Defrosted Cats and Other Fun Facts: An Interview with Marilyn Rothstein

Defrosted Cats and Other Fun Facts: An Interview with Marilyn Rothstein

I met Marilyn through Kathy L Murphy, THE Pulpwood Queen, at the first Virtual Girlfriend’s Weekend Book Club Convention and it didn’t take but a second to see why Marilyn is a Pulpwood Queen favorite! But don’t take my word for it - see for yourself…

How did you get involved with the largest network of book clubs in the world?

Originally, through Facebook. Kathy L. Murphy’s dear friend, Tijuana, saw my wacky posts for Lift and Separate, my debut novel, and invited me to send my book to the Queen. Kathy asked me to be on a panel at the 2019 convention in Jefferson, Texas. Best time ever! I met a slew of readers and authors at the seminars as well as at the evening events. I can’t wait to go in person again.

Crazy to Leave You is your third novel. Tell me about your first two books.

My debut novel is Lift and Separate, the story of Marcy Hammer. After thirty-three years of marriage and three children, Marcy’s husband--Harvey the Bra King--leaves her for a size 32-DDD. I guess I wasn’t done torturing Marcy because in my second book, Husbands and Other Sharp Objects, Marcy plans her daughter’s wedding as she plots her own divorce. I named it Husbands and Other Sharp Objects because I believe it is those closest to us who cause us the most pain. They also bring us the most joy, but my books aren’t about that.

Are you divorced?

No. But my husband wishes I was. I met Alan in an elevator, and we have been married forty-five years.

Name a job you held before becoming an author.

I demonstrated men’s razors in Macy’s Herald Square. I worked at Seventeen magazine.Also, I owned an advertising agency in Connecticut for twenty-five years.

Is it true your cat spent the night in the freezer?

One evening, Tuesday (also the name of the cat in Crazy to Leave You) hopped into the bin in the freezer. We found her in the morning, Fortunately, she lived to meow about it.

What’s on your night table?

My defrosted cat.

How are your books organized?

By default.

Besides writing, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Sit around the kitchen table with my family.

Have you traveled to promote your novels?

Yes! Some of the places I visited before the pandemic were Atlanta, Georgia; St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas, Naples, Jacksonville and Miami, Florida; Toledo, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois. I spent the most time in New York, New Jersey, and New England. My sharp object enjoys traveling. Frequently, he comes along. When I spoke in Miami, a woman raised her hand and asked him, “What’s it like to live with Marilyn. Alan said, “Who’s Marilyn?”

Lauren Leo, the protagonist in Crazy to Leave You, is obsessed with her scale. Are you obsessed with your scale?

Not at all. But I sleep with it.

Did you have to do a lot of research to write Crazy to Leave You?

Yes. I overate for decades.

What words of advice would you like to share with aspiring writers?

Keep writing and never give up.

“Underlying Rothstein’s signature humor and wry, engaging voice lies the shattering dilemma of every woman who has ever believed that she is not enough—not thin enough, not successful enough, not loved enough. Lauren’s journey to loving herself is one to which we can all relate. I think every book club is going to want this one!” --Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Other People’s Things

"From some of the funniest one-liners I’ve read in years to a cast of all-too-relatable characters, this witty, heartfelt story of one woman’s attempt to live on her own terms after her fiancé leaves her lifted my spirits and reminded me of what a gift it is to have choices—even the kind that take some warming up to. This is exactly the book we all need right now.” --Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You