As promised, following our review of the upcoming novel How to Be an American Housewife (if you missed it, you can still read it here), here’s our interview with author Margaret Dilloway!
You can follow her blog or catch updates on the book’s Facebook page. Also this Thursday, August 5th at 7pm in the Ala Moana Barnes & Noble, Margaret will be launching her new book with a reading and signing session. Stay tuned to HBB for a guest post from Margaret in the future.
Without further ado…
You often hear the phrase “write what you know”. What was the writing process like for How to Be an American Housewife with themes and characters so close to your personal experiences?
In some ways, fiction allowed me to explore these experiences and themes with a little bit of distance. At the same time, it was difficult to put that much distance into it and make it as fictional as it needed to be. In the end, it’s all fiction with personal experiences sprinkled in. Maybe that’s why it took a few years to get the book right.
As a debut novelist, are there any comments on the editing and publishing process you’d like to share? Words of wisdom or advice for aspiring writers?
Listen to your editor. If you have the right editor, he or she will want to make the book the best version of itself. Don’t become so attached to your original work that you can’t see that a revision would help.
On rejection: If you keep getting rejected, and everyone pretty much rejects you for the same reason, then they probably have a point and you should take another look. If you are always rejected for different reasons, then it could just be a matter of opinion.
What kinds of books do you like to read?
I used to be afraid to read while I was writing, because I was afraid I’d start copying someone inadvertently. But writers actually need to read a great deal. I have different favorites in different genres. I read a lot of non-fiction; right now I’m reading about rose hybridization because I want the character in my next book to do this.
Are you working on anything now?
In the last year, I’ve finished my second novel. It’s called THE CUPCAKE QUEEN and it’s about a cupcake baker whose dead husband is haunting her. Much of the story takes place in Hawaii; nearly everyone I’ve met here has a ghost story or three. The funny thing is, I began writing it to take place in Hawaii before we moved here. Then my husband lost his job and got one here, so it was sort of like fate.
There are a lot of thought-provoking themes and issues in your book. What part(s) of the story do you hope resonate most with your readers?
I would like people to come away thinking about their familial relationships differently, with a softer heart. I want people to have a sense of hope that no matter what kind of cruddy things happen in your life or what dreams don’t come true, you can still have a good life. These are not things that come naturally to me, so I think that’s why I wanted to write about them.
If you had to write a funny (or useful) tip ala “The American Way of Housekeeping,” what would it be?
I already wrote them all! It’d be something like, “Train your kids to clean up, so you won’t have to.” I don’t know, I thought I’d have a robot maid by now like The Jetsons.
We noticed you’re quite active on Yelp! What are some of your favorite foods and places to eat in Hawaii?
Unfortunately, my bookmarked “To Try” list is far longer than we’ve had time or budget for. We mostly go out for lunch in town during my husband’s lunch hour. So far, some favorites we return to are Hank’s Haute Dogs and Paina Cafe at Ward. Nordstrom Cafe has incredibly yummy and fresh salads, and great service even though you would think it’s self-serve. There’s also a really good fast-food steak place inside the Ala Moana food court, I think it’s Blazin Steaks. The steaks are so good and you get a huge amount of food and their green beans and stuff are always crisp-fresh. I like to follow with the freshly-made chocolate mochi in the same area.
And we live close– too close– to Cake Couture, the cupcake shop. I love their peanut butter chocolate cupcakes.
Thank you so much for participating in an author interview with HBB, we really appreciate it and can’t wait to meet you at one of your signings! Best of luck on your new novel, keep us posted!
