Penguin Random House author Elyssa Friedland publishes LBI-inspired novel

Elyssa Friedland, current New York resident and author of Last summer at the Golden Hotelfreshly published Summer Jackpoton June 11.

Inspired by Long Beach Island, Summer Jackpot tells the fictional story of four adult Jacobson siblings, dealing with the sudden sale of their childhood home on the island.

“On a whim, one of the siblings buys a Powerball ticket (and) two of the siblings join him; they win (and) the fourth brother is not included,” Friedland summarized. “And, you know, all hell breaks loose.”

But according to Friedland, the real subject of the novel is not money, but family.

“It’s not about the size of the house; it’s about the people inside,” she said. “And I think winning the lottery really helped this family understand that.”

Friedland is the author of six novels, five of which are published by Big Five imprint Penguin Random House. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, she did not begin writing fiction until well after college, recognizing that most of her time as an undergraduate was devoted to her position as a editor of the Yale Daily News.

“I was caught up in the daily life of university. and (because of that) I think I missed a lot of opportunities to write creatively,” Friedland said. “I was also very intimidated by the amount of reading and writing I would have to do (in creative writing classes). I saw that I had to turn several pages a week and critique student work, and I didn’t think that was manageable while doing the newspaper at the same time.

Friedland self-published his first novel, Love and Miss Communication, in 2015. That first novel was a four-year project, she said. But as time passed and her literary career progressed, she found the writing process became more manageable.

With its daily, self-regulated and strategic word count deadlines, the first draft of Summer Jackpot was completed in about a year, Friedland said.

Since her greatest literary inspiration is everyday life, she has stated that most of her books are fundamentally “place” centered. Whether stories from friends or personal experiences, Friedland finds it easier to translate original, authentic places into creative fiction.

“Even though I’m a very big reader, and I always have been, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m inspired by the books that I read,” she said.

A native of Livingston, New Jersey, she spent occasional weekend vacations at her friends’ coastal homes on Long Beach Island throughout her life. And while she’s not an LBI local herself, Friedland said she’s “just excited to write about New Jersey.”

“I’m a proud Jersey girl and I think New Jersey (sometimes) gets a bad reputation, which bothers me,” Friedland said. “So being able to shine a light on the magic of its beautiful beaches, cultures and people is exciting.”

When asked why she chose to write specifically about LBI, Friedland said it was because she was in love with its “uniqueness” and “innate culture.”

Summer Jackpot is now available on shelves at local Barnes & Noble and Target stores, or online at amazon.com and Bookshop.org. A complete list of Friedland’s work can be found on her website, elyssafriedland.com.

— Stef Leonard