Author Interview- Lynn Weingarten

1) How did you get the idea for The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers? Were you ever involved in your own Secret Sisterhood?

I was reading a non-fiction book about how to pick up women and was thinking about the idea of using “tricks” to get potential romantic partners. Like, it’s kind of icky, but also really interesting because some of these tricks really seem to work. So then I started trying to come up with fun ways of putting this in a YA novel. And SSH was what I came up with.

I have not myself been a member of any Secret Sisterhoods . . . OR HAVE I? ;)


2) Since I've already asked you your favorite Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor in a previous interview, what's your favorite snack to have?

Yes! I remember that. That’s still one of my favorite interview questions of all time. I love snacks. I’m currently in Scotland and one of my favorite things to do here is go to the fancy grocery store and browse the snack aisle since everything is still exotic and new to me here. They have a ton of delicious jams and jellies here, so lately I’ve been eating a lot of butter and jam on toast. Also I love little chocolaty things (like chocolate straws or mini Kit Kat darks). Also wasabi peas. And these things called Hula Hoops which are little crunchy circles that you can put on your fingers. I also really like snap peas, orange segments, popcorn, and mini tomatoes. Basically anything you can eat with your hands without getting too messy. (Although I snack a lot while I’m working and very regularly have to de-crumb my keyboard).


3) What was the worst break-up you ever had? Do you think you would have gotten involved with the Heartbreakers if they existed?

I had a breakup in high school that hurt an awful lot, part of the reason it was so awful was because it was my first real heartbreak and while in theory I knew that I would one day feel better, I did not yet have any personal experience of having my heart broken and then getting over it. So I didn’t have any, y’know, proof. I also had a breakup in my mid-twenties, which took me a long time to get over.

I don’t think I would have gotten involved with the Heartbreakers in real life if they existed, however if someone came up to me when I first had my heart broken and said they could fix my heart, I’d definitely have wanted to stick around and hear WHATEVER they had to say.


4) What book(s) are you reading now, or are about to start? Do you have a favorite book from 2011?

I just finished Why We Broke Up this morning and thought it was absolutely wonderful. Now going to dive into Game of Thrones, which a friend and I are reading for our two-person book club. I read a lot of awesome books in 2011 so I’m not sure I have a favorite, but A Visit from the Goon Squad was really excellent.


5) You're currently in Scotland. How are you enjoying it?

I am loving it very much! I’m in Glasgow, which is a relatively compact city (especially compared to NYC which is where I was before), so it is pretty easy to get around and feel like I sort-of-ish kind of-ish know where some things are. I have met some really nice and friendly people. I know everyone is different and generalizing is bad and all of that, but I have found Scottish people to be, as a rule, very hilarious. I have heard some very good jokes from the cab drivers here.

I do get homesick and miss my friends/family in the US, but with email/twitter/facebook/free-texting-apps/skype and my magical phone, which lets my US people call me on a local number (and it goes to my UK phone), make it absurdly easy to stay in touch.