Zoe Fishman

Saving Ruth

Coming May 1st to a bookstore (virtual and otherwise) near you.

Pre-order now at Amazon or B&N!

Baby is here

Well, it happened. A human tiny person made his way out of me and into the world on January 29th at 8:25 pm. It was a long, mostly uneventful labor thanks to an epidural right out of the gate until, of course, said epidural fell out at 8 cm and I gave birth naturally. Ah, the irony. Even when I opt out of being a martyr, I still can't shake the role. At any rate, none of my mom friends were able to really give it to me straight about what contractons feel like, so here it is, at least at the 8 cm mark: a grand piano pushed by a mac track through your rectum at stop/start intervals. You're welcome. That said, it was all worth it, and not just because I feel like a badass. My son, Ari, is the coolest little dude on the planet. And we made him! It blows my mind.

Two more things and then I'll shut up: I never knew that I could survive on so little sleep and breastfeeding is no picnic in the beginning.Oh and one more: I cannot believe that society at large views women as the lesser gender. We grow humans, we expel said humans and then our bodies come equipped with the potential to keep them alive for months to come. I mean, come onnnn. Men are more capable!?!? Oy.

Okay, there's a sleeping baby balanced precariously on my forearm. Time to try to move him without waking him up. Wish me luck.

 

Looking forward to moments like this...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/baby-flummoxed-by-new-sound

2012

Well, the dawn of a new year is almost here. 2012. I like the look of it. As a rule, I tend to enjoy even years more than odd. Also, this year is going to loom pretty large on my timeline. Let's see, what's happening this year in (God willing) 3 weeks or less....hmmmm, what could it be? Oh yes! I am having a baby! Yes. There's that. In so many ways I am ready for him to evacuate the premises (this pregnancy thing somehow manages to last forever and go by in an instant), and in other ways I am understandably terrified of what expelling him truly means. I am pretty excited to meet him. What will he be like? What will he look like? Will he come out with a cone head? So many curiosities.

Also in 2012? A new book! Saving Ruth. Interestingly, some of the same emotions are involved. Am excited to put it out in the world, but also terrified. Will people like it or will they hate it? Will it slide by unnoticed? It is very different from Balancing Acts, to be sure...Ah, who knows. You pour a solid year and three quarters into the thing and then hope for the best. The formal release date is 5/1/12. The jacket and copy should be finalized shortly, so look out for them here.

In other news, I am in love with Funny or Die's Billy on the Street. Watched it for the first time last night (thanks, Lauren), and was crying from laughter. I'm lucky I didn't go into labor. It made me miss New York like crazy. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Happy New Yearrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

6:43 AM

Was up at 5:15 today. Not sure why, exactly, as no alarm was set. Is the kid starting to prepare me for what is to come or am I finally getting my ass in gear on the writing tip? Probably a mix of both. After about a month off, it's time to return to the drawing board for Book 3. I have an idea, but until about a week ago, nothing was coming to me in terms of characterization. I wasn't really panicking about it - plenty happy to procrastinate by online shopping and registering (btw, how is it possible that someone so small needs so much crap?? Jesus!) - but there were a few uh oh, what if the writing well has completely dried up moments. I would close my eyes and hope for inspiration, but nothing was coming that made sense. And boy, was my mind wandering. Have you experienced T.J. Maxx's "Off the Runway" section? Have you??? I mean.....it is a good time! See : wandering.

But in the past few days, little pieces of dialogue have started to float through my brain. Moments happen, and I think to myself - oh, she would think something like this. And I jot it down. Or, forget to jot it down and then it would be gone. Annoying. At any rate, the point is that the new book is beginning to brew. I love this part. It's like my brain starts to wake up. I start to get excited about these new people; this new plot that will take over my life for the next year at least. The burden of the deadline (ish) looms of course, but it's not everything in the way that it is when my inspiration is nill. Nill with one "l" or two? I am going with two.

Meanwhile, it looks like I have to find a new title for the book formerly known as "The 15 Second Rule". Bummer. I mean, I get it - if you have to explain what the title means every time you talk about, it's not exactly a winner - but damn. It was the jump-off point for me, really. (Every time I type "jump off" I become nervous that it is some sort of hip hop sexual slang that I am misusing. I think it is. Oh well, what can I do? I am an almost 35 year old pregnant lady living in the suburbs of Atlanta. What do you want from me?) Back to the new title - I'm brainstorming and optimistic that something great will rise from the ashes. After all, Balancing Acts started as The Yoga Class for goodness sake. Zzzzzz.

The sky is starting to brighten outside my window. Did I write about my new writing space yet? It's pretty wonderful. One Ikea table, two big windows and lots of green trees. Open windows right now, as a matter of fact. Total silence save for my fingers click clacking on this keyboard. Lovely.

