A native New Yorker, Brenda Janowitz has had a flair for all things dramatic since she played the title role in her third grade production of Really Rosie.  When asked by her grandmother if the experience made her want to be an actress when she grew up, Brenda responded, “An actress?  No.  A writer, maybe.”

Brenda attended Cornell University , earning a Bachelor of Science in Human Service Studies, with a Concentration in Race and Discrimination.  After graduating from Cornell, she attended Hofstra Law School , where she was a member of the Law Review and won the Law Review Writing Competition.  Upon graduation from Hofstra, she went to work for the law firm Kaye Scholer, LLP, where she was an associate in the Intellectual Property group, handling cases in the areas of trademark, anti-trust, internet, and false advertising.  Brenda later left Kaye Scholer to pursue a federal clerkship with the Honorable Marilyn Dolan Go, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.

Since her clerkship, Brenda has worked as a career counselor at two New York City law schools, where she published a number of articles on career related issues in publications such as the National Law Journal and the New York Law Journal.  She currently lives in Manhattan where she lectures on the publishing process and teaches creative writing at Mediabistro.

Brenda’s first novel, SCOT ON THE ROCKS (How I Survived My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding With My Dignity Ever So Slightly Intact), is on bookshelves now.  Her second novel, JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging Your Adversary And Other Things They Don’t Teach You In Law School) will be out in July 2008.  For more information on Brenda, visit her website at www.brendajanowitz.com. 

A little prewedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn't worried. She's got the loving support of the world's greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.

But that was yesterday.

Today, Brooke's landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that's okay. These two professionals aren't going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch.... Right? Wrong! Now Jack's pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke's starting to suspect that maybe he isn't the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she'll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.

Talk to us about what brought you to writing.
I’ve always loved to write. Even when I was a little girl, I’d write stories down or make up plays for my friends to perform. As I got older, I tried to put my creative energy into something that I could turn into a career—thus the reason I became a lawyer—but ultimately, the stories in my head just won out.


You have 25 words to pitch us JACK WITH A TWIST and make us want to buy the novel...GO!
A Manhattan attorney plans the wedding of her dreams, all while litigating the biggest case of her career…. which happens to be against her fiancé.


What's your favorite thing about JACK WITH A TWIST?
That’s such a tough one to answer! I would have to say that I love the “Legal Disclaimer” in the beginning of the book. When my mother read the first draft of the book, she was completely horrified by Brooke’s mother. She told me that she should get to put in a disclaimer because all of her friends and everyone she ever met would naturally assume that she was the model for Brooke’s mom. I assured her that everyone knew that my novels were fiction, but she refused to believe it—so the disclaimer was born! Originally a joke, as I continued writing, I realized that it really set a nice tone for the book, so I left it in. 


Have there been any changes to your style of writing from SCOT ON THE ROCKS to JACK WITH A TWIST?
I definitely feel that my writing’s been maturing a lot from the first novel to the second. That having been said, though, when you do books in a series, you want to make sure they are consistent, so I made sure that Brooke’s voice stayed the same from book to book.


What are three adjectives that best describe JACK WITH A TWIST?
Fun, flirty, sweet.


What do you plan to do - as author - to promote JACK WITH A TWIST?
I’ve been doing quite a lot so far! On the night the book came out, Mediabistro threw me a huge Book Launch Party in New York City. I’ll also be reading at Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on August 7. Also on the tour calendar are: a reading at a book club luncheon at Books and Books in Florida on July 19, and a local event where I read with four other authors with the Oceanside Kiwanis club on July 14. I update my calendar all the time, so please be sure to keep checking! I also have been conducting a massive internet effort, including AuthorBuzz and blog ads by M.J. Rose (did you see me on Perez Hilton and gofugyourself?!). I wrote an article on writing for the eHarlequin website, and I have a short story (featuring—you guessed it—Brooke Miller!) coming out on July 28th on the eHarlequin website.


INSIDE YOUR MP3 PLAYER: What three tracks are you currently LOVING?
After the bacchanalia known as my honeymoon, I’m trying to get back into shape. So, I mainly have music that gets me in the mood to work out: Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” Miley Cyrus’s “See You Again,” and Madonna’s “Jump” are in heavy rotation right now.


Brenda Janowitz: THE SOUNDTRACK! What three tracks would make it onto a soundtrack of your life, and why?
I’d have to start out with some Stevie Wonder, so I’d put “As” on there since it was my wedding song. 

I love U2, so the soundtrack would continue there. My current favorite is Dancing Barefoot, a song that was originally recorded as a B side. 

Then, I’d need a few 80s tunes to keep me going, so I’d have to pick one from the line-up that Vanessa cued up at Brooke’s bachelorette party: Brooke’s favorite 80s song, “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off,” by Jermaine Stuart (which is also the featured song on my MySpace page right now!).


You're going on vacation, and you're only allowed to take three books with you – what are they?
What a tough question, Shon! There are so many books that I love—it would be so hard to decide! I’d have to take one classic—TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee or THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald would fit that bill, one chick lit classic—WATERMELON by Marian Keyes would probably do the trick—and then one modern classic—THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND KLAY by Michael Chabon, I’m thinking. 


You're a career woman, a novelist, and a NEWLYWED (major congrats, chick!): how do you find the time to write?
It’s so hard! I usually just tell people that I’m always completely exhausted. Really, it’s just all about finding those little pockets of time you might have wasted otherwise (watching re-runs of “Gossip Girl,” anyone?!) and actually using them. It’s about really pushing to make a dream come true, and prioritizing that in your life. And, it also helps that I have an amazingly supportive husband! (Okay, how weird is it to say husband?!?)


Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do they inspire you as a writer?
I’m so inspired by how Marian Keyes can take a serious topic and infuse it with comedy. I love Dani Shapiro, and how she is able to dig so deep emotionally just amazes me. I recently read THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE by Julie Buxbaum and THE DIVORCE PARTY by Laura Dave, and those really showed me the kind of book I’d like to write.


What is one big thing you've learned about the industry since you've been published?
That once you finish your novel, that’s when the real work starts! It’s all about promotion and getting yourself out there.


Dream-on: You've just been told that someone wants to turn JACK WITH A TWIST into a movie. Who would play Brooke Miller?
What a fun question! The dream actress for me would be Drew Barrymore.


What's currently going on in your WRITING LIFE?
I’m working on a few different things now. I have a women’s fiction novel I’m working on, as well as a Young Adult novel and a children’s fantasy book. Not sure which one will become book three, but I’m having lots of fun just playing around!