From the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners comes a feel-good story about becoming who you were meant to be all along. We chat with author Maddie Dawson about her latest novel The Magic of Found Objects, along with writing, book recommendations, and so much more!
Hi, Maddie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! First of all, thank you so much for inviting me to be on your site. I’m happy to tell your readers about myself. I was raised in the South in a family of storytellers–where the rule was that you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story! I knew from an early age that I loved telling and hearing stories, and that I wanted to be a writer. And then–I worked as a newspaper feature reporter for many years, where I was shocked to find out that THE TRUTH was some kind of exalted goal, so I specialized in writing humor columns about family life…and then I started working on a novel, and when it got published, I knew I was on my way. Today, nine novels later (and a few of them bestsellers, actually) I have to pinch myself to truly believe that my dream actually came true!
When did you first discover your love for writing?
Well, I actually sold my first story when I was six years old! Yep. My mother wouldn’t give me money for the ice cream truck, and so, since it was Florida in the summertime and I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT A BANANA POPSICLE, I went into my room and wrote a story, glued the pages together to make a book, and took it door to door to sell to the neighbors. Made a whole quarter! Which was enough to buy banana popsicles for me and for my little sister. Of course, when my mother found out what I’d done, she was mortified, and she went and bought my story back and told me I couldn’t sell stories to the neighbors anymore. I couldn’t believe it!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I remember reading was A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. I read that book ALL THE TIME. I loved the music of the poetry, I loved the dilemma of the little boy who had to stay in his bed when everybody else was outside playing. (Prepared me for the writing life!)
Like many writers of my generation (hint: non-young), there were lots of books that made me want to be a writer–and many, many of them were family stories written by Beverly Cleary. I loved the Beezus and Ramona books and the Henry Huggins books. I just loved how Beverly Cleary wrote funny, realistic dialogue, and how she could tell you a story that you totally believed was real. It looked like so much fun that I started writing chapter books myself. Thanks to Beverly Cleary and a bunch of other authors for children, I’d be sitting inside writing dialogue, pondering adverbs, while my friends would all be outside hanging from trapezes on the swingset or hitting each other with the dodgeball. (I still cannot hang by my knees on a trapeze.)
A book I can’t stop thinking about? Oh, there are so many! But a book I re-read a lot is Anne Tyler’s book, The Accidental Tourist. I love the way she so easily moves from character to character, the way her dialogue is always so realistic, and the way she shows the fascinating parts of daily life and people who are grappling with seemingly ordinary things. I love realistic fiction–and stories that explore quirky misfits and how they make their way in life.
Your latest novel, The Magic of Found Objects, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Humorous, romantic, coming-of-age, quirky.
What can readers expect?
The book is told from the point of view of Phronsie Linnelle, a 36-year old book publicist who has gone on 43 bad dates in the last year, and she is getting panicky that love is passing her by. Her best friend from childhood, Judd Kovac, a personal trainer who has also had it with dating, suggests that maybe the two of them should get married and start a family–why not, since they know each other so well, they love all the same things, they grew up together, AND bonus points for the fact that they’re not in love with each other, so they won’t end up breaking each other’s hearts. What follows is the funny, poignant story of how Phronsie makes up her mind: should she choose practicality because time is running out…or save herself for some magic something or other that just may never come?
Where did the inspiration for The Magic of Found Objects come from?
Two things, really, were rattling around in my head when I sat down to write this book. One, I have always wanted to write about Woodstock. I was too young to attend, but I’ve read a kazillion books about it, listened to all the music, and watched the movies of the concerts. Why this interest? My uncle was in a band that was produced by Jimi Hendrix–and he came THIS CLOSE to being able to perform at Woodstock when Hendrix did. I’ve always loved my uncle’s stories of those great days of rock music, and performing for large audiences in stadiums and fields. I wondered what might happen if two people met there, believing in peace and love and music, and then had to go back to their regular lives…only they can’t quite get away from the way their lives changed that time.
The second thing is, I was fascinated by the two moms who raised Phronsie and her brother, Hendrix. When their witchy mom and farmer dad divorced, Phronsie and Hendrix lived full-time on the farm in New Hampshire, with their dad and his new wife, only spending summers with their mom, until an accident happens that changes everything. Phronsie idealizes her real mom, yet she also loves the support and security that her stepmother gives her. I, too, had a mom and a stepmom, and I loved both of them, even though they were completely different–and hated each other. I’ve always wanted to write about those relationships, and how it’s possible to love two women who detest each other and who bring you a whole different view of life and love.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
OH, the challenges! Well, where do I begin? First of all, I wrote this book while I was sheltering in place due to the pandemic, mostly while wearing pyjamas, in bed, with a glass of iced tea at my side for fuel. But I’m a very social person, you see, and I missed having writer friends to take walks with, to talk out plot points with, even to commiserate with. My husband and I would go on hikes in the woods every afternoon, and that was when I felt the most free–being out in nature. And apparently the characters also loved being outside, too; that’s when they’d tell me what was going to happen next in the book. And then I would come home and go back to bed to write. I relied on Phronsie’s hopeful, optimistic voice to pull me through.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing about Phronsie’s biological mother. Her name was officially Janet, but she’d changed the spelling around and went by the name “Tenaj.” She really was fun to write because she believed in magic, and she refused to be ordinary. She took objects she found and turned them into art (which is why the book has that title.) And she was fearless. And loving. And she made impracticality work.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The best writing advice I’ve ever received is to not try to edit at the same time you’re writing. Save the editor’s hat for AFTER you’ve allowed yourself to write a first draft, freely and with passion, putting in everything you think of into the manuscript. Later you can edit out what’s not working, or figure a way to fix it. That editor’s voice inside your head–while very, very important–can be a little bit, well, mean sometimes. Do NOT let that editor into the vast, lovely inside of your head while you are writing! Kick that sucker out of your brain until you need her! And then she’s only too happy to come sashaying in to point out all the things that maybe aren’t working. Listen to her then. Feed her cookies and tea and make friends with her. She will help you get the manuscript working.
The worst writing advice? It would probably be “kill your darlings.” I hate that advice! I know it’s well-meaning and is supposed to keep you from indulging in some very flowery prose. But like a lot of advice, it can be taken too far. When you’re excited about a paragraph you’ve written, sometimes it’s because it’s just perfect. Jump up and down! Give yourself a high five. I think that feeling thrilled about something you’ve written is one of the perks of writing. And when it happens, don’t take it away. You can always take a peek at it again later–you and your internal editor–and make sure it’s doing the work you need it to do. And then go back to rejoicing!
What’s next for you?
I’m at work on another novel that will be published in 2022. It’s called “Snap Out of It” and is about a woman who advertises herself as the opposite of a matchmaker; she helps people get over their romantic relationships that have gone wrong. She’s funny and opinionated, and after being divorced three times, she no longer believes in romance. She is sure that rom coms have poisoned the minds of many good people and that folks should go into marriage with their eyes open and their hearts protected. And boy, does she have a lot to learn!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Yes! I just read Don’t Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan, which I loved. Lainey Cameron’s The Exit Strategy is wonderful. And in September, Kerry Anne King’s book Other People’s Things, which I got to read an early copy of, comes out and it’s so suspenseful and fantastic!
Maddie can be found on Twitter and Instagram, along with her website. Sign up for her newsletter here!
