Reading Between the Lines with Author Stephanie Clifford
Don't miss her brand new book, Everybody Rise
One of the hottest new books out this month is Everybody Rise by author Stephanie Clifford. The Loeb-award winning New York Times reporter covered business, media and the courts, and watched the financial crisis’s impact on consumers. It made her aware of the class hierachy that still exists in the U.S. and she created an ambitious and masterful tale of social climbing and class distinctions. It's a modern day tale of Downton Abbey.
Clifford participated in a Q&A to share more details about her book with LadyLUX, and everything from the first book she remembers reading to her favorite – and least favorite – things about Manhattan.
LadyLUX: What spurred you to write this book?
Stephanie Clifford: A big part of it was how hard cities can be. I moved to New York at 24, and couldn’t get a job. I freelanced enough to pay the bills, barely, but getting turned down for job after job knocked my confidence and made me question who I was. I wanted Evelyn to go through something similar. It helps explain why she so wants to fit in in this glamorous world – she thinks it’s her last shot at New York. Struggling when you first move to a city is an experience that’s a lot more common than books or movies about gals making it in the big city make it seem, so I hoped to write about that.
LL: You've been compared to a 21st century Edith Wharton. Are you a fan of her literary style?
Clifford: A huge fan. She painted the anxiety of class, and of wanting to belong, so well . Her details are wonderful, and I tried to focus on details in a similar way in Everybody Rise, where the earrings or sweater someone wears says a lot about them.
LL: What do you love most about Manhattan?
Clifford: The people. There’s such a mix here, everyone has an opinion, and we’re all crammed together on the subway so we’re interacting in a way that might not happen in other cities.
LL: What do you love least about Manhattan?
Clifford: The weather! I grew up in Seattle, where it rains all winter and in summer is basically lovely and 73 for month after month. The extremes here – snowstorms, 100-degree days – are rough on me!
LL: What is your favorite part of the book?
Clifford: I’m really happy with the third part of the book. Evelyn has gotten deep into debt and deep into trouble, and that’s the part where she has to find her way out. It was important to me that she fix it – that a guy doesn’t sweep in and fix everything for her.
LL: How long did it take you to complete it?
Clifford: I started taking notes on it almost ten years ago! Then, five years ago, I began getting up every morning and writing from 6-8, before I went to my job.
LL: Do you have any advice for a young woman who is interested a writing career?
Clifford: I’d say find really smart people to learn from – in my case it was magazine and newspaper editors - and listen to the feedback they give you. And, fit writing into your everyday life – for most of us, there won’t be a sabbatical where we can write that novel, so even if you can just do it in little bits, like I did, it’s worth it!
LL: Is journalism still a viable career choice?
Clifford: Traditional journalism has shrunk a lot since I started, and that makes it harder. On the upside, though, there are so many interesting web-based publications and startups doing novel things. Getting to talk to people all day and tell their stories is such a fun job, so I hope it’s still viable.
LL: Tell us about yourself. When did you first start writing?
Clifford: I’m a reporter at the New York Times, and I currently cover courts – so that’s everything from Mafia cases to gang investigations to wrongful convictions. I began doing journalism in middle school, if I recall correctly – I think we had a monthly newspaper – but this book is my very first novel.
LL: What made you want to become a writer?
Clifford: It’s a great way to get to observe the world. Subway rides, for instance, are so much more interesting when I’m thinking, “Why does that man have frayed shoelaces? Can I guess where he just came from?” and making up stories about people in my head.
LL: What is the first thing you remember reading as a child?
Clifford: The Runaway Bunny, with that great illustration of the mother bunny as the wind, blowing her baby back home.
LL: What can we expect to see from you next?
Clifford: I’m still at the Times, so lots of Brooklyn court coverage! I’m starting work on a second novel, too.
Learn more about Stephanie Clifford on her website and follow her on Twitter.
Stephanie Clifford Photo Credit: Elena Seibert Photography
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