Former Glamour editor Pamela Redmond Satran is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books and of Glamour’s famous “30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She’s 30.” Her most recent novel, titled The Home for Wayward Supermodels , came out last month.
Urban Muse: Tell us about The Home for Wayward Supermodels.
Pamela: The Home for Wayward Supermodels is the story of a girl from Wisconsin, Amanda, who takes a graduation trip to New York with her mom and gets discovered as a supermodel. At the same time, she discovers that she’s not quite who she thought she was – her real father is a French fashion photographer. Amanda is forced to grow up in a hurry but along with becoming more worldly, she becomes more generous.
The book is also a lot of fun, with lots of lists of the kind I write for my Glamour List column, and cool line drawings.
UM: Your website mentions that Supermodels is a bit of a departure for you – what inspired you to take a different direction in your writing?
P: It was actually my publisher that inspired me. A few years ago, they did a deal with Song Airlines to produce a line of books that would be sold on the plane. Great idea, right? And so my publisher asked me to write a book that would feature an 18-year-old supermodel. I had worked as a fashion editor at Glamour and so knew that world, but of course right away I started thinking about the supermodel’s mom! Ultimately, Song Airlines went out of business, but my publisher liked the book so much they decided to publish it on their own.
UM: Your daughter is also a writer, so do you critique each other’s work or do you prefer to work independently?
P: My daughter and I don’t exactly critique each other’s work but we do sometimes show each other finished drafts and bounce ideas off each other. Rory didn’t even tell me she was writing a novel until she was finished, and then instead of showing it to me, she showed it to my friend the writer Alice Elliott Dark.
My husband is a writer too, an editor at Reuters who’s been working on a historical novel for a year or so. We’re much more involved in showing each other work in progress and talking through plot twists, which is a lot of fun. But I would say he’s a little TOO accepting of whatever I write and he would say I’m too critical!
UM: Since you’ve worked as a magazine editor, any insights into what editors look for in a query?
P: I think the most important element of a query is that it’s written in the style of the finished piece, with the same voice and energy and compelling turn of phrase. You’ve got to make the editor want to keep listening to you forever – but do it in a page or two. Being familiar with the magazine is of course important so that you can pitch an idea that’s appropriate yet fresh, and supporting that idea with a bit of preliminary research can make a difference. And have lots of ideas – if an editor responds positively to a pitch but isn’t interested in that specific idea, be prepared to get back to her with another one right away, and to keep trying until you connect!
UM: Where do you do most of your writing?
P: Right now I’m sitting on a black velvet couch in my living room, which I’d say is my favorite spot. I do have a very nice office upstairs, but once I switched to a laptop I realized I wasn’t chained to my desk. The living room is by far the nicest room in our house and I never got to spend enough time here, so now I often write while lying on the couch, and when my kids come home from school, I’m right here in the middle of everything talking to them and working at the same time. But I can’t write fiction with everyone around me, only journalism!
Thanks, Pamela. If you’d like read more about Pamela, she also has a Q & A posted on her website .