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Humor Writer Deb Amlen to Appear at The Library (Video)

Author and crossword puzzle builder Deb Amlen will be the guest at Monday's Friends of the Library Spring Meeting.

What’s an eight-letter word for an unlikely humor writer?

D-E-B A-M-L-E-N.

That’s technically a three-letter word followed by a five-letter word, true, but it doesn’t make Deb Amlen’s rise from successful crossword constructor to successful novelist any less amazing.

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And on Monday, May 2, you can hear the story straight from Amlen herself, when she appears at the East Brunswick Public Library as a guest of the Friends of the Library.

It began, of all things, with a crossword blog.

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“I took a job with the New York Times a few years ago,” the New Jersey-based writer said, noting that she has worked as a crossword constructor for seven years at such publications as The Washington Post, The Star-Ledger, The Onion and Us Magazine.  She also is the creator of a humor column called “Next Exit,” about life in New Jersey for the Springfield Patch. 

“I write their crossword blog. I know that sounds kind of geeky but there is an official New York Times crossword blog. Two friends of mine had been writing this blog and unbeknownst to me they both kind of quit at the same time. It’s part time, but it’s a great gig. So eight times a week, I find something new and fresh to say about the New York Times crossword puzzle.

“I view it as a writing exercise. In order to write about something that’s essentially the same every day, you sort of have to look at it as a challenge.”

As an exercise, it clearly worked. Because one day, a call came from Sterling Publishing.

“I don’t think anyone should take it as gospel as that’s how the publishing world works, but they found me on Facebook," Amlen said. “Some of the editors at Sterling had been following me on Facebook and Twitter.

“I went into the meeting thinking they were talking to me about a puzzle book. It took me about 20 minutes listening to them talk about all sorts of weird publishing terms I’d never heard before I realized they were talking to me about writing a book. So I smiled, shook everyone’s hand, signed the contract, then went home and Googled, ‘How to write a book.’ ”

The result of that Googling, a humor book entitled “It’s not PMS, It’s You,” has proved to be the beginning of a promising career.  She has published two additional books since, and is working on a fourth. “There are a lot of misunderstandings about the book,” Amlen says, referring primarily to the title. “It’s not a man-bashing thing. I tried to make it fair and balanced because I think we’re all flawed. I tried to make it about relationships.

“(Sterling) already had a template in mind for the book, but I basically talked them out of it... I told them this is a good start, but I think there’s a very small market for it. I wound up having a much wider audience as a result.”

And, as it turns out, a predominantly male audience. “The majority of my readers tend to be men. I’m not a mommy blogger, I’m not an, ‘Ooh I broke my nail and I hate my boyfriend and I feel fat’ kind of blogger. I kind of view the rest of the world as funny.”

Her appearance at the East Brunswick Public Library is one of a series she’s been making at libraries, temples, and other organizations throughout the state. All follow a roughly similar template, but each is unique.  “It’s kind of a combination standup and meeting, " she says. “They suggested I combine it with a discussion on crossword puzzles, and frankly, they don’t’ go together. It’s a whole different schtick.”

For more information on Amlen’s appearance, call 732-390-6767 or visit www.ebpl.org.

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