Suzanne Mattaboni Talks New Book and Reflects on 80s Nostalgia
n this exclusive interview, we have the privilege of sitting down with the talented wordsmith herself, Suzanne Mattaboni. Today, Suzanne takes us on a journey through the pages of her new book, "Once in a Lifetime." Delving into the essence of the 80s, she shares the inspiration behind the novel, her creative process, and the nostalgia that breathes life into her characters and their unforgettable adventures. In her own words, Mattaboni describes "Once in a Lifetime" as "Vibrant. Feminist. Artsy. Self-aware. Fun." and we couldn't agree more.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind "Once in a Lifetime" and what led you to write a novel set in the 1980s?
The first thing people usually ask is if the main character is modeled after me. The answer is that a lot of fiction starts with “you” and the people you’ve known and then the characters take off in their own directions and do the fictional things they need to do to make the story work. SoI was inspired by certain journeys and experiences I had as a young person trying to break out and make my mark in the world, including time spent in New Hope that just begged to figure into my fiction. I decided to keep the source timeframe of the mid-1980s because this was a very exciting time to be young. We were at the cusp of the punk/new wave movement which figured heavily into a lot of our lives, and we knew it was something completely invigorating that no one had ever seen or heard before. We felt a certain ownership over the trend. And the main character, a very ambitious student artist who can’t wait to get her adult life started, is completely inspired by the whole movement. As a writer, I felt that if I could bottle the thrill of that moment, it would be a good time for people to read.
As someone familiar with New Hope, I'm curious about what factors led you to choose this specific location as the setting for the book.
New Hope was one of the most fun places I’ve ever lived. At the time, it was a little protected enclave where you went to be the person you couldn’t really be out there in the rest of society. There’s a passage in the book that says that, in New Hope, you could show up as one thing and leave as something completely different—whatever you wanted. Even the buildings were that way: An old dock that turned into a restaurant, a farmhouse that became a gallery. It was that way for people, too. Everyone was just… free there.
Music plays a significant role in the novel, with chapters named after 1980s songs. How did you incorporate music into the story, and why was it important to the characters and their experiences?
For young people in the ‘80s, at least in college, your taste in music defined nearly everything you did. It determined who your friends were, what you wore, how you decorated your room, what haircut you got, what clubs you went to. You were either a headbanger or a punk, a Madonna wannabe or a skinhead (those were the real extreme seditionists), or maybe even a hanger-on disco dancer. Whichever of those you were, it was immediately apparent the moment someone looked at you. And it all hinged on the music you liked. That plays into the novel. The girls are artsy, quirky new wavers, so they’re living for that post-punk clubbing experience. They communicate in song lyrics.
"Once in a Lifetime" has received several awards. How does it feel to have your work recognized and praised in this way, and how do you think the book resonates with readers?
That’s been a great time—I’m thankful for that validation. I think the people who are judging books in these contests are maybe looking for that second layer where the journey teaches you something about yourself or makes you remember your own epiphanies. Maybe this happens in contests even more so than with the average reader, who’s more looking for a fun escape or something that’s going to make their pulse race.
But that’s the kind of book I wanted to write, something that was a fun ride, but that made people think about the moments that defined them, and how difficult it was to be on the precipice of making those decisions. Those may be the most intense moments of a person’s life, when you’re full of energy and yearning and motivation, and you’re truly discovering yourself.
The book explores the challenges and aspirations of young artists. How did you approach portraying the artistic journey of Jessica and her friends, and what insights or messages did you want to convey through their experiences?
Jessica is a little obsessed with how creativity manifests itself, in herself and in other artsy people. This is why she’s drawn to one of the love-interests in the book, a new wave musician. She feels like she can’t really experience the world without trying to reinterpret it through her artistic sensibilities and turning it into some piece of work she can share. She calls that her “transmogriphier brain” at work. But she also learns that although she can reinterpret the world and spit it back out as art, she can’t transmogrify people. She can’t make them into what she wants, she has to learn to work within the confines of reality, yet still move forward and accomplish her goals. Which mostly amounts to becoming a noted artist.
