MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Sex sells. Maplewood author V.C. Chickering is taking full advantage of this with her debut novel “Nookietown,” which came out Tuesday, Feb. 23, through St. Martin’s Griffin. She will read from the book and sign copies at Words Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Ave. in Maplewood, on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. for a 21-and-older crowd.
In her uproarious first novel, Chickering takes a long, hard look at social and sexual relationships in a small suburban town, not unlike Chickering’s hometown. The story follows Lucy, a recently divorced mother, who is seeking connections — both emotional and physical — with her neighbors. After much discussion with her friends, she comes to an agreement with her married friends that, if they don’t want to, she will sleep with their husbands. Lucy soon enrolls some of her other divorced friends into the scheme, creating townwide underground barter system that straddles the legal line.
Be forewarned: This book is not for the faint of heart. There is graphic content in it and it is totally unsuitable for children. But, for adults, it promised to be a fun beach read.
“I hope (readers) are entertained,” Chickering told the News-Record in a Feb. 22 email interview. “Honestly, I wrote it to be a racy romp, a vacation page-turner and a weekend diversion. Above all, I’m hoping to make people laugh. It won’t be for everyone, that’s for sure. But I knew that going in. It’s just a story; it’s fiction — not transcription.”
While Chickering wrote it to be a “racy romp,” the book does take on some more serious topics, such as fidelity, love and parenthood.
“It’s a story about a divorced woman and her two groups of girlfriends, the still-married wives and her new group of divorced pals,” Chickering said. “They spend a lot of time ruminating about their relationships to one another, their spouses and society at large and arguing about the roles that sex, fidelity, honesty and desire play in those relationships. They also have mutually consensual adult sex that everyone involved enjoys wholeheartedly. There are no dragons or swords and no one dies.”
As for the setting, Chickering just knew that a small New Jersey town was the perfect place for this raunchy story.
“I grew up in a small suburban New Jersey community and then moved around as a young adult — lived in other states and countries — and chose to end up back in New Jersey,” she said. “I love New Jersey for the rich experience I get from all four distinct seasons, every year without fail and I love its proximity to mountains, oceans and cities.
“But what I really love most of all is the sense of humor,” she continued. “My friends weren’t all raised in New Jersey, but they’ve ended up here and they’re hilarious. They’re super-smart, talented and goofy, open-minded and game for pretty much anything. Best of all, they don’t take themselves too seriously. I think that knowing my friends were supporting me while I was writing, and being pretty sure they would get a kick out of the story, gave me the confidence to keep going. At their urging, I made it zanier and more ridiculous.”
Without her local friends, “Nookietown” would likely be a very different novel.
“Mapewood-South Orange had a lot to do with writing this book,” Chickering said. “I’m grateful as heck to live here.”
Chickering is always flexing her writing muscles. Not only did she previously pen “The Pith Monger” column in the News-Record, but she also writes the music and lyrics for Tori Erstwhile & The Montys, the band she fronts.
While she hadn’t always been planning to write a novel, she decided to try her hand at it in the summer of 2011 and participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge, in which participants are encouraged to write a minimum number of words each day for a month. By the end of the month, Chickering found that she was not done telling her story, so she kept going. By 2012, her first draft of “Nookietown” was complete.
But how did her book get published? Through serendipity and happenstance.
“A friend told a friend about my book who happened to be in publishing,” Chickering said. “It snowballed from there. I’m indebted to them both and will do all their chores forever.”
And next, “Nookietown” may be coming to your television, courtesy of Warner Bros.
“It was optioned for television, but you know those types. Who knows what they’re up to out there in Hollywood?” Chickering joked. “All I know is that the option is up in April and if they haven’t done anything with it by then it reverts to me and I can resell it.”
A couple of years ago, Chickering could only imagine all this happening, but through perseverance she has made it happen. And she reminds readers that they can do it too.
“Keep writing,” she advises aspiring writers. “Make sure you love it. Have a snack once in a while and don’t forget to stretch.”
For more information on “Nookietown” or to purchase a copy, visit www.vcchickering.com.
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