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Interview with H.B. Milligan |
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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Guest Interviews
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Written by Administrator
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An interview with H. B. Milligan, author of Teeth in a Pickle Jar. Read DivaTribe's review of her book.
Q: You had been a journalist for many years before you wrote this novel. How
is journalism different from fiction writing?
A: Very different. Journalism is straight-forward and factual, with very
little narrative and no dialogue. A little descriptive color maybe, if it’s a feature story. A
journalist interviews people and reports what they say. In a novel a writer has to SHOW, not TELL, what each character is doing and feeling at any given moment. In journalism you detach yourself from the story you’re
reporting; in fiction you feel what your characters feel. You get into their
hearts and minds, you know exactly what makes them tick, and you make damn sure
that your readers know it too.
Q: So was it easy for you to switch from reporting news to fiction writing?
A: The transition from fact from fiction wasn’t all that simple. Knowing how
to write is a good start, naturally. But I was accustomed to a certain kind of
writing: find out what’s happening, why it’s important and how it impacts the
readers’ lives. If there’s a conflict and a controversy involved, all the
better. Fiction writing has much more emotionality to it, so from that point of
view it was a challenge. But when I realized that I could put words into
people’s mouths and not get sued for it, I knew I had found my niche :)
Q: Who is your target audience?
A: Women from their 20s up. Teeth in a Pickle Jar is what is commonly
referred to as “women’s fiction.” I always joke that a man would have to grow
ovaries and get a good dose of estrogen to appreciate this story. Having said
that, I would never stop any man from reading my book. Please!
Q: Let’s talk about your characters. Are you at all like Megan, your main
character and the book’s narrator?
A: Since the book is written in the first person, people naturally ask me
that question. The most striking similarities between Megan and myself are that
we are both involved in May – December relationships, and we both have an
aversion to cooking and household chores. Like Megan, I’ve had a few turning
points of my own. And oh yes, we both speak fluent French.
Q: So how much of the book is based on your own experiences, and how much of
it is fiction?
A: Most of it is fiction. Yes, I took certain situations and events from my own
life but then I spun a fictional story around them. Common wisdom says you
should write about what is familiar to you. That’s not necessarily true. You
don’t have to be abducted by an alien or battle dragons to write about it. As a
matter of fact, as a journalist I often was assigned topics I knew very little
about and, as I researched the story and interviewed people, I learned and I was
able to write it. However, at times drawing on one’s own experiences helps to
make the story and characters more real and credible. I’d like my readers to
relate to the story and to the characters on an emotional level. Women are good
at that.
Q: And what about the Mamma character?
A: I am as far removed from being Italian as can be, but I think we all know
the Mamma character and would rather walk barefoot on razorblades than live with
her. Actually, Mamma may come across as gruff and overbearing, but in reality
she is wonderfully quirky and wacky. There’s an endearing quality to Mamma’s
idiosyncrasies.
Q: Why did you call your book “Teeth in a Pickle Jar?”
A: The title is a metaphor, but I'd like people to read the book to find
out...I wanted an unusual title, one which makes the reader want to pick up the
book, turn it around, read the blurb in the back and be hooked. I like thinking
out of the box.
Q: You are an experienced writer but your background is journalism. This is
your first novel and fiction is notoriously difficult to market if you don’t
have a big-name publisher behind you. Any thoughts on the difficulties ahead?
A: I know that no-name fiction is difficult — some say nearly impossible --
to market successfully. However, I decided early on not to be discouraged. One
of the premises of my book is that one has to take risks in life. How can I
write about this and not be ready and willing to go out on a limb myself? Giving
up without even trying was never an option for me. You might say that “Teeth
in a Pickle Jar” is my own personal Everest.
Q: Any reader feedback so far?
Yes, I’ve had a very positive feedback from the media and readers alike.
Some are already posted on this website; we’ll be posting others as they come.
So I guess that Everest is not really that high after all :) |
