Ahead of the publication of her new novel, Reality Check, we caught up with Vicki Notaro to discuss her literary influences, writing process, and how the Real Housewives can ignite a creative spark.
The name Vicki Notaro goes hand in hand with the glitz and glamour of the glossy magazine world, and at long last, her debut novel is out in the world. A journalist, podcaster, former magazine editor and pop culture aficionado, Vicki drew inspiration from reality television for Reality Check, a title that’s being described as the most glamorous book of the year.
Portia Daniels’ life is sorted. She has the perfect man (hot TV producer Jason), perfect apartment (in lower Manhattan), perfect job (writing for TV) and best of all, she lives a normal life in total obscurity – unlike her mother and sisters.
When Jason drops a bombshell that leaves her life in tatters, Portia flees to be with her family. Her timing could not be worse as scandal engulfs her supermodel-turned-guru sister Vinnie’s Insta empire, and teen TikTok sensation Ariel’s bratty behaviour gets out of hand.
As for their mother, Dessie, Kerry-born queen bee of hit reality show, Ladies of Los Angeles, she is clearly hiding something. It seems the glamour and gossip on which Dessie has built an empire might be its downfall…
But has Portia been fooling herself about living a ‘real’ life? And is she about to get a big wake-up call of her own?
Read on for our interview with Vicki…
Did you always want to be a writer? Tell us about your journey to becoming a published author.
Yes, I have wanted to be a writer since I knew such a thing was an actual paying job! I’ve always been a huge bookworm, so it was no real surprise to anyone when I became a journalist and then a magazine editor. But I always aspired to write fiction and be an author, and I’m still pinching myself that it’s actually happening!
What inspired you to start writing?
I’ve been scribbling my whole life, making up stories and writing them down. In this instance though, all I can say is that I was visited by a character at a time when I was presented with an opportunity, and I just had to bring her to life. That particular opportunity didn’t work out, but I kept at it, finessing her and altering how I’d tell her story, and when the next opportunity came along, she and I were both ready.
Tell us about your new book. Where did the idea come from?
I spent an inordinate amount of time watching the Real Housewives during the pandemic. I’ve always been a huge reality television fan but never had time to devote to that particular canon, it felt so daunting with so many cities. Well, during lockdown, I went in on Beverly Hills and it was the beginning of a new obsession. I decided I wanted to write about an Irish reality star in the US, but I knew Desdemona Daniels was going to be an older lady. Then it occurred to me that I could give her daughters my own age, and have them deal with the issues that affect women in their 30s and 40s, but with a bigger, more glamorous backdrop.
What do you hope this book instils in the reader?
That it is never too late to begin again, and that being true to yourself and your gut always is the only way to be happy in life – even if the path to get there is difficult and frightening.
What did you learn when writing this book?
That I could do it! As a journalist, I was so used to shorter, snappier features and writing about real people. I had no idea if I could sustain the story for any length, or make the characters believable. But I got there, and it was actually the most fun professional process I’ve ever experienced.
Tell us about your writing process?
I am very fast, so much so that I perplex the other people I work with. But I sort of go into a trance when I’m writing and I type until my hands hurt and my brain is empty, and then I crash. I can’t say I recommend that, but it’s what works for me.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
People! I am a very observational person and writer, and what I see day to day undoubtedly informs what I write. But also pop culture and the zeitgeist, I’ve always been a huge sucker for television and movies.
What are your top three favourite books of all time, and why?
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume because it is the perfect holiday read and evokes nostalgia for a place I’ve never even been. It’s one of her adult novels and it’s incredible.
Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes because she is the GOAT and it’s my favourite of hers.
And Thrill! By Jackie Collins because it’s so much fun, and has a leopard print cover. I have a degree in English Literature and my lecturers would be HORRIFIED at those three picks, but I like books that are fun and transporting and escapist, but have serious undertones. Reading shouldn’t be a chore.
Who are some of your favourite authors, Irish or otherwise?
SO MANY. Marian Keyes, Patricia Scanlan, Maeve Binchy, Elin Hilderbrand, Judy Blume, Nora Ephron, Jackie Collins, Emily Henry, David Nicholls, Liz Nugent… I could go on and on. Reading is my happy place, I love disappearing into a book and I love re-reading old favourites – I find that very comforting.
What are some upcoming book releases we should have on our radar?
Emily Henry’s Funny Story and Marian Keyes’ My Favourite Mistake are both new and fabulous, as is Edel Coffey’s In Her Place. I am hugely excited for Elin Hilderbrand’s forthcoming Swan Song but also very sad because it is her last book ever! Jodi Picoult’s new one is coming in August, and Sally Rooney and Graham Norton’s in September. It’s a great time to be a voracious reader.
What book made you want to become a writer?
Probably Judy Blume’s Starring Sally J Freedman As Herself. I remember very clearly being eight years old and my nanna bringing me into Easons O’Connell Street and telling me to pick something out for myself. I chose that book, and after that is when I started scribbling in earnest.
I also have to mention Sweet Valley High – they did a mini series of historical sagas focusing on the main characters’ ancestors, and I was particularly obsessed with Lila Fowler’s great-great-great granny in the French Revolution. I sat down at age 11 and wrote a novel inspired by it, and I really wish I still had the floppy disc that contained it!
What’s one book you would add to the school curriculum?
Katriona O’Sullivan’s Poor. Everyone should read it.
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes. It was so gorgeous to be back with the Walsh family, and to find out what Anna has been up to for the past eighteen years. I read the first Anna book, Anybody Out There, after my first big break up and it’s always been very close to my heart.
What’s some advice you’ve got for other aspiring writers?
Just do it. Get it out and on the page, because action is the only way! You can think about writing all you like, but then your ideas will only stay in your head.
Lastly, what do the acts of reading and writing mean to you?
Honestly, everything. I’ve gratefully been a professional writer for 16 years and unprofessional for nearly 20 before that. My dad taught me to read when I was 3 years old, and I’ve been unbearably precocious ever since! Haha! Writing is the great love of my life, and reading has informed that passion always. I feel very lucky and very responsible with this great gift.
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