We’re thrilled to welcome guest author Lindsay Cameron, whose debut BIGLAW was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2015 by Good Housekeeping and Redbook Magazine. BIGLAW is the story of a young woman determined to climb the ladder in the cutthroat world of an elite Manhattan law firm. A former lawyer herself, Lindsay Cameron throws back the curtain of this intriguing world, exposing the truth about life in these notoriously secretive firms. New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Buxbaum called BIGLAW a “funny, pitch-perfect, compulsively readable novel that also serves as a cautionary tale. BIGLAW reminds us to be very careful what we wish for.”
Lindsay stopped by to take our Tall Poppy Q&A, where she talks character inspiration, cover insight (and a fun little detail that will make you take a second look), and the hardest and easiest parts of her job as a writer…
Has anyone ever thought a character you wrote was based on them?
So many times! My novel is set in the corporate department of a large law firm and I used to work in…you guessed it – the corporate department of a large law firm. I’ve heard from a lot of my former work colleagues and the men always think they were the inspiration for Alex (the effortlessly cool friend and coworker). The truth is Alex is a mix of a lot of people I’ve worked with (with some heavy poetic license thrown in.) So far nobody has claimed to be the inspiration any of the main character’s tormentors, though!
Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.
Seeing other people laugh always makes me laugh. That’s why my favorite sketches on Saturday Night Live are the ones where the actors break character and start laughing. Even if the sketch isn’t that funny, there is something about a person’s face breaking out into a good laugh that just cracks me up. Maybe I’m a sympathetic laugher?
Talk about your book’s cover.
I’m thrilled with the way the cover of the book turned out! The first time they designed the cover the colors they used were muted, making it look more like a nonfiction book exploring the gender inequity in offices rather than a novel. Instead of scraping the design, the publisher tweaked the colors to make them fun and more vibrant and – voila! – a fun cover that I think is a great depiction of the novel. It’s amazing what a little pink can do! Here’s a fun fact about the cover – it has a “Where’s Waldo” search and find. One of the ties is a slightly different color than the others, meant to signify a snake in the grass among my main character’s coworkers. You’ve got to give it a good look to find him!
What are the hardest and easiest things about your job?
The hardest part is treating writing like the job that it is and sticking to a set writing schedule. I always have the best of intentions, but then other priorities get in the way. Whenever I’m on a roll that seems to be a trigger to the universe that one of my children will need to stay home sick from school, wiping out my writing time. But that flexibility is also one of the things I enjoy about being a writer. I love being able to pick up my children from school every day. There’s a sweet spot, right after pick up, where they are still excited and geared up and only then will they give me the full run down of what happened in their day. My son will tell me he got a double in baseball, my daughter will tell me all about her show and tell. If I miss the sweet spot, their excitement is gone and all I get are one word answers. Thankfully, being a writer gives me the flexibility to rarely miss that sweet spot!
What’s your favorite part about book promotion? Least favorite?
My favorite part is interacting with readers. Writing is a pretty solitary process, so it’s great to step away from my workspace and chat with readers at book clubs, events or even just on social media. It really makes my day when I get a tweet or an email from reader that enjoyed the book and wants to take the time to let me know. On a tough day of writing, I revisit some of those wonderful emails to give myself a push! My least favorite part is the public speaking. I’m working on not freaking out before I get up to speak in front of a group. It’s a work in progress…
Thanks for stopping by, Lindsay!
Lindsay Cameron worked for six years as a corporate attorney at large law firms in both the United States and Canada, including one of New York’s largest law firms. Deciding that writing was more fun than lawyering, she left the law behind to pursue a career writing novels while hunched over her laptop at Starbucks. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two children. BIGLAW is her debut novel. She loves to connect with readers on her website, Facebook page, and on Twitter.
