Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine

 

An Interview with Allison Winn Scotch
by Jackie Papandrew

 

After “dabbling” in public relations and marketing, Allison Winn Scotch worked for eight years as a freelance writer for a wide range of national magazines including American Baby, American Way, Brides, Cooking Light, Fitness, Glamour, Parents, Prevention, Redbook, Self, Shape, Woman's Day, and Women's Health. Then, in 2007, the Virginia native published her debut novel, The Department of Lost and Found, followed last year by Time of My Life, a New York Times best seller. She is currently working on her third novel, The Happiest Days of My Life, which is slated for a summer or fall 2010 release. Winn Scotch graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Honors History and Concentration in Marketing from the Wharton School of Business.

MWLM: In The Department of Lost and Found, you tell the story of a young woman defined by her job (top aide to a U.S. senator) who gets a life-altering diagnosis of breast cancer. It’s a serious subject, but you incorporate a lot of humor and hope into the plot. Tell us what led you to write this novel and why you wrote it the way you did.

AWS: I had lost a good friend to cancer, and when it happened, I was pretty gutted by my grief. I really didn’t know where to put it, other than the page, so I sat down one day and just started writing this book, trying to alter my experience with cancer as I knew it. I wanted to create something hopeful from the ruins, and so I sort of purged my grief through the characters and tried, very much, to write a more positive outcome and way of coping with the disease than I’d experienced first-hand. I was actually pretty meticulous in actively avoiding depressing or maudlin situations in the book because, let’s be honest, anyone who has ever been touched by cancer in any way has already dealt with her fair share of that.

MWLM: Your best-selling second book, Time of My Life, portrays a 35-year-old woman with a seemingly perfect life who is nevertheless haunted by “what-ifs,” and who one day gets a chance to go back in time and re-live her life. Again, tell us how you came to write this book and how you changed as an author between the writing of your first two novels. Take us inside these two main characters – how are they alike and how are they different? Are there elements of your personality in each one?

AWS: I knew that I really wanted to write a book that dealt with time-travel, but I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. But one day my best friend called me, and we had one of those intimate conversations about our what-ifs: What if we’d ended up with different spouses? What if we’d made different life decisions? I went out for a run, where I often do my best thinking, and bam, this concept just totally came together for me. I came home and wrote what are now the first 14 pages. 

I’d like to think that my story-telling voice has matured a bit between the two books. I’m tremendously proud of The Department, but looking back (though readers don’t always agree), I think Time of My Life is a little more sophisticated, which is actually what I was striving for. I really believe that an author should strive to improve her writing every time she steps up to the plate, and I very much tried to dig deeper on in Time of My Life. Not that I didn’t dig deeply in The Department! I wrote as well and as honestly as I could. Only that the second time around, I was able to learn from the process of having been through it.

The two protagonists are pretty different in the book, but the one common thread that they share is that they’re both women who are struggling to find their place in the world and come to peace with that place. They both endure crises and use these situations to better themselves. What do I have in common with them? Well, not a ton of personality traits, but I do feel like I’m a work in progress – as many women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s do – and I’m often taking those temperature checks of my life: Where am I? How can I improve myself? How can I strengthen my marriage? How can I be a better mother?

MWLM: Tell us about the writing process for these two novels – did you write every day? Did the plots come easily to you or was it a struggle? Is either one of the novels based on real-life events or people?

AWS: Yes, when I’m working on a novel, I try to write every day, barring weekends, which are work-free and devoted to my kids. I usually set a word count goal for the day or week, and though I really, really procrastinate sitting down to write, once I do, the words come pretty easily. I tend to gestate all the various elements of the book when I’m NOT writing, so once I do sit down, everything flies out of me. I wrote The Department in three months and wrote Time of My Life in two. So, it’s pretty much a full-blown obsession while I’m in the middle of it. But then, I take a real break from fiction and put those characters to rest, so I’m ready to tackle new ones when the time comes. 

No, neither book is based on any real-life events or people. 

MWLM: What kind of reader reaction have you had to your first two books, from women readers in particular? Any reactions come as a surprise to you?

AWS: I’ve been truly blessed to have some amazing reactions from readers, and I guess because I have a public blog, they feel comfortable reaching out to me, which I always welcome. With The Department, I’ve received a lot of e-mails from cancer survivors or friends of survivors, or people who have been touched by the disease in some way, and the notes are truly humbling. I think the most that a writer hopes for is to put their words out into the world and hope that they touch someone, so to hear that I’ve helped someone cope with perhaps the most difficult situation of her life, or helped someone heal, or whatever, is just astounding. Truly. I also get a lot of e-mails from women who say that Time of My Life has helped them re-evaluate their current situations in life. I think a lot of us can get caught up in the “grass is always greener” situations, all the while forgetting that the grass in our own backyard is pretty OK too.  So it’s always wonderful to hear – and a good reminder for myself! - that readers are really taking this book to heart.

