Glynis Astie Bio
Glynis grew up as the youngest of three children in Rockland County, New York. Her mother remarried when she was six and she gained not only an amazing father, but three wonderful sisters. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University and worked in Social Service for two years before transitioning to Human Resources. After thirteen years in Human Resources, she decided to make good on her promise to write a book. Rather than detailing the years of bizarre employee relations issues she had encountered (as this may land her in more than a bit of trouble), she elected to write the story of how she met and married her husband, Sebastien, in six short months.
It is true that the story had always been a crowd pleaser. What woman wouldn’t want to be swept off of her feet by a handsome young Frenchman? Glynis decided that it was time that a dose of reality were included to complete the picture. While she felt lucky to have met the love of her life, it was certainly not the image of perfection imagined by many. The end result, French Twist, is humorous, sweet and undeniably real. And because this novel chronicles merely the beginning of an epic love story, Glynis has just released the sequel, French Toast, and is working on the final installment in the series, French Fry.
Unfortunately, Glynis’ parents, who were so lovingly memorialized in French Twist did not live to see its production. She imagines them holed up in a coffee shop in another realm arguing about who was misrepresented more. She is sure that her father has made a list of edits…
Glynis currently lives in Westchester, New York with her incredibly romantic husband and two angelic sons. When she is not writing she is usually rushing to the gym, wracking her brain to remember third grade math to help her son with his homework, rescuing toys from certain destruction down the toilet and keeping atenuous hold on her sanity by consuming whatever chocolate is in the vicinity.
Where to Find Glynis Online:
Did you always want to be a writer?
That would be an emphatic NO! I hated writing above all else. I am still surprised that this happened. I spent thirteen years working in the Human Resources field and had no choice but to write a myriad of documents. Somehow along the way, I became good at it! Who knew that I had a book in me?
Where do you get the ideas for your books?
My first book, French Twist, is based on how I met and married my husband in six short months. I cannot tell you how many times over the years we have been asked how we met and have been told that our story would make a great movie. I decided to turn it into a book instead!
Since there was still so much more to the story, I decided to write a trilogy. French Toast picks up right where French Twist leaves off. While French Twist shows the whirlwind romance of Sydney and Louis, French Toast shows the reality of marriage to someone that you barely know. The third and final book in the trilogy, French Fry, will cover another difficult period in our lives, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you. Rest assured that no matter how difficult things were, hilarity always ensued. French Fry will definitely make you laugh.
How much of the French Twist series is actually true?
Quite a lot! Characters had to be condensed and a few minor details were changed to allow for the flow of the story, but the core plotline is absolutely true. If you visit my website at www.glynisastie.com, I will reveal a new detail as true or false each week. Feel free to email me at glynis@glynisastie.com to make a request.
OK, so if the character of Sydney Bennett is based on you, are you really that crazy?
Yes, I most certainly am. And the funniest thing about this point is that after my husband read the draft of French Twist, he turned to me and said, “Wow, you made yourself really crazy. You don’t really think like that, do you?” I had a really good chuckle after that. Obviously I hide it well, because we have been married for over twelve years and he has no idea the depth of my neurosis. At least this minor instability gives me good material for my books!
What will you write about after you finish the French Twist series?
That is an excellent question. Do you have any ideas?
What’s it like to be a self-published author?
It is has both its good and bad points. Being a self-published author allowed me to put my book out when and how I wanted to, but it meant that I had to do all of the work myself. I did not have the benefit of an agent or a professional editor, but I think that I have done pretty well with the help of my amazing family. It has been a team effort: we have all worn a lot of hats, done a lot of research and thankfully had a lot of fun along the way. I have also been lucky enough to find myself connected to an incredibly supportive group of authors who have given me invaluable advice as a stumble through my early career as an author.
Who are your favorite writers?
I have so many! When I was a child, I read every Agatha Christie novel that I could get my hands on. I love a good mystery/thriller! I have read a lot of Mary Higgins Clark, Stieg Larsson and Gillian Flynn. I also have a huge penchant for Young Adult books. I have devoured Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games series, Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, Marie Lu’s Legend series and Kiera Cass’ Selection series and I will read anything by John Green. But my true love is Chick Lit. My favorite authors are Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner. Ooh and I absolutely adore Jen Lancaster. She is hilarious!
Interview with A Girl and Her Kindle
When did you begin writing? Less than two years ago! I had spent the majority of my life pursuing a career in Human Resources and became a stay-at-home mom following the birth of my second son. Once we made it through his tumultuous first year, I felt like I needed a project for myself; I needed some sort of intellectual stimulation. After a very strange dream in which I wrote a book, I began writing in the fall of 2012. Three months later, I had written a romantic comedy chronicling how I met and married my husband in the span of six months. No one was more surprised by that turn of events than I was!
What genres do you write? I am currently a very happy writer of Chick Lit, but I am thinking of branching out into Young Adult for my next book. I have often thought about writing a book about a teenage girl with scholiosis, since I spent ten long years of my childhood in a back brace. It is a rather daunting task, since Judy Blume already penned such a great account in Deenie, but I would like to give it a try.
Who do you imagine you're telling a story to as you write? Is it sad to say myself? My biggest focus is on comedy and if I find myself laughing as I am writing a scene, then I know that I have been successful. So far, my instincts have been spot on, since all of the scenes that I have cackled my way through have been big hits with my readers.
What's your latest book about? I am hard at work on the third and final installment in the French Twist series, French Fry. Now that Sydney has met and married (three times!) the man of her dreams, I have the difficult task of tackling the next phase of her life. What happens after the dream weddings are over?
Which authors inspire you? There are so many! I am not just a writer of Chick Lit, I am a huge fan of it! I LOVE Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Jane Green, Jennifer Weiner and Jen Lancaster. Each author has given us so many stories rich with humor and intimacy, adding elements of their unique styles to keep us coming back for more. I can only hope to aspire to their degree of success one day. I am also extremely lucky to have a very large community of talented Chick Lit & Women’s Fiction writers who inspire me on a daily basis. I have been thrilled to learn from them through Facebook, Twitter and a variety of blogs. Social media is an invaluable tool!
What's your favorite book? I can’t pick just one! I LOVE the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery and anything by Agatha Christie. Oooh! And the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ordinary People by Judith Guest and the entire Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I could go on…
Why did you choose independent publishing? After I wrote French Twist, I wasn’t sure that I would write another book. I was amazed that I had written a book at all and I just wanted the freedom to put it out there exactly as I wanted it to be. Since that time, I have decided to keep publishing and though there is certainly a bit more work involved when you self-publish, I like the independence and flexibility that I have. It has been a very interesting road thus far. I definitely plan to stay for a while.
What one piece of advice would you offer other indie authors? Never give up. Being an author in general is hard, but being an indie author comes with a whole other set of challenges. Be prepared to toil tirelessly on your books, blog posts, various social media outlets and developing relationships with a myriad of people. Know that it will take TIME and a lot of dedication to build a following. But the good news is that there are a ton of resources and many amazing people out there to help you. You just have to know where to look for them. And you can start with me!
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