In the new novel, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER, debut novelist Jacqueline E. Luckett weaves an entertaining tale of Lena Spencer, a woman who has it all except the one thing she really wants: happiness.

On the surface, Lena Spencer has the perfect life: a successful husband, two wonderful children, and an expensive house in an exclusive Oakland neighborhood. She wants for noth

ing, has the world at her fingertips, but is woefully depressed. Many days, Lena can’t even seem to drag herself out of her pajamas, the weight of her unhappiness too heavy to bear. The children she once doted upon are now cranky and selfish, her husband, who once made her feel sexy and alive, is emotionally distant. After years of putting herself last and giving up on her dreams, Lena can’t seem to recognize herself anymore. Somewhere along the line, all of the things that inhabit her life just aren’t good enough anymore, and she realizes she wants herself back. Faced with an ultimatum by her husband: choose their “perfect” life or leave, Lena decides to give it all up and find herself.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Luckett about her book, her decision to follow her dreams, and her wish for all women.

Britni Danielle: Your novel, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER, takes readers on an entertaining journey through the life of Lena Spencer. We see her have it all, fall apart, and try to put it back together. The story is at once very familiar (because many can relate), but also so refreshing. How did you come up with the idea of this novel?

Jacqueline Luckett: In 2003, my spouse and I divorced after twenty years of marriage. Coincidentally, several other women I knew were also considering or going through divorce at the same time. We were all feeling the same emotions: betrayal of the lives we believed would last until death do us part, confusion, and varying degrees of depression; but, we were also trying to move forward with our lives. I wondered how women coped with life after a long-term marriage and what came next. Though, at the time, I was working on a collection of short stories, my curiosity led me to the novel.

BD:  The main character, Lena Spencer, is a woman who needs change. Even though it seems everything and everyone is against her, she reaches out and grabs what she so desperately needs. Reading your bio, it seems like you, too, have embraced change and decided to follow your dreams of writing. Did you draw inspiration for Lena from your own life?

JL: As I was going through my divorce, one of my writer friends suggested that I journal all the emotions I was experiencing so that I could give them, one day, to future characters. I kept track, but the emotions were raw and sometimes so self-critical that, even today, I can’t look at those entries. Those feelings of loss and doubt created Lena about a year later, when it was easier to talk about the effects of divorce.

Lena imitated me J, and as I became stronger, so did she. They way we arrived at our strength was different. Both Lena and I felt the sting of divorce and shifting dreams. We both faced change, and, in that respect, Lena drew inspiration from me. Change is hard for most of us, especially as we mature. We become used to life being the way it is. When an event as distressing as divorce forces us in another direction, it’s important, especially for women whose lives have been so focused on family, to embrace, not fight it.

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BD: Why did you decide to use Tina Turner as Lena’s muse for change?

JL: Tina Turner is a wonderful, vital woman. I have great respect for her, and I hope she regards the novel as a tribute to her triumphs and accomplishments.

Truthfully, I don’t remember now if it was the movie (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”), a TV interview, or reports of her final concerts that triggered the idea of Tina Turner as role model—but the depth of what she had done, impressed me and something clicked. Once I read her book, I Tina, I was even more amazed. In her forties, Tina Turner left her marriage with her name, her talent and the conviction that she could make it on her own. I became obsessed with the idea of that strength and how it could inspire a character—without the abuse—on the verge of change. Initially, I wanted to explore surviving divorce, but with each new draft, universal themes surfaced: reinvention, new beginnings, and the challenge of remaining true to self.

BD: Your debut novel, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER, reminded me of some of Terri McMillian’s early work. Who are your influences?

JL: Thanks for the compliment. Ms. McMillan creates characters that, as a reader, we believe in and want to stay with, even after the book has ended. 

I’m an avid reader. I don’t like to put myself into a “reading box.” I read murder mysteries and detective novels (Valerie Wesley Wilson, Barbara Neely, Patricia Cornwell). Then I might switch around all kinds of fiction (Bebe Moore Campbell or Dianne McKinney Whetstone, Toni Morrison, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Jeffery Eugenides, Julia Alvarez, ZZ Packer, Lalita Tademy, John Edgar Wideman)—and almost any book in between. Lately, I’ve taken to memoir (Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Space Between the Stars by Deborah Santana, Where Did You Sleep Last Night? by Danzy Senna) because it’s so different from fiction.