What drew you to the genre of contemporary fiction and coming-of-age stories? What do you find most compelling about exploring the lives and experiences of young adults?
I don’t know if you’d call this novel contemporary since it takes place in the ‘80s, although I had trouble passing it off as being “historical fiction.” I like coming-of-age stories because that’s when you make the choices that script the rest of your life. It’s when you’re anxious and confused and thrilled all at once, and have a million questions about what you want for yourself and how to achieve those things. A lot of the times, when it comes to relationships, that’s when people are very dysfunctional. Their lives and careers are still up in the air. So it’s interesting to see what happens when post-adolescents with that many blanks still to be filled-in for themselves try to deal with each other.
Your background includes being a fiction writer, blogger, podcaster, and PR consultant. How has your diverse experience influenced your writing style and the themes you explore in your work?
A lot of that comes from the same place, although I did have some trouble breaking away from the more formal, almost journalistic type of writing that’s been ingrained in me from PR. What might have been even more of a challenge is that, when I first started publishing, I was more in an academic mode and was writing literary fiction, which is much more conceptual than popular fiction. That’s how they encourage you to write at the University level. SoI still have some of that literary style in my writing, but I had to come down from that high horse and learn to be more plot- and action-driven than my initial instincts dictate. I tend to be very character-driven, more into the interior monologue, the beauty of the language, and the insights behind the book.
What message or takeaway do you hope readers will gain from "Once in a Lifetime," particularly those who may have experienced the 80s themselves or are curious about that era?
That you need to be true to yourself, no matter what happens, and that your own truth will reveal itself eventually. That you can’t let other people hold you back—this is especially important for women, who tend to throw all their eggs into the relationship basket and let that determine the course of their lives. And this is big: In the ‘80s, it was the first time women were told, “You can have it all! Education, love, sex, friendship, careers, adventure, independence! It’s yours for the taking!” So we went out into the world like gangbusters looking to get all those things, and we found out how difficult it is to have it all. Maybe you learn that you can’t really have it all—at least not all at once. You learn you can have a little bit of this now, and a little of that later, and by the time you mature in life, maybe you’ll have it all. And it all works out.
But in the meantime, that was a lot of pressure!
Are there any upcoming projects or ideas you can share with us? What can readers expect from you in the future?
An anthology just came out that I’ve got a story in: TheHard Boiled and Loaded with Sin noir anthology. Is that not a terrific title? I’ve got a gory little piece in there called “Pride Goeth Before.” I’m working on a series of stories that are based on true life, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not-type deaths and this was one of them. It’s strange but interesting work. I’m also in a pending “fanthology” where people submitted anecdotes about being at Howard Jones concerts back in the day. It’s called “We’re In This Together” and it’s coming out this year. That’s a very cool, 1980s new wave-themed project.
I’m finishing a collection of short fiction tentatively titledHow Is This My Life? As you might guess, it has a running theme of dysfunctional people looking at their lives and wondering, “How did I get here, and how do I get out?” Kind of like the themes in the Talking Heads song, “Once in a Lifetime.” Which is how it got to be an anthem for the girls in my novel.
At least I’m consistent.
80s Nostalgia
Since 'Once in a Lifetime' takes place in the 80s and is filled with nostalgia, we thought it would be fun to ask about Suzanne's favorite 80s moments.
What was your favorite 80s fashion trend?
The big black blazer. It looked great on both men and women, made skinny guys look built, made tiny girls look tough, made everyone look mysterious and rebellious, yet still semi-formal. Loved it. And banana clips were fun, too—very flattering for us girls whose hair was long but maybe a little too heavy to be big and sprayed-up.
Who was your favorite 80s music artist or band?
