AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Catherine Ryan Howard
Catherine Ryan Howard is a Twitter success story. Not only did she use social media to promote her first book, Mousetrapped, a memoir about her 18 months working for Disney (which I reviewed here) but it’s how she met her agent. And (surely the most exciting thing) it’s how she met me.
Here Catherine (right) 
talks about all things memoir, and a couple of novel things…
We’re all about keeping things short and sweet here at Memoir Armoire, so could you describe your book in five words?
How about “Dreams really do come true?” Although if I was allowed six words, I’d add “sorta” on there at the end.
What are some of your favourite memoirs?
I was blown away by The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, but I also loved Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (although I fear that borders on true crime!) and anything that involves Apollo astronauts or NASA, but especially Apollo 11’s Michael Collins’ memoir, Carrying the Fire.
What’s your top tip for aspiring memoir writers?
Make your peace with the fact that not every single little thing that happened can go in. You have to find the story within the events, and use it as a clothesline to hang your chapters off of. Or something…
What are you working on now and/or releasing next?
I’ve just started my second novel. My first hasn’t sold (yet?) and is still doing the rounds, which is distracting somewhat. Not so much the waiting itself, but the obsessive checking of voicemail, e-mail and postbox every 15 minutes that the waiting requires. I’m also toying with the idea of a dieting memoir, but that would require me to actually go on a diet first. So, we’ll see.
Please plug your website(s) and any other non-book projects we should know about:
I sure will, thank you. For occasional caffeinated musings, see my blog at www.catherineryanhoward.com. It’s all pink and stuff. [It also contains some fabulous advice and info on getting your writing noticed. You should visit! — Diane]
