Born and raised in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa and now living in Brookfield, Liz Czukas is the definition of a lifelong Milwaukeean. So it only makes sense that her latest novel, written as Ellie Cahill, is set in this city and features many familiar sights.
Czukas has two young adult romances under her own name, and "Just a Girl," which releases in e-book today, is her third adult romance under the Cahill name – used only to distinguish the two types of books.
So if you need something to read as you sip a summer cocktail on one of the many patios around town that will make you laugh and fall in love, not to mention get you in the mood for The Big Gig, be sure to pick up "Just a Girl." If that’s not enough to convince you, perhaps Liz/Ellie herself can, with her answers to these five questions.
OnMilwaukee: Where did the idea for this particular book come from?
Liz Czukas: I’m not a musician myself, but I’ve always had friends and family who were. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the dreaded words, "I just need to stop by the music store to pick up [fill-in-the-blank-piece-of-instrumental-obscura]" from a musician, but if you have, you know you can pretty much kiss the next three hours of your life goodbye. There is no "stopping by" a music store, in my experience.
So the true guts of this story are rooted in half a lifetime of being on the sidelines of the local music scene. But "Just a Girl" was, in particular, born out of a trip to Cascio Interstate Music in New Berlin, where I was wandering through the guitar department. The little side rooms where they keep the acoustic guitars and the super high-end stock have always fascinated me, and on one particular visit, the story pretty much landed in my head.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to imagine what it would be like to be in public places after they were closed. Libraries, museums, stores … there’s something about peeking behind the curtain of a place like that. The difference between what the owners want you to see and what’s hidden behind doors marked "Employees Only." So there’s an element of that in "Just a Girl," as well.
This book is set in the Milwaukee area. Tell us a little bit about the local flavor you’ve put in this book.
Like I said before, Cascio Interstate Music was heavily inspirational. I took a little literary license, of course. A new name and a new location, not to mention some colorful regulars and a few secret surprises.
I also had to pay homage to Les Paul, the famous Waukesha native who made some of the greatest guitars ever. So one of the main characters is named Paul in his honor.
One of the most prominent Milwaukee mentions is definitely Summerfest. I felt like I would be betraying my hometown if I wrote a book about a local band trying to get their big break and didn’t mention Summerfest. I mean, it’s only the biggest music festival in the world. I’d probably have to move out of the state if I didn’t include it.
All of my books have either very obvious references to Milwaukee or the Midwest, like my first adult novel "When Joss Met Matt," which is set entirely in Madison and Milwaukee. Or are set here without actively saying so, like one of my young adult novels, "Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless," which is set at a grocery store shamelessly modeled after Metro Market in Brookfield.
Who’s your favorite romance author to read? What about non-romance? What are you reading now?
Ugh, is there any question more torturous to ask an avid reader? Fine, but I refuse to have just one favorite. Some of the best romances I’ve read lately have been by Lauren Blakely, Sarina Bowen and Jennifer Blackwood. My favorite non-romance authors will always include Stephen King, Ellen Emerson White and Christopher Moore, but also right now I’m obsessed with the "Illuminae" series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
How would you describe your overall writing style or voice?
If you took your favorite romantic comedy movies, from "When Harry Met Sally" to "27 Dresses" to "10 Things I Hate About You" to "Trainwreck," you’d probably find the closest approximation to my writing style. I would rather make you laugh than cry and I want you to want to be friends with my characters. Definitely more "Bridget Jones" than "Gone Girl."
What are your three favorite things about this book that you think will make readers love it?
One, "Just a Girl" ended up being something of a love letter to all the hard-working musicians I have known in my life. The ones who are in it for the love of the music, even if there’s no platinum records and sold-out stadium tours at the end. So I hope that shows.
Two, the main character Presley makes playlists to cope with life, and they are sprinkled throughout the book with titles like "Playlist for When You’ve Embarrassed Yourself in Front of a Roomful of People Then Threw Yourself at a Coworker in the Sheet Music Department and You Don’t Know What to Do Next But You’re Not Going to Be Sorry, Damn It!" and "Playlist for a Legitimate Case of the Blues." As one reviewer put it, read this book at your own risk, "it’s going to lead to an expensive iTunes bill" (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books).
Three, the other main character, Paul, suffers from anxiety, which I worked hard to represent accurately. I wanted to explore some of the issues of living with a mental illness without having it be the sole focus of the book. To show some positive and negative coping strategies in their context. Although I think the stigma against mental illness is getting less, I know it’s definitely still there, and especially for young men. I hope readers who might have suffered from panic attacks or other anxiety disorders will relate.
Man, that feels like a heavy note to end on when I said earlier that I’d rather make you laugh than cry. Let’s just pretend I told you a really great joke instead, and I’m leading up to the punchline: you should see the other guy!
"Just a Girl" is available in your favorite e-book format, for just $2.99. And you can keep up on all of Liz/Ellie's news on her website.
Amazon/Kindle: amzn.to/28MweKq
Barnes & Noble/Nook: bit.ly/1NL0uns
BAM: bit.ly/23jX9Qh
Google Play: bit.ly/24jWbcH
iBooks: apple.co/1Y3HkM6
Kobo: bit.ly/1lBjcn9
