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Janice Erlbaum

Goodreads Author

Born

in New York, The United States

Website

http://www.janiceerlbaum.com

Twitter

@advice_writers

Genre

Biographies & Memoirs, Fiction, Children's

Member Since

February 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jerlbaum

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Janice Erlbaum is the author of two memoirs, GIRLBOMB: A Halfway Homeless Memoir, and HAVE YOU FOUND HER, as well as two novels for tweens.

GIRLBOMB is about being briefly homeless as a teenager in the 1980s in NYC.

In 2026, GIRLBOMB turned 20 years old! Originally published in 2006, the book has stayed in print and found new readers for two decades.

Her work has been featured in Glamour, Redbook, Marie Claire, Elle, Elle UK, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, and New York Times.

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Popular Answered Questions

Who are your favorite authors?

Janice Erlbaum Liz, I'm sorry -- I didn't mean to take a year to answer this question! I haven't been on Goodreads in a while, and I just saw it today. :/

My favorit…moreLiz, I'm sorry -- I didn't mean to take a year to answer this question! I haven't been on Goodreads in a while, and I just saw it today. :/

My favorite authors are Eileen Myles (especially her book CHELSEA GIRLS), Alison Bechdel, David Foster Wallace, Stephen Elliott, and...this is weird...Charles Dickens. I NEVER thought I would like Dickens, after being forced to read a little in high school, but I started really reading him in my 40s and I guess that's a better age to start with the whole Dickens thing. (less)

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

Janice Erlbaum Writer's block has many causes and takes many forms, so one strategy isn't going to address all of them.

Sometimes I'm blocked because I don't know wh…moreWriter's block has many causes and takes many forms, so one strategy isn't going to address all of them.

Sometimes I'm blocked because I don't know where to begin, so my strategy is to start in the middle -- dive in anywhere and start writing just to get the hands moving and hone the voice. I know that I probably won't use most of what I write verbatim, but it will be very useful in terms of getting me going.

Sometimes I'm stumped in the middle of a piece, and that's either because a) I'm trying to keep something in the piece that's just not working, but I love it too much to cut it (strategy: cut it), or b) there's something I don't want to mention, or some inhibition about telling this part of the story (strategy: write about why I don't want to write about it, see if that leads me to an answer).

Another strategy I employ when I'm stumped is to write an email to a friend, and tell them the story you're trying to write. "I'm writing about the time I took this cab ride with a female driver who was so much like a younger me. The reason I was in the cab in the first place..." This will almost always lead me somewhere new. Most of these emails don't get sent, but some do. My friends are used to it.

Sometimes I'm stumped because I don't have anything to write about. This is an excellent time to read a book. (less)

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Janice Erlbaum’s books

Average rating: 3.8 · 6,486 ratings · 705 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir 3.73 avg rating — 4,237 ratings — published 2006 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Have You Found Her 3.93 avg rating — 1,406 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order by Marcelle Karp (Editor), Janice Erlbaum (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 1,121 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lucky Little Things 3.94 avg rating — 624 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Let Me Fix That for You 3.96 avg rating — 146 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I, Liar 4.04 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 2015 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tongue on Flames by Bob Holman (Contributor), Patricia Smith (Contributor), Paul Beatty (Contributor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Janice has read A Few Seconds of Radiant Filmstrip: A Memoir of Seventh Grade by Kevin Brockmeier	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Janice Erlbaum (?)

“When you think of yourself as lucky, you notice all the good things in your life. You see all the connections between what you do and what happens next. You watch the amazing, mysterious, coincidental ways the world works, and you will be awestruck" -Aunt Jenny”
― Janice Erlbaum, Lucky Little Things

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“C’était précisément ce que je commençais à remarquer de mon côté : comment tout était lié, comment les mauvaises choses qui se produisaient parfois débouchaient finalement sur de bonnes surprises.”
― Janice Erlbaum, Lucky Little Things

tags: dix-petites-chances

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“...luck is not a thing that happens to you. Luck is everything that happens to you. The good, the bad, the in-between. And luck is what you make happen. Luck is how you see the events of your life and how you respond to them" -Aunt Jenny”
― Janice Erlbaum, Lucky Little Things

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Reading with Style: SU 2016 Completed Tasks	872	161	Aug 31, 2016 09:03PM
Aussie Readers: November Challenge 2021 - Last Month of Spring	199	268	Dec 05, 2021 10:12PM

Janice’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

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message 4: by Anthony

Aug 04, 2008 01:23PM

I just read Girlbomb and just wanted to thank you for writing such a great book. Cheers!

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message 3: by Michele

Jun 19, 2008 06:58PM

JUst stopped by to say hi and have a great day!
Michele marchetti
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/mich...
http://www.myspace.com/discoverytoysm...
Looking for pt/ft help nationwide

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message 2: by Tony

Apr 17, 2008 06:55PM

Hi Janice,

Thanks for the add. I love biographies as I see you do too. What's your favorite. I'm always looking for another good read.

Take care,

Tony

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message 1: by Daniel

Mar 12, 2008 06:59AM

Hey Janice, I've added Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir, Have You Found Her: A Memoir and your other book The Runaway to my to-read list.

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