Author Q & A with Georgia Clark - The Regulars

Best friends Evie, Krista and Willow are just trying to make it through their mid-twenties in New
York. They're regular girls with typical quarter life crises: making it up the corporate ladder, making
sense of online dating, and making rent.
Until they come across Pretty, a magic tincture that makes them, well ...gorgeous. Like,
supermodelgorgeous. With a single drop, each young woman gets the gift of jaw-dropping beauty
for one week, presenting them with unimaginable opportunities to make their biggest fantasies
come true.
But there's a dark side to Pretty, too, and as the gloss fades for these modern-
day Cinderellas, there's just one question left: What would you sacrifice to be Pretty?

Title:        The Regulars
Author:    Georgia Clark
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Date:        August 11th 2016
Link:        UK: Amazon   US: Amazon

Author Q & A

Hi Georgia, welcome to Sincerely Book Angels blog and thanks for agreeing to answer our questions.

What was the inspiration behind this novel?

I wanted to write something that was entertaining, sexy and progressive. I love feminist pop culture, and feeling like I’m in on the joke. I also wanted to get down and dirty with the topic of beauty, and think more about what it meant to me, and my community. And let’s be real, who doesn’t want a job they can show up to in their PJs?

Did you always want to be a writer?

I guess I always just was a writer, before it was even a conscious goal, so yes. I was the one writing 6-page stories when the teacher asked for a few paragraphs, I made zines at university, and have dabbled in many different forms: screenplays, plays, fan fiction, short fiction—you name it!

What other jobs have you had?

I was the editor of a music magazine for two very cool years in my 20s, back in Sydney. Short ill-fated stints as a lazy telemarketer and a bad waitress. I was a paid student organizer on campus at uni, for women’s issues and queer issues. One summer I was paid cash to test sunscreen. It was a weird summer.

How did it feel when your first novel was published?

Really surreal. It was a short YA novel called She’s With The Band that came out in Australia in 2008. It was a bizarrely easy writing and publishing process and made me think that this whole writing-a-book thing was super easy. I was wrong—so wrong (my next book didn’t sell. Talk about a wake-up call!)

Have you ever had writer's block? If so how did you overcome it?

Just by starting. I’ll write anything, I’ll write the worst scene in history. I know that I’ll be able to come back and cut or clarify later. But I have to beat that blank page.

What motivates you to keep writing?

Deadlines and ambition.

Do your characters moods ever affect your mood and vice versa?

They affect my moods, generally not the other way around. I’ll feel light and giggly after a funny scene or dark and drawn-out after a sad scene. The character I’m working with now is very wordy and better educated than I am: I find her using words I didn’t even know I knew. It’s pretty cool.

What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

1. Write an outline. I work from a detailed outline that my agent and editor have provided notes on before I even think about starting Chapter 1. It saves time and lets me solve any structural problems before I write them into existence. It might not end up being for you, but try it and see if it streamlines your process a little.

2. Read your genre. It's non-negotiable: you can’t publish in a genre you’re not well-versed in. I listen to audiobooks on my commute to keep up with new releases.

3. Learn how to be a good manager. As an author (or as any creative), you’re both the manager and the talent. As well as devoting time to your craft, make sure you’re also being a great manager of you. A great manager doesn’t scream at you for a dud day’s work, likewise, they don’t let you watch TV all weekend when you’ve committed to writing. Maybe it’s setting guidelines for hours in the chair, or word limits, or deadlines: whatever you know you will respond to. Personally, I set slightly ambitious deadlines because the stickler workhorse in me will always meet them.  

Which authors inspire you?

I love David Mitchell, Truman Capote, Margaret Atwood, Susan Cooper, Gillian Flynn, David Sedaris, Maggie Stiefvater, F Scott Fitzgerald, Karen Russell, Hunter S Thompson and memoirs by funny ladies like Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Lena Dunham, Carrie Brownstein, Judith Lucy and Mindy Kaling. My book of the summer was The Girls by Emma Cline, which is so beautiful and spooky.

What are you reading at the moment?

I just finished Room, by Emma Donoghue. I know, I was so late to the party! I was sort of nervous about it, because the premise is so terrifying, but those of you who’ve also read it know she handled in beautifully. What a powerful writer: Jack was one of the most distinct and compelling narrators I’ve read in years. I could not out it down.  

If your book was made into a film what song would you choose for the opening credits?

Great question. Maybe Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” or “Run the World”, or Meghan Trainer’s “All About That Bass”.

Who would you choose to play your favourite character in the film of your book?

I think Jessica Biel would make a great Velma Woolf. She’s got that seductive energy that’s subtle and mysterious. And Ellen Page should play Quinn, natch.

What is your next book about?

Sex, fame and friendship in 1920s Hollywood.

And now think about the books you've read and just give the first one that comes into your head for our quickfire 'Which book round.'

Which book has made you:

Laugh out loud? Bossypants, by Tina Fey and everything by David Sedaris.

Cry your heart out? The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

Want to read it again? The Girls, by Emma Cline

Think more: Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women's Lives by Autumn Whitefield-Madrano

Wish it would be made into a film: The Lucy Family Alphabet, by Judith Lucy

Shocked: Luckiest Girl Alive, by Jessica Knoll or anything written by Gillian Flynn

Scared: Luna Park and American Psycho, both by Bret Easton Ellis

Thank you so much for joining us on our blog today and good luck with the book.

THANK YOU!

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Georgia Clark is an author, screenwriter and journalist who is widely published in women’s and
lifestyle magazines, and writes for TV. She is enthusiastically vegetarian, proudly queer, definitely a
city-dweller, a long-time lover and supporter of the arts and an advocate for the empowerment of
young women.

- Follow me on Twitter/Instagram @georgialouclark
- Sign up to my mailing list from my website georgiaclark.com
- Like my author page on Facebook
as well as buying the book natch.