CHARACTER INTERVIEWS: LAURA JAMISON

August 4, 2020 | By Laura Jamison | Reply More

ALL THE RIGHT MISTAKES (on sale 8/4, She Writes Press) is an uplit novel about the relatable messiness of adult friendship and life ambitions by Laura Jamison, in the vein of Camille Pagán’s I’m Fine and Neither Are You and Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It.

Five Dartmouth college friends are all approaching forty at various points in their relationships and careers. With humor and heart, Jamison unfolds each woman’s individual circumstances: work stress, parenting, infertility, racism, sexism, financial burdens, marital woes, and sudden loss. But when Heather, the most ambitious and successful of the five (think Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer), writes a bestselling “tell-all” advice book exposing each of her friend’s big “mistakes” that have set them back in life, these women begin to question what success looks like.

All The Right Mistakes addresses the absurdity in trying to plan your way out of the realities of life; it is complex, disappointing, and joyful, often all at once. A perceptive and highly entertaining read about petty jealousies, quick judgments, and the absolute joy and necessity of true friendship and acceptance, I hope that you consider this novel for book coverage late this summer.

We asked Laura if she could interview her main character, Heather Hall, for WWWB!

VANITIES

Today’s guest is Heather Hall, Global COO of Flash.com and mother of three.

She joins us from her home in California to answer our famous Proust questionnaire and reveal her true nature.

Watch for Heather’s first book on leadership, out later this year.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Watching everything go according to plan
What is your greatest fear? Mediocrity
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Laziness
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Laziness
Which living person do you most admire? Bill Gates
What is your greatest extravagance? My all-white decor
What is your current state of mind? Anticipation
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Modesty (kind of gendered isn’t it?)
On what occasion do you lie? To avoid a pointless fight
What do you most dislike about your appearance? Sometimes it’s hard being a blonde
Which living person do you most despise? Any soft socialist
What is the quality you most like in a man? Decisiveness
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Decisiveness (why should this be different?)
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I’m sorry (women need to stop apologizing)
What or who is the greatest love of your life? My husband and my job
When and where were you happiest? Right now
Which talent would you most like to have? Coding
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Nothing
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Having it all
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Honestly, me
Where would you most like to live? Where I live now – California! It’s heaven
What is your most treasured possession? My office-I worked hard for it
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Black swans
What is your favorite occupation? Running and planning
What is your most marked characteristic? Strategic
What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty
Who are your favorite writers? I’m a non-fiction gal
Who is your hero of fiction? See above
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Hmmm-maybe Margaret Thatcher?
Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who creates and sells
What are your favorite names? My childrens’ names of course!
What is it that you most dislike? Being wrong
What is your greatest regret? None yet …
How would you like to die? With fanfare
What is your motto? What’s next?

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Laura Jamison is an attorney from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and their four children. When she is not practicing law or writing, she is driving her kids to one of their many activities in her minivan. Laura is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School. This is her first book. She currently resides in Whitefish Bay, WI.