1. Your book is titled MMMM: and the music that made me. Describe why you picked that title and book cover.

The multiple M’s represent all the chapters within the book that start with the letter M. The word 'music' is in the subtitle because it’s practically its own character. The cover image shows a mouth wearing red lipstick. For me, it resembles power and lust (both what goes in and what comes out). 

2. What are some themes explored in your book?

The book is a collection of nonfiction essays covering everything from sex and dark humor to pop culture and motherhood. It’s that journey of self-discovery we all go through, yet mine highlights more of the risk taking and resilience aspects. As I've said before, it might make the reader cry, laugh, and yell at the author for being an idiot all in one chapter. 

3. Is your book suitable for all ages?

Nah, probably adolescence to adulthood. Being an autobiography slash memoir, that’s the age range I focused on in my writing and where I think the readers would find the deepest connections. 

4. How was your book received by critics? 

On the one to five scale, it hit a lot of fours and fives which comforted my doubts as a writer. My book is messy and transparent on purpose. It was important to show that it was okay that every story didn’t have a happy ending. Thankfully, most critics understood that concept.  

5. When did you know you wanted to write a book?

I always favored English over Math. I feel like most of us either have a letters brain or a numbers brain. So, with that idea in mind, combined with my love for reading autobiographies, it gave me the push to write my own. It took me about five years from start to finish, and that's with writing nearly eight hours, five days a week.

6. What was the hardest thing about the writing process?

Leaving out people and stories for the sake of redundancy or forgetting to include other songs that I love, for sure. There’s also that thought of, “Does anyone even care?” (haha) but if I allowed myself to wallow in that chaotic spiral for too long, I never would have finished.

7. How do you market your book?

This is hard to do without appearing too desperate or showy. It’s weird to toot your own horn, you know? And without a social media or Amazon presence - a personal sacrifice I choose to make - it doesn’t help. Instead, I resort to leaving my business cards around town (that advertise my book), creating this author website, and having my book professionally reviewed (which then posts to their website) to get the word out. I'm also involved with BookCrossing, a website that allows me to print off special labels and have copies of my book travel into people's possession for free!

8. You cover some taboo topics (abortion, divorce, rape, etc.), some more explicit than others, how did those close to you react? 

My sister gave me compassion. My daughter applauded my vulnerability. My friends gave me comic relief. That’s all I could ask for, really. Some didn’t even bother to read it, but I must respect their decision. You can’t please everyone. 

9. Which authors have inspired you? And is there any book out there you wish you could have written?

For the first question: Goodness! This is like asking a bibliophile to pick their favorite book. But off the top of my head: Chelsea Handler, Iliza Shlesinger, Jenna Jameson, Mindy Kaling, and Samantha Irby have all written fantastic books. Can you tell I admire compelling and funny women? I could list more, but I’ll spare you. For the second question: Meh. There's plenty of room on the bookshelf for all of us! 

10. What would you like the takeaway of your book to be?

To have my words and experiences spark a connection. Seriously. My aim is for someone to read at least one essay and say, “That’s how I feel!” or “This happened to me too!” Something along those lines because (as cheesy as it sounds) human connection is so valuable. This was my motivation to have my book published in the first place.