This article is part of “Romancing the Smithie,” a series of interviews with Smith alums writing in the romance genre conducted by Sophian Features writers. To explore more articles in this series, click on the author’s names: Sarah Maclean, Shannon O’Brien, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Meredith Wild.
Sylvie Fox ‘93 is a USA Today Bestselling author of “smart fiction for smart women.” Known for writing sexy contemporary romance and legal thrillers, Fox is a Smith alum worth knowing about. Since her time at Smith she’s lived in Brooklyn, Cleveland, Budapest, and Los Angeles practicing law, writing for various small newspapers, and writing her own fiction. Her work includes the “L.A. Nights” series, the “Casey Cort” Series (under the pen name Aime Austin), “The Good Enough Husband,” “The Secret Widow,” and many others. I was able to catch up with her to discuss her time at Smith, her writing career, and how these two experiences intersect.
Frances Baker-Tucker: Can you share a favorite memory of your time at Smith? What house did you live in, and where did you spend the most time?
Sylvie Fox: After a short stint in Ziskind, I moved to Tyler. What I loved most about college was that I could spend my free time how I liked. Anyone who knows me, knows that the mission of libraries is something I hold dear to my heart. When I arrived in Northampton, one of the first things I did was get a library card for Forbes, Northampton’s public library. In addition to housing books in a beautiful building, it had racks of paperback series romance. I loved to walk from Green Street to the library, load up on romance, then come back and hunker down in my room reading …and probably enjoying impromptu cookies from the kitchen. Other than reading, my favorite memory of Smith, outside of lifetime friendships, is probably afternoon tea.
FBT: What are you reading right now?
SF: Like most readers I know, I have at least a few books going at once. The romance I’m reading is “Heartland” by Sarina Bowen. The thriller/mystery is “The Scholar” by Dervla McTiernan. Non-fiction/self help is “Insight” by Tasha Eurich. The book I currently recommend that everyone read is “101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest. It’s hands down the best book I’ve read in the last six months. It changed the way I think.
FBT: I’m fascinated by the “Meet Sylvie” section of your website because it portrays so honestly the path you took to become the writer that you are today. You describe how you moved back and forth between practicing law and pursuing writing too many times to count! As a college student writing for a college newspaper, it’s comforting to see that consistency is not required in our future career choices, and that we have a lot more freedom than we may think. What advice do you have for current Smith students who either are interested in pursuing a writing career but are unsure how it fits into their future, or simply for any Smithie who may feel pressure to make decisions about their future before they are certain of what they want to do?
SF: Let me answer this in a roundabout way. I hated my first year of law school and wanted desperately to drop out. But my parents raised me not to quit (a dubious assertion). I now believe that strategic quitting is more than appropriate on many occasions. I remember another student quitting during my first year at Cornell Law and my mother said of the student, “She just wasted a year of her life.” In retrospect that woman “wasted” eight months of her life. In the scope of life eight months is nothing. It’s not even enough time to grow a human. In answer to the question though, life takes us all on lots of different paths. I’m here from the future to tell you that it’s never too late to make a switch. What we learn along the way is priceless and never a waste.
FBT: From what I can tell your books seem to take great inspiration from your life, like the Casey Cort series of legal thrillers, and they take place in cities you have lived in yourself, like Cleveland or L.A. Does a lot of your writing inspiration come from your own life, and if not, where else do you get it?
SF: According to various editors I’ve had over the last years, my writing strengths are characters and dialogue. Scene and setting are not. For the latter, I do take inspiration from real life. It makes writing easier that way. I lived in Cleveland for five years post law school. I’ve lived in Los Angeles since 2001. I spend a significant amount of my year in Budapest. Though I love that city dearly, it’s yet to inspire my fiction. I kind of feel like I couldn’t quite do it justice. Long story short, it’s easier to write what you know. What I know is a lot about Cleveland and Los Angeles.
FBT: What keeps you writing after all these years, and after many changes in your life path? What kind of habits have you cultivated in order to become a successful writer?
SF: Like most of my author friends, writing is a kind of compulsion. If I don’t write, I feel like I lose a little bit of sanity. I do it because I can’t imagine my life if I didn’t. As for my writing habits, I can only do it prolifically if I maintain consistency. I have to write nearly every day. I’ve always written at home. I strongly believe in women having a space of their own. I’ve always made my own space and time a priority, even when family pressure pushed against that.
FBT: Would you draw any connections between your writing career and your time at Smith? Were there any experiences in general during your time at Smith that inspired you?
SF: My earliest inspiration came from a visiting professor whose name I can’t remember. My best recollection is that I took a creative non fiction seminar from him. He admired my writing. Told me I should pursue it. I didn’t listen initially to him or my advisor. I bowed to family pressure and went to law school instead. But I have always valued that someone had faith in my talents. He was the first person who gave me hope that I could actually make a career from writing.
FBT: And finally, a fun question: to your recollection, what is the most romantic spot on Smith’s campus? Perhaps one that is worthy enough to be featured in a novel?
SF: I know I’m biased, but…I love Green Street. In my memory, I was always walking down the street to or away from Tyler after a heavy fall rain over damp leaves. Autumn is my favorite season and I’d love my characters to spend more time on cool damp nights, holding hands and falling in love. After the next rain, I recommend taking a stroll.
