Lynn Steward is a successful business woman who spent many years in New York City’s fashion industry in marketing and merchandising, including the development of the first women’s department at a famous men’s clothing store. Through extensive research, and an intimate knowledge of the period, Steward created the characters and stories for a series of five authentic and heartwarming novels about New York in the seventies. A Very Good Life is the first in the series featuring Dana McGarry.  

About the Book

Although Lynn Steward’s debut novel, A Very Good Life, takes place in 1970s New York City. it has a timelessness to it. Dana McGarry is an "it" girl, living a privileged lifestyle of a well-heeled junior executive at B. Altman, a high end department store. With a storybook husband and a fairytale life, change comes swiftly and unexpectedly. Cracks begin to appear in the perfect facade. Challenged at work by unethical demands, and the growing awareness that her relationship with her distant husband is strained, Dana must deal with the unwanted changes in her life. Can she find her place in the new world where women can have a voice, or will she allow herself to be manipulated into doing things that go against her growing self-confidence?

A Very Good Life chronicles the perils and rewards of Dana’s journey, alongside some of the most legendary women of the twentieth century. From parties at Café des Artistes to the annual Rockefeller Center holiday tree lighting ceremony, from meetings with business icons like Estée Lauder to cocktail receptions with celebrity guests like legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. Steward’s intimate knowledge of the period creates the perfect backdrop for this riveting story about a woman’s quest for self-fulfillment.

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Interview

Q: What’s inside the mind of a literary fiction author?

A: The characters’ inner narrative: their personal struggles and journeys, as they grow, learn, and conquer; whether it is overcoming a broken romance, a sudden loss, a reticent personality, or the troubling antagonist.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy A Very Good Life.

A: To reminisce, or simply enjoy an historic, 1970s snapshot of New York City – the background for Dana McGarry’s quest for self-fulfilment. Can Dana find her place in the new world where women have a voice, or will she allow herself to be manipulated into doing things that go against her growing self-confidence?

Q: What makes a good literary fiction?

A: Likeable, lingering characters.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: My favourite time to write is early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., when my mind is clear, it is peaceful and there are no interruptions. I don’t let anything distract me for at least three hours, and I am always surprised and disappointed how fast the time passes. I also can spend thirty hours at my desk during a quiet weekend, researching, outlining and writing. I never spend enough time with my story.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: The process: outlining plots, developing characters, researching historical events, and most of all, the quiet time required to weave and write the story.