Like Mother, Like Daughter: Writers Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Seritella Bring Their Unfiltered Fun Back To Avalon
Photo by April Narby.
Lisa Scottoline has a story she likes to share about her late mother, known affectionately to Scottoline’s readers as “Mother Mary.”
“I always loved the story about the time I made her fly north to avoid a major hurricane heading for Florida,” Scottoline says. “When she got off the plane, she was approached by a reporter who was interviewing people about the hurricane. The reporter came up to her, asking, ‘Did you come north because you're afraid of the hurricane?’
“Mother Mary replied, ‘I’m not afraid of a hurricane. I am a hurricane.’”
Well, it must be hereditary, because Scottoline and her daughter, Francesca Serritella, are forces of nature as well.
Scottoline is a best-selling author and Edgar Award-winning author of 30 suspense novels. There are more than 30 million of her books in print and she is published in more than 35 countries. First and foremost, though, she is the unabashedly proud mother of Francesca.
A Harvard graduate and award-winning writer in her own right, Serritella is about to publish her first novel, a genre-bending family drama/psychological thriller set at her alma mater.
In addition to fiction, Scottoline and Serritella have been writing the immensely popular “Chick Wit” column for the Philadelphia Inquirer for the past 10 years. The column offers their twisty, tart take on everything from dating to leaky faucets, aging dogs to disappearing eyebrows. The column has inspired eight books; the latest, “I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses” has a release date of July 10.
To celebrate the publication of their new book, Scottoline and Serritella will be appearing at the Avalon Free Public Library on July 11 at 7pm. Perennially popular speakers at the library, the duo provide an evening filled with their unique brand of wit and wisdom.
“We tell funny stories in living color and answer personal questions and encourage everybody to get nosy and it’s a total blast,” says Serritella.
“We try not to get into a fight,” adds Scottoline.
“You’re guaranteed at least one small catfight,” Serritella teases, with the ease of a daughter whose mom is also her co-author and best friend. “She’s my first phone call, when something really good or really bad happens. It’s that relationship you can always count on.”
Likewise, Scottoline’s and Serritella’s readers count on them to be unflinchingly funny, honest and relatable as they share the stories of their lives. Says Serritella: “My mom always says, ‘If it doesn’t make us cringe, it won’t make you laugh.’ We’re really sharing genuinely of ourselves.”
Scottoline adds, “People ask me, ‘What about privacy?’ And I go, ‘I could really care less.’ Especially nowadays, we’re so divided that I think the more open people are and revelatory about their humanity – the more commonality we have.”
Serritella laughs, “I won’t go so far as to say, ‘What’s the point of privacy?’ But, I will say I do think we’re at this weird time where privacy is at an all-time low. Especially among people my age, millennials. We share our images and personal photos, and our thoughts on social media. The weird thing is it creates a lack of privacy without the actual openness, because it’s a curated image. You are vaguely exposed, but at the same time you’re not actually feeling closer to people. So, for my mom and I to open ourselves up and share about certain things that are touchy or hard to write about is authentic. We don’t write to obscure the truth, but to unearth it. And that has the potential for a rewarding connection. This book is about that closeness and the things that bring our family closer together and the things that bring me closer to my friends.”
In the book, Scottoline riffs on a wide variety of topics including dogs in diapers, dresses with built-in bras, learning to love yoga, and domestic life at her pet-filled house in Malvern, Pa.
Meanwhile, from her perch in Manhattan, Serritella is like a millennial-version of Carrie Bradshaw, writing about life in the city and candidly sharing the hysterical, harrowing dating stories that she tells her friends over cocktails. A self-described “Break-Up Ninja,” Serritella even includes her guide to breaking up with a guy so that he is practically thanking her when it’s over.
For both women, they are sharing life’s journey as they live it.
“For a book like this to have a particular message, that would be to suppose that we’re coming from the perspective that we’ve got it all figured out,” says Serritella. “If anything, the message of our books is: We have not figured it out. We are figuring it out. Come along on the ride with us. Let’s figure it out together, because God knows we’re trying our best. This is like one giant brainstorm about how to be happy and healthy and laughing through the curveballs that life throws at you.”
Scottoline adds: “It’s really like our message is LOL. It sounds corny, but it does get you through some dark things and there’s truth in that. People see humor at the darkest times. Slow down. Accept yourself and grow.”
