Authors Interviewing Characters: Sarah Tomlinson

THE LAST DAYS OF THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLERS

Three Rock & Roll icons. Two explosive tell-all memoirs. One ghostwriter caught in the middle.

Anke Berben is ready to tell all. A legendary model and style icon, she reveled in headline-grabbing romances with three musicians from the hugely influential rock band the Midnight Ramblers. The band members were as famous for their backstage drama as for their music, and Anke is the only one who fully understands the tangled relationships, betrayals, and suspicions that have added to the Ramblers’ enduring appeal and mystique. That is most evident in the mystery around Anke’s role in the death of Mal, the band’s founder and Anke’s husband, in 1969.

When Mari Hawthorn accepts the job to work with Anke on her memoir, she is dead set on getting to the truth of Mal’s death. She has always been deft at navigating the fatal charms of celebrities, having grown up with a narcissistic, alcoholic father. As she ingratiates herself into the world of the band, she grows enchanted, against her better judgment, by these legendary rock stars. She knows she can’t get pulled in too deep, otherwise she’ll compromise her objectivity―and her integrity.

Sarah Tomlinson interviews Mari Hawthorn

ST: It’s so curious to be talking to you like this, because I don’t know many other ghostwriters, do you? It’s almost like we’re in this secret society, but we’re all off chasing our own deadlines.

Mari: Honestly, I don’t know any. Retract that, please. Whenever my clients start a sentence with “honestly,” I edit it out. For me, it implies this one line is the absolute truth, and by extension, everything else in the book isn’t completely upfront. Unless the first word of the memoir is, “Honestly,” I think it’s a bad look. Readers are very perceptive. Wait, am I overthinking this?

ST: You tell me. So much of what goes into being a ghostwriter would probably be considered “overthinking it” by most normal people, even other writers. 

Mari: True story. Do you have any pet peeves like that?

ST: You are a ghostwriter. We’ve only been talking for two minutes, and you’ve already turned it around and started interviewing me. But sure, let me reveal a little something. Hm, this is harder than I thought it would be. Honestly… 

Sarah and Mari both burst out laughing.

ST: See, we’re all guilty of the same infractions, or laziness of speech, or whatever you want to call them. My pet peeve isn’t about my clients, so much as people always expecting me to have some big chip on my shoulder about my celebrities, wanting me to sharpen my claws on them. And sure, I’ve seen some bad behavior over the years. But it’s almost impossible for me not to sympathize with a person who’s about to risk exposing themselves in such a deep way, especially when they’re trusting us to choose the words to tell their stories. Ghosts have an incredible amount of power, although the clients are for sure the alpha in the relationship. 

Mari: Oh yeah, dude. 

ST: Ha, clearly, your literary agent Ezra has rubbed off on you. So, quick non-sequitur, I can’t even imagine disobeying my agent like you do, but I’ve never been in a situation as complicated and high stress as yours. 

Mari: What? You’re trying to tell me you’ve never had the first batch of sample material you gave your client make them so unhappy that they cried?

ST: Oh, that’s definitely happened. Ghostwriting is such an incredible job, but it’s not easy. 

Mari: Amen, sister. 

ST: Okay, I feel like you’re one of those clients you warn about, who nudges the writer off topic, to play hooky from the work at hand. We were talking about having sympathy for our celebrities, which you definitely do. You come right out and admit it on page two: “…the bond is invisible, but ghosts must be capable of meeting their subjects, always, with unconditional love.” 

Mari: Well, yeah, what would be the point otherwise? Without love, it would just be a business transaction. And sure, there’s money involved, but in so many ways, the money’s the least of it, right? To be allowed to know someone this intimately, and to be trusted with their story, their legacy, it’s a privilege that’s hard to fully explain to anyone who’s never done it. 

ST: Very true. And the people you’re working with in this particular story, they’re more than just celebrities—they’ve been a crucial part of shaping contemporary pop culture as we know it. What do you feel like you’ve learned from spending time with them?

Mari: Everything. There’s no way to say this without sounding trite, but I feel like I learned how to think for myself, to choose a life that has value, on my own terms, even if not everyone would agree with it—I’m quite clear a lot of people won’t agree with some of the choices I make. But. They weren’t there. They never met Anke. No matter how well I wrote her in her book. 

ST: Yeah, I think you’re going to surprise a lot of readers, who might come to your story assuming that ghostwriters are just glorified secretaries. You literally risk everything, not just to do your job, but to be of service to your clients and your work for them. 

Mari: Well, looking back, I didn’t realize quite how close to the edge I would get. But no regrets. That’s another thing I learned from Anke. 

ST: A few readers have told me that they felt a little concerned for your health and well-being, given how much caffeine and alcohol you consume when you’re on deadline. You never sleep!

Mari: Well, rock stars don’t exactly sleep. Not to mention, these types of deadlines, it’s almost like there’s a certain amount of adrenaline that rubs off.   

ST: I can’t resist a little girl talk: Tell me about Ody. You have a very special friendship.  

Mari: I blame you for that. You’re the one who made him so handsome. 

ST: Fair enough. You managed to be very professional for the length of your projects. But I sense there could be more to your story with Ody that’s yet to be written. 

Mari: Yes, please. Could you write a scene for me that involves something other than eight pots of Earl Grey tea and the threat of mortal danger?

ST: I can’t promise you that. But I do hope you and Ody will meet again someday.  

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Sarah Tomlinson, a former music journalist, has been a ghostwriter since 2008, penning more than 20 books, including five New York Times bestsellers. In 2015, she published the father-daughter memoir, Good Girl (Gallery Books). She wrote The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, her first novel, in-between assignments for a who’s who of celebrity clients.

 

Find out more about Sarah Tomlinson on her website https://sarahtomlinson.com/

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing