BooksChatter: ℚ I Love You Today

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Marcia Gloster to talk about I Love You Today (17 April 2017, Fiction Studio Books, 457 pages), a Women's Fiction Novel.

“Love, sex, lies, and advertising in the era of Mad Men. Compelling and provocative.” – James Wiatt, former Chairman and CEO, William Morris Agency

"A romp through the Mad Men era, told from a woman's point of view."
– Pamela Fiori, author and former editor-in-chief, Town & Country

“Marcia Gloster paints an intimate portrait of life in 1960s Manhattan… Readers looking for a peek into the magazine publishing and advertising world of that era will be intrigued!" – Marilyn Brant, New York Times bestselling author

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || # Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

What was the inspiration for I Love You Today?

"I Love You Today is my second book and first novel. One inspiration for the book was the TV show, Mad Men. The early seasons echoed some of the experiences I had when I arrived in New York City in the 1960s, determined to find a job as an art director. It was a time of cultural upheaval, with free love and woman’s lib offering a new freedom that was a stark contrast from the stringent conformity of the 1950s.

After watching Mad Men’s portrayal, I wanted to cast the era in a different light, to write about it from the point of view of a woman who had actually lived that life. I Love You Today is a story about complicated relationships and what lies beneath the glamour and gloss of publishing and advertising in 1960s New York."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I Love You Today is a work of fiction, but some of the experiences depicted in the book reflect my first years in New York. Like Maddie, I interviewed and was turned down for jobs because I was a woman. I dealt with the patronizing and dismissive views men had toward the women who worked for them. Drawing on my own Mad Men years was a way of giving the book authenticity."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for I Love You Today - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"My publisher and I collaborated on the cover, which is composite of two photographs, one superimposed over another. It is meant to be evocative of both the story and the 1960s."

Why should we read I Love You Today and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I Love You Today is a story with appeal for a broad range of readers, from Mad Men fans to 1960s buffs to readers of romantic women’s fiction. The book is also timely in a way I hadn’t expected when I started writing it. In the past couple of years, charges that “Mad Men culture” is alive and well have exploded in the news. Resignations of high-profile media executives accused of sexual harassment and allegations of discrimination in the advertising industry have raised questions about how much the tenor of Madison Avenue has actually changed in the past 50 years. Anyone wanting a glimpse into what it was really like in those days will find it in I Love You Today."

Who would you recommend I Love You Today to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Endorsements for the book from early readers probably speak to this better than I can, but I would recommend I Love You Today to anyone who appreciates “complicated” romantic women’s fiction, as well as Mad Men fans and 1960s buffs.

As for disclaimers, there is sexual content, but it is mostly evocative, giving the reader a sense of the characters and their intimacy with one another."

If you could / wished to turn I Love You Today into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Great question. I’ve been told I Love You Today would make a good movie. It would have to be set in New York and London, as both cities are important to the story. I think a young Warren Beatty would make a cool Rob, but I’ll leave it to my readers to suggest actors for the other roles."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"My first two books, 31 Days: A Memoir of Seduction and I Love You Today, both deal with difficult relationships. My latest book, as yet unnamed, is about a quite happy relationship that, nevertheless, has its problems.

There doesn’t seem to be much overlap between what I write (memoir and fiction) and what I read. My favorite reads are mysteries and crime novels, although I’m not sure I could ever write one. I also enjoy nonfiction, usually about history."

What is your writing process?

"I seem to get ideas out of nowhere. I wrote my first book, 31 Days: A Memoir of Seduction, after a song I heard while in a shop one day that triggered a long-buried memory. I ran back to my apartment and wrote for six months, 16 hours a day. There is something that drives me when I’m writing and very little distracts me. No matter the hour, when something comes to me, I’ll write it—even if the idea is disconnected from what I am currently working on."

What is in store next?

"I am currently writing a novel, as yet untitled, that I call a ghost story. It’s about two people who discover they have lived and loved for over five thousand years. I’ve just completed the first draft."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?