Beginner’s Pluck: Sloane Crosley

A lifelong reader, Sloane started writing at college with some short stories, and afterwards, after a brief spell in Scotland, she worked in publishing for 12 years.

“I was an assistant in a literary agency for 10 months. Then I worked in publicity at Harper Collins, then at Vintage.”

Sloane published some music reviews, and then, one day, wrote an essay.

“I was 25 and was moving. I locked myself out of two places in the same day, and wrote an essay about it to amuse my friends. One was the features editor of the Village Voice. He published it.”

More essays were published in The New York Times and New York Observer, and then a publisher asked for an essay collection; I was Told There’d be Cake. This was followed by How Did You Get This Number?

In 2013, Sloane taught on the Columbia MFA programme.

Her debut novel took four and a half years to complete.

Who is Sloane Crosley?

Date/place of birth: 1978/New York.

Education: A mixed public High school; Connecticut College, Creative Writing.

Home: Manhattan, New York.

Family: Parents and sister; three girlfriends and two guy friends and a cat, Mable.

The Day Job: Full time writer. “I’m also writing pilots for various TV stations.”

Interests: Playing tennis. Going to the movies and the theatre.

Favourite Writers: Joan Didion; Claire Messud; David Egan; Lorrie Moore; and “I love James Joyce.”

Second Novel: Next out is a collection of essays.

Top Tip: Write everything down; take notes all the time.

Web: www.Sloanecrosley.com Twitter: @askanyone

The Debut The Clasp; Hutchinson, €19.50/Kindle, €11.40

Victor loves Kezia. Kezia loves Nathanial, and Nathanial loves himself. The college friends had lost touch, but, reunited at a friend’s over the top wedding, they soon fall into their former roles.

An obsession with a necklace has the trio racing across America, then to France, as they struggle to accept their divergent lives.

“My aim was to write a book like AS Byatt’s Possession, only funny. I filled the book with the things I love; madcap movies, jewellery and road trips. I started with two characters, but it wasn’t working. Nathanial was the glue bringing the other two together.”

The Verdict: Sharp, sophisticated, full of American wit.