CANR
WORK TITLE: One Death at a Time
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://abbiwaxman.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: CA 416
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1970, in England; immigrated to United States, 1992; married; children: three daughters.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, creative director, screenwriter. Worked previously as a copywriter and creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York, with clients including AT&T, Chase Manhattan Bank, IBM, American Express, Unilever, Mercedes-Benz, and Enron.
WRITINGS
Author of TV shows and screenplays.
SIDELIGHTS
Abbi Waxman is a writer of novels as well as television scripts and screenplays. [open new/revised]Born in England in 1970, she was encouraged at a young age to read by her mother, who—after the unceremonious departure of Waxman’s cigarette-smoking father—moved on from copywriting to become a successful crime fiction writer. Waxman read numerous romance novels as a teen and has described herself as a golden-age mystery fanatic, with Agatha Christie, Patricia Wentworth, and Rex Stout among her favorite authors. Waxman’s career began in advertising. She worked as a copywriter and creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York and assisted a number of high-profile corporate clients. Able to settle in the US because her mother was originally from Detroit, giving her dual citizenship, Waxman quit advertising and turned to writing when she had children. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, which she loves so much she has consistently set her novels there.[suspend new]
Waxman’s debut novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings, focuses on protagonist Lilian Girvan, a thirty-four-year-old widow and single mother of two. Lilian is recovering from the traumatic experience of having witnessed her husband’s death in a car crash fifty feet from their home. The event occurred three years prior to the opening of the book, but Lilian is only now beginning to feel whole again. Tracy Babiasz in Booklist wrote: “Waxman takes readers from tears to laughter in this depiction of one woman’s attempt to hold it all together.”
When Lilian had a breakdown following her husband’s death, her sister Rachel stepped in to help with Lilian’s two daughters while she recovered in a treatment facility. Though Lilian was released after a few months, Rachel continued to help out with the girls. Now, Lilian is back to raising her daughters and providing for the family through illustration work, but she is saddened by the fact that her daughters have little memory of their father. When Lilian finds out that the company she works for is closing her department, she must figure out her next steps. The company has left her with one final assignment: to illustrate a series of vegetable gardening books for Bloem Company. The assignment requires that she attend a six-week Saturday morning gardening class, taught by Edward Bloem. Although initially resistant, Lilian finds that the class brings out a sense of joy in her that she has not experienced in years. Further, she begins to feel an attraction to Edward, something she has not known since the death of her husband.
While Lilian is grappling with these foreign feelings, the readers are introduced to subplots, such as the tense relationship between Lilian and Rachel and their mother, and the growths and developments of the other participants in the gardening class. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described The Garden of Small Beginnings as “full of wry humor and a clear-eyed view of how life keeps offering good things.”
[resume new]With her next novel, Other People’s Houses, Waxman returns to the LA neighborhood of Larchmont, where she lives in real life and moreover where her previous novel was set. Frances Bloom, mother of three, is a very discreet carpool driver for the Porter, Horton, and Carter-Gillespie families, but she is thrown for a loop when an unplanned trip to fetch forgotten craft supplies finds her walking in on Anne Porter and a paramour on the floor. The repercussions mount when Anne’s husband finds out, and lashes out, throwing other marriages off-balance as well. With Julie Horton’s recent whereabouts up in the air, Iris Carter inclined to cajole her wife into having another child, and Frances’s teenage daughter rising to occasions, off-kilter domestic interplay rules the day. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that Waxman’s “hilarious ruminations about childrearing, shopping, and other parents give this broad appeal.” Proclaiming Waxman “adept at creating sympathetic, believable characters” and a “master at purveying the wry humor that rides just below the surface of even the tough times,” a Kirkus Reviews writer hailed Other People’s Houses as (nicely) “voyeuristic,” “humorous,” and “immensely enjoyable.”
Concerning her next novel, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Waxman explained to Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb that while touring for her previous book, she kept meeting “all these cool young women who worked in the bookstores. They were … smart, dressed in funky clothes, and deeply, DEEPLY in love with books. I fell in love with all of them, and decided to write them a book where they were the hero.” A single mother’s only child, Nina Hill has been content with an introverted, well-scheduled life, complete with daily meal plans, shopping lists, and trivia study time with Phil, her cat. Then comes the revelation that her father, long said by her mother to be unknown, has died, left her a bequeathal, and has a large and boisterous family to be met. As Nina ambivalently resists getting to know the new relations—a look-alike brother, a creepy sister, a genius cousin, a gay nephew—handsome trivia rival Tom, whose sports knowledge unfortunately suggests he may not be a big reader, presents some extra motivation.
A Kirkus Reviews writer found “bookish, contemplative, set-in-her-ways” Nina Hill to be a “thoroughly engaging” character: she “has a spark, an imagination, and a sense of humor that make you want to sit with her and observe people over a cappuccino and pastry … while making wisecracks.” In the Washington Post, Angela Hauptis proclaimed that Waxman’s “wit and wry humor stand out. She is funny and imaginative,” and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is “a feel-good book that shines, one that offers a heroine we can root for from Page 1.”
Los Angeles lawyer Jessica Burnstein and her teen daughter Emily alternate narration in I Was Told It Would Get Easier, in which they join other high-powered parents and ambitious adolescents for a high-stakes excursion to prestigious East Coast colleges in hopes of gaining admission. As the dramatic tour unfolds, lurking under the surface is a cheating scandal that Emily may have gotten mixed up in—with the FBI ultimately investigating. A Publishers Weekly reviewer declared that Waxman “expertly navigates the fraught shoals of college admissions in this spot-on tale”: the narration “rings true,” the “memorable” supporting characters “provide excellent support” and the novel proves a “sharp send-up” of the elite college admissions milieu.
Ending up in the Larchmont area in Adult Assembly Required is Laura Costello, who has moved west from New York to attend grad school after a traumatic car accident and a complicated broken engagement. When a fire guts her LA living space, she is directed by kindly bookstore owners to a boardinghouse, where she gets welcomed into a trivia-team friend group, makes progress coping with PTSD, and meets baseball-watching Bob—possibly a perfect match. In Library Journal, Samantha Gust found this novel suitable for “fans of light romance with a bit of serious stuff mixed in,” while Tracy Babiasz of Booklist affirmed that Waxman “nimbly describes the normality of anxiety, and readers can count on her to provide comfort and feel-good smiles.”
In Christa Comes Out of Her Shell, Christa Liddle has spent years recovering from her famous conservationist father’s presumed death by plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness when she was a toddler. She now prefers the company of snails at an island research station in the Indian Ocean. When Jasper Liddle turns out to be alive after all, Christa gets thrust into a world of rediscovered family, public attention, and the possibility of love. A Kirkus Reviews writer noted that Waxman “displays her usual talent for creating main characters who are wry and great with a one-liner” in this “fun novel that manages to blend romance, family drama, and animal facts.”
Waxman originally conceived One Death at a Time as a TV pilot in the 2010s; when the Hollywood impetus petered out, she reworked the narrative as a novel, aiming to kick off a “Mason & Mann” series. Having spent fifteen years in jail for murdering her husband, undone movie star Julia Mann intends to wield her freshly earned law degree in a quest for justice—if she can just hold off on alcohol for a while. When Repercussion Studios nemesis Tony Eckenridge is found floating dead in her swimming pool, Julia’s inability to remember the circumstances, owing to drunkenness, may not be sufficient for her defense. At an AA meeting, Julia pairs up at with delivery driver Natasha Mason, who agrees to be her sponsor and live-in assistant, and has the spunk to match the re-rising star’s ambitions. Julia takes her acting skills to the next level, Sherlock Holmes style, as Natasha helps with undercover operations sweeping through a Hollywood funeral, a dank burlesque venue, and a Palm Springs country club in a quest for justice.
