Jennifer Lieberman, an accomplished actress and film producer who lives in Toronto is now also a best-selling and award-winning author! Jennifer has won the prestigious Gold Global Book Award in the Coming-of-Age Category for her empowering feminist intention novel, Year of the What.
Devoted to the world of self-publishing, The Global Awards aim to discover new talent as well as recognize fine examples of self-published books. As such, we hope they will give self-published authors the recognition they deserve, whether that is in their writing creativity, or in the way they have marketed their books to attract new readers.
FWM: You are an actress, film producer, and now an award-winning author. Share your background.
Hello! I’m from Maple, Canada, a little outside of Toronto and am half Tunisian and half Polish, quite the combo. I started writing when I was 8 years old and always knew that my dream was to write scripts to perform in. At 8 I didn’t quite know what that would look like as an adult, but I knew that was the direction I was headed…and with a lot of sweat, determination and some luck I got here.
FWM: Your first novel, “Year of the What?” Adapted from your award-winning solo show, “Year of the Slut” is now a #1 Amazon Best Selling Novel. Tell us about your novel.
When I first moved to LA, a friend suggested I write a vehicle for myself to let people know I exist and to showcase both my writing and acting abilities for industry professionals. Like in the movie “La La Land” no one from the industry really came, but I found the process fun, artistically fulfilling and thought it was pretty good, so I stuck with developing the show and went on to win the Audience Choice Award at the Frigid New York Festival. After the play’s success in New York some friends and colleagues encouraged me to adapt it into a book…and then the book took on a life of its own.
This story started off loosely based on my own heartbreak and dating misadventures when I was living in New York City, but of course I took liberties to make the story more exciting and provocative. This book is a female empowerment piece that explores the themes of feminism, sexual expression and coming-of-age (or coming into one’s own) in a world where women are constantly judged, for being too much or not enough of whatever we choose to be – especially by our own self critics. It’s a candid account of sexual discovery intended to help other women develop the confidence to find themselves both in and out of the bedroom.
FWM: What did you enjoy the most through the creative process when writing our book?
I enjoy the writing process be it a book or a script, but I have to tell you, since this is my first novel, there is something very satisfying in completing the writing and not having 30 more steps in the process for the project to be complete – like with a play or a film, the writing part is just the beginning, then the real work begin!
FWM: Where did you draw your inspiration from?
For “Year of the What?” I drew inspiration for my life and my friends I guess. This started off as a “write what you know” story and then took on a life of its own and became a lot of fun to play with.
Playwright Lieberman explores themes of partying and sexual awakening in
modern New York City in this risqué this” —Book Life Reviews
“This arousing novel celebrates feminine sexuality through one of the most
original adventures of self-discovery written. The primary character – Dana – is
surviving her first romantic breakup and the manner in which she not only
survives but prospers and grows makes for one of the strongest Chick Lit
novels to surface in quite a while,” —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer
“Because, if you are going to tell the truth, or something of value, you have to
be willing to ruffle feathers, and rock boats, even if that means being
misunderstood, and Jennifer Lieberman starts off her book with surfing waves …” —Scribble’s Worth Book Reviews
FWM: You were awarded the 2022 Global Book Awards Gold Medal for Coming of Age Books. What does this mean to you?
This is HUGE! I feel honored and grateful for the recognition, but mostly I feel grateful to myself for not giving up, because I gave up on this novel several times over a decade, between rejection from agents and publishers, negative feedback and just not having the energy for it anymore. Then when I finally made it to the finish line and self-published the book I experienced censorship with the original title. So frustrating! But I forged ahead and rebranded and kept at it and voila – an overnight success. Considering all the obstacles I’ve had to overcome, this success means more than one would assume, it’s almost shocking!
Devoted to the world of self-publishing, The Global Awards aim to discover new talent as well as recognize fine examples of self-published books. As such, we hope they will give self-published authors the recognition they deserve, whether that is in their writing creativity, or in the way they have marketed their books to attract new readers.
FWM: “This arousing novel celebrates feminine sexuality through one of the most original adventures of self-discovery written. The primary character – Dana – is surviving her first romantic breakup and the manner in which she not only survives but prospers and grows makes for one of the strongest Chick Lit novels to surface in quite a while,” —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer Why is “Year of the What?” A powerful force?
This review from Grady Harp is pretty epic. It marks one of the first reviews that made me feel I was starting to find an audience. I’ve received feedback that the book doesn’t fit neatly into certain genres – like romance, erotica, coming of age, etc…and it’s had some trouble finding its place in the world. I was never trying to fit into a genre, I was just trying to tell a candid and relatable account of heartbreak and coming into oneself with humor while entertaining an audience. I think the fact that the book blends genres and doesn’t get stuck in any of the traditional tropes is what makes it so powerful.
FWM: What can we expect next from you?
Next? What a great question. I have 4 different pieces of writing I’m working on, a few theatrical scripts plus book #2 in the “Year of the What?” series – ‘Year of the Bitch.’ I know, it’s crazy but I’m usually chipping away on more than one piece at once.
I’m also gearing up to shoot a comedic short film I wrote in July 2022. It’s the first time someone other than me is producing my writing, so it’s a nice milestone.
www.jenniferliebermanactor.com
