Interview with Molly D. Campbell

From two-time, Erma Bombeck Award-winner, Molly D. Campbell, comes a humorous collection of short stories: Characters in Search of a Novel.  I'm offering a bit of space on my blog to support this fellow author and encourage you to do the same by purchasing this book on Amazon – after reading the interview below and her upcoming guest post, of course!

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When and why did you begin writing? 

I had to have facial reconstruction surgery after a nasty skin cancer. I looked like Frankenstein for months. I began to journal the experience to a group of friends.

How long have you been writing? 

I have been typing for years and years. Writing a blog, a column, and a book since I was Frankenstein—about 7 years. I won two Erma Bombeck writing awards along the way, and that was a tremendous boost to my confidence and credibility as a writer.

How has your upbringing influenced your writing? 

My father always said, “If you can’t do something extraordinarily well, then don’t do it.” Terrible advice. It kept me from being a writer for 58 years.

What inspired you to write your first book? 

I love unusual names. I have always wondered how one’s name might influence one’s personality. I began a Twitter stream of names and descriptions, for example: “Today’s character in search of a novel: She hates the word ‘underpants:’ Prissy Pursley.” I posted one on Twitter for a year before people began to love them and demand that I write the stories of the character names I was creating.

How did you come up with the title?

CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL was really all I could have called it. Each character in the book is a mini-story. Each character could be the main event in a novel.

Can you tell us about your main character? 

CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL has more than 30 delightful main characters. My favorite is Loretta Squirrels, who beats her husband and makes moonshine.

What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?

“Show, don’t tell.” I hate this. I just prefer to TELL.

Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it? 

Any writer who thinks he/she doesn’t need a professional editor is nuts.

Who is your favorite author and why? 

I am fickle. But I love Reynolds Price, Joanna Trollope, Beth Hoffman, Elizabeth Buchan, and all of the Ephron sisters.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

I am writing a novel about a 15 year old girl who is drawn into the past and very complicated love affair of her mother. And her Aunt. Who shared the same man.

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? 

The girl that filled my order at the drugstore asked me to autograph her copy of my book. I can die happy.

What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why? 

A man, a plan, a canal: Panama. Because I have always wanted to write a very long palindrome and have failed miserably.

Check out more stops on Molly's Orangeberry Book Tour here!