Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)adventures of Waverly BrysonMaria Murnane
I've had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Murnane, author of Perfect on Paper as part of her Virtual Book Tour. Unfortunately, Maria's post was scheduled to appear Friday, not Saturday, so I apologize to anyone who expected it yesterday.
First, however, here's a brief word about Perfect on Paper (via Amazon):
And now on to Maria, who took the time to answer my (not altogether original) questions. When you're finished reading the article, be sure to visit her websites (which I linked to below). Thanks, Maria!
What is your writing process?
Hmm, right now I'm not working on another book (yet, fingers crossed), but the process for writing the Perfect on Paper was pretty regular. I would write for a couple hours nearly every morning, and then a couple hours nearly every evening. And in between I would jot down a lot of notes to myself on post-its, etc. Many times I'd wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for something I wanted to include in the book, so I'd keep a notepad by my bed. And as for the writing itself, when I wasn't exactly sure where to go next with the story, I would go back and edit/rewrite what I?d already written. It worked well that way because the regular reviewing/editing forced me to stay on track and kept me from looking back and suddenly realizing "holy crap I really need to delete the last 100 pages." Now that would have been a bummer.
How do your family and friends react to your writing?
When I first started writing a book and told my friends and family what I was doing, they all had the same reaction, which was that they were afraid they wouldn't like it! My good friend Lindsay and my brother-in-law Brett both said they were literally terrified to read it because they wouldn't know what to say to me if it was awful. BUT the good news was they fell in love with the story and immediately wanted more (I was emailing them chapters from Argentina, where I was living at the time). My sister Michele told me that five pages into it she completely forgot that I was the author because she got so engrossed in the story. My dad said he was laughing so hard reading it at a café that he actually started crying at one point, and a couple women came up to him and asked him if he was okay. My mom sent me an email saying she was up until four in the morning reading it one night because she just couldn't put it down -- I think her exact words in the email were OH MY GOD MARIA you ARE a writer!!
So I remember thinking that if no one else in the world thought I was a funny writer, at least my friends and family did, which I guess when you think about it is all that really matters anyway.
How do you balance your writing life with your "normal" life?
My "normal" life is doing freelance marketing writing for technology companies (my site for that is www.winksink.com if anyone wants to take a look), and when I'm not doing that I spend my time doing what I can to get the word out about Perfect on Paper. That includes interviews like this, as well as speaking engagements, book signings, and even attending book clubs that have chosen my book. It all seems to work out pretty well; if I had a 9 to 5 job I'd never be able to put so much energy into marketing the book! Being a self-published author is definitely a labor of love, and I really do love it. Every time I get an email from a reader I've never met saying he or she loved my book, it makes my day. Seriously, I've had days where I just felt AWFUL, and then boom there's an email from some lady in Indiana, and all of a sudden I'm smiling.
How does your reading life influence your writing life?
Hmm, good question. My reading life is all over the map, jumping around from non-fiction to novels to history books and back. But now when I read a novel I definitely notice things that I like or don't like much more than I used to. I'm always taking mental notes.
Anything else you want to add about Perfect on Paper?
I actually reread the book last week for the first time in a while, and I have to say its main message is good for me to remember, even now. I still tend to worry too much about how I think my life "should" be like instead of just enjoying my life as it really is. I often tell my friends that no one is keeping score in life but you, so don't worry about what other people think--- but sometimes I forget to do that for myself!
A quick note to readers out there, if you like my book, PLEASE write a review on Amazon and on my site (www.mariamurnane.com) and become a fan of it on Facebook! I am hoping the publishers who turned me down before will change their mind once they see how well my book has been received. Thank you so much for your support!
Further reading...
Maria's website
Perfect on Paper via Facebook
Perfect on Paper via Amazon
First, however, here's a brief word about Perfect on Paper (via Amazon):
Anything can look perfect...on paper. When her fiancé calls off their wedding at the last minute, Waverly Bryson wonders if her life will ever turn out the way she thought it would...or should. Her high-powered job in sports PR? Not so perfect. Her relationship with her dad? Far from it. Her perfect marriage? Enough said.
