The fast-paced and intense novel, Piece of My Heart, follows young Marisol Reyes as she strives to make her dream of becoming a famous singer a reality. (For the full review of the book, click here.)
This book was such a page turner that I just had to get an interview with the mastermind behind the words. Please welcome Ms. Lynn Maddalena Menna as she goes into details about Piece of My Heart and shares some things about herself too.
Q: Is the setting/plot for Piece of My Heart fully fictional?
Marisol, and all of the characters in POMH, are fully fictional and not based on any situations that occurred in real life. It’s more of a what if scenario.
I taught in a large urban area and was always very impressed with the powerful voices of the students. One fourth-grader even won a “Little Miss J Lo” contest on the Today Show. To my knowledge, none of those talented students chose to really pursue a singing career, which is sad. I wanted to inspire teens to appreciate their gifts and go out and make their dreams come true.
As for the setting, I chose the East Harlem because I fell in love with the neighborhood while visiting a school there for my district. It was directly across from Rao’s, the famous Italian restaurant. The demographics of that neighborhood are very similar to the area where I taught. During the writing process, my husband and I made several visits to East Harlem to walk the streets and absorb the atmosphere.
Q: Which character would you say is your most favorite and why?
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I love Marisol. I know that some critics find her self-centered, but I see her actions as unbridled determination. Marisol knows that she must take charge of shaping her future. No one is offering to pay for college, in fact, she’s quite poor. The only thing Marisol has is a four-octave vocal range, and that is her ticket to success. It’s her responsibility to make it happen.
Q: Do you think that if Marisol’s father was still alive, she would still have the same bond she has with her step-mother?
Marisol and Lola would have bonded eventually. There was no animosity between them; it’s simply that their relationship was fairly new. Lola is a good soul who had no real legal obligation to care for Marisol after her father’s death, but she did. I’m glad Marisol appreciated that fact.
Q: I noticed that a lot of the chapters had titles that mirrored famous songs. Was this intentional or just my crazy hunch?
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No, you’re not crazy! All of the titles were named for songs originally, but when I worked with the late Deborah Brodie, she suggested that I take chapter titles directly from the words in the chapters, so some were changed.
Q: What was your favorite chapter/part of the book that you enjoyed writing and why?
I absolutely love the chapter where Marisol sings at Julian’s roof party. I’m so glad that Jackie Mitchard and the people at Merit Press decided to feature that on the cover. All of Marisol’s friends knew that she could sing from the years they spent together at school, but this is the first time they got to hear her perform as an artist. It’s the moment she comes into her own.
Q: Did you have any other scenarios in mind for the climax of the story?
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No, I knew that Marisol would get to perform her song in public, and that the deal with Diego would fall into place. Also, her relationship with Julian has its ups and downs, but they had to be together in the end. Now, whether or not they stay together is yet to be determined. I’m not writing a sequel, but my next novel centers around an indie-rock singer, Zoe Avril, who happens to be a freshman at NYU—the same school that Julian is attending. Tatianna, Cisco, and even Marisol make their way into the story. It gets juicy!
Q: Did you have any difficulty in writing Piece of My Heart? If yes, what were they?
I had difficulty writing some of the last scenes with Blend. I, of course, knew his true colors and it was tough to make him likable to Marisol. I so wanted to get her away from him. The scene in the hot tub was the toughest and I had to revisit it many times to make it work.
Q: When your novel becomes a movie, who would you choose to act out the characters: Marisol, Julian, Diego Salazar, Blend and Tatianna?
This is funny, but I began this book several years ago and had a picture of Marisol in my head. One day I was watching TV and a young singer/actress was promoting her movie. I immediately thought, That’s Marisol! It was Selena Gomez back when her hair was auburn. So, Selena would be absolutely perfect for the part.
As for the others, Justin Bieber looks a little like Julian. Diego has to be hot, sexy and Latino, like an Enrique Iglesias. Taye Diggs’ face was my inspiration for Blend’s face, so perhaps a young look-alike. For Tatianna, I’m thinking someone like Jordana Brewster or Victoria Justice.
Q:What would you say is one of the best ways to end a story?
I’m a sucker for happy endings, but I’d settle for allowing the protagonist to achieve her goal. I also like for all the loose ends to be tidied up. I hate to be left hanging, so I wouldn’t do that to my readers.
Q: What is your technique for overcoming writer’s block?
When I finish writing for the day, I like to set myself up for the next chapter, maybe even write a few sentences. But sometimes, stuck is stuck. What works for me is to completely remove myself from the situation. I’ve gone to the beach, museum (I’m at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at least once a month.), shopping, or for a long walk listening to music on my iPod. If you let it go, an idea will pop into your head when you least expect it.
Q: How do you handle criticism against your novel?
All art is subjective, so not everyone will love what you write. You can’t take it personally. What I do appreciate is informative or specific criticism. That forces me to look back on my writing objectively and strive for improvement.
Q: What genre is your favorite to read/write about?
I’ve always loved historical fiction; especially anything set it the Renaissance or the eighteenth century. I also choose books based on setting. I have a stack of books set in beach locales ready to take on my summer vacation. I also enjoy contemporary international intrigue like Nelson DeMille. I’m a big fan of YA fiction. I began reading it long before I ever thought of writing it.
Q: Who is your favorite musician/singer?
Rock music will always be my favorite. I still put the top down on the Vette and blast away. It’s getting to be a little embarrassing. Some favorites are: Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, and all of the 80’s hair bands. When I’m sitting out by my pool, the playlist includes, old Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. I also love strong female vocalists like Janis Joplin, Carly Simon, Carole King, Adele, and the girl from my hometown—Blondie.
Q: What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
Easiest question of the day: mornings watching the sunrise, summer months, and I love any day that my husband, Prospero, is home with me.
Q: What has been the hardest thing you’ve had to do?
I hate to be a downer, but there has only been one thing in my life that fills that spot. I had to give the okay to the hospital to not resuscitate my mother who had coded several times that night. Holding her hand and talking to her until she passed at dawn was absolutely gut-wrenching. My heart broke that night.
Q: If you could be any fictional character who would it be?
I love strong female characters, so it would be a toss-up between the contemporary Lucky Santangelo of the Jackie Collins’ novels, and Skye O’Malley the romance heroine created by Bertrice Small. Both characters live life on their own terms.
Q: What would you name the autobiography of your life?
“Late Bloomer”
Q: If you could meet any author (living or dead) who would it be?
Authors do make book tours and I try to get out and meet all of my favorites. I love to hear the stories they tell about what inspired them to write their novels. I’m also big on e-mailing authors. They always respond.
It would be interesting to meet F. Scott Fitzgerald because he and I like to hit the same hot spots—New York, Paris, the south of France. It would be interesting to compare notes. Something tells me only the clothes change.
Q: If you knew the world was ending in 2014 what would you do different?
Well, when we thought the world was ending on 12/21/12, I went to a lot of great parties. Other than that, I’d do nothing differently. I’ve loved every minute of my life–even the bad times were learning experiences—and now I’m as happy as I’ve ever been. Why mess with success?
Q: What has been one of the most bizarre questions you’ve ever been asked?
#19!
Once again, thank you so much for taking the time out to be apart of this interview! I absolutely loved Piece of My Heart and can’t wait for your future novels.
Lynn Maddalena Menna, a former teacher, saw the beauty, talent, and radiant hopes of so many students like her character Marisol, and was inspired by wondering where those hopes would go in ten years. A magazine journalist and essayist, she lives in New Jersey with her husband, Prospero. Piece of My Heart is her first novel.
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