Elyssa Friedland
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
Author of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel and JACKPOT SUMMER
About Jackpot Summer:
After the Potter siblings win a life-changing fortune in the lottery, they assume their messy lives will transform into sleek, storybook perfection—but they couldn’t be more wrong in the new laugh-out-loud novel from beloved author Elyssa Friedland.
The four Potter children were raised to respect the value of a dollar. Their mother reused tea bags and refused to pay retail; their father taught them to budget before he taught them to ride a bike. And yet, as adults, their financial lives—as well as their personal lives—are in complete disarray.
The siblings reunite when their newly widowed father puts their Jersey Shore home on the market. Packing up their childhood isn’t easy, especially when they’ve all got drama brewing back home. Matthew is miserable at his corporate law job and wishes he had more time with his son; Laura’s marriage is imploding in spectacular fashion; Sophie’s art career is stalled while her boyfriend’s is on the rise; and Noah’s total failure to launch has him doing tech repair for pennies.
So when Noah sees an ad for a Powerball drawing, he and his sisters go in on a ticket. Matthew passes but the ticket is a winner and all hell breaks loose as the infusion of cash causes sibling rivalries and family secrets to resurface. Without their mother, and with their father busy playing pickleball in a Florida retirement village, the once close-knit siblings search for comfort in shiny new toys instead of each other.
It’s not long before the Potters start to realize that they’ll never feel rich unless they can pull their family back together.
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
About Last Summer at the Golden Hotel:
The Golden Hotel was once the see-and-be-seen hotspot in the Catskills, but the hotel is on the rapid decline. When an offer to sell forces the Goldman and Weingold families, co-owners and best friends, back together on campus, old flames reignite, secrets are revealed, and everyone must face their futures.
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
Author I draw inspiration from:
Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
Favorite place to read a book:
My bed
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Hermione Granger from Harry Potter - she'd get us out
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2nd grade when my short story was the hit of the elementary school
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
ebook
The last book I read:
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Duchess Goldblatt from Becoming Duchess Goldblatt (memoir)
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Lawyer
Favorite decade in fashion history:
fifties
Place I’d most like to travel:
South Africa
My signature drink:
White wine
Favorite artist:
Julian Opie
Number one on my bucket list:
Safari with my husband and kids
Anything else you'd like to add:
Writing is my passion and nothing makes me happier than the sound of laughter
Find more from the author:
IG: @ElyssaFriedland
FB @authorelyssafriedland
About Elyssa Friedland:
Author Interview - Elyssa Friedland
Elyssa Friedland is the author of four novels and a forthcoming picture book. A graduate of Yale University, where she currently teaches, and Columbia Law School, Elyssa lives in New York City with her husband and children.