Surprising reactions? Well, sometimes someone will just truly hate your book, I mean, like, inspire really nasty online reviews! Which is totally fine – everything is subjective and to each her own, but I’m occasionally surprised by the vitriol of a review. I mean, come on, it’s just a book! 

MWLM: You were a freelance writer and “dabbled” in PR and marketing before becoming a novelist. Tell us about your transition to fiction. Is it something you’ve always wanted to do? How difficult was it to land an agent and a publisher? Who and what kept you going on the difficult days? Do you still do any freelance writing?

AWS: I think in the back of my mind, yes, I always wanted to write a book, but it seemed like a herculean task. I started one that took me four years to complete, though eventually, I did finish it. That book garnered me an agent, but ultimately didn’t sell. I wrote The Department, and my agent didn’t love the manuscript, so we agreed to go our separate ways. From there, I really, really believed in the book, so I took it back out to new agents and was fortunate enough to get a lot of positive feedback and several offers of representation. I signed with my current agent and we had four offers 10 days after she sent it out. 
Was it hard? Well, it wasn't easy, especially not my decision to walk away from my agent. But I knew that the book was a winner. Knew it in a very different way than I did with my first manuscript, which I thought was genius, but in hindsight realized was pretty terrible. That belief in myself and the book is what kept me going through those tough days. 

I don’t do too much freelance stuff anymore, only celebrity profiles, which I really enjoy because I’m a pop-culture junkie. I’m fortunate enough that my books now pay the bills, and to be honest, I have two little kids and much prefer the longer-deadlines that come with novels.

MWLM: You have an educational background in history and marketing. How does that influence both your non-fiction and fiction writing?

AWS: Um, probably not much. I suppose the marketing helps in that I have a very clear understanding of the fact that this is a business. Writing might be an art form but getting published and everything that encompasses it is a business pure and simple. Some writers lose track of that. 

MWLM: Tell us about your children and about life as a “mom writer.” How has your writing changed since you became a mother? Is it tough to maintain a writing schedule amidst the sometimes chaotic life most moms lead? What do your children think of your work?

AWS: I’m fortunate enough that I have babysitting help during the day, so while I take my son to school in the morning (my daughter is too young), and participate in their lives throughout the day, I can also close my office door and really crank when I need to crank. If anything, becoming a mother has made me more efficient. I have a designated number of hours to get stuff done, so when it’s work time, it’s work time. My son, who is 4, definitely understands what I do, and I think is proud of me. He’ll go into Barnes and Noble and yell, “Look, Mommy, there’s your book!,” or ask me if I have any signings coming up. (So cute!) My daughter, who is 2, doesn’t quite get it yet, but I’m excited for her to learn about it and to set a positive example of a mommy who does something outside of her kids that bolsters her self-esteem and contributes to the world at large in general. She’s quite an independent spirit, so I’m guessing she’ll appreciate it when she’s older.

MWLM: You are at work on your third novel, due to be published next year. Tell us about this book. What is it about? How does it differ from your first two books? What other writing projects do you have in the works?

AWS: Right now, it’s a real work in progress. I’m about half-way done, and I’ve decided to go back and really revamp certain elements. So I can’t talk too much about it just yet, but it’s called The Happiest Days of My Life, and much like my earlier books, it chronicles one woman’s struggle to find satisfaction with her lot in life.

MWLM: How do you find time to juggle your writing, your family and the other responsibilities of your life? What advice do you have for other mom writers trying to manage these things and have a successful career? Do you have a regular writing schedule or do you write when you are able to?

AWS: As I said above, I’m fortunate enough to have childcare help, and I’d urge moms – whether it’s via family, day care, child-sharing, whatever – to ask for help if they need it.  I really believe that you can’t be all things to all people, and in order to nourish yourself, you have to give up a little something. For me, that means that I have someone come in and help me with the kids, so I can take some time to stoke other fires in my life. My kids know that this is important to me, and as I said, I think they find it pretty neat. That said, I’m also very well-organized. I don’t know how working moms can’t be. I have lists, I have schedules, I have calendars. All of which help me feel in control of my juggling. I do tend to write in the mornings – that way, I know that I’ll actually get it done and not procrastinate. Once I’ve knocked off a few hours of writing, I can go about the other items on my list with peace of mind.

MWLM: Who are some of your favorite authors? Do you always have more books piled on your nightstand than you can read? What’s on that nightstand right now?

AWS: Gosh, I hate this question because I have so many friends who are brilliant, brilliant authors and I never want to leave anyone out! But here is a short list of writers I admire (many of whom are not friends, so it’s not all nepotism!): Laura Dave, Amanda Eyre Ward, Elin Hilderbrand, Julie Buxbaum, Lolly Winston, Jonathan Tropper, Tom Perrotta, and Joshua Ferris. On my nightstand?  A bunch of galleys I’ve been asked to blurb and stacks of Entertainment Weekly magazine.

 

 

Jackie Papandrew is an award-winning writer and editor. Her humor column – Airing My Dirty Laundry – appears in several newspapers in the United States and Canada. Visit www.jackiepapandrew.com to read more of her work.