I try to take something away from each novel or short story that I read. Before I started writing in earnest, I read solely for pleasure—what happened, where, why and to whom. I appreciated an author’s skill. In some ways, the focus of my reading has shifted. Oh, don’t get me wrong—I still love a good, well-written story. Now, I read for both pleasure and to study the craft of writing. I reread paragraphs and sentences to understand how an author successfully presented an idea, a place, or a character. Style, sentence formation, character development and many other aspects of a well-written book affect me. There’s no one author who has influenced me. I get something from every book I read.

BD: In the acknowledgements, you write, “To every woman: this is what you must do—Go.” Why did you decide to include this powerful charge to all women?

JL: I love that you read the acknowledgements. I always read every word in a book, from the title page and the copyright straight through to the last page.

Actually, I deleted that line in the final edit. I decided to let the novel send the message. My intention was to charge women to take their fate into their own hands and mold it into a life they love—whether they’re married or not. Sometimes as wives and mothers, women can get lost in taking care of family and forget to care for themselves. That’s what happened to Lena; she would have loved to have kept her family together, stayed married and pursued her photography, but fate had other plans for her.

BD: What lessons do you want readers to take away from SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER?

JL: As Lena goes through her struggles, her journey offers these lessons for all of us:

it’s okay to be afraid, as long as we don’t let the fear keep us from doing what we want to do; change challenges us to reinvent ourselves; and, new beginnings are possible for all of us.

BD: You started, The Finish Party, with a group of prominent female writers. What prompted you to form a writing group and how have they helped you with your writing?

JL: Writing is a solitary venture. Oh, I suppose some might argue that a writer is not really alone because he/she is surrounded by all kinds of characters. But the truth is that the writer lives a large part of her day alone and in someone else’s world. For me, contact with other writers and the ability to discuss my work was absolutely necessary. 

Feedback, as well as another “eye,” is important. In our Finish Party meetings, we workshop pages, chapters, and entire novels. I’m fortunate to be part of such a group of talented writers who understand what it takes to make a story work. It’s nice, too, to be able to talk about writing and your characters—what they’re doing and why, or to talk about ways of putting a story together that non-writers might not find interesting.

BD:  There is a lot of information out there about the uncertainty of the publishing industry. As a new novelist, what kind of advice would you give to a still looking to get published. 

JL: I jumped for joy the first time I printed out my manuscript. Once I settled down, I had to examine my motives for writing: money, to make my mark on the world, or simply for the sake of doing what I loved. In today’s market, a writer has to answer the same question: why am I doing this? 

Writing for money requires a realistic attitude because the odds are that, even if a writer finds an agent and a publisher, the advance may be small—this is especially true for a first timer (unless you’re a celebrity or other high-profile person). You must love what you’re doing and write from passion and love of story. You can’t mull over over ripping up pages and starting all over again. You have to love spending hours revising, getting one sentence right, or finding the perfect adjective.

Try to get your short stories or a novel excerpt published anywhere you can: literary magazines, hardcopy or online. Do your research and submit to publications that match your style. Getting your work published in this way demonstrates your writing skills and exposes you to a large readership. There are agents and editors who read literary publications and magazines for the specific purpose of discovering new talent. 

When possible, attend conferences and workshops where agents are present. Many conferences offer meetings with agents in a style similar to “speed dating.” Present to agents who represent work similar to your own. Keep your story premise brief and ask the agents for feedback—not on your story but on the premise—to gauge if you’re on the right track.

Don’t give up. Keep writing, hone your skills and once your manuscript is the best that it can be, research agents, know what they’re looking for and submit, submit, submit.

BD: Ms. Luckett thanks so much for agreeing to chat with me. I wish you much success!

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Dying to read, SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER? Win a free copy of Jacqueline Luckett’s new novel right here! 

To Enter:

Leave a comment about who or what inspires you.

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Five winners will be chosen at random and must live within the US or Canada (and sorry, no PO Box addys!)

All entries must be made by Thursday, Jan 28, 2010 by 11:59pm PST.

Winners will be announced on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.

Good Luck!