Jane May On Miami, Screenwriting, and The Apprentice's Donald Trump
Book Help Web Exclusive Interview with Jane May
Jane May's book Hooked is a modern retelling of the classic fable, A Fisherman and His Wife. Set in modern Miami, the city of magic, it follows the weal and woe of an assistant dockmaster, Woody, who falls in love with an unattainable woman. Throw a talking fish into the mix and you're at the start of a wild, careening ride through the wealthy class of a U.S. city.
She took an afternoon to talk with the Book Help Web publisher, Bridgette, recently:
Bridgette from Book Help Web: I had a blast reading Hooked. I was constantly laughing and I'd go back and read some of your more vivid phrases over and over again. You have a wonderful way with words and are able to describe things in literary Technicolor.
I'm sure you've already heard people favorably compare you to Carl Hiassen because of your setting, the threads of environmentalism, and the off-beat humor. But I couldn't help but think of a less well-known author. Have you ever read Christopher Moore's Lust Lizards of Melancholy Cove?
Jane May: I haven't read him but he is on my list. A friend of mine who read Hooked made that connection as well. As for Mr. H. well, gosh, I am not worthy of such a comparison. He is listed on my acknowledgement page. I had him sign a copy of his latest book and acted like a giggling groupie. I've read all of his novels.
Bridgette: Has he read yours?
Jane May: At one of his readings, my girlfriend urged me to give him a copy of my previous novel — Doggy Style. 'Cause he's a big dog lover. I told him he could use the book as kindling if he liked, but he insisted I sign the book to him. It was one of my most memorable moments as a writer. I would LOVE for him to read Hooked...and I do wonder what his reaction would be.
Bridgette: From what I've heard, he's very supportive of other writers.
Jane May: He is sooooooo nice and warm and cute. Sigh. But married.
Bridgette: What inspired you to modernize a folktale? And by the way, I love the one you selected — it worked so perfectly for modern America and Florida in particular.
Jane May: The Fisherman and his Wife was one of my and my kids' favorite fairy tales. I always thought the story was just waiting for a "modern" translation. I also wanted to make it funny...I mean, not to sound like an aspiring beauty pageant queen, but there is so much pain and sadness in society today.
Bridgette: The world can certainly use things to laugh about.
Jane May: My mom lives down in Miami and being a Jewish mother she is always promoting the virtues of the place. I, of course, have another impression of the under-belly of the place and would never entertain moving there.
Bridgette: Your version is far from a children's tale, though. Do your children like your version as much as the one they remember from childhood?
Jane May: Well — my children are now 26 and 31...and yes, they LOVED Hooked.
Bridgette: Smart kids!
Jane May: By the way, the character of Woody is based on my son Ilan. If you click on the video link on my web site, you can see and hear him playing the banjo at my book launch.
Bridgette: Dare I ask — did he have a Madalina in his life?
Jane May: YES. When Ilan was in grad school in London he fell hook, line and sinker for a Slavic beauty who had him panting like a Greyhound.
Bridgette: I hope she was kinder to him than Madalina was in Hooked. But then — I'm saying that to his mother, aren't I? *grin*
Jane May: He did everything for her but she had her sights on a classmate of his, a rich classmate who intended to get a job on Wall Street. My son is into non-profits.
Bridgette: And your Mom? Has she forgiven you for seeing Miami differently than she?
Jane May: Yeah, she's forgiven me. She is very much against the over-development of Miami and HATES the traffic she gets stuck in on her way to Costco.
Bridgette: In another interview, you mentioned that Mabel Miller, a local environmentalist from the Keys, was your inspiration for Woody's Aunt Katherine. Has she read Hooked?
Jane May: Yes, she was very flattered that I picked her as a model and she loved Hooked.
Bridgette: Most of the world is realistic — from the smarmy car dealer to the developers to the club members. But there's definitely magic in the world. How did you determine how powerful magic would be — what it could do and how it would work?
Jane May: I did do some research on Santaria.