If their writing brings to mind the late, great Erma Bombeck, that’s a comparison they’re both happy to accept. In fact, Bombeck was the inspiration for the “Chick Wit” column.
Ten years ago, Scottoline was more than busy writing her page-turning legal thrillers. But when she was reading her local newspaper, she noticed something was missing. “I missed Erma Bombeck,” she says. “Her writing wasn’t about politics or the economy or the news. It was about domestic stuff. And what happens at the kitchen table matters very much in society at large.”
So, Scottoline, who had been approached by the Inquirer to publish a few chapters from her latest novel, suggested that she could also write a humor column for the paper.
“I really didn’t know if I could do it,” she admits. “Then I started writing it and it was fun and I was writing about Francesca so much that people were asking to hear from her. She was at college at the time, but she was like, ‘I’d love to write that!’ Then we were both off and running. Ten years has gone fast for us!”
Their collaboration stays seamless as they work together … and apart. “Francesca will say, ‘We work across state lines – that’s the safest way as mother and daughter,’ ” laughs Scottoline.
Serritella clarifies: “We write completely separately. But Mom and I are never completely separate. We bounce ideas off each other. But my stories have a really different voice and different style of storytelling than my mom’s, and I think that creates a nice variety for the reader and a better authenticity. But when we put them together, they always sort of dovetail in weird ways that freak us both out.”
And while they both have a devoted following of readers, they are each other’s No. 1 fan. “I admire so much about my mom as a human being first,” says Serritella. “As a writer, second, but it’s a close second because I think she’s such an incredible writer. Especially in these essays she’s a joke master, just like one-liners, boom, boom, boom. My mom can take any topic and have a joke, like a stand-up comic. And I love it. I’ve learned from her that there really are no bad topics, it’s all in the telling of it. Anything can be made sort of funny, and that’s a good life lesson.”
Scottoline is an equally ardent fan of her daughter. “What I admire about her first is that she lives such an exciting life and she’s so brave and she has stuff to write about,” she says. “She can write about the dating life because she’ll throw herself out there and meet people and live it. She’ll write about a date or a guy she had a crush on, and maybe it works out and maybe it doesn’t, but I admire that she has the guts to live that life and write about that life.”
While Serritella is happy to carry the dating torch for the duo, she’s not above encouraging her twice-divorced mom to play the field. She urges, “You could put yourself out there and go on more dates, Mom! You’re so cute and dateable!”
Whether they’re out on a date, putting the dogs to bed, or standing in line at the drugstore – Scottoline and Serritella find inspiration everywhere. “Francesca says, ‘Whenever something bad happens, at least it’ll make a good column,’ ” Scottoline says with a laugh.
Serritella concurs: “There’s always a silver lining. In these dating stories, I hope I don’t sound bitter. It’s just the dates that go really well don’t make a funny story.”
And funny stories will definitely be on tap when Scottoline and Serritella appear at the Avalon Free Public Library, which is one of their favorite venues. “The library is sensational,” says Scottoline. “More than the beautiful building – the community that it has created is really vibrant and active.”
“It really stands out every year in our book tour for how special it is,” adds Serritella. “It’s always such a big crowd, such a warm crowd, and everybody is so much fun. I don’t think there’s a single stop on our tour that I get more excited to go to than Avalon.”
Judging by the enthusiastic crowd that typically greets Scottoline and Serritella in Avalon, the feeling is mutual.
A Few Of Their Favorite Things
For Philadelphia natives Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, their favorite things reveal similarities, differences, and their unwavering love for a particular football team.
Favorite Italian Food
Lisa: Spaghetti
Francesca: Eggplant Parmesan
Favorite Vacation Destination
Lisa: My backyard
Francesca: Down the shore
Favorite Dessert
Lisa: Chocolate cake
Francesca: Cheesecake
Favorite Movie
Lisa: “The Godfather”
Francesca: “What About Bob”
Favorite TV Show
Lisa: “Breaking Bad”
Francesca: “Sex and the City”
Favorite Book/Author
Lisa: “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Francesca: My mom is my favorite author.
Favorite Thing about Philly
Lisa: The Eagles!
Francesca: The Eagles!
Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella will speak at the Avalon Free Public Library on July 11 at 7pm.
Tickets are free and subject to availability.
Contact the Avalon Free Public Library for more information.
