I discovered author, Sally Collins, on Instagram and was immediately attracted to her new novel, Muddled Cherries, because of its Wisconsin charm and coming-of-age synopsis. She was so pleasant on Instagram with relatable content (mom, writer, and awesome), so I set up notifications for her posts. I am a true fan!
So when I reached out to her for an interview, I was excited when she said "yes!" And in turn, she asked me to be an advanced reader for Muddled Cherries. I absolutely loved it. My review is posted on Instagram and Goodreads.
What is your new book and what is it about?
Muddled Cherries a coming-of-age story set in Wisconsin about a young woman who was born and raised (and still living and working) at her dad’s rural tavern. She’s pushed aside aspirations for her dad, and struggles with that – she’s lonely, in a confusing romantic relationship, and trying to forget a frightening incident with one of the regulars. Then she meets a guy passing through on his way to Door County, and off she goes, embarking on a summer she never expected.
It’s a bit of a complicated love letter to Wisconsin, celebrating its rural communities and dining culture, but also exploring the underbelly – alcohol abuse and sexism. It’s fiction, but greatly inspired by my time working in the restaurant industry.
How long did it take you to write?
The germ of an idea came around 2018, driving down Interstate 29 to and from visits with family, noticing the many bars, daydreaming. I spent those early years basically creating biographies for all these characters I conjured up, trying to get a good feel for them before I threw them all together. Then I wrote a few chapters, abandoned it, went back, reworked those few chapters, and didn’t get anywhere until finally in 2022, I outlined the entire novel and with a lot of deep, deep breaths, shut down the perfectionist in me, tuned out the internal critics and censors (easier said than done) and had my first rough draft in a few months.
Who was your most difficult character to write?
The main character, Emily. There were so many times I had to remind myself she’s twenty years old and get in that headspace. I reread journals (helpful, albeit cringey and painful and humorous research) and remembered how new and intense the wider world can feel at that age.
I think it’s easy as we age to discount or discredit the emotions and experiences that define those years, playing ourselves off as dramatic and silly, but man, those beautiful, easy friendships, consuming romantic relationships, being so unsure and insecure and trying to figure out that annoying question we ask twenty-year-olds: “What are you going to do with your life?” I felt such compassion for her and hope the reader does too!
Who’s your favorite character?
Ingrid. She’s a minor character who trains Emily to be a server at the Door County restaurant Emily stumbles upon. Ingrid is an exhausted, overwhelmed mother of young children, who I very much related to as I wrote the novel with a baby then toddler usually close by.
Who is your favorite author?
That constantly changes, ha ha. Musician Jon Batiste made this lovely statement when accepting a Grammy for Best Artist: “The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most.” Throughout my life, so, so many books have made me feel less alone in whatever I was dealing with, taught me something about myself and others, gave me language for something I was struggling to understand, or simply gave me escape (thank you, J.R.R. Tolkein). But if I had to pick just one … Barbara Kingsolver.
What are your top four places to visit?
Northumberland, England
Anywhere, New Zealand
Central Portugal
A nature hike or city stroll anywhere I’ve never been (even if it’s close to home). I love experiencing new places and meeting new people! And traveling is one of most favorite things to do and discuss (along with reading and writing, which is its own form of traveling…).
Can you give us a hint about what you’re writing next?
I’ve been ruminating on this idea of three generations of women living together following a tragedy…but I’ll admit, I’m still disentangling myself from Muddled Cherries and my daughter doesn’t nap as long as she used to, ha ha, so I’ve been mostly focusing on short stories, and taking on more writing and editing projects for the Peninsula Pulse newspaper and Door County Living magazine. But I’m excited to see where the next novel takes me!
You can pre-order Muddled Cherries at Ten16Press.com. The official launch party for the book is August 13, 2024 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Write On Door County in Juddville, Wisconsin. For more events visit Sally Collins' event page! Learn more about Collins at sallycollinswrites.com.
Comments