Bridgette: Did you use Santaria as the basis for the magic in the book — such as Raymond Prince's fate and the club mechanic's offering to Woody?
Jane May: A little bit....as a foreshadowing. I started off writing scripts... But there is also some Wizard of Oz in Hooked...And as far as the "magic" part, Miami is known as the "city of magic." I wanted it to be as outlandish as possible without going completely overboard. Also Madalina, being Romani, believed in magic too.
Bridgette: Scripts? For stage or screen?
Jane May: For screen. I had one script optioned. I plan to try to turn Hooked into a screenplay.
Bridgette: It's interesting that you mentioned turning Hooked into a screenplay. Earlier I was thinking about how Technicolor the language was, but that it was the descriptions that stood out the most — something that can be difficult to incorporate into a screenplay.
Yet, it would make a hilarious comedy on screen. Who would you want to play Woody?
Jane May: I loved this guy, Bryan Greenberg, who played opposite Uma Thurman in Prime — but perhaps Jake Gyllenhaal.
Bridgette: The research for this book sounds pretty rough — staying at the Keys for a week, biking, taking photos. What about the research did you most enjoy?
Jane May: Oh man — the sailing on Biscayne Bay. Only problem was my "captain" had (I guess like Woody) ulterior motives. Nonetheless, it was an incredible experience. I also loved roller blading in Bill Baggs Park early in the morning. Like I've said, it was a rough assignment but these are the sacrifices a writer has to make.
I also enjoyed my two-hour eye-opening interview with a young real estate developer.
Bridgette: Did the developer inspire Todd?
Jane May: The developer kid was pretty down to earth. He provided many juicy tidbits for the character of Todd Hollings (Kensington screwed up his name on the jacket cover..grrrr).
Bridgette: Was there anything that was challenging or an experience you wouldn't want to repeat?
Jane May: Oh yeah — an experience I wouldn't like to repeat was when the AC in my mom's ancient car crapped out and like Woody I got stuck in this horrendous traffic and then the drawbridge between Miami and Bay Harbor DID get stuck in the upright position. Talk about life imitating art!
Bridgette: Had you written that scene before it happened with you and your Mom?
Jane May: Yes, I had already written that scene with the traffic.
Bridgette: For all that you paint pretty scathing portraits of the wealthy, you're mostly kind to Donald Trump. Are you a fan of The Apprentice? If you had the opportunity to be on that show, would you?
(By the way, I loved the post script on your acknowledgements — the one that says its a work of fiction and "the characters (despite some similarities to those aimlessly wandering the earth) are well, you know, fictitious. Except for Mr. Donald Trump...." it really set the tone for the entire book.)
Jane May: Yeah — I find the wealthy of Miami particularly obnoxious (maybe you shouldn't quote me on this). SOOOOO materialistic down there....I mean, I do live in NYC where money is a big deal too, but the vibe is different. As for Mr. Trump, I am not particularly fond of him but I am AFRAID of his ire....
Apprentice wise...nah, no interest. My kids wanted me to audition for Survivor when it first came out.
Bridgette: Did Hooked take any unexpected turns while you were writing it or did the characters mostly behave themselves and do what you set out to have them do?
Jane May: YES....I decided to make Madalina much smarter than I had originally envisioned her to be. Raymond totally took control however....Raymond was loosely based on my, well, EX boyfriend who works in the garment industry. I "borrowed" some of his shtick and choice lines. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled (the price one has to pay for dating a novelist I suppose).
As for unexpected turn of events, the scene on Virginia Key, for sure. (Funnily enough, my mom actually thought Gustavo Tinnie was a real person.) It was here that Woody realized he had become someone — like Raymond Prince — whom he never would have imagined turning into. But I'm giving away too much here, I suppose. Talk about conflict!
Bridgette: Does Woody have another story to tell or do you think his is done?
Jane May: Interesting question...I could chart his travels with Kristin but then I would have to hop aboard a sailboat and cruise the oceans...I might be persuaded if George Clooney was manning the helm. But right now, I have to start novel #3.....no talking animals this time, I am afraid.
