Ask the Author: Lisa Mary London
Answered Questions (6)
Lisa Mary London
That's easy, I'd fulfil a childhood dream and go to the Hundred Acre Wood to play with Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Tigger. And I'm sure I'd find them there too. As AA Milne so beautifully wrote: '...in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his bear will always be playing'.
Lisa Mary London
Reality Rehab started life as a humorous non-fiction book, a jaw-dropping behind-the screen expose of the TV world and the colourful celebrities and executives who inhabited it. As celebrity producer on prime time entertainment shows from The BAFTA Television Awards to I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! it's a world I know inside out.
The book (working title I'm a Celebrity Booker... Get Me Out of Here!) garnered lots of interest and won me the services of a top literary agent, who enthusiastically touted it round. But my juicy anecdotes about famous and infamous living people, meant publishers wouldn't touch it, fearing libel suits.
The answer was to write a fictionalised version, and so my novel Reality Rehab was born. The book is closely based on my real life experiences in TV. Many famous (and infamous) names feature in disguise, as do more than a smattering of outrageous events that really happened - though I daren't reveal any more than that!
Over the years I met many stars like Reality Rehab's protagonist Gloria Grayson, a faded actress who curses the rise of reality TV and feels its stars are not stars at all and don't deserve to share a red carpet with her.
Out of work and out of shape having become obese through binge eating, Gloria's days as soap's sexiest blonde are far behind her. But salvation comes in the unlikely form of an invitation to appear on a reality TV show. Reality Rehab promises to slim her down and more importantly, return her to A-list status. But Gloria finds she gets considerably more than she bargained for along the way, including an unwanted reunion with her hell-raising ex-husband, 'Mad' Tommy Mack!
The book also looks at the modern obsession with women's weight, a subject debated daily across mainstream media. This near constant scrutiny of the female shape puts women under terrible pressure to be slim. As a woman famous for her bombshell image, Gloria commits the ultimate sin of gaining weight. When cruel paparazzi photos 'out' her as a fatty, the repercussions for her life and career are dramatic. As she remarks: 'What could be sadder than a sex symbol who's lost her figure?' Gloria's predicament is one I feel will resonate with any woman who has ever been on a diet!
Reality Rehab covers many hot topics that intrigue me, including tabloid intrusion, addiction, body image, mid-life crises and cute-but-vicious handbag dogs. Though it may be labelled chick lit, I wrote it as a satire on millennial media that I hope will tickle the funny bones of both men and women.
The book (working title I'm a Celebrity Booker... Get Me Out of Here!) garnered lots of interest and won me the services of a top literary agent, who enthusiastically touted it round. But my juicy anecdotes about famous and infamous living people, meant publishers wouldn't touch it, fearing libel suits.
The answer was to write a fictionalised version, and so my novel Reality Rehab was born. The book is closely based on my real life experiences in TV. Many famous (and infamous) names feature in disguise, as do more than a smattering of outrageous events that really happened - though I daren't reveal any more than that!
Over the years I met many stars like Reality Rehab's protagonist Gloria Grayson, a faded actress who curses the rise of reality TV and feels its stars are not stars at all and don't deserve to share a red carpet with her.
Out of work and out of shape having become obese through binge eating, Gloria's days as soap's sexiest blonde are far behind her. But salvation comes in the unlikely form of an invitation to appear on a reality TV show. Reality Rehab promises to slim her down and more importantly, return her to A-list status. But Gloria finds she gets considerably more than she bargained for along the way, including an unwanted reunion with her hell-raising ex-husband, 'Mad' Tommy Mack!
The book also looks at the modern obsession with women's weight, a subject debated daily across mainstream media. This near constant scrutiny of the female shape puts women under terrible pressure to be slim. As a woman famous for her bombshell image, Gloria commits the ultimate sin of gaining weight. When cruel paparazzi photos 'out' her as a fatty, the repercussions for her life and career are dramatic. As she remarks: 'What could be sadder than a sex symbol who's lost her figure?' Gloria's predicament is one I feel will resonate with any woman who has ever been on a diet!
