Apropos of Nothing: Laurie Boris Answers 5 Questions

Laurie Boris is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, and former graphic designer with a long history of ignoring housework and pots on the stove to sneak in “just a few more pages” of her novels. Her first novel, The Joke’s on Me, took an Honorable Mention in the 2012 Beach Book Festival. Drawing Breath, a contemporary coming-of-age novel, is her latest book. When not playing with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, cooking, reading, and helping aspiring novelists as a contributing writer and editor for IndiesUnlimited.com. She lives in New York’s lovely Hudson Valley with her husband.

Share your feelings about changing jobs.
I like changing jobs better when it’s my choice. Several times it hasn’t been. I like learning new skills and applying them in different ways. The part-time job I just started (I write the rest of the time) is fantastic. After working at home for virtual people for the last seven years, I wasn’t sure what to expect or how well I’d cope with suddenly having coworkers in the same office, and having to remember, for example, to get dressed or brush my hair. But my colleagues are nice, and funny, and very good at what they do. They even share their snacks with me.

Talk about newspapers and how they affect your life.
They are very nice for catching the pumpkin glop when you’re making jack o’lanterns. Ironic, since I used to write for one. I was the “vacation correspondent,” which is not as glamorous as it seems. I’d cover school board and other board (and boring) meetings for vacationing correspondents. This amounted to sitting on a metal folding chair for four hours, drafting the salient points in my head on the way home, and filing the story by midnight. The best part is that I get to use that experience in my next book. Nothing is wasted!

Describe the kind of house you would most like to own.
Self-cleaning. Dry basement. Gourmet kitchen. Overlooking a lovely body of water. With a separate wing for my husband.

If you could have a committee of 3 people (living or dead) to help you make decisions, whom would you choose?
Okay, I’m leaving my family out of it so I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings by choosing one and not the other. But I’d like to call on George Carlin, Dorothy Parker, and Winston Churchill. This would be a brain trust of practical wisdom and humor. They’d also remind me not to take myself too seriously.

How do you want to spend the last day of your life? 
Writing. Then hanging out with my family. Hopefully, someone will bring cookies.

To learn more about Laurie and her work, please visit:
Her Amazon Author Page
Her Barnes & Noble Page
Her Blog/Website
Indies Unlimited
Her Facebook Page

Thanks, Laurie! Dorothy Parker is a personal favorite of mine as well, though I don't know that I'd trust her advice on anything beyond what to order at a bar. I recently reviewed Laurie's latest novel, Drawing Breath. You can read that review here. I understand it is free today on Amazon. Be sure to check it out.


I'm taking a short break for Independence Day. The interviews will resume on July 5, 2012, with  Susanna Catherine Mahoney.