Jacqueline Friedland
Jacqueline Friedland is the author of the award-winning novels Trouble the Water and That’s Not a Thing. Her newest release, He Gets That From Me, comes out September 14. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from NYU Law School. She practiced as an attorney in New York for a hot second before transitioning to writing full time. She lives in New York with her husband, four children, and two very bossy dogs.
Twitter: @JBFriedland
Instagram: @JackieFriedland
Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?
My favorite food has always been cheese. The type of cheese that I favor may vary, but the overall category is a constant winner for me. Always. Right now, I’m really into Manchego, but I can feel myself sliding back toward a Humboldt Fog phase too. And yes, food is all over my writing. In both That’s Not a Thing and He Gets That From Me, I feature characters who are professional chefs. I think I’m mildly obsessed with food, and I love to use food as a shorthand for personality traits. For example, the person who eats organic champagne grapes and vegan lettuce wraps will be a very different character than the woman whose go-to snack is Fritos. When you see the characters and how they approach their food, and their meals—where they want to eat and with whom, it tells readers so much about the person.
Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?
Every time I walk into a bookstore or a library, I want to know what’s inside of every single book on the shelves. Truly, if I could, I would read them all. I used to force myself to finish every book I started, even if I wasn’t enjoying myself, just because of that drive to know what is inside that book. One of my favorite quotes has always been, “Bookmarks are for quitters.” However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve begun to realize that life is short, and I have to accept that I can’t read all the books. I tend to make snap judgments about the books I pick up now. For me, enjoyment is all about the author’s writing style, and I can generally get a feel for the writing pretty quickly. If I’m not excited about an author’s style by the end of about page 5, I will put down the book. If I make it farther than that though, then I usually stick it out.
Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?
Neither! I like the in-between. Small towns are where it’s at. I hate the crowds and pollution in cities. I also don’t find them very pretty (usually). But as beautiful as rural locations can be, they tend to bore me if they are too remote. I’m not super outdoorsy, and there’s not enough I want to do! But take me to a small town (think Great Barrington, Massachusetts), and I’m in heaven. It’s cute, there are fun restaurants and shops, movies, live music in parks, ice cream shops and so many other wonderful signs of life!
Is there another profession you would like to try?
I’ve always thought I would have made a good psychologist. I listen well to other people, and I’m not particularly bossy. I like to help people figure out their own wants and desires while still thinking about the feelings and needs of the other players in their particular situation. Part of why I enjoy writing so much is because I am fascinated by people, and I love getting deep into their heads and finding their motivation. Psychology has always struck me as a similar pursuit, except with real people, instead of figments of my imagination.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
I absolutely love to run. If I could run every day, I would. Unfortunately, the older I get, the more my body rebels against me. Not even my whole body, really just my feet. Now, I can only run once or twice a week if I want to be able to walk without pain after I finish. But in a perfect world, I pop my headphones on and run for an hour, and it’s bliss. It clears my head and leaves me ready to get back to work!
