Desk Tour: Andrea Bartz
Plus, a book giveaway!
Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Abbey Crain’s Desk Tour from last time. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the full catalog of Desk Tours.
If you are a thriller reader, then you know
’s work. Maybe you read her Reese’s Book Club pick We Were Never Here, or you read her most recent novel The Spare Room. Perhaps you read one of her others: The Herd or The Lost Night. Or maybe, as you read this, you’re thinking, “I’ve been meaning to pick up one of her books…” If that last one sounds like you, then you’re in luck! Not only do you get a peek into Andi’s small yet mighty workspace today, you also get the chance to win a FREE copy of the new paperback edition of The Spare Room. I read this one last year on the beach, and to me, it was the ideal summer read: Effortlessly page-turning, suspenseful, and incredibly steamy. That’s all I will tell you. Just know that it is a very fun reading experience and you are absolutely going to want it in your beach bag this summer.[To enter this giveaway and win a copy of The Spare Room, make sure you’ve subscribed to both mine and ’s Substacks (no paid subscription required, of course!) and drop a comment on this post. This sweepstakes is US only.] Giveaway now closed.
OM: Describe your workspace.
AB: I'm very lucky to have a tiny office off the kitchen in my Brooklyn apartment. It's basically a hallway with a door—its dimensions are, wait for it, 15x5—but it's the perfect little writing cove for me. I've got a wacky gallery wall, a view of the park behind our street, wall-mounted butcher paper for sorting out my thoughts, and—this is key—many sleeping spots for my cat, Mona, and dog, Zelda.
OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?
AB: They're tucked beneath my monitor stand, but I've got a deck of tarot cards and a set of wooden runes—stuff I play with when I'm dealing with writer's block. I'm not sure I believe in the metaphysical side of things, but both are so helpful for seeing things in a new light...like, "This card is about double-dealing. Does the character actually have a hidden agenda I'm not seeing?" I'm also going to sing the praises of my ergonomic keyboard and mouse (four items, sorry)—I dealt with wrist issues for a long time, and I can use these all day sans pain!
I also hung the Jane Mount painting of the WE WERE NEVER HERE cover near my desk, which was a gift from Reese's Book Club after my thriller was their August 2021 pick... and anytime my eyes fall on it, I feel a jolt of: Holy shit, that really happened.
OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?
AB: This isn't quite that cutesy, but on the bookshelf right next to my desk (does that count?), I keep a stack of my go-to craft books. The ones I return to again and again are SAVE THE CAT WRITES A NOVEL, STORY GENIUS and THE ANATOMY OF STORY. When I'm feeling creatively stuck or frustrated, the exercises in them are almost guaranteed to get the juices flowing again. I also hung the Jane Mount painting of the WE WERE NEVER HERE cover near my desk, which was a gift from Reese's Book Club after my thriller was their August 2021 pick... and anytime my eyes fall on it, I feel a jolt of: Holy shit, that really happened.
OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?
AB: You know, I worked as a travel writer for years, meaning I was OOO at least a third of the time—so I got really good at working from anywhere and not being precious about needing the perfect soundscape or candle or notebook or whatever. As soon as you pin your productivity to a single writing utensil or what-have-you, you're setting yourself up to be unmoored by a dried-up ink reservoir. I'm so lucky to have an office, but one of the pleasures of being a writer is being able to do the job from the kitchen, the couch, the beach, a random Airbnb in Paris...
OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?
AB: Did I mention the room is only about five feet wide? I wish I had a little more space for a reading corner (my girlfriend's keyboard takes up the back wall), and my Zoom background is inevitably...the wall an arm's length behind me. It's a weird little space—the entire apartment, part of a crumbling townhouse built in 1899, is carved into the oddest angles—but it's A Room of My Own, and I can't complain.
As soon as you pin your productivity to a single writing utensil or what-have-you, you're setting yourself up to be unmoored by a dried-up ink reservoir.
OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.
AB: When I'm in drafting mode, I like to hunker down at my desk in the morning with a big mug of coffee, Zelda on the cushion beneath the desk, and Mona on the piano bench or her cat condo by the window. I like to think they're cheering me on, although they're just snoozing happily. I'll use the Pomodoro Method to do writing sprints: 20 minutes of uninterrupted writing (or more, if I'm really in a groove when the timer goes off), followed by a 5-minute break. I repeat until I hit my word count goal, and then...well, if I've checked that off my list before lunch, the day seems to crack open like an egg. I'll devote some time to admin, emails, my Substack, etc., and then I'll leave my desk—and apartment—behind as soon as I'm able!
OM: Where can people find you on the internet?
AB: I'm on Instagram and Threads @andibartz and on Facebook at @andreabartzauthor, and my website is AndreaBartz.com. My Substack
has tons of writing and publishing tips and insider intel (seriously, I don't hold back), plus regular ol' author news: andibartz.substack.com. My four books—The Spare Room, We Were Never Here, The Herd, and The Lost Night—are available wherever books are sold, and The Spare Room is out in paperback as of 7/9/24. We're doing a fun US-based giveaway, right? Yay!Note from Olivia: Like Andi said, be sure to check out the beginning of this post for details on how to win a copy of The Spare Room! On a personal note, though, I have really admired Andi’s career from afar over the years and, more recently, have really enjoyed subscribing to her incredible Substack (I’m a paid subscriber! Worth every penny!). I particularly loved her satire piece about negative reviews, and have learned *so* much from candid posts like this one, which discusses tracking book sales as an author (not as easy as one might think!). I loved seeing inside Andi’s creative and cozy workspace, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Be sure to check out the past editions of Desk Tour:
PS: One last thing before I go… you can order my first novel NOW! I appreciate your consideration, time, and support immensely.
A portion of July’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).
This series is my FAVORITE! Thanks so much for sharing (& bringing Andrea's substack to my attention)! Subscribed to you both!
I have both of these on my TBR!! Now following her too. 🎠🎠