Desk Tour: Amanda Eisenberg
A debut novelist shares the craft book(s) she swears by and more!
Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: ’s Desk Tour from last time. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full catalog of Desk Tours.
One of the things that publishing a novel has taught — and continues to teach — me is that writing books is hard. It requires you to work and wait and then wait and work some more and then to thrust your most vulnerable thoughts and feelings out into the world, all for someone to eventually tag you in a 1-star review on Instagram (ask me how I know). Publishing is a notoriously opaque and competitive industry. It is hard to navigate, difficult to survive, and chews up and spits out a lot of people. It is easier when you have a built-in community of people who are even remotely interested in what you have to say. It was easier, for me, because of my Instagram audience, this newsletter, and the podcast. I am thankful for that every day.
I am also more aware than ever how hard it is to survive publishing a novel if you don’t have that built-in platform, or if you’re actively trying to build it at the same time as, you know, writing, editing, and publishing a novel. This is why I’ve been thinking more and more about how I can use my own audience and platform to support debut authors who may not have the benefit of the platform I started out with (at least not yet!). So when
emailed me about being featured on DESK TOUR as a debut novelist (her novel PEOPLE ARE TALKING comes out in April!) who’s trying to build a community of readers I thought: Yes! Great! Let’s do it! So without further ado, let’s take a step into how and where Amanda works…Psst: Don’t forget to pre-order Amanda’s book!
OM: Describe your workspace.
AE: I have two primary work spaces: Radio Park and the desk in my bedroom. I try to work outside as much as possible when it’s nice out. Radio Park is a ninth-floor garden in Rockefeller Center that feels like an oasis in the middle of Manhattan. I’ll rotate from the swing to a shady table, and it’s usually where I go to write new scenes. The half-acre garden has beautiful hydrangeas and other plants that make the writing feel pleasurable, which can be hard as a Professional Writer™ when I want my first draft to be as polished as the book I’m reading (which is currently Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan; I love difficult women).
But when the weather isn’t nice and I need to sit down and be serious, I go to my desk. It’s a wooden drafting table I bought off Craigslist from another creative who schlepped it from the West Coast to Brooklyn and said he cared about it going to a nice home. It was handcrafted in Oregon, and I love the creative energy it holds from birth through its various owners. Still, I use my desk primarily for editing. I get to be ruthless and fix all the mistakes the last person made (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem). The different spaces allow me to tap into different mindsets that ultimately help my work in progress be its best self.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
AE: My humidifier! My skin struggles in the summer when I switch from melting on the subway platform to getting blasted with air conditioning at my day job, where I work as a publicist in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. I have this baby running 24/7 to help with that and dry eyes. I bought this wooden box in Obz, a Victorian neighborhood near the University of Cape Town that’s known for its vintage shopping and weekend markets, when I studied abroad there. I nabbed this Texas ash tray, which I’m very fond of, from an ex-boyfriend. Actually, when we broke up I went into his room, took it, and declared I’d be leaving with it. He said he’d be honored if I kept it (he’s a nice man), and so that’s how it wound up on my desk. It makes me smile, especially when I put my good pens in it like cigarettes.
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
AE:
is the patron saint of emerging writers. Her Substack, Craft Talk, is filled with advice and motivation, and it’s also the home of the #1000WordsofSummer project that jump started my writing routine. Her book of the same name sits on my desk, along with Matt Bell’s Refuse to Be Done and ’s Before and After the Book Deal. I read all these works before I got my book deal! They remind me that I’m the only person who needs to treat my writing professionally. It’s not determined by my day job or having an agent or securing a book deal. It starts and ends with me. Having these books by my side gave me confidence for the period between writing a book and selling a book.I also need my emotional support Moleskine notebook with AUTHOR ERA embossed on it. My friend Mel gave it to me when I started querying agents…it reminds me that my community believes in and supports me, which can make it easier some days to show up for yourself and your work.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?
AE: Good lighting, my reading glasses and no clutter. I also need my emotional support Moleskine notebook with AUTHOR ERA embossed on it. My friend Mel gave it to me when I started querying agents, another example of taking yourself seriously as a writer even if you haven’t achieved external measures of success. It reminds me that my community believes in and supports me, which can make it easier some days to show up for yourself and your work.
OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?
AE: I barely was able to squeeze a desk chair from Target between my desk and my bed, so when I’m sitting at my desk I’m locked in. I would love an ergonomic chair or something that won’t give me a hunch, but that seems unlikely for as long as I live in Manhattan.
OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.
AE: It’s a cool 68 degrees out. I’m sitting on the Radio Park swing, listening to the birds chirping and the leaves rustling, and entering a flow state of fun writing, occasionally sipping my coffee (freshly grounded, frothed milk, some cinnamon sprinkled on top) or taking notes in my notebook. It’s bliss.
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
AE: I’m a professional writer who works as a journalist, publicist and adjunct professor. I’m on Instagram @amandaeisenbergauthor, X née Twitter @amandaeisenber, and TikTok @aeis17. I also have a free Substack where I write about writing, New York sports, pop culture and shopping. My debut novel, PEOPLE ARE TALKING, comes out on April 22, 2025. It’s a suspense novel about Mal and Dani, two best friends who join a secret vigilante society in college that track down rapists, only to have another friend in their friend group be accused of sexual assault. A decade later, the friend group reunites at a wedding, though each is coming to Austin, Texas, with ulterior motives and scheming to win back ex-friends and lovers. But when the secret society crashes the wedding, with deadly consequences, Mal and Dani are forced to consider whether they’re willing to separate the personal from the political—even at the expense of protecting the people they love. I comped the novel to Veronica Mars! I also hope that SABI readers will enjoy PAT 🥲
Note from Olivia: I don’t know about you, but I will absolutely be reading PAT (we love when novels have fun acronyms around these parts!!). As someone who finds it a bit distracting (sometimes) to write outside, I have to say that the description of Amanda’s ideal writing set-up in Radio Park sounded positively blissful. I also loved that she mentioned the craft books that inspire her and give her confidence to keep going. I always struggle with the, “I’ll be a Good Enough/Real/Successful Writer when XYZ happens” of it all, and that mindset is just… not it. This interview was a good reminder, and I hope you loved it as much as I did. Stay tuned for the next DESK TOUR; I’ve got some fun ones lined up! Also, one quick question for you, if you have a second…
Be sure to check out the past editions of Desk Tour:
Blogger, journalist, and content creator Ayana Lage’s Desk Tour
PS: One last thing before I go… you can order my first novel NOW! I appreciate your consideration, time, and support immensely. And if you already read and enjoyed, it would mean the world to me if you took a second to share the love in a review or rating. I appreciate you.
A portion of August’s subscriber proceeds will go toward the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is currently working to build, enforce, protect and defend legal protections for reproductive rights around the world (including in Florida, where I grew up, and there is currently a 6-week abortion ban).
I always love these desk tours! Totally wish I had access to Radio Park. I wonder if there's a similar space near me in UES or Midtown. Can't wait for your book, Amanda!
I love this, especially the reminder that you are the only one who needs to treat your work professionally. Dang, I feel that. Also: I must know where your friend got this Moleskine embossed. I am OBSESSED.