Q&A with Marcy Dermansky

 

Photo by Michael Lionstar

 

 

 

Marcy Dermansky is the author of the new novel Hot Air. Her other books include Hurricane Girl. She lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Hot Air, and how did you create your cast of characters?

 

A: Hot Air started from a writing prompt of all things: write about a first date where a first date is interrupted by a hot air balloon crash. I never thought it would be a novel. The first chapter of Hot Air was actually a short story called “First Date.”

 

My agent loved it and suggested I write more. I wasn’t so sure and I sat on it for over a year and then, I figured: Why not?  For me, starting a novel is the hardest part.  I wrote the first draft in three months.

 

The four main characters of Hot Air are the couple on their first date -- Joannie and Johnny – and the couple in the hot air balloon, Jonathan and Julia.

 

Some other characters also snuck into the book. Joannie’s 8-year-old daughter Lucy and Jonathan and Julia’s personal assistant Vivian. Rich people often require assistants. I didn’t know they would have their own points of view until I heard the voices in my head.

 

Q: Why did you decide to have most of the characters' names begin with J?

 

A: It was fun. Writing can be fun.

 

Joannie had already decided she could never be in a relationship with Johnny because their names were too similar, and then – anarchy -- I threw in two more J names.

 

What I am learning now is that the four names starting with the letter J confuses some readers. Oopsie. That was selfish of me.

 

It is really important to me that I please myself when I write. If the writing process feels miserable, what I write actually doesn’t work. I have written some really bad pages in the past when I have forced myself to write and I am not feeling it.

Q: What do you think the book says about the role of money in people's lives, especially given today's focus on billionaires?

A: A billion dollars is gratuitous. I can’t even imagine. I didn’t know when I began this book more than two years ago that our nation would now be run to serve the needs of the billionaire class. Why do they want more – more, more, more -- at the cost of people who have so little? It’s beyond reprehensible.

 

I had Mackenzie Scott in mind when I wrote the character of philanthropist, cat lover Julia Foster. The cat lover part came from me.

 

Something, sadly, I do know about is envy. It’s part of my thoughts, part of my experience as a human being. Living in a beautiful suburban town where so many people have more than I do. That said, I also know how lucky and truly privileged I am.

 

I always write about the things I grapple with. Not having enough money is certainly one of them. Being a single mother is another.  

 

That’s probably why I also write about swimming pools as often as I do. I am always thinking about swimming, the next time I can go swim.

 

Hot Air is a funny novel, but there are some real truths in there.

Q: Harper’s Bazaar said of the novel, “Marcy Dermansky has a rare talent for writing stories that are as emotionally charged as they are wryly funny. With Hot Air, she offers up another witty saga on relationships, power, and money.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love it!  Honestly, I just love the fact that Harper’s Bazaar wrote about Hot Air. I would love to find a wider audience with this book. And it makes me feel so good when readers and reviewers truly get my work.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on a new novel. I don’t want to say anything yet, but I can say that I am really pleased with myself that I have so many pages written. Often I don’t get going on a book until after the last one is published. Which is really bad for my mental health.

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Hot Air is my sixth novel. We’ve had the pleasure of discussing some of my earlier books. For new readers, I hope they discover my back list. Hurricane Girl, Very Nice, The Red Car, Bad Marie, Twins. There is no need to wait until my next book.

 

Thanks for these wonderful questions.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Marcy Dermansky.