In Booklist, Babiasz observed that the “witty banter between Natasha and Julia carries the novel, resulting in great fun and lots of laughs.” Summing the novel up as a “caffeinated Hollywood whodunit full of fast-talking characters,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer suggested that “movie buffs and fans of comical mysteries will enjoy themselves.” A Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that One Death at a Time is “sharp and clever and knows it, just like its heroine.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 1, 2017, Tracy Babiasz, review of The Garden of Small Beginnings, p. 52; March 1, 2022, Tracy Babiasz, review of Adult Assembly Required, p. 21; March, 2025, Tracy Babiasz, review of One Death at a Time, p. 59.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2017, review of The Garden of Small Beginnings; February 1, 2018, review of Other People’s Houses; May 1, 2019, review of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill; February 15, 2024, review of Christa Hill Comes Out of Her Shell; February 15, 2025, review of One Death at a Time.
Library Journal, May, 2022, Samantha Gust, review of Adult Assembly Required, p. 86.
Publishers Weekly, February 26, 2018, review of Other People’s Houses, p. 61; April 27, 2020, review of I Was Told It Would Get Easier, p. 30; February 17, 2025, review of One Death at a Time, p. 34.
Washington Post, July 9, 2019, Angela Haupt, review of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
ONLINE
Abbi Waxman website, https://www.abbiwaxman.com (September 25, 2025).
Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, https://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/ (September 29, 2018), author Q&A; (August 16, 2019), author Q&A; (April 16, 2024), author Q&A; (April 15, 2025), author Q&A.
Criminal Element, https://www.criminalelement.com/ (April 28, 2025), Abbi Waxman, “Seeing Double: Why Pairs of Detectives Work So Well, and Why I Created Another.”
Flavorwire, http://flavorwire.com/ (May 11, 2017), Sarah Seltzer, author interview.
Fresh Fiction, https://blog.freshfiction.com/ (April 16, 2024), “Abbi Waxman | Dealing with the Social Media Fall Out of Fresh Fame and Falling in Love,” author interview; (April 15, 2025), “Abbi Waxman | A Cranky Former Actress Teams Up with Her Gen Z Sobriety Sponsor,” author interview.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (May 11, 2017), author interview.
JeanBookNerd, https://www.jeanbooknerd.com/ (May 1, 2022), “Abbi Waxman Interview—Adult Assembly Required.”
Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (June 15, 2020), Laura Glassman, “Q&A: Abbi Waxman, Author of ‘I Was Told It Would Get Easier.’”
Romance by the Book, https://romancebythebook.com/ (May 26, 2022), “A Five Minute Quickie with Abbi Waxman.”
Star Telegram, http://www.star-telegram.com/ (May 11, 2017), Jean Marie Brown, review of Garden of Small Beginnings.
Writer’s Digest, https://www.writersdigest.com/ (June 30, 2020), Abbi Waxman, “Writing Not Any Easier.”
Abbi Waxman was born in England in 1970, the oldest child of two copywriters who never should have been together in the first place. Once her father ran off to buy cigarettes and never came back, her mother began a successful career writing crime fiction. Naturally lazy and disinclined to dress up, Abbi went into advertising, working as a copywriter and then a creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York. Eventually she quit advertising, had three kids and started writing books, mostly in order to get a moment’s peace.
Abbi lives in Los Angeles with her husband, three kids, three dogs, three cats, a gecko, a snake, five pigeons, four chickens, and two guinea pigs. Every one of these additions made sense at the time, it’s only in retrospect that it seems foolhardy.
Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.
Genres: General Fiction, Cozy Mystery
Series
Bookish Life of Nina Hill
1. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (2019)
2. Adult Assembly Required (2022)
thumbthumb
Novels
The Garden of Small Beginnings (2017)
Other People's Houses (2018)
I Was Told It Would Get Easier (2020)
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell (2024)
One Death at a Time (2025)
Abbi Waxman Interview - Adult Assembly Required
6:00 AM Abbi Waxman Interview - Adult Assembly Required, JBN, Jean Book Nerd 12 comments
Photo Credit: Leanna Creel
Abbi Waxman was born in England in 1970, the oldest child of two copywriters who never should have been together in the first place. Once her father ran off to buy cigarettes and never came back, her mother began a successful career writing crime fiction. Naturally lazy and disinclined to dress up, Abbi went into advertising, working as a copywriter and then a creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York. Eventually she quit advertising, had three kids and started writing books, mostly in order to get a moment’s peace.
Abbi lives in Los Angeles with her husband, three kids, three dogs, three cats, a gecko, a snake, five pigeons, four chickens, and two guinea pigs. Every one of these additions made sense at the time, it’s only in retrospect that it seems foolhardy.
Tell us about ADULT ASSEMBLY REQUIRED!
Adult Assembly Required is a novel about a young woman attempting to start over and finding that wherever she goes, there she is, if you follow me. But it’s also about how friends can understand you better than family, and being brave, and pushing through.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Definitely hearing from readers. It’s easily the best part of the job.
TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ADULT ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
1. It is set in the same world and real-life neighborhood as my previous four books.
2. It features characters from my first and third books.
3. I based the house on a real house I drive past frequently and always dream about.
4. Pigeons play a relatively small role in the book, but I did quite a bit of research about them, and then randomly – as I was writing the book – ended up rescuing a pigeon and now have 6 of them. This was a complete coincidence.
5. The book was written and rewritten during the pandemic, mostly on a chair in my garden.
6. The animals in the book are based on some of mine. I have a really old gentlewoman pug named Daisy, a grey cat named Oliver and a scruffy dog like Herbert (he preferred I didn’t use his real name).
7. The locations in the book are all based on real places, parks and sandwiches in Los Angeles.
8. A character in this book was a main character in an earlier book, and I really enjoyed writing about her from someone else’s point of view. In general I like repeating characters because I get to know them a little better with each book.
9. Having said that, Adult Assembly is the last of my Larchmont books, at least for now.
10. This is nothing to do with the book, but did you know pigeons mate for life and share all their duties precisely 50/50? Well, it’s true.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
My mother is also a writer, and she told me to not care too much, not to throw anything away, and to dress warmly because you get cold when you’re sitting still for too long.
Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book?
Anything by P.G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie.
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I’m working on a rewrite of my next book, as yet untitled. It’s a whole new set of characters, new location (still Los Angeles, but not Larchmont like the others).
What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
Very little. I’m hoping they’re just letting their brains idle along, while being amused and distracted.
What part of Laura did you enjoy writing the most?
The sporty parts, because I couldn’t be less sporty myself, and I enjoyed the vicarious exercise.
What was your unforgettable moment while writing ADULT ASSEMBLY REQUIRED?
Handing in the first round and having it essentially rejected. I did several huge rewrites, and it was all during the pandemic and a little stressful. I’m extremely pleased with it now, but my editor Kate Seaver deserves a lot of the credit.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
Nina Hill would really, really like to meet Library Lion.
TEN WAYS YOU GET INSPIRED TO WRITE
1. Waking up early.
2. Eavesdropping on conversations between strangers.
3. Reading non-fiction
4. Talking to strangers, which I highly recommend.
5. Listening to music.
6. Napping.
7. Driving around mindlessly.
8. Being in Target.
9. Daydreaming, which I also highly recommend.
10. Desultory conversation with friends.
Where can readers find you?
