10 Things I'd like my readers to know about me by Jane Rosen

17 November 2016

I am the mother of three smart, beautiful feminist daughters.

There is nothing that I am prouder of than my three girls. They are 23, 20 and 18 years old and they are filled with passion, energy and beauty. Two are in University: a Junior at Hamilton College and a Freshman at Barnard College. And the oldest graduated from Wesleyan University a year and a half ago. Obviously, I strongly believe in a liberal arts education, though sometimes the results can be quite hard to live with!

Jane Rosen

I spent my Junior year abroad in London.

I studied at The University of London and lived in Bayswater with three of my best friends. I quickly fell in love with the city. I danced the nights away at The Hippodrome, saw a dozen shows in the West End, ate more than a few dozen Digestive biscuits and once even came within 10 feet of the Queen! My dearest friends live in St. John's Wood and it is still one of my favorite cities to visit.

I worked in the Garment Center in NYC for my first five years out of college.

After graduation I began my first career in design and sales for a ladies coat manufacturer. I traveled to Paris and London for design inspiration and across the United States for sales. I also learned a great deal about patternmaking and manufacturing which came in very handy when writing The Dress.

My family and I have a healthy (some may disagree) obsession with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

My husband has been a fan all his life and converted the rest of us. We have collectively seen hundreds of shows and were even written up in the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/nyregion/celebrating-passover-and-bruce-springsteen-too-at-madison-square-garden.html

My name, Jane or Janie, is mentioned in at least 5 songs and every time I hear one live I am convinced he is singing to me.

Speaking of Rock & Roll, My oldest daughter fronts a rock band called The Coven of Mima Good.

Their music is described as blues, grungy, rock & roll, witchy, feminist performance. If that's your thing check them out at http://mimagood.com

I have just taken up running and I pretty much hate it.

Last year my husband, a relatively new runner, ran the New York Marathon. Ever since he has been pushing me to run with him. I want very badly to be that fit person but I find exercise to be a grueling bore. Still, I am trying and hope to be able to run a 5k and enjoy it soon.

I was a screenwriter before I became a novelist.

In 2001 I wrote my first script, Confessions of a Dogwalker and sold it to Miramax. It was never produced but in true Hollywood fashion, it was re-written about 30 times. The last version was called Across the Pond in recognition of the two main characters' New York/London romance. I much prefer the editing process for a novel to that of a screenplay.

I spend the summers on Fire Island.

For as much of June, July and August as possible I live on a narrow, carless barrier Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay. We travel to and fro by ferryboat and once there pull our belongings to and fro in wooden wagons and get around by bicycle. It is a place like no other and my favorite place to write.

I love poetry.

Since I was a young girl I have loved reading and re-reading poetry and have committed many poems to memory. Maya Angelou, Lewis Carroll, Langston Hughes, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are amongst my favorites.

Every name in Chapter One of The Dress is a name of one of my relatives.

Chapter One is loosely based on the story of a favorite great aunt and uncle of mine and I used my real ancestors and family names for all of its characters. When I was very young we would often visit my mother's aunts and uncles and I am so grateful to have gotten to know that generation as well as I did.