Friday, Sep 4, 2009

Author Interview: Kathleen McCleary… House & Home

House & Home Is a great book that I reviewed on September 1st.

I so enjoyed this “9 out of 10″ rated-book and had so many questions for the author, Kathleen McCleary.  Graciously, she accepted my invitation for an interview.

I am pleased to present you with my conversation with Kathleen McCleary!

Welcome, Kathleen! Earlier this week, I reviewed your novel House & Home. Thank you for stopping by A Novel Menagerie to talk with us about this fantastic novel!

After reading a bit about you at http://kathleenmccleary.com, I learned that you have some similarities to House & Home’s heroine, Ellen. For example, you also have 2 daughters and once lived in Oregon (which, you loved). How much does personal experience play into writing a novel?

I think personal feelings play a strong role, and facts not so much. Of course my friends and family had a great time trying to guess who was who in my novel, but the truth is the characters were often composites of people I knew, or characters who started out vaguely similar to someone I knew but then took on a life of their own as the novel progressed. And some were completely made up, like Cloud, the store manager. He’s the kind of easy-going, competent, calm presence that I wish I had in my life every day.

I really enjoyed Cloud… one of my favorite characters!  Every working Mommy needs a Cloud in her life.  Tell us, how are you different from Ellen?

I’d like to think that Ellen is a little more intense and hyper-responsible than I am, but my family might disagree…

In the novel, Ellen runs a coffee shop, Coffee At Home. In this uber-cool coffee shop, she picks out great home decor items and furniture and sells it directly from the coffee shop. That makes her business a bit of a hybrid business that I think would actually do really well in certain communities. I see that you’ve written for Good Housekeeping & Martha Stewart Living have you ever seen a real-life Coffee at Home type of shop?

Yes! For years, my family has vacationed in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. A few years ago, an internet cafe opened in the small town near the cabin we rent. The cafe, called the Higher Ground, sells wonderful coffee and snacks AND antiques. I actually wasn’t even thinking of The Higher Ground when I created Coffee@home, but now I think it must have been in my subconscious somewhere…

Being a working mom of two daughters, how do you find the right balance between home and work?

I don’t know that I ever find the right balance, but I keep trying! My daughters are older now (ages 12 and 15) so they’re fairly independent. I write during the day while they’re at school, and early in the morning on weekends (before soccer games!).

Living in beautiful Virginia can you tell us about your writing space?

I have an office on the main floor of my home, with a desk that overlooks our driveway and my neighbor’s lovely garden. There’s a giant climbing hydrangea that was planted by our home’s previous owner that grows part way across the window. When the windows are open I can hear the fountain in the tiny pond in our back yard, and I love the sound of the water. My office is filled with books and family photos. It’s painted a very soothing shade of grey/lavender. My office has no door, so I have had to learn how to shut out kid noise and music!

When is the perfect time for you to write? 

Morning, as early as possible. I try to write for at least two to three hours as soon as the kids are off to school, then I take a break to work out, and try to squeeze in another hour or so in the afternoon.

At what point in your life did you realize that writing was your true passion?

I’ve always loved to write, but I think a passion for writing came out of my passion as a reader. I always dreamed of writing a novel someday, but never had an idea that seemed big enough to sustain an entire novel. When I left Oregon and our house there, I had so much emotion about the whole thing that processing it through my writing became the best way for me to deal with it. I started the novel with the first paragraph, about a woman who loved her house so much she wanted to burn it down, and it grew from there.

Was it difficult to get into the writing/publishing industry?

Yes and no. It was hard to write a novel, but I made sure it was as polished as possible before I sent it out. I was lucky enough to have several agents interested in me, and then have several publishers interested in the novel.

What words of advice would you give to people who want to write and publish a novel?

Write what you love. Sometimes I find writing almost painful because I write about topics that have great emotional resonance for me (passion for home and family, a sense of place). But I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to hear from people who have read my novel and been touched by it in some way. I read a great quote about writing once: “You just keep churning until it’s butter.” And it’s true. There’s no substitute for putting your butt in the chair day after day and chipping away at it. I truly believe that if you write with real emotional truth, the rest will fall into place. It can be scary, but that’s what people respond to, including agents and editors! 
 
You’ve got to be pleased with the success of this novel.  What was your most cherished memory of the entire experience?

The day I sold the book. I had a terrible head cold, I was frantically busy coaching my youngest daughter’s Odyssey of the Mind team for the competition the following day, and I was writing on deadline a freelance article about (this is true) avoiding germs in public bathrooms. My agent called to tell me about the offer from Hyperion/Voice and I just couldn’t believe it. That night we had the dress rehearsal for the OM competition and one of the parents cracked open a bottle of champagne for me. I was so stuffed up I could barely breathe, but I drank a glass of champagne anyway. As my friend said, “How many times do you sell your first novel?” It was a great, great day.

House & Home couldn’t have been published at a more prevalent time many of your readers are faced with losing their homes due to the economy. The book reminds its readers what it is that truly makes a home. But, a home is also something that is the center of a family’s dreams. What have your readers shared with you about how your book affected them in relation to their homes?

I’ve heard from many people who have had to give up beloved homes, either through moves, divorce, even fire. Even the agents I sent the book to called to tell me their own house stories. One had spent years fixing up a wonderful old house only to have to sell it when she married a man with two kids and needed a bigger home. Another agent had lost a house in a divorce and still drove by it every day. Readers have e-mailed me their house stories, or sent pictures. It’s been very gratifying. 

What words would you share with somebody who is losing their home?

The grief is real and you should honor it. Let yourself mourn. Losing a house you love is losing a part of your life, and yourself in that life. That’s a lot to lose.

A Novel Menagerie is the blog of a HUGE animal lover hence, the menagerie! I have 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 fishtanks that share our home with my twin daughters and I. Can you share with us a little bit about your two kittie-kats (and, do you have a picture to share?)

Yes! Lulu, our pudgy kitty, is 8 years old. We adopted her as a kitten from the Humane Society in Oregon. She’s very independent. Jinx, who is six, is mostly Himalayan and is hands down the best cat ever (I know, I know, I shouldn’t have favorites!) Jinx is often asleep on my desk while I write, or on the floor at my feet. He is like a puppy and rolls over whenever he sees me so I can scratch his belly. He adores me, and at the risk of sounding like one of those crazy cat ladies, I adore him, too. Here’s a picture: 

Kathleen, thank you so much for sharing with us your thoughts and insights.  I really loved your novel and wish you much luck and success in your future!

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