Reality Rehab covers many hot topics that intrigue me, including tabloid intrusion, addiction, body image, mid-life crises and cute-but-vicious handbag dogs. Though it may be labelled chick lit, I wrote it as a satire on millennial media that I hope will tickle the funny bones of both men and women.
Lisa Mary London
In my former career as a TV producer I was privileged to work with many inspirational people. Every one of them imprinted on me and, in some shape or form, made their way into the pages of Reality Rehab. The most remarkable and talented people can often be the most complex and in some cases, the most difficult. But that didn't make them any less fascinating to me!
People often ask me which celebrities I loved and which I loathed. Happily, most of the stars I met were delightful but there were one or two who let's just say, I wouldn't want to share a taxi with. They can all be found in Reality Rehab, though I have mixed them up to protect the innocent - or in some cases, the guilty!
As a child growing up in the seventies I idolised actresses like Diana Dors, Pat Phoenix and Joan Collins. Glamorous and gutsy, they revelled in being women not girls and would express bewilderment at the modern obsession with youth. I wanted Reality Rehab to feature a courageous protagonist with a strong voice and a big heart, and I certainly found that in Gloria Grayson. Gloria is an actress in the old-school mould, when life knocks her down she picks herself up, and she takes no nonsense from anyone - least of all men!
An author shouldn't have favourite characters but I do have a soft spot for Dr Lucien Douglas, the American psychotherapist in charge of the celebrities in the Reality Rehab house. Dr Lucien has become a super-rich superstar, thanks to his internationally syndicated talk show in which he counsels warring couples and his best selling self-help books with catchy titles like; Happy Wife, Happy Life.
The idea of a huge American star coming to the UK to host a TV series here, and being treated like royalty struck me as an interesting one. This element of the novel must have been inspired by my experiences as producer on a Saturday night celebrity chat show for ITV hosted by Jerry Springer. Although Dr Lucien and Jerry Springer are very different personalities, there are parallels in the dynamics of that scenario that lent themselves to some hilarious situations. The biggest quality Dr Lucien and Jerry Springer share is charisma, but it's fair to say Dr Lucien is a lot vainer than Jer-ee!
And of course a major inspiration is my beloved Maltese terrier, Dolly-Dog, who bears a close resemblance to Gloria's spoiled Maltipoo, Baby-Girl. Dolly-Dog makes me laugh every single day, so making her a character in my comic novel was a no-brainer. Like pampered pooch Baby-Girl, Dolly-Dog oozes star quality!
People often ask me which celebrities I loved and which I loathed. Happily, most of the stars I met were delightful but there were one or two who let's just say, I wouldn't want to share a taxi with. They can all be found in Reality Rehab, though I have mixed them up to protect the innocent - or in some cases, the guilty!
As a child growing up in the seventies I idolised actresses like Diana Dors, Pat Phoenix and Joan Collins. Glamorous and gutsy, they revelled in being women not girls and would express bewilderment at the modern obsession with youth. I wanted Reality Rehab to feature a courageous protagonist with a strong voice and a big heart, and I certainly found that in Gloria Grayson. Gloria is an actress in the old-school mould, when life knocks her down she picks herself up, and she takes no nonsense from anyone - least of all men!
An author shouldn't have favourite characters but I do have a soft spot for Dr Lucien Douglas, the American psychotherapist in charge of the celebrities in the Reality Rehab house. Dr Lucien has become a super-rich superstar, thanks to his internationally syndicated talk show in which he counsels warring couples and his best selling self-help books with catchy titles like; Happy Wife, Happy Life.