Usually in the kitchen, with a snack in my hand and a faraway expression on my face. Or Instagram.
A young woman arrives in Los Angeles determined to start over, and discovers she doesn’t need to leave everything behind after all, from Abbi Waxman, USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
When Laura Costello moves to Los Angeles, trying to escape an overprotective family and the haunting memories of a terrible accident, she doesn’t expect to be homeless after a week. (She’s pretty sure she didn’t start that fire — right?) She also doesn't expect to find herself adopted by a rogue bookseller, installed in a lovely but completely illegal boardinghouse, or challenged to save a losing trivia team from ignominy…but that’s what happens. Add a regretful landlady, a gorgeous housemate and an ex-boyfriend determined to put himself back in the running and you’ll see why Laura isn’t really sure she’s cut out for this adulting thing. Luckily for her, her new friends Nina, Polly and Impossibly Handsome Bob aren't sure either, but maybe if they put their heads (and hearts) together they’ll be able to make it work for them.
Abbi Waxman | A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor
April 15, 2025
1–What is the title of your latest release?
ONE DEATH AT A TIME
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I love Los Angeles, where I live, and have set all my books there. LA is a city of many subcultures, ranging from the obvious, like the movie business, to more obscure, like burlesque. I wanted to draw on all of them, and tried to do so. Plus, I didn’t have to go anywhere for research, which is always a plus for this lazy broad.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Definitely, but I might not be cool enough to do so.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Julia Mann is misanthropic, sarcastic and underwhelmed. Natasha Mason is irascible, spontaneous and temperamental.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That plotting mysteries is really hard.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go and then start over from the beginning. Like, twenty times.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Pastina, a kind of Italian pasta that grandmas make for their ailing grandchildren. It’s comfort food at its best.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I work in coffee shops, on my sofa, and in my bed.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Rex Stout. Great plots, fantastic characters, and the best names in mysteries.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
They all change my life, a bit.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be
published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
This is my seventh published book, so I’m more confident that they’re going to be published (plus, the contract kind of insists on it), but I always get nervous each time that this will be the one that gets rejected. It’s always an enormous relief when the editor is happy.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Mysteries and science fiction.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
That’s an impossible question to answer. It depends on my mood. I love a lot of movies.
15–What is your favorite season?
Spring.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Very, very quietly. Not a big birthday person. But, having said that, my birthday is always on or next to Mother’s Day, so I see it as more of a week of Me, and tend to spoil myself a bit. But I don’t like parties or anything like that. I just add more cake to my basic weekly cake allotment.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Jury Duty, which came out last year. Man, it’s genius. I’m also obsessed with Shrinking, a TV show that has some of the best and funniest writing on TV.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. Hands down. I could eat rice and beans every day and be happy.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Sit and stare.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
The second Mason & Mann mystery comes out next year, so that’s what I’m working on now. Fingers crossed.
ONE DEATH AT A TIME by Abbi Waxman
A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress and professional thorn in the side of authority, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once, so now they think she’s making a habit of it). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name and help keep her sober, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone.
As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars, and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Are dead piranhas, false noses, and a giant martini glass important clues or simply your typical day in Los Angeles? And will they manage to solve the crime before they kill each other, or worse, fall off the wagon? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing—trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.
Mystery [Berkley, On Sale: April 15, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593816677 / eISBN: 9780593816684]
An Action-Packed Hollywood Mystery with Fierce, Unapologetic Heroines
A modern day whodunit
Buy ONE DEATH AT A TIME: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman, who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.
Abbi Waxman | Dealing with the Social Media Fall Out of Fresh Fame and Falling in Love
April 16, 2024
1–What is the title of your latest release?
CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A reclusive marine biologist discovers her father isn’t dead after all, and comes back to Los Angeles to help her family, deal with the social media fall out of fresh fame and fall in love. Unintentionally.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
All of my books are set in Los Angeles, which is where I live. Until now they’ve all been set in Larchmont, my personal neighborhood. For this one I spread my wings and headed over to the west side, Santa Monica, Venice, the ocean. Pretty adventurous of me, I think.
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Yes, but she would find me woefully ignorant about marine biology. She would hide it well, but I would know.
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Intelligent, bad-ass and flawed.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That violet sea snails hold themselves at the surface of the ocean on rafts made of their own spit.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I start each day editing what I wrote the day before, and then when I’m done, go back to the beginning and start all over again.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate malteds.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I write at home on the sofa, with the laptop on my knees, or at a local coffee shop, depending on how much peopling I feel like doing that day.
10–Who is an author you admire?
P.G. Wodehouse. His playful approach to words blows my gourd.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
All books change my life, it’s a constant process. The Oz books by Ruth Plumly Thompson were books I read as a child that made me realize words were magical.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be
published)
With this one I was a little nervous that I had bitten off more than I could chew, because the scope and story is larger than my previous books. I was enormously relieved when my editor loved it. I hope readers will too. It doesn’t matter how many books I have published, I’m always convinced that this will be the one that proves to the world that I’m a fraud. So each acceptance is miraculous and welcome.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Golden Age mysteries.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
This is an impossible question to answer. I love movies and have favorites in every genre.
15–What is your favorite season?
Spring.
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthday is May 12, which is always right next to Mother’s Day. So I consider the entirety of May a month of celebration and tend to milk it for all it’s worth. It’s also the month where, in Los Angeles, the jacaranda trees burst into bloom overnight, huge purple blossoms like something from Dr. Seuss. That’s for me, too.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Reacher. Perfect casting for a perfect book series.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. I could eat rice and beans every day for the rest of my life, although hopefully I don’t have to.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Read, or gaze into the middle distance and make shit up.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
In 2025 I will publish the first of what I hope will be a long mystery series, featuring two female detectives, one old, one young. I’m praying on the regular that readers embrace the characters because I love writing them.
CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL by Abbi Waxman
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell
After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.
Women’s Fiction Friendship [Berkley, On Sale: April 16, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593198780 / eISBN: 9780593198797]
Liddle Ms. Christabel
Buy CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman, who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.
Q&A: Abbi Waxman, Author of ‘I Was Told It Would Get Easier’
The Nerd Daily·Writers Corner·June 15, 2020·3 min read
Abbi Waxman Author Interview
Share
Article contributed by Laura Glassman
Abbi Waxman is the author of several novels, including The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and, most recently, I Was Told It Would Get Easier, which tells the story of a mother and her teenaged daughter who embark on a group tour of several colleges. The trouble is, their relationship can be difficult at times. Told with a mixture of humor about and insight into the relationships between teenagers and their parents, the novel tells the story of how the two learn more about each other and navigate things going on in their lives during their trip.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Abbi about the novel, friendships and more!
Hi Abbi! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m much less interesting than you would think, but here goes. I was born and raised in the UK, but I moved to New York in 1992 and have been here ever since. My mother is from Detroit, so I have dual nationality, which I highly recommend. I have three kids and a lot of animals, I live in Los Angeles, and consider myself a fortunate woman.
What inspired you to write I Was Told It Would Get Easier?
Having three teenage daughters and going through the college application process with the eldest. Everyone I’d parented alongside was having the same shitty experience, so I thought there was material enough for a novel there. Hopefully I was right.
I read that you have three teenaged daughters. How much of your own relationship with your daughters do you put into this story? Do you see yourself in Jessica?
