An Interview with First Time Novelist
Lisa Selin Davis

Interviewed by Byron Merritt

Writing a good narrative novel is the goal of many writers (almost all of them come to think of it), and Lisa Selin Davis has pulled it off extremely well in her debut novel Belly . The novel takes a heartfelt look at a man just released from prison, and on the run from his past while trying to catch up with his now grown up daughters. It’s a bold encapsulation of a family with many flaws but struggling to find redemption within their own dynamic. If this can sound a bit “heavy”, it is ...and it isn’t. Ms. Davis pulls it off gracefully.

A professed creative writing instructor, Lisa Selin Davis shows us her powerful grasp of language and family in Belly. And although she now writes, she didn’t always. Her past includes working in film and TV for eight years, formerly as the prop master on Blue’s Clues. But now she’d like to be considered “an urban planning journalist.” She’s also a pretty funny lady. When I asked her to supply some vital statistics for this introduction to the interview, she said, “I’m 33, and looking for a rich husband, pronto, who wants to procreate.”

FWOMP: Who is Belly?

Lisa Selin Davis: I’m loathe to say that, “Belly is each of us who...” but, well, Belly is each of us who awake to discover the terror of self-deception. Oh, wait, that’s what one of my beloved blurbers said, the wonderful Lee Abbott. I think Belly is a man caught in the shame cycle — so deeply ashamed of his behavior, and so frightened of his own feelings, that he continually makes the same mistakes.

FWOMP: Belly is a great narrative novel which peeks at dysfunctional family dynamics. What made you settle on this particular issue?

LSD: What interested me most was the situation: former big fish has to come back as a guppie and swim around in the same small pond. I was also interested in how families repeat the same mistakes, or break patterns; Belly’s oldest daughter, Nora, has four children and favors one, just like her father. But the other daughters find ways to cope with him — mostly, they leave.

FWOMP: I felt that the subject matter was a bit dark. Would you consider yourself a "dark" person?

LSD: I think I have your standard self-deprecating New York Jew humor (is that a standard?), but I don’t think I’m dark in the way of the book’s subject matter. I share a lot of Belly’s ego struggles, his self-centered fears, but, no, I’m not a misanthrope.

FWOMP: I’m not sure if Belly grew as a character/individual by the end of the book. Did you battle within yourself over the ending of the novel?

LSD: I think he grew tremendously, at least for him. By the end of the book, he has a moment where he’s actually able to think about someone else’s needs instead of his own, which is a huge leap for him — for anyone, really. Most of us change on incremental levels, if that. Belly also gives up his dreams of being a sort of small town star, and is willing to find his fulfillment in family. Huge changes.

FWOMP: You’re a creative writing teacher. Did any of your classes see all or parts of Belly before it was published?

LSD: Nope. I wasn’t teaching writing when I wrote it. I’d be happy to show them what I’m working on now, if they asked.

FWOMP: When do you write?

LSD: It’s very hard for me to write unless I have a big chunk of uninterrupted time — I like to know that I have a full four hours before I have to do anything else. And that doesn’t happen very often. I wrote Belly in grad school, when I was living off loans and only working part time. It’s much harder now.

FWOMP: Many writers have trouble getting through the mid-sections of their novel-in-progress. Did you?

LSD: Since I didn’t write it in order, there was no mid-section. I had originally devised an experimental structure, in which each chapter covered all seven days, but only had interactions with one woman. By the end of the book, you would know what happened. A teacher suggested putting it in chronological order, and then the whole thing changed.

FWOMP: Tell us how Belly ended up getting published.

LSD: A teacher of mine at Arizona State suggested getting what he called a “reading” from agents — I really thought I was sending it out to get comments. I had no idea I was actually looking for an agent. It was a relatively painless process. It’s really hard to get published, but it’s even harder to get press (so thanks, by the way). The painful part came post-publication.

FWOMP: If you could give one piece of advice to the first time novelist, what would it be?

LSD: Stay as ignorant as you possibly can about the publishing business for as long as you can.

FWOMP: Any future Lisa Selin Davis works coming out that we should watch for?

LSD: I’m working on my third draft of a new novel, and playing around with two non-fiction book ideas. Hopefully, you’ll be hearing from me again soon.