{"id":87298,"date":"2016-09-12T02:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=87298"},"modified":"2016-09-12T14:50:33","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T21:50:33","slug":"lauren-weisberger-author-chats-new-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/lauren-weisberger-author-chats-new-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Lauren Weisberger Chats New Book, Writer’s Block, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time for this month’s #WomenWeAdmire column, and this time we’re bringing you an exclusive (and super fun) interview with Lauren Weisberger<\/a> — <\/span>author of The Devil Wears Prada<\/em> (which turned 10 years old in June!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is she an international best-selling author, but she’s also an awesome wife and mom to two adorable kiddos (and fur baby, Stella the Maltese). With The Singles Game<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(her latest book about Charlie, a tennis prodigy) hitting shelves last month, we thought it was the perfect time to sit down with her for a quick chat.<\/p>\n

Check out what she had to say about juggling a healthy work-life balance, all the details on her new book, favorite NYC hangouts, and of course, Anna Wintour.<\/p>\n

\"13671286_149573508805813_865836493_n\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image: @draperjames<\/h6>\n

What was the inspiration behind your new book, The Singles Game?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019m a huge tennis fan! I\u2019ve been playing since I was a little girl, and I love watching the pros do their thing.<\/p>\n

Why a tennis-inspired book vs. fashion?<\/strong><\/em>
\nTennis is one of the only sports I can think of where the top players are recognizable by one name: Serena, Venus, Maria. We follow who they\u2019re dating and what they\u2019re wearing. They\u2019re glamorous and fabulous, but not just because they\u2019re pretty faces on the red carpet, but because they\u2019re so supremely talented and hardworking.<\/p>\n

\"Wimbledon\"<\/p>\n

What did your book research entail?<\/strong><\/em>
\nBasically, I went to a lot of tournaments \u2014 Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, The US Open \u2014 and hung out in the players\u2019 lounge and player dining, checked out what it was like for the players behind the scenes. I interviewed everyone from players to physios to tournament officials. It hardly felt like work, let\u2019s put it that way.<\/p>\n

What do you hope that readers get out of your new book?<\/strong><\/em>
\nFor readers who love tennis, I hope they\u2019ll learn all of kinds of interesting, cool, behind-the-scene details of what it really looks like to be on tour. And for readers who aren\u2019t that into tennis, I think they can relate to Charlie\u2019s story (plus all of her glam travel, her fun affairs, and work-life balance). So my hope is there\u2019s something for everyone in this book.<\/p>\n

Do you play tennis yourself?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI do. Nowhere near the level of Charlie, my protagonist, but I love playing whenever I have the chance.<\/p>\n

\"Devil<\/a><\/p>\n

Image: @emilythebibliophile<\/h6>\n

Do you identify with Charlie like you did with Andy in The Devil Wears Prada?<\/strong><\/em>
\nYes, definitely. Not as much from a career standpoint, of course, but in her struggle to figure out what\u2019s truly important to her, what kind of person she wants to be? Yes. I think that\u2019s something all women can relate to.<\/p>\n

What has been the most rewarding part of your career?<\/em><\/strong>
\nBy far the best part is getting on the road to meet the readers and hear what they love \u2014 and even sometimes don\u2019t love \u2014 about my books. It\u2019s especially incredible when I meet a young girl who tells me that she\u2019s never really loved reading, but she read one of my books and is now going to try another. It doesn\u2019t get more rewarding than that.<\/p>\n

Favorite thing to write about? Favorite book you\u2019ve written to-date?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI love writing about all the things that women think about and experience at different stages of their lives. Which is why it\u2019s so hard for me to pick a favorite. I relate each of them to what was going on in my life at the time \u2014 first job, single in the city, getting engaged and married, having kids. Don\u2019t make me choose!<\/p>\n

\"LWeisberger_final_credit<\/a><\/p>\n

Image: Mike Cohen Photography<\/h6>\n

What are some things you do to create a good work-life balance?<\/strong><\/em>
\nThis is an ongoing on and continuous conversation and effort for me, probably as it is for most women. I think it\u2019s accepting that I\u2019m never going to be the president of the PTA, the same way I\u2019m never going to be the most prolific author. But I can try to be a super involved parent and to continue to write books I love, then that\u2019s a huge win.<\/p>\n

Did you have any idea that The Devil Wears Prada would be such a hit?<\/strong><\/em>
\nZero. Zilch. None. I had no idea<\/em>\u00a0it was going to take off like that! It was the happiest of surprises, but it was a huge shock.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you still get asked this\u00a0a lot\u00a0but have you chatted with Anna Wintour since The Devil Wears Prada came out?<\/strong><\/em>
\nHah! No chatting. We don\u2019t tend to travel in the same circles!<\/p>\n

How do you deal with writer\u2019s block?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI turn off the internet using the Freedom app<\/a> so i\u2019m not tempted to online shop, and I sit there. And sit. And sit. And eventually, you\u2019ll put words on the screen, because you have to. They may not be great, but you\u2019ll write something. And from there, it gets a little bit easier.<\/p>\n

\"Ice<\/a><\/p>\n

How do you shake off a bad day?<\/strong><\/em>
\nA piping hot shower and a half-pint of Graeter\u2019s<\/a> ice cream usually does the trick.<\/p>\n

What has been the most important career advice you\u2019ve been given?<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt sounds a little frivolous, but I\u2019ve come to believe it\u2019s super important: written correspondence. I think there\u2019s nothing better and more appreciated than a handwritten thank you note, condolence card, or just a note saying hello.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone looking to write a book and make writing a full-time career?<\/strong><\/em>
\nGive yourself the gift of time to work on your writing! It\u2019s so hard to carve out time from family and career, but at least once a week try to claim a couple hours just for writing. After six months or a year of dedicated work, you\u2019ll be surprised how many pages you\u2019ve accumulated.<\/p>\n

How do you keep healthy and focused while traveling?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019d be lying if I said I kept healthy while traveling \u2014 that\u2019s usually when the wheels come off. I eat scones in London and croissants in France and chips and guac in Mexico and just enjoy. I try to take long walks and get a lot of sleep, but I\u2019m not much of a hotel room workout person \u2014 I lose all my motivation when I\u2019m traveling.<\/p>\n

\"Highline\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What are some of your New York City spots?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI\u2019m a huge Chelsea fan \u2014 the High Line, Chelsea Market, the amazing little coffee shop on the corner of 18th and 7th, Legend<\/a> for Chinese food and Da Umberto<\/a> for quiet, grown-up Italian.<\/p>\n

Margs<\/strong>? Cheeseburgers? Sleeping in on weekends? What\u2019s your guilty vice?<\/strong><\/em>
\nAm I allowed to say all of the above? Except sleep of course, because with two little kids that\u2019s in very short supply. I love margaritas and cheeseburgers and candy, candy, candy. The cheaper the chocolate from the drugstore, the more I love it.<\/p>\n

Anything else in the pipeline?<\/strong><\/em>
\nOf course! I\u2019ve started on my next book, but it\u2019s still a secret.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"It's time for this month's #WomenWeAdmire column, and this time we're bringing you an exclusive ...","author":252529,"featured_media":87299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[260,259],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/25095612\/Lauren-Weisberger.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/25095612\/Lauren-Weisberger.jpg","formated_date":"September 12, 2016","category_name":"Life","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113832\/entertainment.svg","author_name":"","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#38c633","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87298"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252529"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}