My new novel, THE BEST LAID PLANS, is about the escapades of a middle-aged mom, who, when her husband loses his job, opens an escort service with over-forty working girls. I knew most people would realize that its one of those crazy, over-the-top Lucy-and-Ethel schemes. (Grounded by lovable characters who have real and substantive relationships). But I also knew Id have some questions to answer from women thinking running an escort service was not such a great idea. And who better to ask those probing questions than myself?
Q: The heroines of most chick-lit novels open a catering business or magically become television stars overnight. Why did you have your heroine and her best friend open an escort agency?
A: Well, Id already made the heroine of my second novel (Mine Are Spectacular!, written with Janice Kaplan), an overnight TV star. And I cant cook. I sometimes mess up the microwave instructions--so opening a catering business wasnt an option. Also, it was around the time of the Eliot Spitzer scandal and I was fascinated by the idea that the people who ran the agency that he went to were an accountant and a nutritionist who needed money--just regular folks, like my heroine, Tru Newman, and her best friend, Sienna.
Q: Do you think its realistic to imagine that women over forty would get paid to sleep with men in their twenties and thirties?
A: Yes! Thats my whole answer, Yes! What isnt realistic is Hugh Hefner marrying a 24-year-old.Q: As the mother of a teenager, how do you feel about your Tru opening an escort business? A: The reason Tru gets out of the business is that she thinks about her twin teenage daughters. (Well that, and the D.A. is on her trail.) But as much as shes able to rationalize her choice--that throughout history, women like Coco Chanel and Sarah Bernhardt have traded sex for money--she doesnt want her girls to go out on dates for money. I want them to think that life is like a Certs commercial, she says, referring to the old TV ad. Every time they go out on a date I want them to think that love might be just around the corner.Q: If you could go back and do it again, would you consider supporting yourself by having a Sugar Daddy or working for an exclusive escort agency like the one Tru runs?A: A good friend once asked: Did you ever think about all of the men who could have helped you but who you didnt sleep with because you didnt want to trade sex for power? And then did you think about all of the guys who couldnt be helpful but who you slept with anyway--and then THEY turned out to be jerks? Sidestepping the question of whether I have enough exes to form a reasonable opinion, Id have to say the Sugar Daddy solution isnt for me. Im the woman who divorced a French millionaire and didnt take alimony. (Okay, so that was a mistake.) But I think you have to know that you can make your own way in the world and to feel like an equal partner in a relationship.And by the way, lets remember that Tru and Sienna arent escorts themselves--they run the agency. And Im certainly glad they opened the business--it was so much fun to write about! About the author: When she isnt asking herself questions Lynn Schnurnberger writes for many magazines.
