An Interview With Jo-Ann Mapson,
An Author Who Knows ‘Where’ To Write

Interviewed by Byron Merritt

Jo-Ann Mapson is probably best known for her Bad Girl Creek series, but that hasn’t stopped her from producing other new and exciting storylines. In fact, nothing seems to stop her. At age 54, she enjoys battling the Alaskan elements (where she currently resides) as much as anything else …although she confided in me that she wouldn’t object moving to Carmel by-the-Sea to be near her only son, Jack.

Her life battles with arthritis have tried to diminish her ability to write but her active spirit prevents any such possibility. She hikes, walks her four dogs, beach combs, and contributes money to the ASPCA (she even manages to wrangle in empathetic animals in most of her stories) and Guide Dogs for the Deaf, all of which adds to her will to produce substantial fiction. And she does. She’s written nine novels along with numerous short stories, articles, and poetry. Her latest novel, The Owl and Moon Café, is receiving lush praise from Booklist who says, “With her trademark style of combining humor with heartache, Mapson again excels at building a community of strong, empathic women,” and from Publishers Weekly that says of her characters, “…as complex and fascinating as the situations they find themselves in.”

Learning more about Ms. Mapson, it wasn’t surprising to discover where she continues to find much of her creative force. She’s been married 32 years to artist Stewart Allison, which undoubtedly infuses her household with a sense of artistic wonder. The fact that she loves to read Alice Hoffman (an author I can see several parallels to), James Lee Burke, Ellen Gilchrist, Wallace Stegner, and many other fine writers, indicates she’s got a wide brushstroke of her own when it comes to literary tastes. That she loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and artichokes only endeared this interviewer to her even more.

Sound interesting? She is. Have a look at this wonderful interview and don’t forget to pick up The Owl and Moon Café. It’s fantastic!

 

FWOMP: Tell us a bit about your writing background. How did you get started?

Jo-Ann Mapson: My great aunt was a writer, and encouraged me to try my hand. My mother is a big reader, and created the habit in me. I published a poem in the newspaper in fourth or fifth grade, wrote stories in sixth grade, and never stopped. My BA is in English with a Creative Writing Option from Cal State Long Beach. I earned my MFA at Vermont College of Norwich University in 1992. Two weeks after graduation, my first book (and thesis), Hank & Chloe, sold to HarperCollins (Editor’s Note: Ms. Mapson’s great aunt was none other than Louise Baker, author of such classics as Out On A Limb, Party Line, and Snips & Snails).

FWOMP: How long did it take you to get published and what was your first published item?

JAM:A long time! I published a poem in fourth grade in the newspaper. My first published story was in a literary magazine out of Cal State Long Beach in 1974! Then I didn’t publish for a long time, and won the California Short Story Competition in 1989. Stories followed that were published in small press magazines such as The Ear (Irvine Valley College), and poems in better-known magazines such as The Kenyon Review.

FWOMP:I guess you’re just taking a little breather from your Bad Girl Creek series?

JAM: I’m not sure. The Bad Girl Creek books were envisioned as a trilogy, and that’s as far as I’ve taken them, however, some of the characters have crossed over into my latest book, The Owl & Moon Café, and they are demanding to be heard in the book I’m currently working on. It was fun to write the trilogy and I may revisit it.

FWOMP: Did you ever find it difficult to continue the series?

JAM: Yes. In the Bad Girl Creek trilogy I was able to introduce each character, give her history, involve them in conflicts and resolve some of them. I felt pretty much finished with them after Goodbye, Earl. I kind of wanted them to go live their lives already. Yet I think of them now and then, something like: What would Phoebe say in this instance? Or: Beryl and Mike have been married five years. How’s Mike doing on retirement?

FWOMP: Your latest book, The Owl and Moon Café, is pretty much all about women — four generations within one family to be exact. Why all women?

JAM: I’m a woman. Seriously, I’ve written in male voices in the past and probably will again. For The Owl & Moon, I wanted to really force these women together to see what would happen. A hard-line grandmother, a hippie mother, the studious daughter they had pinned their hopes on and her genius child. I’m interested in how in families the actions of the women tend to repeat over generations. Take, for example, the children born out of wedlock, the secrets kept, the tendency to worry about others more than themselves. I added a sprinkling of men, and this time I made them all good guys.

