The Debutante Ball Welcomes Allison Winn Scotch!

Today we are thrilled to welcome author Allison Winn Scotch to the Ball! Allison is the bestselling author of Time of My Life. A former freelance magazine writer, she has written for Glamour, Parents, and Men’s Health, and has a robust online presence with more than 15,000 Twitter followers. She lives in New York City and is currently at work on several screenplay projects, as well as her next book.

Her fourth book, THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, was just released in paperback.

Allison was kind enough to stop by and answer a few of our questions here at The Debutante Ball, so read on to learn about what exciting projects she has in the works!

Where do you love to be?

Paris. It’s my favorite city in the world, and if I ever had the opportunity to live there, I would in a heartbeat. My husband and I took our kids there last summer, and he remarked that he’d never seen me happier. I can’t explain it: there is just something about the beauty and the architecture and the history and the pulse of the city…it amps me up and makes me feel, I don’t know, lucky to be alive? I wish there were a less cliché way of explaining it, but that’s pretty much it.

What’s your next big thing? 

I have a few things in the works that are taking forevvvvvvvver to announce. Sigh. A writer always forgets how much of her job is a waiting game, but I got that reminder this year. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this, there are certain cyclical elements in this job, and waiting, waiting, waiting is one of them. A few of these projects are movies/screenplays. Last year, I really hit a wall with books and felt like I needed to try something new. I guess that’s the gemini in me, but I tend to get bored doing the same thing over and over again. I was fortunate enough to have some opportunities in the film world, and I took some time away from books to learn how to write a good screenplay, which is a very, very different endeavor than writing a novel. So I have a few screenplay projects out in the world right now that I’m hoping to have more news on soon. I also have a few book things brewing that will also hopefully boil overin January. So basically, after some quiet time in late 2012, I may have a very busy early 2013. Or…I may still be waiting. In this career, you never know! : )

What is the best perk of your job?

Easy: working in my yoga pants from the comfort of my own home! Also, making my own hours, though I actually keep a pretty standard schedule. But still. If I felt like working all night and taking the next day off, I could! But honestly, the whole “getting dressed in my gym clothes” pretty much seals the deal for me. I mean, I could never have a “real” job if only for the wardrobe requirements. If it’s not at least part-spandex (preferably Luon), I’m out.

Have you ever met someone you idolized? What was it like?

I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone I’ve “idolized,” but in addition to novels, I do celebrity interviews, so I’ve certainly met a lot of people whose work I admired and who I maybe, secretly thought could be my best friend. : ) What is it like? Honestly, it’s usually pretty normal, which I know is a let-down of an answer for this question. My nerves are almost always contingent on how much I like them/am a crazed fan, and thus, the initial few moments of the interview range from me thinking I’m going to throw up to me not really caring too much and just wanting to do a good job on the piece. But once things settle down, you realize pretty quickly that they are there to do their own work, and it goes pretty smoothly. Sometimes, they are above and beyond what you hope for, and you’ll always remember them as amazingly awesome/living up to your expectations and sometimes, they give you only exactly what you are asking, and you’ll remember them as pros who aren’t particularly warm, but pros all the same. Sometimes, yes, they’re less than pleasant, but then again, idols or not, sometimes people everywhere are less than pleasant, so it’s to be expected that you’ll get a few bad apples. Basically, what I guess I’m trying to say is that, Stars, They’re Just Like Us! (Only more famous.)

Has anyone ever thought a character you wrote was based on them?

No one has ever flat-out told me so, but yes, I am quite certain that I have an ex-boyfriend (probably two, actually, if I’m naming names) who think that Time Of My Life, in which the character has big regrets about her old boyfriend is about him. It reminds me of the Stevie Nicks’ song: You’re So Vain. I bet you think this book is about you, don’t you, don’t you? Well…it’s not. But I sort of giggle when I think of it. What else are you going to do? That’s a hitch of being a novelist: people look for themselves in your work, even if they weren’t important enough to register a storyline, much less a book. : )

Thank you so much, Allison! Allison has offered to give away a free copy of THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME to one of our lucky readers (US only). In the comments, tell us about your favorite city for a chance to win!