We chat with author Juliet Izon about The Encore, which is a captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.
Hi, Juliet! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a New York City and Hudson Valley-based author, journalist, and playwright, so … a writer, to say it broadly. When I’m not hunched over a computer, however, I’m often out exploring both for work and for fun, whether that’s checking out a new restaurant, seeing a Broadway show, or traveling around the globe to report on a hotel opening. I live with my husband Mike, daughter Avvie, and two fluffy Ragdoll cats named Waffles and Biscuit.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Recently, my mom gave me a copy of a “scary story” that I wrote while in preschool, so I think the answer is even before I can remember. But I knew pretty much from high school onward that I wanted to pursue journalism as a career path; and I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to make a living doing so. The pivot to creative writing is a newer one for me, but I guess also a return to form, considering my early years.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Fun with Dick and Jane; it was my mother’s copy.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Any of The Babysitters Club series
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Heart the Lover by Lily King
Your debut novel, The Encore, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Music, love, family, passion, and forgiveness
What can readers expect?
A sweeping story of an indie rocker, classical composer, and piano prodigy, and how their stories achingly interweave over the course of decades. There’s plenty of lost love, family secrets, second chances, and characters who (hopefully) you’ll be thinking about a long time after you finish reading.
Where did the inspiration for The Encore come from?
While I’ve never been a great musician myself, I have always loved music, and thought it would be thrilling to set a story within the industry, whether that was at a conservatory or on a rock tour. And as a former entertainment reporter, fame and all its attendant perks and drawbacks also felt like ripe territory for exploring in a novel. Anna Buckley, a gifted yet complicated indie rock star, emerged as I was thinking about what might it mean to want to perform so desperately that you’d sacrifice nearly anything to get there. I kept pulling at that thread and eventually I found the characters of Will and Lottie, and the story that brings them all together.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but Anna, who is a brilliant musician but often blinkered when it comes to examining her life off the stage, was so much fun to explore as a character. Because she’s so reserved at the start of the story, it was a fun puzzle to decide how to reveal her emotions and her past.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
While I was very used to writing as a daily practice as a journalist, creative writing is an entirely different beast. For context, The Encore started simply as a collection of scenes that I was playing around with after hours, just for fun. I had no real aspirations towards turning them into a novel. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to keep exploring these characters and their story, and eventually, I realized I was writing a book, whether I wanted to or not. The problem was that I had no idea how best to do that—I literally looked up word counts for novels to make sure I was somewhere in the ballpark.
Luckily, as a journalist, I had a handful of friends who had also written novels and their advice became invaluable. Their main directive? Just to keep going until I was done. And then they held my hand while I wrote query letters to agents, kept me distracted while I was on submission to publishers, and then got to celebrate with me when I landed a deal.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
My path, I now know, was a little unusual, in that I wrote my book, found an agent, and sold it to a publisher all within the span of a year. But keep in mind that I’ve been a working journalist for over a decade and I write articles nearly every day: I think being in the practice of daily writing made the hurdle of finishing that initial draft less daunting. Moreover, writing creatively, and without all the strictures placed on you when you pen an article, was fun. People often ask me how I had time to write a whole book while full-time freelancing and parenting, and I respond that I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t enjoying myself!
But, as we know, getting a deal is only the beginning of the publishing journey. From there you go through copious rounds of edits, and then comes many meetings on how best to publicize and market the book. They’re not kidding when they say it’s a marathon, not a sprint. But I’m lucky to have found such a wonderful home with my imprint, Union Square & Co. at Hachette, and with agents, editors, publicists, marketers, and a sales team that have been such champions of my novel. It’s really mind boggling how many people touched this project from start to finish, and I’m very grateful.
What’s next for you?
Apart from my normal load of articles, I’m currently editing a second book set in the contemporary art world that I’m very excited about. So fingers crossed it finds a home!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I am lucky to be in possession of Maggie O’Farrell’s latest novel, Land, which comes out in June. As soon as I get over launch week (month?) madness, cracking that open will be an amazing reward (although I’m sure it’ll also make me cry).