Well, I wrote the book in alternating first person, the mother and the daughter. I tried to make sure I didn’t put words in the daughter’s mouth that I wouldn’t imagine coming out of a real kid’s mouth. Of course, that gave me plenty of room, because you would not believe the crap teenagers say.
What advice would you have for parents of teenaged girls (or even pre-teenaged girls approaching that age)? What do you wish you had known sooner about parenting a teenager?
The less you say and do the better. Just cling on, say nothing, and conserve your energy. The amazing parenting expert Wendy Mogel suggests you talk to your teens as you might to visiting cousins from another state. Polite, interested, personal, but ultimately neutral. She’s a genius.
You write in the book about the importance of friendships between women. Can you share your thoughts about what is special about friendships between women?
So much of it is special, but partially because so much of it is quotidian. Female friends let each other rattle on about the boring minutiae of life and still care about each other. I will happily listen to my best friend bitch about her washing machine for half an hour. I care about it, because I care about her. Women’s friendships thrive on that everyday small-trickle stuff. Let romantic and family relationships keep the drama, women’s friendships don’t miss it.
How did you find it to try to put yourself into a teenaged girl’s shoes and write about how she would feel about her mother?
Challenging. Teenagers will have to tell me how I did.
See also
Q&A: Christopher Golden, Author of ‘Road of Bones’
In this book, Jessica remembers that her mother told her, “Choose work that makes you happy while you’re doing it, because you’ll be doing it a lot.” Is this something that you believe? What are your thoughts on trying to do or find work that you love?
What Jessica’s mother meant was that you need to enjoy the actual process of your work, because you spend so much time literally doing it. If someone loves fine food, but doesn’t enjoy chopping vegetables and stirring sauces, then she shouldn’t become a chef. If someone loves writing, but doesn’t enjoy working alone, or keeping track of large documents, or making changes based on other people’s input, then she shouldn’t become a professional writer. The elements of your work, the literal work of it, is often overlooked but is really important. Telling people that if they love what they do it won’t feel like work is totally dumb. It will feel like work, because it’s more satisfying and challenging than resting or playing. Work is not a bad word.
If you could change something about the college search process, what would you change?
I would change everything about it, it’s a bit of a shit show.
What is your favorite thing about writing?
The dress code.
What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors?
I am a Golden Age Mystery fanatic in real life. Patricia Wentworth, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayer, etc.
Will you be picking up I Was Told It Would Get Easier? Tell us in the comments below!
A Five Minute Quickie with Abbi Waxman
Buy from Indigo.ca
Buy from Amazon.ca
These are affiliate links. This means when you use them to purchase a book, we earn a small commission that helps keep more great content coming your way with no additional cost to you!
Win-win 🙂
Abbi Waxman is the USA Today bestselling author of I Was Told It Would Get Easier, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Other People’s Houses, and The Garden of Small Beginnings. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and three children.
Want to keep up on all things Abbi, then check out her website, or follow her on Instagram or Twitter.
What book (or author) made you fall in love with the romance genre?
Well, my mother made me fall in love with writing because she was an author and it looked like a pretty cushy job. She would disappear into her office, close the door, smoke innumerable cigarettes and then come out again. I don’t smoke cigarettes, obviously, but it is a pretty cushy job. I’m not sure I would consider myself a romance writer, specifically, but I used to consume romance novels in vast quantities as a teen, and still dip into Mary Stewart when I feel the urge for a little romantic suspense. In my books the romance is never the main point of the book, it’s just yet another thing the heroine is dealing with.
What is your favourite trope? Why?
Enemies to lovers, easy. Why? Because there are so many opportunities for sparky dialog and stomping off.
What book are you reading currently?
I’m not really reading anything properly right now because I’m in final edits for my next book, and I can’t concentrate. I literally have a Wodehouse in the kitchen and two Agatha Christie’s upstairs, all of which I can open and read if I’m desperate to escape my own dumb, stupid book which isn’t coming out right.
The rapid fire question – New York or LA?
LA, but it’s a tough call. If I didn’t have kids and pets and a husband I would much rather be in NYC, but I have all that here, and it works much better in LA.
Abbi Waxman: Writing Not Any Easier
Abbi Waxman, author of The Garden of Small Beginnings and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, shares what inspired her most recent novel, I Was Told It Would Get Easier, how her promotion plans changed with the pandemic, and more.
Robert Lee Brewer
Published Jun 30, 2020 8:00 PM EDT
Abbi Waxman, the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Other People’s Houses, and The Garden of Small Beginnings, is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.
Abbi Waxman (Credit: Creel Studio 2015)
You can find out more at abbiwaxman.com.
In this post, Waxman shares what inspired I Was Told It Would Get Easier, how her promotion plans changed with the pandemic, her best piece of advice for authors, and more.
*****
Dive into the world of writing and learn all 12 steps needed to complete a first draft. In this writing workshop you will tackle the steps to writing a book, learn effective writing techniques along the way, and of course, begin writing your first draft.
Click to continue.
*****
Name: Abbi Waxman
Literary agent: Alexandra Machinist at ICM
Book title: I Was Told It Would Get Easier
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: June 16, 2020
Genre: Fiction
Previous titles: The Garden of Small Beginnings; Other People's Houses; The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Elevator pitch for the book: Mother and teenage daughter take a college tour and rediscover themselves and each other on the way.
What prompted you to write this book?
I'd already spent the advance, and it seemed churlish not to deliver the book. Also, I was experiencing the joys of having three teenage daughters, and wanted to get it off my chest.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication?
It took around a year, and the idea stayed pretty consistent. There was the usual panicking and despair that I'd never finish it, but we got there in the end.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Well, the pandemic happened just as we were gearing up for the launch of the book, so we had to cancel all the in-person events and go online for a lot of it. My editor and the rest of the team at Berkley made it all easy though, because they're awesome.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
No surprises, just the usual ups and downs. It's not easy, writing a book, and I was hoping it would get easier the more I did, but that has not been the case.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope they will be reminded of how much love exists in families, and how being a parent (and a child) changes so much over time. And I hope it makes them laugh.
If you could share one piece of advice with other authors, what would it be?
Wear layers and stretch frequently, it's a highly sedentary job, and it's easy to get cold when you're in the groove.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Q&A with Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is the author of the new novel Other People's Houses. She also has written the novel The Garden of Small Beginnings. She has worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director, and she lives in Los Angeles.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Other People's Houses?
A: I knew when I was writing The Garden of Small Beginnings that I wanted to write a book about a mom with older kids. I had written the opening chapter much earlier, and then got back into Garden, so it was always sitting there.
I live in Larchmont, the neighborhood both books are set in, and there's always so much going on under the surface.
Q: You tell the story from various characters' perspectives. Did you know going into the writing who would end up being your primary point-of-view characters?
A: I knew I wanted to center the story around a middle aged, slightly overweight woman who was doing her best to just get it all done. Much like myself and many of my friends.
Q: You bring back a character from your previous novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings. Did you always plan to do that, or was it more spontaneous?
A: I'd always planned it, because I love it when other writers do it. Characters from both Garden and Other People's Houses appear in the third book, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which comes out early next summer. All three books are about the neighborhood, and all these people know each other in different ways.
Q: These books take place in Los Angeles. How important is setting to you in your writing?