There were so many I was ga-ga about, but my favorite was always The Police. I was convinced there was a chance I might marry Sting. He’s seriously my type—a skinny, pretentious, brooding, poetic and musical English major with razor-cut cheek bones.
What is your favorite 80s song?
It’s a tie: “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” by The Police, and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Due to some off-beat coincidence, both these songs begin with “Every.” I can’t say why. Some runner-up choices: “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)” by The Icicle Works, “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure. “It’s Different ForGirls,” Joe Jackson. And “Once in a Lifetime,” Talking Heads.
Did you have a favorite 80s movie?
A few, but “Back to the Future” is probably one of the world’s most perfect movies. “The Princess Bride” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” are a close second and third. Or does anyone but me remember a quirky little piece with Nicholas Cage and Matthew Bodine called “Birdy”? That was a cool movie.
Favorite 80s slang words or phrases?
You know, people didn’t really walk around saying things like “gag me with a spoon” and “radical”—I think that was just a dopey thing people did one year in California. But there was a rhythm to the way young people talked in the ‘80s that I can’t replicate here. You don’t hear it anymore, especially in TV and movies, where the trend now is to say funny lines exuberantly and fast, for effect—almost like Tracy and Hepburn in the ‘40s. But when I watch an old ‘80s film, that more relaxed pace of communication comes back to me. It lulls me into feeling, “there, now I’m home!”
If I have to think of a phrase, I remember the moment when Molly Ringwald’s drugged-up sister in “Sixteen Candles” just finished tripping up the aisle after getting married, and Molly’s character apologizes for her saying, “My sister is really out of it right now.” No one says that anymore. It was a great catch-all phrase for all things screwed up.
Which 80s TV show or cartoon character was your favorite?
We didn’t have a TV in the dorms at college. I didn’t watch normal television programming. I watched MTV in fraternity-house foyers. So my favorite cartoon would be those interstitial montages that flashed MTV-MTV-MTV-MTV in 17 different DayGlo fonts between the Duran Duran and Whitney Houston videos. In the late ‘80s, I got an apartment and a TV. Then I liked “Thirtysomething.”
What was your most memorable 80s pop culture moment?
Live Aid. I wasn’t in attendance, but I had spent the previous summer in New Hope (a suburb of Philly) and had just returned a month before from a semester in London (both these circumstances play a big role in Once In a Lifetime), so I felt an affinity for both places where the concerts took place. I was a singer, so much of my world revolved around music, which made it a thrill to watch. I had just seen Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats live in London earlier that year. I still have the ticket stubs.
What 80s collectibles or memorabilia did you have that you cherished? Do you miss anything from the 80s?
I miss EVERYTHING. I have a cover from Interview magazine that’s signed by Andy Warhol from not long before he died. It’s an August ‘86 issue; he died in February of ‘87. Warhol is from Pittsburgh—Oakland, specifically, where the girls in the book go to college. I had an ex who was still going to school at Pitt, and he had a class with Warhol’s nephew, so he got me the autograph.
I have other stuff that I bought off eBay and such: A signed postcard from a Keith Haring exhibit. U2, The Police, and Robert Smith Funko Pops. A drawer full of band T-shirts. And I’ve got a big fat manila envelope of my own stuff that I saved from back in the day: matchbooks from favorite clubs, concert ads, magazine pages I had push-pinned to my corkboards, a Xerox of my husband’s 21-year-old face smooshed against the copier glass (he was ahead of his time with selfies).
I have a series of numbered cocktail napkins on which my roommates wrote notes to me in the form of a letter, which they composed one night when they were at our favorite club. They updated me on everything the guy I had a crush on was doing (“Shane is dating all of Oakland”). They mailed it to me when I was away in London, along with a stale cigarette butt and a folded-up poster. That’s my favorite piece of memorabilia.
People just don’t do that kind of stuff anymore.
“Once in a Lifetime” is out now. Visit onceinalifetimenovel.com for more information.
