Book: Sit, Cinderella, Sit: A Mostly True Memoir
Author: Lisa Cheek
Sit, Cinderella, Sit reminds us of three powerful life lessons – you’re never too old, there’s always more magic, and taking a chance on yourself is always worth it. Merging travel, cultures, adventure, tenacity of spirit, the ability to dream, and faith in ourselves, Lisa pens a story full of wonder, memories, and forging a new path. With a nod towards the past and an eye towards the future, Lisa empowers readers to follow a dream, take that leap, and believe in the magic of their own making.
Join us Saturday, August 2nd 2:30 pm for a virtual gathering of the International Memoir Writers Association and hear Lisa Cheek speak about her debut novel.
What inspired you to write this book? A real life adventure. I was hired to edit what was believed to be the first telling of the Cinderella story, on location in China along the Tibetan border. While living in a guest house with the camera crew, fourteen men who didn’t speak a word of English, we filmed in tiny villages and remote locations where Mandarin was the only language spoken.
When did your writing journey begin? I wrote radio and TV spots in my 20’s. Then, I helped write a feature in my edit bay that was bought by Fox Searchlight in my 30’s. And in my 40’s, I started taking novel writing classes because I didn’t know any other teachers and the teacher I had kept telling me that memoir was dead. I wrote this story as a novel and it didn’t have the heart it did when I told it as a memoir. Magic happens in my life and I wanted to share it. Owning my story felt true and right. Eventually, in my 50’s I went to a writing conference and I met lots of memoirists and my publisher there.
As a writer, when you get ‘stuck’, how do you get yourself ‘unstuck’? Read a really great book. Watch a TV show with characters that make me feel. Play with my dogs. Join a writing class. Go to an author event at a bookstore.
For the emerging writers out there, what do you think helped you most to get published? Networking. Going to festivals and conferences, author events at bookstores, and classes. I took so many classes and still do. Any chance I got to meet someone who did what I wanted to do, I did my best to meet them.
What types of books/authors do you like to read? Memoirs are about 90% of what I read. I love reading about real people. Domenica Ruta’s With or Without You, Abandon Me by Melissa Febos – I love all her books. Any of Dani Shapiro books. Maggie Smith, Dear Writer. I also try to read books that make me laugh, recently John Kenney’s I See You Called In Dead and David Sedaris is a must.
Where can readers find your work? Sit, Cinderella, Sit is available everywhere books are sold.
What’s up next for you? My second memoir, The BIG Day comes out September 22, 2026. Where Sit, Cinderella, Sit is about four months of my life, The BIG Day is about one day in my life. So, I’m busy with everything that comes along with meeting all the deadlines.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? It’s never too late. My first memoir came out when I was 62. My next one is coming out when I’m 64. And I hope to have more after that. Jump in with both feet and have fun. I can’t imagine being anywhere other than hanging out with writers.
Interview By: Stacey Ebert
BIO
After twenty-five years editing and producing other people’s work, Lisa Cheek decided to take her friends’ and coworkers’ advice and tell her own stories. Her first memoir, Sit, Cinderella, Sit is an Amazon Bestseller, a Zibby’s Most Anticipated Books for 2025, and a People Magazine pick. Her musings, One Minute Thoughts From A Pink Head are on Substack. She lives in LA with 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a husband. Learn more at www.lisacheek.com