A: It's very important, but only because it's important to the characters.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Well, I just finished Nina Hill, which I'm very happy with. It's more like Garden than it is like Other People's Houses, more of a romance. It's about a young woman who works in the bookstore on Larchmont Boulevard.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The next book, which doesn't have a name yet, is set in Manhattan and has nothing to do with Los Angeles at all. It's a romantic comedy; I love them, I love rom-com movies, and I feel we all need a laugh right now.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Q&A with Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is the author of the new novel The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. She also has written Other People's Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings. She lives in Los Angeles.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for your character Nina Hill?
A: When I was touring for my last book, Other People’s Houses, I kept meeting all these cool young women who worked in the bookstores. They were cool, smart, dressed in funky clothes, and deeply, DEEPLY in love with books. I fell in love with all of them, and decided to write them a book where they were the hero.
Q: Nina is a bookworm who works in an independent bookstore. What do you think her experiences say about the world of bookselling these days?
A: I actually think independent bookstores are having A Moment, as the press like to say. I feel that although it’s still tough to run a bookstore, the internet has actually made it possible for booklovers to get enthusiastic and excited about books again. Who knew the internet would save the book?
Q: Nina also is a trivia expert. Do you know all the facts Nina knows, or did you have to look some of them up?
A: Some I knew, some I cheated.
Q: In this book, you've returned to the same part of Los Angeles that you wrote about in your first two books. What's it like to revisit to that same neighborhood (and some of the same characters) in your writing?
A: I love my neighborhood, and spend most of my time here. I love bringing back other characters, it feels like seeing old friends. Hopefully, readers feel the same way.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just finished my fourth book, currently called The Itinerary, which is NOT a Larchmont book. It’s about a mom and teenage daughter who take an organized college tour on the East Coast, and the shenanigans that ensue. While it’s not a Larchmont book, they do live in Larchmont, it’s just that the action doesn’t take place there.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m considering writing a Nina Hill sequel, but I’m still at the pondering stage. I had so much fun writing her, and people seem to love her, so… but I have to come up with an idea that makes sense, obviously.
I have other ideas I want to write too, so she may have to wait until another book or two has come out. I feel incredibly fortunate that I have wonderful readers who share their thoughts… maybe one of them will come up with the perfect storyline!
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Q&A with Abbi Waxman
Photo by Leanna Creed
Abbi Waxman is the author of the new novel Christa Comes Out of Her Shell. Her other novels include The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. She lives in Los Angeles.
Q: What inspired you to write Christa Comes Out of Her Shell, and how did you create your character Christa?
A: I wanted to write about a woman who didn’t need people, or didn’t feel that she did. I was interested in the impact of sudden reappearances too, so I created a scenario where her father (supposedly lost in a plane crash 25 years earlier) came back from the dead.
It’s outlandish, but that was the point. What do you do about someone who chose to completely disappear, and what do you do now they’re back?
Q: How did you research this novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: Christa is a marine biologist, so I did a lovely lot of research about the animals and environments that mean so much to her. I learned a lot, but my favorite fact is that violet sea snails float about on little rafts made of their own snot. Each to his own, I guess.
Q: What do you think the novel says about fame, and about the media spotlight?
A: Christa was forced into the public eye as a child, and then underwent a very painful public immolation as a teen. I was interested in looking at how that impacts her take on the human race, and on the trauma she has to deal with when the public comes looking for her again.
Q: Publishers Weekly called the book a “lively take on legacy and manipulation.” What do you think of that description?
A: I’m glad they enjoyed it, lol. Manipulation within families is another important theme of the book, how we influence our family members to view us a certain way, or behave in a certain way, and how our views of each other can get set in amber when we’re young, and are hard to change.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now I’m finishing up edits on my next book, which comes out in 2025.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: My next two books are going to be the first in what I hope will be a series of detective novels…time to switch genres for a while. I’m very excited about it; my mom was a detective novelist, and it’s the genre I grew up on and which I prefer to read, so I’ve always wanted to write them. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Q&A with Abbi Waxman
Abbi Waxman is the author of the new novel One Death at a Time. Her other novels include Christa Comes Out of Her Shell. She lives in Los Angeles.
Q: In your new book’s acknowledgments, you write that it “was over a decade in creation.” What was its journey to publication?
A: One Death at a Time started life as a TV pilot, which got a small amount of traction that then petered out (which is extremely common in Hollywood).
I really fell in love with the characters, and wanted to spend more time with them, so I turned the pilot into a novel, which then sat on my computer for a long time while I wrote another novel (which went nowhere) and then the novel that eventually became The Garden of Small Beginnings.
Periodically I would ask my editor and agent if I could publish a mystery and they weren’t super keen, as the rom-coms were doing well. But eventually I wore them down (and mysteries came back into vogue) and it got a chance.
Q: How did you create your characters Julia and Mason, and how would you describe their relationship?
A: I’ve always had a soft spot for cranky older women, and have three Gen Z daughters, so I wanted to write that combination. They start off by irritating each other but then, in time-honored tradition, develop a grudging mutual respect and then, over time, affection
I’m hoping these books become a series, and I can write their relationship as they age and grow.
Q: Why did you include sobriety as a theme in the novel?
A: I’ve been sober myself for 28 years and wanted to write characters who were sober, but in a book where sobriety wasn’t the main focus. It’s not about getting sober, or even about living sober, it’s a detective novel where the detectives happen to be sober.
And sober people are interesting to me, because they handle their lives under an additional burden but also with a huge advantage (in my opinion) because they’re always trying to be the best version of themselves. They’re flawed, but working on it.
Q: Oprah Daily said of the book, “Waxman’s mystery is a sly female bonding manifesto: It’s Thelma & Louise without booze or Brad Pitt.” What do you think of that comparison?
A: I think it’s fantastic, and if I could have worked Brad Pitt into the story I definitely would have.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just submitted the second book in the series to my editor, so I’ll be working on that for the next few months.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Just that I really hope people enjoy these characters, and I get to write about them for a long time!
Seeing Double: Why pairs of detectives work so well, and why I created another – A Guest Post from Abbi Waxman, Author of One Death at a Time
By Abbi Waxman
April 28, 2025
A cranky former actress teams up with her Gen Z sobriety sponsor to solve the murder that threatens to send her back to prison in this dazzling new mystery novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Keep reading for a guest post from Abbi Waxman about dynamic sleuthing duos.
I’ve always loved a dynamic duo, especially in crime fiction, and I’m not alone. My personal favorites are Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, from the series of novels by Rex Stout, but I also love Alleyn and Fox (Ngaio Marsh), Campion and Lugg (Margery Allingham) and Lord Peter Wimsey and (at various points) Bunter, Det. Parker and, ultimately, Harriet Vane (Dorothy Sayers). I prefer these couplings to Holmes and Watson, or even Poirot and Hastings, because both of those seemed to relegate one half to pure sidekickery, and I enjoy a more egalitarian team. Watson and Hastings were simply there to illustrate how incredibly smart Holmes and Poirot were, and I always felt a bit sorry for them. In the best duos, both halves contribute something singular, and the team succeeds as a result. They bounce ideas off each other, they argue about solutions, they contribute insights. And above all, they are different from one another, and those differences become enormous strengths.
In the case of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, for example, Nero is immoveable and intellectual, and Archie is reactive and physical. Nero is reluctant to leave the house and only does so under extreme duress (leading to some of the best stories, in fact), whereas Archie can barely be contained. The tension between them gives rise to some of the most intricate plot devices and easily the best dialogue; it’s the beating heart of all the novels. Nero could not succeed without Archie, and he knows it, much to his chagrin. Archie does the legwork. Archie chases and fights and drives the cars and charms the women. Without him, Nero is just a brain. But Archie, for his part, admires Nero enormously, even as he goads him into work, and understands that working for Nero Wolfe is his best chance for greatness. It is the mutual respect they have for one another that makes the novels so wonderful, and the reason I have read and re-read them over and over again.
