Q&A with Author Lisa Lehmann

RADIO STARR is Fresh Water Press’ first novel, and we’re thrilled that it’s out in time for cozy winter reading. Author Lisa Lehmann shares her process for writing the book (which took seven years!):

Why did you write your book? What inspired you to write it?

1. I always wanted to write a novel, having started one in the ‘80s.

2. Radio people love to sit around and tell stories. It’s such a universal experience; I wanted to capture the “inside radio” bits.

3. During some of these storytelling sessions, my BFF Gabby would say, “I should write a book!” I thought to myself, I can do that.

What is your writing process?

I tend to write in streaks as I need to keep my head in the story. When life gets in the way I’ll get off track and may not write for weeks. My “office” is a glider by the window where I type on a laptop while watching deer and birds in the woods. Each day, I start by reading what I wrote the day before. In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends writing immediately after waking, as the mind is tapped into the dream zone. Often, when I wake at 4 a.m., ideas start to flow and I’ll write long-hand in the dark on a legal pad. Yeah, always fun to decipher in the daylight!

How long did it take you to write your book?

Seven years.

What was your favorite part about writing the book?

Reliving the old days of radio when we played records and everyone worked as a team. Before the mid-1990s, radio stations were locally owned businesses with a goal of serving the community. There’s still some of that, but in general, radio has become a bottom-line-driven medium owned by a handful of corporations. My friend and I were in Madison in August. We drove into the parking lot where we used to work at WIBA and WMAD and at four in the afternoon, there was one car in the lot. In 1994, the place would have been humming with dozens of people.

What inspired your characters?

The hero needs to encounter challenges. Placing a woman into the traditional man’s world or radio created instant obstacles. Classic character types are protagonist, antagonist, mentor, friend, lover, jester, sidekick, caregiver, etc., so I tried to fit my characters into roles. I also used an enneagram to develop character traits.

Do you have a favorite character, scene, or message in the book?

The dead air nightmares. I haven’t been on the air live since 1999, yet I still have what DJs call “The Dream.” The song runs out and the only record in the studio has a foreign label, or all the commercials have been erased, or the announcer is locked out of the studio while the needle hits the label. In the novel, Eva wakes up in a panic multiple times. It was fun to write the scary and imaginative dreams that every radio person can relate to.