Writers Who Read: Lian Dolan

The Writers Who Read series continues this week with Lian Dolan. Welcome, Lian!

Who are you?
I’m Lian Dolan, a writer and broadcaster. My writing career includes regular columns in O, the Oprah Magazine and Working Mother, two collections of essays, a TV pilot and two women’s fiction titles that are contemporary romantic comedies with a bit of history, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife. My broadcast career includes creating and hosting Satellite Sisters, a long-running radio show and podcast I do with my four real sisters.

Which book or series was your gateway into the world of reading?
I’ve been a reader all my life and loved everything from Winnie-the-Pooh to The Boxcar Children to all the Little House books (over and over again.) But I’d have to point to Judy Blume as the writer who made me think about my own life in a different way. She wrote brave, honest books, the kind I read under the cover for years.

Nowadays, what makes you crack open a book instead of pressing play on your favorite Netflix show?
It’s usually work! Over the past dozen years, I’ve interviewed lots of writers on air about their work, so jamming through books for work is part of my process. It’s a privilege to get to talk to authors I admire about their writing and I read the whole book beforehand not just the press kits. When I’m writing fiction, like now, I read a lot of books in my genre to ‘get me in the mood’ to write.

Which authors are auto-buys for you? Why?
Nick Hornby is an automatic for me because his work is funny and deep, a combination I love, and I think I might gain some insight into the men in my life! Anna Quindlen nails women’s lives and I admire her career because she’s worked across genres. Joanna Trollope and Diane Johnson are wonderful storytellers whose characters have full ordinary lives. And Elin Hilderbrand because she manages to write really sexy scenes in books set in Nantucket, the most proper place in America!

What is your book kryptonite–those unique settings, tropes, or character types that make you unable to resist reading?
I am sucker for any sort of historical mystery—a found manuscript, a discovered diary, a painting that materializes in the attic. I love books that can balance a few academic details with great narrative.

What is your ideal time and place to read?
I read a ton on vacation or business travel. That’s when I read for me and not for work. I use vacation time to skip the news, the web and Netflix and just read, read, read. If you’re wondering who buys all those books in airports, it’s me.

Are you a re-reader? Why or why not?
I don’t re-read a lot. It’s something I aspire to do when I have more time, like retirement. I always feel like there are so many books I haven’t gotten to for the first time, let alone a re-reading. But I will say in recent years, one of the fun parts of having older kids is re- reading some of the classics so we can talk about them as they make their way through high school and college: The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities, the short stories of Flannery O’Connor or Ray Carver, The Moviegoer. Love having the chance to re-discover these books with my sons.

Which books have had the biggest influence on your writing? 
One sub-genre I really love is books by comedy writers. I know, weird, right? But most of my work falls into the humor category and I have a real appreciation for writers that are super funny on a regular basis. Neil Simon’s memoir Rewrites really changed my writing process. It’s so illuminating about the importance of writing and rewriting and then rewriting again. Comedy is hard work, but so is any really good writing. Recent memoirs by Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling and Amy Poehler are all hilarious, of course, but also filled with lessons about craft and perseverance.

What makes a book a satisfying read for you?
Humor, heart, insight are all good. But I do like my fiction to have a pretty substantial plot, not just be a character study. I’ve read a bunch of well-reviewed books lately where nothing happens. For me to really remember a book, stuff needs to happen and I need to be taken away on a journey.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild, one of those books with an art history mystery built in and it was very entertaining. I also ate up The Arrangement by Ashley Warlick, a novelized look at the life of the amazing American food writer, MFK Fisher. Up next is The Past by Tess Hadley. And, for late night reading when my husband’s asleep, I’m tearing through Sarah McLean’s entire library!

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Lian Dolan is a writer and broadcaster. Her broadcast career includes creating and hosting the nationally syndicated radio show, now podcast called Satellite Sisters, winner of thirteen Gracie Allen Awards for Excellence in Women’s Media. With Satellite Sisters, Lian has toured with Oprah Winfrey, been featured on The Today Show and CBS Sunday Morning and interviewed guests from Nora Ephron to Bill Clinton to Big Bird. She is the author of two best-selling comedic novels, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife (Prospect Park Books) Helen of Pasadena was a nominee for Best First Fiction by the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association. Both have been developed for TV. Her latest book of essays written with her sisters is called You’re the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, a popular book club pick. In addition, she has written extensively for a variety of media, including a television pilot for Nick at Night and monthly columns for O, the Oprah Magazine and Working Mother Magazine and now Pasadena Magazine. Lian graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Classics. She is married and lives in Pasadena, California with her husband and two sons.

You can find out more about Lian on her website, Twitter, or Facebook, and check out her writing on Amazon.