My first six books were all what I call light-hearted domestic fiction – families, romance, challenging life situations, that kind of thing. I was always focused on the contradictions between what people are thinking and what they actually say and do. In fact, you could argue (although I’d rather agree) that novels generally live in the space between someone’s thoughts and their actions, their interior world and the exterior façade they present. When it comes to mysteries, the same is often true of the detectives – we know their inner thoughts, their suppositions and deductions, as they navigate the lies and obfuscations of the suspects. Some writers make it clearer than others – Archie is the narrator of the Nero Wolfe books, so we follow his internal journey, knowing what he knows – while others keep us guessing until the denouement. But most detective novels give us some insight into the thought processes of the investigator, as they puzzle their way through, and it’s that delicious blend of thought and action that makes the genre so satisfying.
So it’s no surprise that when I set out to write my first detective novel, I started by thinking about those duos I loved the most, and what it was about them that worked for me, as a reader. I liked knowing them personally, I liked backstory and character development, and I liked a plot that let them each play to their strengths. So I created Julia Mann, a woman in her mid-sixties, a cranky ex-actress turned lawyer, and Natasha Mason, an equally cranky Gen Z gig-worker. Julia is elegant and acerbic, bringing her decades of life experience and gentle misanthropy to her investigations, while Mason is fiery and impulsive, coming out swinging and pushing the story along. Julia’s tendency is to wait and see, while Mason won’t wait and already looked. I introduced Mason and Mann to each other at the outset of the first book, and we got to know them as they got to know each other. It wasn’t easy at first, they irritate the living crap out of each other, but by the end of the novel they have reached a grudging mutual respect and maybe the beginnings of affection. The second book takes place six months after the first, when they’ve gotten to know each other a little better, and the relationship has developed. Mason is growing in confidence as an investigator, and Julia is as sarcastic as ever. I treated myself to a cast of regular supporting characters who observe and enjoy this developing relationship, and to crimes that push them out of their respective comfort zones.
There are few things in life more satisfying (to me) than reading a wonderful book and then turning to the front and realizing the author wrote dozens more. Continuing characters make it even better, because you can visit and revisit a familiar world over and over again. It’s the difference between going to a party alone or going with a posse of friends. It turns out writing continuing characters is almost as pleasing, and hopefully Mason & Mann will be around for many more books to come. If not, you’ll find me still happily curling up with my favorite detective duos, grateful for every old adventure.
Waxman, Abbi OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES Berkley (Adult Fiction) $16.00 4, 3 ISBN: 978-0-399-58792-4
A charming yet provocative look at the close-knit Los Angeles neighborhood of Larchmont, where one woman's indiscretion forces everyone to re-examine their marriages.
Frances Bloom drives a carpool of children, including her own three, to school each morning. This makes her privy to more personal information than most, but she is discreet--the ideal neighbor. One morning she knocks on her friend Anne's door, then enters, and is stunned to see what Anne is doing on the living room floor...and not with her husband! Frances keeps Anne's secret, but Anne's husband eventually finds out. His wrath scorches her, and the neighbors feel the effects. They face their own doubts and worries that perhaps their own marriages could be up for a similar fall--and they all have good reason. And the kids fear the breakups of their parents' marriages. Thus ensues a series of precautionary (mis)steps meant to shore up relationships, followed by conversations that serve to create as much doubt as they are intended to allay. Waxman (The Garden of Small Beginnings, 2017) is adept at creating sympathetic, believable characters. It's primarily Frances' gentle but tongue-in-cheek presence and subtle strength--along with her unique powers of expression, rich in original similes and metaphors--that carry readers along. The "Cast of Characters" and "Frances's Map of the Neighborhood" set the stage for a great read before the first chapter begins. This is a voyeuristic (in a nice way) and humorous trip through what is usually hidden behind closed doors.
Waxman is a master at purveying the wry humor that rides just below the surface of even the tough times. An immensely enjoyable read.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Waxman, Abbi: OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A525461656/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a8c66c57. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Other People's Houses
Abbi Waxman. Berkley, $16 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-399-58792-4
A spin-off of The Garden of Small Beginnings, Waxman's fun sophomore novel stars consummate mom Frances Bloom, her family, and her neighbors--a "gaggle of middle-class white people"--and all of the comedy, drama, and quotidian details that make up their lives. Frances runs the carpool for her children and those of the Porter, Horton, and Carter-Gillespie families on her block, and is generally able to take everything in stride. But she's knocked off her game when she enters the home of her neighbor, Anne Porter, to retrieve some forgotten craft supplies for Anne's daughter, Kate, and discovers Anne on the floor with a man who is not her husband. The fallout provides the main dramatic push, but other threads include just where Bill Hortons wife, Julie, has gone and whether Iris Carter will convince her wife, Sara Gillespie, to have another child. While Frances has her concerns, such as dealing with her 14-year-old daughter, Ava, she largely provides the story's humor. Hilarious ruminations about childrearing, shopping, and other parents give this broad appeal that should extend beyond fans of Waxman's first novel. (Apr.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Other People's Houses." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 9, 26 Feb. 2018, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A530637398/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=14d8167d. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Waxman, Abbi THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL Berkley (Adult Fiction) $16.00 7, 9 ISBN: 978-0-451-49187-9
Introverted Nina Hill, the only child of a single mother, is pulled--both kicking and screaming and passive-aggressively resisting--into a new family and a new relationship.
Nina likes "pinning things down," being prepared in advance, and making a daily schedule. After working in the bookstore, she goes home to her cat, Phil, where she reads and bones up for her next trivia contest. Her static, well-regulated life is turned upside down when a lawyer contacts her with news about her father, though her mother had always claimed not to know who he was. Turns out he was wealthy, and he's left her something in his will. At the lawyer's office, she meets the rest of the family, her half-aunts, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, some welcoming and others decidedly not. Nina wants no part of this family. Who cares what her father might have left her? No thanks! And then another intrusion appears in the form of a handsome man, captain of a rival trivia team. He's too showy for Nina, and besides, he knows all the sports category answers, so she pegs him as a nonreader, a big turnoff. Nina wants only to be left alone. But Nina is not all rules and solitude. She has a spark, an imagination, and a sense of humor that make you want to sit with her and observe people over a cappuccino and pastry...while making wisecracks. She of course grows and opens her life to new experiences--her new family and, maybe, the trivia guy. Waxman (Other People's Houses, 2018, etc.) skillfully shows Nina's changing mindset in the hilarious schedules, complete with meal plans and shopping lists, she makes each day. If you love writing plans and sticking to them, you'll love Nina Hill. If you roll your eyes at people who make daily schedules, you'll love Nina Hill, too.
Waxman has created a thoroughly engaging character in this bookish, contemplative, set-in-her-ways woman. Be prepared to chuckle.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Waxman, Abbi: THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A583840612/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=473ab425. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
There is a woman staring at Nina Hill in a truculent fashion, demanding her money back for the very boring book she purchased at the bookshop where Nina is employed. "Did you read it all the way through?" Nina asks, attempting a smile. The gesture goes unreturned, and yes, the woman did finish it.