The idea of a huge American star coming to the UK to host a TV series here, and being treated like royalty struck me as an interesting one. This element of the novel must have been inspired by my experiences as producer on a Saturday night celebrity chat show for ITV hosted by Jerry Springer. Although Dr Lucien and Jerry Springer are very different personalities, there are parallels in the dynamics of that scenario that lent themselves to some hilarious situations. The biggest quality Dr Lucien and Jerry Springer share is charisma, but it's fair to say Dr Lucien is a lot vainer than Jer-ee!
And of course a major inspiration is my beloved Maltese terrier, Dolly-Dog, who bears a close resemblance to Gloria's spoiled Maltipoo, Baby-Girl. Dolly-Dog makes me laugh every single day, so making her a character in my comic novel was a no-brainer. Like pampered pooch Baby-Girl, Dolly-Dog oozes star quality!
Lisa Mary London
Write from your heart - your own heart, nobody else's. Don't try to be the next JK Rowling or Lee Child. Celebrated authors can be inspirational but the world wants to hear what you have to say, not a watered down version of someone else.
Your genetics, history, personality and quirks make you totally unique. That's exciting! So find your own, distinct voice and be original. There's not another individual on the planet who could write the same book as you. You are a one-off and your writing should reflect that. Be yourself, be original, and above all, be surprising!
Your genetics, history, personality and quirks make you totally unique. That's exciting! So find your own, distinct voice and be original. There's not another individual on the planet who could write the same book as you. You are a one-off and your writing should reflect that. Be yourself, be original, and above all, be surprising!
Lisa Mary London
Being a writer allows you to explore your imagination. It's all too easy to lose touch with your imagination, life is busy and there are multiple, mundane demands made on us every day that get in the way. But your imagination is a powerful resource that can take you to magical and unexpected places. Visiting your imagination is a crucial part of a writer's job - lucky us!
As a writer you have total control over your characters, what they look like, how they behave, their history, relationships and whether or not you give them a happy ending. Where your characters are concerned you are the puppet master, as powerful as the US President. It's a heady feeling and great fun!
The other wonderful thing about being a writer is that no one nags you to keep your desk tidy, or fires you for turning up to work in a onesie.
As a writer you have total control over your characters, what they look like, how they behave, their history, relationships and whether or not you give them a happy ending. Where your characters are concerned you are the puppet master, as powerful as the US President. It's a heady feeling and great fun!
The other wonderful thing about being a writer is that no one nags you to keep your desk tidy, or fires you for turning up to work in a onesie.
Lisa Mary London
The only way to deal with writer's block is to write through the rubbish until you get to the good stuff. Any writer worth their salt deletes much of what they've written and suffers regular crises of confidence fearing they'll never complete a novel anyone wants to read.
My philosophy is to keep the faith, keep writing, and know that everything can and will be edited and improved somewhere down the line. But to edit, first you must write - so write!
Every book that's ever been written started with a blank screen or page. Getting words down, pretty much any words, moves you forward. And if you've created strong characters that you believe in, the force of their personalities can take on a life of their own and bring an energy and momentum that takes you so far out of writers' block, you get writer's rush!
Like the star of Reality Rehab, buxom soap legend Gloria Grayson, I'm a great believer in the power of cake. Cake can be a the perfect cure for writer's block. Get the digestive juices flowing, and the creative juices will follow. Well that's my excuse for taking five cake breaks a day, and I'm sticking to it.
My philosophy is to keep the faith, keep writing, and know that everything can and will be edited and improved somewhere down the line. But to edit, first you must write - so write!
Every book that's ever been written started with a blank screen or page. Getting words down, pretty much any words, moves you forward. And if you've created strong characters that you believe in, the force of their personalities can take on a life of their own and bring an energy and momentum that takes you so far out of writers' block, you get writer's rush!
Like the star of Reality Rehab, buxom soap legend Gloria Grayson, I'm a great believer in the power of cake. Cake can be a the perfect cure for writer's block. Get the digestive juices flowing, and the creative juices will follow. Well that's my excuse for taking five cake breaks a day, and I'm sticking to it.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more