Amy Sue Nathan’s debut novel “The Glass Wives,” published by St Martin’s Press Griffin launches May 11th. I had the good fortune of meeting Amy through her blog, Women’s Fiction Writers, www.womensfictionwriters.com, where she is open- heartedly generous to writers. When I learned about her debut I knew I wanted to interview her to learn about her process and her journey to publication.
Can you tell us about your book – how you came to write it? What inspired you?
The good and bad parts of my own life inspired me. I got divorced, my ex-husband died suddenly, I didn’t know how I was going to raise two kids alone, and then through it all, after a lot of trial and tribulation, my kids have grown up into amazing adults. I guess the point of the book is that things can be awful and turn out okay, even though it’s all totally different than you planned. I learned, and tried to teach my kids that there can be good parts of really bad days, and that good things will always happen to them, even though they’ve been through some of life’s most difficult situations. I wanted to write a book about the power of a family—no matter what that family looks like.
What was your path to publication?
I guess it started in 2006 when I began writing again after what I call my “creative hiatus” of having kids and being a stay-home mom. I wrote blog posts, short stories, essays, and articles which all led to my wanting to write a novel. I wrote and wrote and wrote and learned as much about publishing as I could. In 2010 I started querying agents, which I did for ten months before signing with Jason Yarn of The Paradigm Agency. I revised THE GLASS WIVES for another year with Jason’s input and insights before he took the book out on submission. Then, in October 2011 we sold to Brenda Copeland at St. Martin’s Press. And while that seems like the end, it was just the beginning of a whole new process of working with a publisher and getting the book ready for readers!
What’s your daily writing routine? Can you describe a typical working day?
I don’t have a typical day! First, because I’m easily distracted. Second, because life seems to get in the way. If one of my kids needs something, no writing. If the sink clogs, no writing. If the dogs need to go to the vet, no writing! I do have an optimal day, which is writing fiction all morning and non-fiction all afternoon, leaving technical things for the evening—and I do get these days often enough to have written THE GLASS WIVES and to start my new novel. I think like with everything else, I just make it work.
What do you love about the writing process?
I love the idea that words just come, almost like I have no control over them. I know that in reality writing is disciplined and precise, but it doesn’t always seem that way when the thoughts are flowing out into in the Word doc!
What do you hate about it or struggle with?
I don’t hate anything about it, but I do struggle with starting. I have to set a time, get my writing space ready, and almost do a countdown and a ready-set-go. Then once I start something new it’s easy for me to get back to it.
What’s your favorite way to procrastinate?
TV. I’ll watch just about anything especially if it has animals, food, or pseudo-celebrities. My DVR is full, my TBR (to be recorded) list is very long, and I subscribe to Netflix. (I like choices!) In my defense, I watch a lot of award-winning documentaries. We sure have come a long way since the days of three networks, PBS, and a UHF channel for fuzzy after-school cartoons. I’m totally in awe of On Demand.
Who is your first reader? Why?
My critique partner, author and historian, Pamela Toler. She is also a very dear friend. Pamela’s my first reader because she knows my writing well. What does that mean? To me it means she has seen the progress on so much of my work that she knows my strengths and weaknesses. She focuses on what I need, and might just mention other things that she knows I’ll get to eventually or do naturally with my stories. We balance each other in many ways (she doesn’t chide me for being pronoun-challenged at times, I encourage her to dig deep for more emotion in her fiction.) All of this works well for our critiquing and for our great friendship.
What contemporary authors inspire you and why?
Authors who reach out beyond themselves inspire me. It’s easy to be insular, even with the world being right at our fingertips. So when authors take the time and expend energy to not only connect with readers, but who support aspiring and published authors really tug at my heart and my writer conscience.
I admire those who seem to be doing it all, maybe because I want to always remember that while writing is solitary (I can’t even write in a coffee shop, I need to be alone in the quiet) we are part of a larger community.
Outside the world of books, who inspires you and why?
My kids inspire me. At twenty-one and eighteen, they have been through more than many adults who’ve lived long full lives. I always think if they can be, and do, and grow—so can I.
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?
I was always a writer, but when I graduated seventh grade (my elementary school was K through Grade 7) I won the Outstanding Achievement in English award. I still remember the principal, Mrs. Rubin, saying that it was an easy choice, and that all the teachers had agreed very quickly on which student deserved it. And then she said my name! I received The American Heritage Dictionary as a prize. What validation! I think I knew then that I’d be a writer, or an English teacher. Or both. (I never did become a teacher, which I sometimes regret.) Last year I received a package in the mail. My parents sent me the dictionary, which was still at their house. As soon as I saw the red cover in the package, I knew what it was. It’s well-worn with yellowed pages, letter-tabs missing. It holds a place of honor on my desk.
Who are your favorite writers of all time?
Oh, you’re not asking me to pick favorites are you? I love Willa Cather, Elinor Lipman, Judy Blume, Margaret Atwood and about a gazillion other authors. My kids happen to be really good writers, so maybe that’s the answer I should give. It’s always acceptable to say your own kids are your favorites, right? I think my parents might agree with me there.
Are you working on a new book? Can you tell us anything about it?
Well, I can ask you a question. Are lies ever justified? And I don’t mean white lies about how you look in a pair of jeans or if dinner tastes delicious—I mean life lies. So, what if a very popular blogger turned out to be a fake? What if everything she wrote, read by tens of thousands of people, was based on lies? What if this person was your best friend or sister? What if she wrote for your website?
My book is about what might cause someone to lie to everyone she knows, and everyone she doesn’t, and what has to happen to make her come clean.
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