a Story.
Other ways of getting learning the craft include
taking a writing class at a local college, or online, and/or joining a critique
group with other authors.
After four decades as an author, I’ve discovered the
method that works best for me is somewhere in between writing “by the seat of
my pants” and creating complex outlines and deep analysis.
Q: Is there anything that
surprised you about getting your first book published?
As an indie author, I’ve focused
on marketing the digital version of my novels. I was shocked to have over
150,000 digital books downloaded when I published The Girl From Long Guyland in 2012. It has since garnered over 330
Amazon reviews and some terrific editorial reviews. The book has clearly struck
a chord with baby boomers who enjoyed taking a ride down memory lane.
Q: What other books are you
working on and when will they be published?
I’m currently writing another psychological thriller, Dance of Deception, based on a real-life
murder mystery. Truth is stranger than fiction and I couldn’t make up a more
spellbinding plot or create more devious characters than the true story of a
Manson-like con man, his jealous mistress, a professed alien queen, and a
salt-of the-earth soccer dad, surrounding the mysterious disappearance of a
beautiful Japanese bank teller. The book should be completed by December 2018.
Q: What’s one fact about
your book that would surprise people?
In Bagels & Salsa, the collision of two vibrant cultures adds a
surprising amount of conflict and tension on the hero and heroine’s
relationship. Prejudice rears its ugly head from both families adding
insurmountable obstacles for the couple to overcome.
Q: Finally, what message
are you trying to get across with your book?
With globalization
multicultural families are more common than ever. Even the British monarchy is
dealing with the challenge of welcoming someone of a different ethnic and
social background into their esteemed family.
Bottom line, I hope readers
of Bagels & Salsa are
entertained. On a more thematic level I’d like people to think about the
importance of embracing religious, ethnic and cultural differences which have
historically been at the core of so much conflict, hatred and war in the world.
About the Book:
Title:
BAGELS & SALSA
Author: Lara Reznik
Publisher: Enchanted Indie Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Suspense/Romance/Humor
Author Lara Reznik blends suspense, romance, and humor in her latest
novel, BAGELS & SALSA (http://www.larareznik.com/bagels-and-salsa). Loosely based on Reznik’s
life, the story of Laila and Eduardo highlights the turmoil that surfaces when
a Jewish sociologist from New York and a Hispanic doctor from rural New Mexico
fall hard and fast for each other. Their blossoming relationship develops
against the backdrop of terror the Son of Sam created in New York City during
the summer of 1977.
Early reviews of BAGELS & SALSA praise the story’s dynamic
plot and colorful characters:
“The author tells a simple love story, but she structures the novel to
provide a panoramic view of her characters” (Kirkus Reviews).
“Another lovely read from Lara Reznik! . . . As
with all her novels there are also plenty of fun subplot twists and turns. I
wanted more.” (Barbara Gaines, Former
Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman).
BAGELS & SALSA opens at a high school
assembly hall in a rough part of the Bronx where Laila Levin is giving her
first postdoctorate presentation on the US teen pregnancy epidemic. Her fear of
public speaking and a chance encounter with the Son of Sam unravel her as
several loud bangs crack through the air. Laila falls on the stage and injures
her right shoulder. Fortunately, Dr. Eduardo Quintana jumps into action.
What begins as a playful flirtation while Laila recovers in the hospital
propels into a more serious relationship with the handsome doctor. Their mutual
passion is so intense that it stuns them both. The unlikely pair share strong
family values and an interest in teen pregnancy prevention. After a brief
courtship, Eduardo persuades Laila to accompany him to his family’s ranch near
Española, New Mexico, where he plans to open a family practice. The rural town
has one of the highest pregnancy rates in North America: the perfect place for
Laila’s research.
Once in New Mexico, Laila is blatantly rejected by Sylvia, Eduardo’s
controlling mother. Sylvia wants Eduardo to marry Violet, his high school
sweetheart, who has recently returned to New Mexico after a failed flight
attendant career and a walk on the dark side of Hollywood. Violet’s mother and
Sylvia cook up a plan to send Laila packing and reunite their children. The
Quintanas hold a large pig roast and invite a menagerie of tattooed cousins,
rodeo stars, and mariachis. And the drop-dead gorgeous Violet makes a grand
entrance.
In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret
is revealed, and Laila and Eduardo’s love for each other is severely tested. Can
their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous
intentions of a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila from New York City,
and their own uncertainties about the upheavals that their union will cause in
their lives?
Reznik’s first goal in writing BAGELS & SALSA is to entertain
readers. However, she says, “On a more thematic level, I’d like readers to
think about the importance of embracing religious, ethnic, and cultural
differences, which have been at the core of so much conflict in the world.”
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