FWOMP: Do you ever fear that you’ll alienate male readers by focusing so strongly on women?

JAM: Not really. When I give book talks I always say that I write “for women and really smart men,” and that’s not entirely a joke. I do know that when men do read me, they are happily surprised at the depth in my books. My doctor once said that “men read about action, women read about relationships” which at first saddened me, but then I began to consider the ramifications of what he said. It’s always been true that there are more male writers, that they write books that involve war, history, mystery, et cetera. I think women’s literature is still emerging so far as subject is concerned. And I think there’s a ton of wisdom in women’s writing. Women readers know this. Male readers are starting to get it. And the writing style has to coax a reader of either gender. The story has to intrigue for any reader to read on.

FWOMP: Are there any parallels to real people (or dogs) from your own life in The Owl and Moon Café?

JAM: Of course. In The Owl & Moon Café I used my mother’s funny sayings, my Catholic grandmother’s religious sentiments, my own insecurities about teaching at the University level without tenure, the adolescent concerns we carry with us as adults, and the necessity of having a dog to encourage the soul. Every book I write has a different kind of dog in it. I’ve never had and hope not to have leukemia, but I do live with a kind of arthritis that is limiting. I wanted to explore what happened to an already stressed family in the face of serious illness, how that plays out. I’m fascinated by medicine. If I wasn’t such a dork at math I might have studied medicine. My son is.

FWOMP: Although your focus is strongly on women, you really have a great grasp for characters. Did the ability to write great characters evolve as you continued to hone your craft? Or did it seem to come naturally?

JAM: Thanks! What a compliment. I think the ability to capture character is a multi-faceted approach. I was a middle child, I lived a lot inside my head, and I read and dreamed of characters long after the book ended. So I think I have a tendency to wonder about people. I’m pretty shy, but I listen and observe people and gather information. An example would be going to the mall up here [Editor’s Note: Anchorage, Alaska]. The teenagers roam in packs from the ice rink to Hot Topic to the movie theater. I commit their dress, ways of moving, and talking to memory. If it wasn’t for these outings I’d probably sound silly trying to create a character. I love to walk through a crowd or in a restaurant and catch bits of what is being said. They’re mostly narrative hooks, and once I hear a particularly juicy one, I’m in a new story. Creating characters over many years does make it easier, but the revision process is always the place where characters sharpen and become whole.

FWOMP: Your publisher is Simon & Schuster. What are the pros and cons of belonging to such a large publishing house?

JAM: Money and failure.

Publishing with a New York publisher is wonderful because your book has a profile—it’s available in stores. Sometimes there is publicity money behind it, which makes it even more visible. It’s great to be paid any amount of money for your writing. I teach full time, but the book income helps pay the bills. Also writing under contract means you have a deadline. That keeps you from dinking around and taking forever to finish a book. It enforces the habit. Also a good editor will help you reach beyond your known grasp, and though that can be a painful part, it is so worth it in the long run.

The negative side is mostly fear of failure, hateful reviews, and stressing to meet those deadlines. But the positive side definitely outweighs the negative.

FWOMP: What are you working on now?

JAM: I wish I knew.

I started a novel that takes place near the Mission San Antonio de Padua, but it’s kind of stalled. It features a young widow, a foster child, and a wedding chapel. I feel drawn to the story, but I think I need to read more source material first. I have ten books on missions, California Indian tribes, Shamanism, and so on sitting on my table here in my office waiting to be read.

FWOMP: Is there a website where readers can learn more about you and your writings?

JAM: You bet.

www.joannmapson.com is my website. Additionally, I write a blog on Amazon.com where I talk about what’s up with my life, if I am doing any events, and of course, how the dogs are.

Click here to see the FWOMP review of The Owl & Moon Café. (Interview copyright FWOMP/Byron Merritt and Jo-Ann Mapson, September 2006)