 

Long Time, No Type

Wellllllll, it's been a while. I know my 2 readers have been on the edge of their seats (hi Elizabeth! hi Karen!) Love you guys. Geez louise, have there been some changes.

Let's begin with my writing. I turned in the final draft of my next manuscript, which I'm very happy about. Nervous too, since this it, but that's par for the course. It's called The 15 Second Rule, and mostly is about a brother and a sister, each coming of age in their own self-absorbed way and very distant as a result. They're home for the summer in Alabama, and working at their neighborhood pool together as lifeguards and swim team coaches; the same pool they've belonged to or worked at all of their lives. When a young black girl almost drowns on their watch, they're forced to come together in the aftermath. To me, it's a story about family and identity; race and religion, vulnerability and strength. I hope readers agree. It's scheduled for publication next May.

Another piece of huge news: after 13 years in New York, I quit my day job and moved to Atlanta with my husband. Thirteen years!!! That blows my mind. I really grew up there. Man, my 20's. Wow. At any rate, we'd been feeling restless for a while, despite our eternal love for Brooklyn, and a work opportunity arose for him that we couldn't pass up. Plus, he grew up there, so we'd have his mama and sister and childhood friends all around to ease the transition. We moved in mid-August, so everything is still very new. It's definitely a change, and there are already many things I miss about the old 'hood and lifestyle (the subway is not one of them, fyi), but mostly I'm excited. It was time to change it up. It's also going to be a trip to be out of the industry (I worked in book publishing as an agent and foreign rights director for around 10 years), but the fact that I'm writing full-time at the moment is a gift that I am unbelievably grateful for. No more up at 5 AM to squeeze in a few hours of writing before work! For the time being at least.

And the last bomb to drop: I'm pregnant. A little over 5 months in. I'm excited and weepy and hungry and astounded by the female body. Do you realize that women create other human beings inside of themselves?!?! I can't stop nerding out about that. Props to the people that can wait to find out the sex until D-day, but that wasn't for us. Found out last month that we're having a boy. Pretty excited. Can't wait to teach him the #1 rule of dating: if you're not gonna' call, don't say that you're gonna' call. Just don't.

So, that's the wrap-up: book, Dixie, baby. Hopefully, now that I've got some time on my hands, I'll get better at this blogging business.

Springish

This winter has been relentless. For the majority of it, Brooklyn has been buried under a blanket of snow, narrow sidewalks have been reduced to balance beams, snirt and snow trash have littered every corner and the claustrophobic charm of urban living has been blown to smithereens. For me, at least. So, the first hints of blue sky and temperatures over 40 degrees have been bliss, to say the least. I've actually found myself smiling at people. Strangers, even.

But spring is not all rainbows and kittens. No ma'am. Spring brings with her a cruel wake up call. Beneath that giant jacket and that voluminous wool sweater lies the pale, flabby flesh of winter. There are the glasses of wine you began drinking when the sun set at 3:30; there are the loaves of fresh bread you used to sop up the warm soups; there are the mornings when you snoozed through your alarm instead of going running through the tundra. There they all are, staring at you expectantly as you disrobe for what feels like the first time in years.

Fair enough. This happens to everyone, unless you're some sort of robot. Congratulations if you're a robot, by the way. What I wanted to write about today were the various excuses we come up with at this point in the winter/spring baton pass. The other day I found myself truly thinking that my jeans were too tight because my underwear had stretched out. And a friend of mine revealed to me that she had convinced herself that her dry cleaner was shrinking all of her pants. It makes me giggle just writing about it.

I'm pretty sure no one reads this thing, but if you do, I wonder if you have an excuse to share that's just as ridiculous.

Okay, off to watch the red carpet arrivals on mute. Is it a rule that all of the "greeters" or whatever you call the E/Access Hollywood/Extra people have to be idiots? It kills me.

Atlanta Love

A giant thank you to Georgia Romance Writers, Atlanta Writers Club and Eagle Eye Bookshop for a wonderful Saturday!

Thanks, Ann Arbor JCC!

A giant thanks to my aunt, Alice Fishman and Mimi Weisberg at the Ann Arbor JCC! I had a great time slurping martinis and talking about Balancing Acts and beyond last Thursday.

Many thanks to all that came out - it was such a warm crowd!

Two Things That Make Me Happy

Voila

et

voila

Found in Translation

I can't believe that I haven't blogged about this yet, especially considering my day job as Foreign Rights Director at The Nancy Yost Literary Agency, but I am thrilled to say that Balancing Acts will soon (ish) be available in four countries: Germany, Holland, Poland and Italy. My very own World Cup! I am so honored and excited. Can't wait to see their jackets, too. It's always so much fun to see the way another country interprets a book. Huge thanks to Carolyn Bodkin at Harper for making these deals happen.