Perfect on Paper is a humorous tale of Waverly's efforts to cobble the pieces of a broken yesterday into a brand new tomorrow. What does the future have in store for her? Will she finally find what she's looking for?
Her dates? Cringe-inducing at times, definitely entertaining. Her friends? Often amused, definitely supportive. Her new crush? Possibly intrigued, definitely a catch. The results? Hardly perfect, definitely just right.
And now on to Maria, who took the time to answer my (not altogether original) questions. When you're finished reading the article, be sure to visit her websites (which I linked to below). Thanks, Maria!
What is your writing process?
Hmm, right now I'm not working on another book (yet, fingers crossed), but the process for writing the Perfect on Paper was pretty regular. I would write for a couple hours nearly every morning, and then a couple hours nearly every evening. And in between I would jot down a lot of notes to myself on post-its, etc. Many times I'd wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for something I wanted to include in the book, so I'd keep a notepad by my bed. And as for the writing itself, when I wasn't exactly sure where to go next with the story, I would go back and edit/rewrite what I?d already written. It worked well that way because the regular reviewing/editing forced me to stay on track and kept me from looking back and suddenly realizing "holy crap I really need to delete the last 100 pages." Now that would have been a bummer.
How do your family and friends react to your writing?
When I first started writing a book and told my friends and family what I was doing, they all had the same reaction, which was that they were afraid they wouldn't like it! My good friend Lindsay and my brother-in-law Brett both said they were literally terrified to read it because they wouldn't know what to say to me if it was awful. BUT the good news was they fell in love with the story and immediately wanted more (I was emailing them chapters from Argentina, where I was living at the time). My sister Michele told me that five pages into it she completely forgot that I was the author because she got so engrossed in the story. My dad said he was laughing so hard reading it at a café that he actually started crying at one point, and a couple women came up to him and asked him if he was okay. My mom sent me an email saying she was up until four in the morning reading it one night because she just couldn't put it down -- I think her exact words in the email were OH MY GOD MARIA you ARE a writer!!
So I remember thinking that if no one else in the world thought I was a funny writer, at least my friends and family did, which I guess when you think about it is all that really matters anyway.
How do you balance your writing life with your "normal" life?
My "normal" life is doing freelance marketing writing for technology companies (my site for that is www.winksink.com if anyone wants to take a look), and when I'm not doing that I spend my time doing what I can to get the word out about Perfect on Paper. That includes interviews like this, as well as speaking engagements, book signings, and even attending book clubs that have chosen my book. It all seems to work out pretty well; if I had a 9 to 5 job I'd never be able to put so much energy into marketing the book! Being a self-published author is definitely a labor of love, and I really do love it. Every time I get an email from a reader I've never met saying he or she loved my book, it makes my day. Seriously, I've had days where I just felt AWFUL, and then boom there's an email from some lady in Indiana, and all of a sudden I'm smiling.
How does your reading life influence your writing life?
Hmm, good question. My reading life is all over the map, jumping around from non-fiction to novels to history books and back. But now when I read a novel I definitely notice things that I like or don't like much more than I used to. I'm always taking mental notes.
Anything else you want to add about Perfect on Paper?
I actually reread the book last week for the first time in a while, and I have to say its main message is good for me to remember, even now. I still tend to worry too much about how I think my life "should" be like instead of just enjoying my life as it really is. I often tell my friends that no one is keeping score in life but you, so don't worry about what other people think--- but sometimes I forget to do that for myself!
A quick note to readers out there, if you like my book, PLEASE write a review on Amazon and on my site (www.mariamurnane.com) and become a fan of it on Facebook! I am hoping the publishers who turned me down before will change their mind once they see how well my book has been received. Thank you so much for your support!
Further reading...
Maria's website
Perfect on Paper via Facebook
Perfect on Paper via Amazon
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