Substitute Me

Today the lovely Lori L. Tharps is here to discuss her debut novel, Substitute Me. The book was inspired by Lori’s fruitless search for a nanny in New York City after the birth of her first son. The book follows the tale of Zora Anderson, a 30-year-old African American middle class, college educated woman, trained as a chef, looking for a job. As fate would have it, Kate and Craig, a married couple, aspiring professionals with a young child are looking for a nanny. Zora seems perfect. She’s an enthusiastic caretaker, a competent house keeper, a great cook. And she wants the job, despite the fact that she won’t let her African American parents and brother know anything about this new career move. They expect much more from her than to use all that good education to do what so many Blacks have dreamed of not doing: working for White folks. Working as an au pair in Paris, France no less, was one thing, they could accept that. Being a servant to a couple not much older nor more educated, is yet another. Every adult character involved in this tangled web is hiding something: the husband is hiding his desire to turn a passion for comic books into a business from his wife, the wife is hiding her professional ambitions from her husband, the nanny is hiding her job from her family and maybe her motivations for staying on her job from herself.

Substitute Me has received great reviews, Heidi Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky calls it a “…warm and engaging novel about the struggles of juggling marriage, motherhood & a meaningful career focuses on a story we’re each living, but also exposes the secrets we won’t tell. An enjoyable read.”

You’ve written two other books, Hair Story and Kinky Gazpacho, both non-fiction. How did it feel to write a novel?

I’ve always wanted to write fiction, but didn’t dare. Writing journalism for ten years however, was really good practice for telling stories. And after writing my memoir, Kinky Gazpacho, I felt ready to tackle fiction.

What moved you to write Substitute Me?

The idea actually started when I first had to find childcare for my first born. I was so overwhelmed by the process of hiring a nanny, it seemed so hard and foreign to me. I just wanted my mother to quit her job and come live with me to take care of my son. In the end, I quit my job! But the awkwardness of the process never left me and I kept playing with that idea until it turned into Substitute Me. That’s what I really wanted—a substitute me!

You’ve gotten so much support from several of your fellow authors, mostly women. How does it feel to be a female writer today?

I don’t think of myself as a female writer. I just think of myself as a writer. Maybe an American writer because that’s what I like to write about—American culture. That being said, I’m thrilled that there are so many—online especially—networking and support communities of female writers. I even started my own women’s writers group in my neighborhood in Philly. The support I get from all my girlfriend networks is invaluable.

You write characters that affect women of all races. Do you feel pigeon-holed at times in the African-American section of the bookstore?

Oh, don’t get me started on that one! This is the biggest thorn in my side. And what makes it extremely frustrating is that so many people don’t want to admit that it’s really a problem. But this is my third book and I’ve been extremely lucky that my books have found audiences across color lines, despite the lack of support from a still segregated industry. And, I get lots and lots of love from women of color who consistently support my work. I love them all for that.

It’s getting harder and harder for African-American authors to stay positive in the publishing industry. How do you stay positive amid the negativity?

It’s easy for me to stay positive because I’m doing what I love. I love writing. This has always been my dream. Not many people can say that they are living their dream and I can. I didn’t set out to write books to make a lot of money or even to get famous. I wanted to write books so I could tell people all of the amazing stories I have in my head. Stories that I hope will inspire people to reexamine their own lives in some way. Maybe even reconsider the way they see things. Or maybe just be nicer to somebody than they were before.

Lori, you love to travel! How does your love of travel influence your writing?

Well, I love to place my characters in different places so I have an excuse to travel there!

What is your writing process like? Are you an outliner or a seat-of-your-pantser?

I’m a little bit of both. I totally believe in outlining and always teach my students to outline their stories. I say writing without an outline is like driving to Florida without a map. You’ll get there eventually but it will take you a really long time. But even with my outline there’s still room for my characters to tell me what’s going to happen next.

Now let’s get to the good stuff—the hair! You’re a big advocate of natural hair. What do you like most about being natural?

I’m actually not an ‘advocate’ of natural hair. I’m an advocate of black women choosing to wear their hair any way they want to because they ‘want to’, and not because they believe their natural hair is ugly or inferior.

Well said! What advice would you give other women considering going natural?

Be prepared for that learning curve of how to maintain natural hair. It can be a little bit more time consuming but the styling options are endless and amazing.

Guys, Substitute Me is in stores now so run to your nearest bookstore or order your copy today! If you would like to learn more about Lori, visit her website, follow on Twitter @LoriTharps or check out her blog, My American Meltingpot. She loves to hear from her readers!