Interview with Jacey Bici, Author of That Kind of Girl

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write That Kind of Girl?

In 1987, I published my first book titled The Jem Girls Go Out for Dinner. The publisher was the library at my elementary school. I was five years old. That is to say, I was born with the writing bug. Fast-forward to adulthood, and I became a parent for the first time. (This is known as an inciting incident where the sausage is made in the author department). With a sabbatical from hospital work and a companion who drooled more than he conversed, I need to find myself. With all this new free time on my hands, what was I to do? As any parent reading this knows, having kids is a great time to tackle a difficult new hobby. So I made the obvious choice. I would finally write that novel.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of That Kind of Girl, what would they be?

Opal: That Girl by Maxi Priest

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre to read is literary fiction. It’s also my favorite genre to write.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

So. Many. Books. Up Next is A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene to write was the one in which Opal is suddenly offered a job interview and must navigate it with kid snot on her sweater, an ugly blazer that doesn’t fit, and a lack of self-confidence. She has to fake it till she makes it, and I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Call me quirky, but I like to write with pen and paper. The best pens come from my dog’s vet clinic, so I’m always slipping one in my bag when I take the dog in for a visit. Sarasota Veterinary Center, guys. Great pens.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

“She thought she could, so she did.”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

If there’s one thing I hope readers hold onto, it’s that a woman’s life is not a single storyline, but an intricate, evolving narrative in which she’s the author.

Jacey Bici is the author of the new book That Kind of Girl

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