Nina delicately suggests the customer consider a library card, and maybe try the title in question -- "Pride and Prejudice" -- again sometime. She tells the woman she has read it 20 times, a gross underestimate for humility's sake. "Why?" the customer asks, then looks Nina up and down. "I guess if you've got a boring life, other people's boring lives are reassuring."
So we meet our bookish millennial heroine -- a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet, if you will.
Nina -- the thoroughly likable, introverted, whip-smart titular character in Abbi Waxman's "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" -- would counter that her life is happily organized, not boring. Or okay, obsessively organized; semantics. She works at Knight's, a charming bookshop based on the real-life Chevalier's in Los Angeles. Like any good bookstore, it offers reading groups, visiting authors and free bookmarks; Nina basks in the "plentiful sarcasm and soothing rows of book spines." When she spots bookstore customers in real life, she places them based on the sections they frequent: nonfiction and parenting; young adult; early chapter and picture books.
Outside the shop, Nina enjoys fulfilling conversation with her cat, Phil, and has out-of-this-world trivia skills that she showcases in a competitive league -- one of the social activities she incorporates into her highly regimented schedule. When "nothing" is penciled into her planner from 6 to 10 p.m., it does not really mean "nothing." It means she will be reading.
So it is a problem that one day the man who barges into Knight's is not the irksome landlord who wants his many months of back rent. (Yes, Knight's is struggling, hence why Nina must remain polite to prissy customers who could just as easily give their money to "That Other Place" -- the one that independent booksellers call "the River, so as to avoid saying it out loud.") The curious visitor is a solicitor, come to inform Nina that, to her surprise, she had a father. And he is dead. The man whose name she never knew, concealed by an absentee, globe-trotting mother, has left her something in his will, along with a massive collection of hitherto unknown family members.
Suddenly, only-child Nina has a fabulous gay nephew (who is older than she is), a brother who looks like her (but "a guy version, obviously"), a "strangely dressed homicidal maniac" of a sister and an unbearable, genius cousin. Plus a dozen others. The family tree gets easier to explain eventually, the gay nephew assures.
All this commotion, all these people, and Nina's anxiety is at its brink. It is definitely not a good time for Tom, her trivia nemesis, to pursue her. He knows all the answers to the sports questions, which means he is probably a nonreader, Nina's unequivocal dealbreaker -- even if he is cute. (Turns out he read "Harry Potter" as a kid but does not know what house he is in. Imagine!) Our bookish heroine must figure out whether a real-life love story could ever compare with the ones in her books -- and whether she could learn to be comfortable reading with, or near, someone, instead of by herself.
Perhaps to showcase Nina's overt millennialism, Waxman tends to overuse capitalization-to-make-a-point. ("She spent the next few years ... Getting in Shape and Being Vegan and Paleo and then Giving Up and Eating Everything Again.") This Grows Tiresome Quickly. But it is a nit-picky quirk in a feel-good book that shines, one that offers a heroine we can root for from Page 1. Nina's fight against chaos -- her pleas to be left alone, left to her planning and schedules and quiet -- feels authentic. Who has not struggled to fit someone new into their well-arranged life, or wondered whether the compromise was worth it? Who would not find a rowdy, needy set of long-lost relatives dizzying?
As in her previous novels, including 2018's "Other People's Houses," Waxman's wit and wry humor stand out. She is funny and imaginative, and "Bookish" lands a step above run-of-the-mill romantic comedy fare.
Plus, there are several fringe benefits: Upon closing the book, you will be tempted to race to the nearest paper goods store to procure a fancy-schmancy planner. Each chapter in "Bookish" is prefaced with a page out of Nina's own planner, detailing her schedule, to-do list, goals ("No! More! Surprises!") and breakfast, lunch, dinner and workout plans.
You will impress at your next dinner party or, who are we kidding, book club meeting, if you spew even a few of the trivia facts Nina hoards in her always-on head. Did you know all racehorses mark their birthday on Jan. 1? No? That the founder of geometry's name is Euclid? How about that bookish heroines are the most endearing?
That one, you probably already knew.
Angela Hauptis a writer and editor based in Washington.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 The Washington Post
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Haupt, Angela. "In 'The Bookish Life of Nina Hill,' Abbi Waxman introduces a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet." Washingtonpost.com, 9 July 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A592765563/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e8359903. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
I Was Told It Would Get Easier
Abbi Waxman. Berkley, $16 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-451-49189-3
Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) expertly navigates the fraught shoals of college admissions in this spot-on tale of an ambitious mother and daughter. A hard-driving Los Angeles lawyer and single mother, Jessica Burnstein determines to get her delightfully acerbic teenage daughter, Emily, into a prestigious college and signs on for a guided tour of top schools with Excelsior Educational Excursions, a consulting firm relied upon by those in Jessica's peer group who seem to "enjoy ostentatiously subcontracting their parenting" by "E3ing the whole thing." As Jessica, Emily, and a group of seriously smart kids and their intense parents tour prestigious East Coast campuses, a cheating scandal erupts, with Emily, who all along hints at something that would kill her admission chances, at its epicenter. By the end, the FBI investigates, the culprits are charged, and the innocent are vindicated. Waxman's alternating first-person narration from Jessica and Emily rings true, while a memorable supporting cast--ultra-driven students; mean-girl moms; a way-too-perky counselor, Cassidy, from E3--provide excellent support, especially when Cassidy's unintentionally hilarious but deeply resonating final scene is played out. This sweet treat doesn't require a college-bound child to enjoy, though anyone who has helped their offspring weather the admissions process will definitely appreciate this sharp send-up. June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"I Was Told It Would Get Easier." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 17, 27 Apr. 2020, p. 30. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A624295261/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f0e0e38e. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Adult Assembly Required. By Abbi Waxman. May 2022. 400p. Berkley, paper, $17 (9780593198766).
Waxman (I Was Told It Would Get Easier, 2020) has a talent for creating familiar characters who are flawed in all the ways many of us are but didn't know anyone else was. Her latest takes place in the same L.A. neighborhood where readers met Waxman's previous protagonists, a few of whom, including Nina Hill, make cameos here. Laura, who recently moved across the country to attend grad school, suffers anxiety, ramped up after a car accident a few years prior. She's ashamed for anyone to know about it, but she soon discovers that her new friends love her because of her flaws, not in spite of them. And naturally, there's romance to be had. A subplot involving Laura's new landlord distracts a little from Laura's journey of self-discovery, and the multiple points of view jar slightly and minimize opportunities for deep characterization (likely setups for future novels). Yet Waxman nimbly describes the normality of anxiety, and readers can count on her to provide comfort and feel-good smiles. Readers of Emily Henry, Linda Holmes, and Beth O'Leary will be delighted. --Tracy Babiasz
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Babiasz, Tracy. "Adult Assembly Required." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 13, 1 Mar. 2022, p. 21. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A697176849/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b0119fde. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Waxman, Abbi. Adult Assembly Required. Berkley. May 2022.400p. ISBN 9780593198766. pap. $17. F When Laura Costello moves from New York to Los Angeles for a fresh start after a serious car accident, she quickly finds herself homeless due to a fire. Lucky for her, she wanders into a bookstore and befriends the co-owners, who know a perfect place for her to stay. Laura is welcomed into a lovely boarding house by the friendly landlady and also meets Bob, a handsome gardener who likes watching baseball as much as she does. She also joins her new friends' trivia team. While waiting for her grad school classes to begin, Laura's new friends and potential love interest help her start to face her anxiety, PTSD, and strained relationships with her family and annoying ex-fiance. Waxman's (/ Was Told It Would Get Easier) fifth novel is pleasant enough, but it plods along. The time Waxman spends on characters from previous novels detracts from Laura's story, and although she has a talent for writing realistic and witty dialogue, there's so much of it here that it can seem like filler. VERDICT
Not Waxman's best effort, but fans of light romance with a bit of serious stuff mixed in might enjoy it.--Samantha Gust
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Adult Assembly Required." Library Journal, vol. 147, no. 5, May 2022, p. 86. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A703277657/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4a3ea6dd. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Waxman, Abbi CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL Berkley (Fiction None) $17.99 4, 16 ISBN: 9780593198780
When her famous father returns from the dead, a prickly scientist's life is thrown into chaos.
