*Jane Roper is an author, copywriter, creative director, and brand strategist, residing in Boston, Massachusetts. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and graduated from the Workshop in 2004 after studying fiction. Roper typically writes works of fiction, memoirs, and essays. Her latest book, “The Society of Shame,” released on April 4. Roper will hold a reading at Prairie Lights to celebrate the release on April 14.*

*The Daily Iowan:* When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Jane Roper: I wrote when I was really young, when I was a little kid I was writing poetry and stories, but then I stopped for a long time. It was really when I got into my twenties when I was working in advertising as an advertising copywriter, and I started to feel antsy. I wanted to keep doing something creative, but it’s more than this; I want to do more than just writing ads and radio commercials. So, it was around 24 or 25 when I started writing other stuff on the side. Once I flipped that switch, that was the end of it. It was two or three years later that I applied to the workshop.

*DI:* What inspired you to write your book, “The Society of Shame”?

Roper: I’ve been interested for a long time about the dynamics of social media and online shaming and the way things go viral. I’ve always just found it so fascinating, that way people can become famous overnight and next thing you know, they’re not. So, I wanted to write something about that, and I wanted to write something about that kind of thing happening to someone who is very shy and doesn’t want to be in the spotlight. Then it all came together when I was thinking, “What would be one of the worst things to happen if somebody who is already in the public eye finds out publicly that her husband is cheating on her, and then has a period stain on her pants that everyone in the world sees; that would be pretty tough.”

*DI:* Can you give a brief summary of “The Society of Shame”?

Roper: It’s about a middle-aged wife, mom, and copyeditor — she works in publishing — whose husband is an up-and-coming politician running for senate. One night, she gets home early from a trip to find her garage on fire, her husband in his underwear on the lawn, and his mistress passed out nearby. Her taxi driver takes a photo of the scene that goes viral and in the photo, you can see the period stain on her pants. She is thrust into the spotlight as this figurehead of the movement called “Yes We Believe,” that springs up around her, but she wants no part of it at first. Then, she stumbles into something called “The Society of Shame,” which is a group of people who’ve all had online scandals or been canceled or humiliated somehow, and they help her figure out how to deal with her fame and lean into it. Along the way, she kind of loses sight of who she is and what she values and it strains her relationship with her twelve-year-old daughter.

*DI:* What is something you want readers to take away from reading this book?

Roper: I want them to laugh, I want them to feel entertained. I’d also like folks to come away thinking a little more about the way we treat other people online, and maybe think about what happens when we decide to judge someone: when does it make sense, when does it not make sense? When does it go too far, and when is it appropriate? So much is just black and white on social media, with not a lot of room for gray area. I just hope that the book will get people thinking about some of the gray area a little more. I also want them to come away thinking and knowing that swans suck, as I write about in my book.

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*DI:* What was your favorite part about writing this book?

Roper: I just had so much fun coming up with all the different hashtags and little scandals and ideas of articles or news stories; I just had a blast coming up with all that, and kept myself entertained. I figured if I wasn’t entertained along the way, then readers wouldn’t be entertained either. I just tried to have fun.

*DI*: Is there anything else you would like to share about your book in advance?

 Roper: I think folks will be able to relate to a lot of the cultural stuff; I hope they’ll give it a chance. And, I hope people will come see my reading at Prairie Lights because I think it’s going to be fun.