"What better ticking clock is there than a global financial catastrophe?"

Historical fiction author Samantha Woodruff on tapping external plot devices, rethinking everything she knew as a marketing specialist, and her rich new novel, THE TRADE OFF

Check out the collection of past Words With (Author) Friends, wherein I g-chat with an author and you get to read over my shoulder, and order Sam’s gripping new novel, out now!

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Me: Sam, hello!

Samantha: Hi Andi!!

So excited to be here

this is my first CHAT interview

Ditto, so happy to be chatting with you!

I'm in sweatpants while they loudly dismantle a tree outside my window so yeah, g-chat is ideal for me today haha

How are you?

lol, I too am in sweatpants having just come from a yoga class. much needed in launch times

MUCH needed

I'm hanging in there

Launching a book is HARD

Oh, it sure is. Have things slowed down or are you still in the publication tornado?

This week is slower. Oddly, my "tour" gets crazy at the end of the month and then into November vs. right at launch. The big thing I have this week (other than this chat which I was so looking forward to) is that I am throwing a party at my house.

I did this for my first book too -- kind of a "holy shit I wrote a book and it got published, let's celebrate" event. No readings, no discussion, just fun

oh that's great!! And quite impressive. I get stressed enough hosting in normal times. But I love that you're taking time to celebrate!

I love to host and throw parties. This one is 1920s themed a "Speakeasy Soiree," but it is definitely a lot. Especially at my own home and one week post launch.

That sounds SO FUN.

For the uninitiated, can you tell us a little about The Trade Off?

Of course....The Trade Off is historical fiction set in the 1920s in New York during the heady days of the ROARING stock market. A young Jewish woman -- Bea Abramowitz -- the daughter of Russian immigrants who lost everything when they came to America at the beginning of the century is a math whiz and loves watching stocks.

She dreams of becoming a broker on Wall Street which is essentially impossible because 1: she's female, 2: she's poor and 3: she's Jewish. But she has a twin brother, Jake. Jake is a natural salesman with a deep desire to make money -- the easier the path the better. So she becomes the woman behind the man. Jake is the "broker" but she's the one doing all the work. They take their family from rags to riches but as the decade draws to a close, Bea sees signs of a crash and Jake won’t listen, forcing her to decide whether to trust her instincts and find a way to save her family before it is too late.

Also, she has this awesome group of friends so there is lots of "sisterhood" and girl power stuff going on.

PHEW...that was long-winded

I love this pitch so much! Can you share the inspiration for the story?