Bridgette: None at all? I have to say, your highly intelligent dog conducts incisive interviews. They intimidated me. :) He inspired your first book, Doggy Style. Is he asking you for another story? Does he object to waiting until after #3 is done?
Jane May: Perhaps Mr Miles has another tale to wag. But writing from the POV was very restrictive...I mean, I couldn't use any "SAT words." Plus I couldn't delve into the characters or the plot as I tried to stay TRUE to a dog's POV. My next book — Backswing — is going to prove very autobiographical. Little wonder, as my shrink says, I have been delaying work on it.
Bridgette: Those autobiographical works must be tough! I look forward to reading it.
You've done at least some book tours, right? What is your favorite question that you've been asked? Has there been a particularly surprising or amusing reaction to your book?
Jane May: Fav question...
What's up with you and a talking dog and then a talking fish?
Bridgette: And your answer?
Jane May: I responded..."I have this thing for talking animals, I guess. Guess this explains why I haven't been able to get a date lately."
Bridgette: Is there a question that you've always wished someone would ask you, but they haven't?
Jane May: "How do you approach the writing process?"
Bridgette: What would your answer be?
Jane May: Painfully....as I think Gay Talese wrote — "writing prose is like passing a kidney stone." Being one who has serious approval issues (see next book for more on this), I am extremely self-critical. The mere fact that I could have completed a book let alone had it published is mind-boggling to me. I write VERY slowly and then rewrite over and over again. I am never completely happy. This writing gig is a new thing for me — having published my first novel over (gulp) the age of 50. I hope to keep improving and growing as a writer.
Bridgette: I once wrote about writing that I hate everything I write and I'm certain that I'm embarrassing myself. It's only deadlines that make me turn something over and have an end to re-writing. It's only much later that I look back and say, "Hey, that wasn't so bad." Do you get to that point? Where you stop being dissatisfied with what you've written and come to like it?
(And 50 is young! Just think how much more wisdom and sense of humor you have now compared to when you were, say, 25.)
Jane May: I will never stop being self-critical about my writing. I once heard the mark of good writer is just that...but of course, I take that to the next level of neurosis. As for Hooked — although to me there is still room for improvement — I am nonetheless very proud of it. And it is — like my daughter said — a bit of a love letter to my son. (the next book is dedicated to her — in a Woody Allen moment she raged on because I had not dedicated a book to her yet)
As for writing in my 50s, at least now — in contrast to my 20s — I have a little more intelligence than that of a single-celled organism.
I am always open for suggestions. One reviewer gave me grief because she thought that Woody would have Googled Raymond Prince. Interesting point, but oh well. My bad. I sort of think Woody didn't want to own up to the reality of his fishy encounter.
Bridgette: Woody didn't seem to me much of a computer user.
Jane May: He wasn't at all.
Bridgette: How did you celebrate the publication of Hooked? Was it as exciting as the publication of Doggy Style?
Jane May: Oh man — it was awesome (check the video clip). It was at McNally Robinson here in NY. My son flew in from Paris for the launch and played banjo while I read the section from the book when Woody first meets Raymond. He also played in his former bluegrass band. In honor of Madalina, mojitos were served and goldfish crackers. About 75-80 people showed — what a memorable terrific event.
Contrast to Doggy Style — held on October 11th the previous year when a small plane slammed into an apartment building several blocks from me! They had First Avenue blocked off so I was worried I couldn't get to the bookstore in mid-town.
And I couldn't subway it downtown because the skies opened up and we had a northeaster and I had my 88 yr old mom with me.
We finally got a ride with these guys who were providing cheese platters...but they were Egyptian and my mom was reticent about driving in a van with them. Don't ask!
Bridgette: Ow! That launch sounds frightening. You must have been pretty shaken up by the time you got to the bookstore.
Jane May: You have NO idea. I was freaked out. I thought it was 9/11 all over again.
Bridgette: Both sound pretty memorable — though not in the same way.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me.
