Today we are thrilled to be interviewing
Margaret Mendel, author of:
Who are some of your
favorite authors?
Graham Green, M.F.K. Fisher, Adam Hochschild, Amy Tam,
Isabel Allende, Michael Crichton, Ruth Rendell, Patricia Highsmith
What motivated you to
become a writer and at what age?
I do not remember a time when I was not creating stories,
sometimes little fibs to keep from getting in trouble for a mischievous deed.
But I always wanted to know how situations were going to turn out, or why a
person did this or that. I think I’ve always wanted to understand the story
behind what made people do what they do. It is quite likely that this
curiosity, that peeking under the curtains of people’s private lives, brought
me to writing.
What 3 words describe
you as a person?
Determined
Curious
Kind
What 3 words describe
you as a writer?
Unruffled
Probing
Diligent
When not writing, how
do you spend your time? Hobbies?
I love photography and grab every chance I can to take my
camera out for a walk. I’m a great baker, fruit pies are my specialty, and I do
a great deal of sewing and making jewellery.
Do you remember the
first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I do not remember stories being read to me as a small child.
Though there are two reading occasions that stick out in my mind. It was when I
could read that books became important. Reading the biography of Abe Lincoln in
grade school was the first book that left an impression on me. I was amazed at
how someone could go back in history to reconstruct someone’s life. That
curious thought remained with me and then many years later that interesting
concept was rekindled when I read Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers”. It was then that
I knew I wanted to build lives with words. I wanted tell stories. I did not
realize then that I stood at the precipice of a love affair with words.
Describe your desk.
Hopelessly busy looking with paper and pens strewn about on a
very small workspace. I am a pen and paper freak and though I try hard to keep
a tidy writing space, I do need my comfort items around me. Don’t get me
started about my stash of old journals.
Who is the main
character in Pushing Water?
Sarah, an American, living and working in Hanoi, Vietnam,
works as an archivist during the French Colonial rule in the Orient.
What is her story?
Sarah has taken a job in the farthest region of the World
that she could find, in an attempt to seek relief from a profound sadness.
Where/when does the
story take place?
Vietnam in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
How did the story
come to you?
There was always so much about the American Vietnam War that
I did not understand. It was like a puzzle with pieces missing. I was never a
history buff, and quite frankly paid little attention to past events. But my
curiosity brought me to an interesting place, and I began to do research.
Initially all this digging into the past was just for my own interest. Well, it
didn’t take long for a story to bubble up. Soon I was off and running with a
plotline, a cast of characters and a commitment to a rather large project.
Who is your target
audience?
The first target group would be someone interested in
historical fiction. Readers who enjoy strong and interesting female
protagonists would find this a good read.
This novel has a definite exotic flavour that would
titillate the armchair traveler.
What makes your book
different from other similar ones?
This novel has a great deal of unusual information about
Vietnam before WWII.
The novel tells a complex story of Colonialism and a people
struggling to free them selves from the governance of another country.
This story has a unique perspective of an American woman in
a foreign country watching as the world around her vibrates with discontent and
revolution.
It is also an interesting vantage point of seeing an Asian
country just prior to WWII.
What do your fans
mean to you?
Though I write for my own personal satisfaction, it makes me
feel like I am part of a larger picture when someone talks to me about the
stories that I’ve written. Fans have become an extension of my writing. They
bring another level of reasoning for the long hours I sit and write. Fans are
like a kaleidoscopic view of a writers work. They often see things in an
author’s work that had gone undetected during the construction of a story and
frequently their comments bring a new understanding to what the author had
initially intended. They are absolutely a necessary aspect of why I do what I
do.
Where do you get the
inspirations for your book(s)?
Reading has given me many of my ideas. It’s an interesting
experience to read a book and have questions pop into my head, or have a
character slip into my thoughts as I drift off to sleep. Inspiration comes
often when I least expect it; perhaps while I’m taking a walk or watching
people pass by as I sip a cup of coffee at an outdoor café. There are times
when someone mentions an interesting thing that they have seen and it give me
an idea for a story. Then there are times that I simply have to write and
rewrite and then write again until an entire mess of words fall into a
meaningful order. During those times, inspiration is the result of hard work.
Any advice for new writers
just beginning this trek down the wonderful world of publishing?
Just keep at the writing. Don’t give up. Always write your
best. Rest your shoulders when they ache, but don’t let fatigue be a reason not
to write. Learn from those that have come before you and never stop writing
just because you hit a rough patch. Always try to write your best.
For more details and to read excerpts from Margaret Mendel's books, please visit here.
