Emma Rosenblum wears a myriad of stylish hats: best-selling author, former CCO at Bustle, tennis ace, mother, daughter, wife, and lifelong Fire Islander. This summer, in her latest novel, Mean Moms, she satires upper-crust mommying with the mystery and sharp wit we have come to expect from her page-turners. Fun fact: Emma’s debut, Bad Summer People, came out on the very same day as my novel, On Fire Island, and, coincidentally, had a minor character in it named Jane Rosen. Other fun fact: Emma is pretty fabulous. We sat down to chat publishing, our mutual love for Fire Island, and as always, Cake or Pie?
Jane Rosen (J.R.): Bad Summer People, Very Bad Company and now Mean Moms—all compulsively readable! What do you think makes readers want to read about bad people?
Emma Rosenblum (E.R.): Reading about bad people is titillating, it’s fun, it’s escapist. It makes you feel better about your own (boring, law-abiding) life. To be fair, my characters aren’t all bad; they just exist in worlds in which the normal moral rules might not apply. They justify their actions to themselves, and do have good qualities, too! No one is a hero or a villain; I think people exist in that murky in between, and do like seeing those aspects of themselves, albeit in an exaggerated way, reflected in fiction.
J.R.: Which of your three novels is your favorite and why?
E.R.: Mean Moms. Which is funny because I was really worried about it during the writing process, but then I revised, and revised again, and got it to a place where I was so happy with it. It combines the best of my other two books—it has a propulsive plot, it’s set in a location that I know very well, and it has outrageous humor that brings it all together.
J.R.: What’s your most cherished Fire Island memory?
E.R.: It’s hard to pick just one, as this is my 45th summer here (and yes, I’m counting the summer during which my mother was pregnant with me). Just being able to re-experience it all through my sons’ eyes has been so special—teaching them to ride their bikes, seeing them learn how to swim in the bay and ocean, and the fact that they now say it’s their favorite place. I’m not sure there are many other places like this in the entire world, and I feel so lucky to be part of that.
J.R.: The first three words that come to mind when you think of Fire Island?
E.R.: Family; beach; sunsets. Wait, no, that’s so boring. How about: Mosquitoes, simmering grudges, and town gossip. Kidding! The first three, definitely!
J.R.: Why did you choose to set your first novel, Bad Summer People, in Saltaire?
E.R.: No one had ever set a book here before, which was surprising to me. It’s such a great location for a novel—everyone has known each other forever, you can’t get in or out without taking a ferry, and it’s very, very dark at night… Draaaama!
J.R.: What has changed since you grew up on the island? What remains the same?
E.R.: Obviously, it’s all a bit more built-up since I was a kid. The store is bigger and nicer, the houses have been lifted and renovated, and the boardwalks have been redone. But one of the best things about Fire Island is how little of it has changed. We’ve had the same wagon for 20 years. The town’s traditions have remained, from the watermelon party to the bay picnic to all the crazy tennis tournaments. No one wears shoes. The kids roam free. It’s like a comforting time capsule.
J.R.: Bicycle, or your own two feet?
E.R.: My squeaky, rusty pink Beach Cruiser all the way. The kickstand has been broken for about five years—just the way I like it.
J.R.: Your lunch order at the Saltaire Market?
E.R.: The Hungry Lifeguard wrap. Don’t judge.
J.R.: Ocean, Bay, or Pool?
E.R.: The ocean! As a kid, I was forced to swim in the bay during Saltaire day camp, and I still have nightmarish memories of being covered in seaweed and bay lice (!). Now I occasionally—very reluctantly—go in with my own children. The ocean is the best. Hot take: Pools have no place in Fire Island.
J.R.: Which author, dead or alive, would you most love to blurb your latest novel?
E.R.: Nora Ephron; see below.
J.R.: Favorite rom-com?
E.R.: When Harry Met Sally. I can basically recite the entire movie.
“I’m on your side! I’m just trying to help you have good taste.”
“I have good taste!”
“Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor, but they couldn’t possibly all have good taste.”
Thank you, Nora Ephron, for being a genius and an inspiration.
J.R.: Cake or pie?
E.R.: Blueberry pie, please. What happened to all the blueberry bushes on Fire Island? We used to fill entire buckets with them when I was growing up. Bring back the blueberry bushes! If I ever run for mayor, that will be my whole platform.
Jane L. Rosen is the author of six novels, three of which are set on Fire Island, where she spends her summers with her family. Songs of Summer is out now!
