Cathy Yardley

Featured Book Interview - March 2005

This month chick-lit author Cathy Yardley shares her approach to plotting, promoting and researching her novels.

DC: Welcome, Cathy. I’m enjoying Couch World so much, I can’t wait to interview you about it.

CY: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! So far, I think it's the book that's closest to my heart. I appreciate that you're spotlighting it.

DC: I'm blown away by how Couch World weaves three very different voices into a suspenseful whole. How did you approach the task?

CY: I'm a compulsive plotter. I knew that Couch World was going to be tough, because of the different POV's and the conflict, so I made sure I had a comprehensive outline for every scene.

DC: What kind of promotions are you and your publisher doing around the theme of the DJane lifestyle portrayed in Couch World?

CY: I've done a "DJ Clinic" in San Francisco that was small but well-received... DJ Amber, a major source for Couch World, taught a 45 minute class on how to spin at the NorCal DJ Music and Production Academy. There were 8 turntables set up, and people learned the basics of how to beatmatch and mix. It was a blast! I'm also doing a lot of college radio interviews, and I was interviewed by the club expert in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

DC: Your club scenes are amazingly real to me. How did you research the setting and the lingo?

CY: Thank you! I used to club quite a bit when I was living in Los Angeles, which is a completely different scene from San Francisco. I contacted several DJ's and record producers in SF to get the language right, and I went sto several clubs. Having a good friend that was a bouncer at one of the biggest clubs in SF helped.

DC: Can you tell us about your books in the works? What can we look forward to from the Yardley pen?

CY: I'm just about to start writing my next Red Dress Ink novel, called Turning Japanese. It's about a woman who moves to Tokyo to break into the manga business . . . those are the Japanese comic books that are getting so popular in bookstores right now. It's sort of "Lost in Translation" meets Chick Lit. I've loved graphic novels, Japanese culture, animation and comics, so this is a project I'm dying to write -- and I get to visit Tokyo in March!

DC: Before you head out, any advice for novice chick lit writers?

CY: Figure out what you love, or what theme is important to you, and then write about that, even if it doesn't seem like what people are buying. It will give your work depth, reality, and an edge in a glutted market.

DC: Well, time to wrap this up. Have fun researching your next book in Japan.

CY: Thanks for the opportunity, Deanna. I really appreciate it!

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