Christa Liddle was only a toddler when her father's plane crashed in the Alaskan wilderness. But his death was more than just a personal tragedy--it was also a global one, because Jasper Liddle was a famous conservationist and explorer with a television show and even a line of stuffed animals. Christa, her two sisters, and her mother eventually moved on after his presumed death, but Christa never fully recovered from being in the spotlight. As an adult, she spends her days researching snails on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, relishing her solitude and the lack of (human) company. That is, until her father turns out to be alive after all. Christa winds up back in her family home and surrounded by people with whom she has complicated relationships--and that includes Nate, a family friend who is now quite attractive and quite obviously into her. As Jasper goes on an apology and explanation tour that includes an appearance on Oprah, Christa has to decide if forgiveness is possible and whether a return to civilization (and a life with companions other than snails) is in the cards for her. Waxman displays her usual talent for creating main characters who are wry and great with a one-liner. Although the plot could have been heavy, Waxman and her characters keep it light and focus on the humor of Jasper's misadventures. Christa is endearingly antisocial (as she says when explaining why she prefers the company of snails: "Humans talk so much and look at you expectantly, as if you'd been paying attention"), and it's satisfying to watch her come out of her shell as she accepts the chaos of her family and learns to make peace with the past.
A fun novel that manages to blend romance, family drama, and animal facts.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Waxman, Abbi: CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A782202606/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4595c9af. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell
Abbi Waxman
Berkley Books
c/o Penguin/Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
9780593198780, $18.00, PB, 400pp
https://www.amazon.com/Christa-Comes-Out-Her-Shell/dp/0593198786
Synopsis: After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Barnet has hidden away, both figuratively and literally.
Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father (long thought dead after a plane crash) turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends.
The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight.
As if that weren't enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on ... if they can just keep a lid on it.
When her father's story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and (most importantly) any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.
Critique: "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" continues to demonstrate author Abbi Waxman as a master storyteller with a genuine flair for originality, complex characters, unexpected plot twists, and providing her readers with the kind of fun read that would especially appeal to readers with an interest in contemporary women's fiction. A prime and recommended pick for community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of Abbi Waxman fans that "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note: Abbi Waxman (www.abbiwaxman.com) was born in England in 1970, the oldest child of two copywriters who never should have been together in the first place. Once her father ran off to buy cigarettes and never came back, her mother began a successful career writing crime fiction.
Naturally lazy and disinclined to dress up, Abbi went into advertising, working as a copywriter and then a creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York. Eventually she quit advertising, had three kids and started writing books, mostly in order to get a moment's peace.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Christa Comes Out of Her Shell." Internet Bookwatch, May 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797807940/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=90197eff. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Waxman, Abbi ONE DEATH AT A TIME Berkley (Fiction None) $19.00 4, 15 ISBN: 9780593816677
A former actress who's already served time for murder finds her freedom in jeopardy again--and her only ally is her Gen Z sponsor from Alcoholics Anonymous.
Can prison harden a heart you don't have? Hollywood's Julia Mann went from It Girl to established actress to inmate to whatever someone is after they get out of prison. Julia's 15 years behind bars yielded a law degree and an undying commitment to proving her innocence. But if she can't clear her own name, at least she can help others. Whatever motivates her, she's dedicated to fighting the man, which may mean going up against the broader system of injustice or, because it's Hollywood, just one jerk at a time. Now, having failed to prevent her own conviction for murdering her husband, Jonathan, Julia looks likely to go down for a second time when her former collaborator and renowned enemy Tony Eckenridge is found floating in the pool Julia's kicking her toes in. Like so many alcoholics, Julia doesn't remember a thing, so for maybe the first time in her life, she's beholden to others for help--a recipe for disaster. And the others in question aren't always sure they want to help her, at least not in the ways she's asking. Natasha Mason, her sponsor at AA, wants to keep her sober, and Archie Jacobson, her lawyer, wants to keep her out of jail without stirring the pot. But stubborn Julia won't let a good lead go, and even as she draws closer to fulfilling her star-making filmThe Codex's curse, she might be able to discover the truth about Jonathan in her quest to prove her innocence.
Sharp and clever and knows it, just like its heroine.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Waxman, Abbi: ONE DEATH AT A TIME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A827101217/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=563cb89d. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
One Death at a Time
Abbi Waxman. Berkley, $19 trade paper (400p)
ISBN 978-0-593-81667-7
Waxman (Christa Comes Out of Her Shell) delivers a caffeinated Hollywood whodunit full of fasttalking characters. Disgraced movie star Julia Mann wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find Tony Eckenridge, head of Repercussion Studios, dead in her swimming pool. The police suspect Julia had a hand in his demise--particularly since she'd previously been arrested for the suspicious death of her husband--but Julia has no memory of the incident. Under duress, she attends an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where she meets 25-year-old delivery driver Natasha Mason, who volunteers to be Julia's sponsor and moves into a spare room in Julia's mansion. The two soon recognize their shared traits: straight talk, impulsiveness, and a terrier-like devotion to problem solving. They team up to find Tony's murderer, exploiting Julia's acting skills to go undercover in various Los Angeles subcultures. Racing from a Hollywood funeral to a dingy burlesque venue and then a Palm Springs country club, they barrel toward the truth. Waxman stuffs the narrative with colorful side characters and witty repartee, sometimes to the detriment of its pacing. Still, movie buffs and fans of comical mysteries will enjoy themselves. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (Apr.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"One Death at a Time." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 7, 17 Feb. 2025, p. 34. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829933368/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fc075a31. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
One Death at a Time. By Abbi Waxman. Apr. 2025. 400p. Berkley, paper, $19 (9780593816677); e-book (9780593816684).
Waxman turns to a Hollywood mystery in her latest (after Christa Comes out of Her Shell, 2024). Uber driver Natasha Mason meets aging actress Julia Mann at an AA meeting and agrees to be Julia's sponsor/assistant. Natasha's first assignment is to help Julia find out who left a dead body in her pool. Julia's certain she didn't kill him, even though she tends to black out and has forgotten that night entirely, and she was recently released from jail for her husband's murder. (She didn't do that either.) Her own life being nothing to write home about, Natasha finds herself adopted into Julia's ragtag crew, whose attempts to solve the murder include encounters with cat burglars, burlesque dancers, dead aquarium fish, Hollywood starlets, and a giant martini glass. The witty banter between Natasha and Julia carries the novel, resulting in great fun and lots of laughs if a few too many characters. The ending leaves room to kick off a new series; give this to readers of Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series and Jesse Q. Sutanto's Meddy Chan and Vera Wong series.--Tracy Babiasz
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Babiasz, Tracy. "One Death at a Time." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 13-14, Mar. 2025, p. 59. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847202030/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e6a51f49. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.