Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, loving single mom, and co-founder of her startup. Once she marries her perfect fiancé, she’ll secure that ‘normal’ life she craves. But she’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married—to Ryn, her company’s biggest investor.
In an industry full of not-so-subtle sexism, can the two women rise above, and work together to overcome heartbreak and ensure their success?
Wild
Women Authors is
pleased to
introduce author Lainey Cameron and her character Ryn Brennan.
Lainey’s debut novel, The
Exit Strategy, a
recent release out of the Wild Rose Press, takes place in Silicon
Valley and is a tale of betrayal, sexism, and the power of female
friendship.
Can
you tell us a bit about yourself, Ryn? I’m
married, I live in Tiburon, just north of San Francisco, and I’m a
Silicon Valley venture capitalist, meaning I invest in startup
companies for a living. Normally I’m razor sharp, but right now, in
the opening pages, I’m in the office and cannot focus. Yesterday I
found out after ten years, that my husband is cheating on me, and I
haven’t even confronted him. I don’t yet know if my marriage is
over.
What
made you choose venture capital for a profession? I’ve
always been great with numbers. After I left Montana and earned my
finance degree, I wanted to be part of where the real power brokers
of the future reside: Silicon Valley. Unfortunately, I’ve
discovered the climate is a lot more sexist than I expected, and
although I worked my ass off to get this far, it’s taken me twice
as long to achieve the senior level than if I were a man.
Knowing
what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick
with being a venture capitalist or do something different? I’d
stick with it, because although it’s been tough, this week I’m
about to close the deal that will make my career and catapult me into
senior partnership. I’m expecting to become one of the top VCs in
the Valley and prove to everyone how a woman can be just as valuable
as any member of the “old boy’s club”.
What
is your biggest fear? I’ve
bet my career on this one deal, so I can’t afford to blow it. I had
no idea, before I entered the room to sign the papers, that I’d be
facing my husband Todd’s mistress, Carly Santos, across the
negotiating table. How the heck are we supposed to work together? But
neither of us can just walk away when our success now depends on each
other.
Who
is your favorite fictional character and why? I’m
rather partial to Elle Woods in Legally
Blonde, because
somehow she acts feminine, says what she thinks, and is still taken
seriously and wins by the end. I cannot imagine that in my world.
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? My
first venture boss advised me “never volunteer to make coffee”
and “be sure not to
let your personal and professional lives overlap”. I’ve
always believed in that last advice about keeping my personal life
separate, but I cannot imagine how I will follow it now, when I’ve
invested in Carly’s company while she’s sleeping with my husband.
Ryn,
it's been a real pleasure to meet you and speak with you. It comes as
a huge relief to know there are characters like you—hopefully in
real life—out there You give us old dames who grew up in the 60's
hope for our daughters and grand-daughters. Now we'd like to chat
with Lainey.
What
shows or books have had an impact on your career as a writer? I
have to credit Terry Pratchett (now deceased) for making me an avid
reader and bookworm in my childhood. I remember being absorbed into
his fictional worlds including tearing through the entire Discworld
series. A part of me may still secretly believe our world is riding
through space on the back of a giant turtle.
Television
wise, I’m a big fan of Shonda Rhimes storytelling. I admire her
skills with the tension and drama she creates in a series like Grey’s
Anatomy
or Scandal.
She makes us care deeply about imperfect characters.
Relative
to my debut novel, The
Husband’s Secret
by Liane Moriarty was the book that first inspired me to think
“Maybe I, too, could write that type of story?”
With
regard to research, where did you start for this novel? Did that lead
you down different paths, thereby changing the original concept? I
started with an image of one scene: a wife picking up the phone and
calling her husband’s mistress. From there, I asked myself: what if
their interaction didn’t end with that phone call, but they had to
work together? The stereotypes would say these two women would become
their own worst enemies, fighting over the guy who dumped them into
the situation. But I don’t believe in those stereotypes.
The
question I wanted to pose is what would it take for us as women, when
plunged into that dilemma, to rise above it and still work
collaboratively?
Tell
us a bit about your publisher. How did you hear about them; what
influenced you to submit to them; how is the submission process; what
is the turn-around time from date of query to date of release? After
deciding to look for a smaller independent publisher, I applied to
six houses who had an excellent reputation for working with women’s
fiction authors, and I received several offers. I talked to writers
at each publisher and selected The Wild Rose Press, because their
authors were consistent in sharing how easy they were to work with.
From when I first applied to when I received a contract took three
and a half months, followed by several months of editing.
Prior
to deciding on the small publisher path, I heard a lot of agents tell
me there was no market for women’s fiction set in the workplace.
Based on the early reviews which are calling this book a
‘unputdownable’ ‘a page-turner’ and ‘uplifting’, I’m
glad I decided not to listen and to find another option to get this
book into readers’ hands. So far, I’ve been thrilled with my
collaboration with The Wild Rose Press, including both editing and
marketing.
What
are you reading right now? This
year I’ve focused on reading the best of the 2020 debut novels, in
part because I’m hosting an Instagram TV show called The
Best of Women’s Fiction,
where I interview authors of new books I’m excited about.
I
read and loved You and
Me and Us by Alison
Hammer, The Secret
French Recipes of Sophie Valroux
by Samantha
Verant,
and Secret Lives of
Mothers and Daughters
by Anita Kushwaha. I’m also trying to extend my reading into other
cultures and backgrounds and just finished Daughters
of Smoke and Fire by
Ava Homa, first Kurdish female novelist writing in English and I’m
excited to read The
Mountains Sing by
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, set in Vietnam. Currently, I’m deeply
absorbed in The
Talking Drum by Lisa
Braxton, which has such a skillfully written narrative.
What's
next for you? I’m
working on the first draft of a new project which draws inspiration
from my life as a digital nomad since becoming a writer, picking
locations to live and work for six months at a time.
Along
with that, I’ve been working on various marketing activities for
The Exit Strategy
and I’m excited by the chance to talk with readers and book clubs.
Please contact me if you’d like to invite me to yours!
To
learn more about Lainey Cameron, go to:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lainey_cameron
Website:
https://www.laineycameron.com
Resources
for book clubs: http://laineycameron.com/the-exit-strategy/bookclubs
To
purchase The Exit Strategy, go to:
Bookshop.org
(profits go to indie booksellers)
Indiebound
(order through local bookstore)
This sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteI agree that The Wild Rose Press is wonderful to work with. I've been with them for over ten years! Best on your book. It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteWow, this setup makes for an interesting conflict!
ReplyDelete