Today we’d like to introduce you to Harley Jane Kozak.
Hi Harley Jane, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Nebraska, the 8th child of a widowed mom. My mom was a professor of music at the University of Nebraska, so our house was filled with an appreciation of and emphasis on all the arts. By age 13 or so, I knew I wanted to be an actor, and only later realized how rare it is to be encouraged by one’s family to pursue a life in theatre, despite the economic craziness of it. I moved to NYC at 19, went to NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, worked in soaps for five years, and ended up in LA, where I did a lot of film and TV and a bit of theatre. In my mid-30s, I wandered into a class at Santa Monica Community College taught by the legendary Jim Krusoe, who published two of my essays, and discovered that my love of writing was overtaking my love of acting. I married at 40, had three kids in three years (thank you, medical technology) and took a 15-year maternity leave, during which time I wrote and sold five novels and a dozen or two short stories. When my kids reached middle school age, I wandered back into acting and later still, audiobook narrating. I’m no longer sure how to characterize myself . . . artist-at-large?
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has any human had a smooth road? 😆 Is that even available? Let’s see; my dad died when I was a baby, so psychologically, that made for some interesting issues, we had very little money growing up, we were a vehemently liberal family living in rural Nebraska, and I went to a farm school, I did the usual s*x, drugs, rock-and-roll, was addicted to nearly everything I tried, most notably alcohol (and got sober at 28), lost my best friend and many more to AIDS in the ’80s and ’90s, had infertility issues (but ultimately lovely pregnancies and even lovelier children), was divorced by my kids’ dad, and worst of all, in the eyes of Hollywood, got old! All that said, as some anonymous woman said to me at an Alanon meeting, “This is the best thing that ever happened to you, disguised as the worst thing that ever happened to you” and that describes every struggle I ever dealt with. The ways in which I was lucky, blessed, and privileged far exceeded any disappointments.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I did quite a lot of TV and film, most of it in the ’80s and ’90s. My most famous films were Parenthood, Arachnophobia and When Harry Met Sally (I had a tiny role in that, playing Harry’s ex-wife). My biggest role was in a film called The Favor. I was in a lot of short-lived TV projects, and the one dearest to my heart was “Harts of the West.” I’ve been proud of my work recently in a number of more obscure projects, the kind of thing you’d only see in film festivals. As a writer, I’m proud of all five of my novels, especially the most recent ones, and amazed that I finished any of them since a kind of amnesia sets in every time, convincing me that I don’t know what the heck I’m doing and can’t possibly pull it off. In my acting, I suppose I was known as the Girl Next Door, who grew into the Wife Next Door and then the Mom Next Door . . . I haven’t quite pulled off the Grandma Next Door, although I’m 66, probably because I still dye my hair blonde. As a writer, I’m known for throwing everything plus the kitchen sink into my plots, sometimes crossing the line from “implausible” to “impossible” (although to be fair, when writing paranormal, as my fifth novel was, that’s to be expected) and having a distinctive voice. I’d like to think I’m funny, but I hesitate to say it out loud, as there are of course, readers who will tell you, “read her books; didn’t laugh once.”
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Oh, that’s easy: feeling happy with what I’ve got. Feeling love for this world and everyone and everything in it, day after day, just as it is and just as it isn’t. Waking up with a sense of adventure. I don’t quite know what became of my ambition for fame and fortune, which was strong back in my 30’s . . . Now, a day spent writing or narrating, walking the dogs, hanging with my kids or friends, a little yoga, a little meditation, a little dancing is a good day. What’s crazy to me is that the best days are so often the ones that aren’t particularly noteworthy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.harleyjanekozak.com
