Interview with Isobel Alexander, author of #MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters

What can you tell us about your new release,#MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters?

#MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters is a funny but poignant tale about when you realise the safe choices you’ve made in your life may actually be taking you away from your dreams.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always been interested in how groups of people interact. Workplaces are intriguing because they usually contain a group of people who have different goals and objectives. In this way, you can use them to explore tensions between managers and employees, employees themselves and even men and women. In addition, in a world that is being transformed by digital technology, we now have five generations in the workplace, which is an added source of conflict. In #MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters, Agnes has to navigate her way through a workplace that is defined by these kinds of conflicts.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

My top five book list depends on my mood.

At the moment, I’m besotted by John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces because it is so beautifully absurd.

I also have Jane Austen moments, Honoré de Balzac moments, Isabella Allende moments and Margaret Attwood moments.

I’m always searching for my next best book.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Nora Ephron, although sadly she is no longer with us.

I’d want to ask her, ‘How on earth did you summon the courage to publish Heartburn?’. The follow up questions would be ‘Did your ex-husband, Carl Bernstein, ever forgive you?’ and ‘Did your children ever forgive you for depicting their father as someone who would have sex with a venetian blind?’

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I like how writing allows you to create another world. Sometimes my characters are initially based on real people but, before long, they take on a life of their own and become someone completely different. I find that process to be almost magical.

What is a typical day like for you?

Usually, I get up quite early and I force myself do some exercise. I don’t like exercising but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is one of life’s necessary evils. Then, I check my emails. After that, it is time to hit the keyboard.

What scene in#MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters was your favorite to write?

I think the crazy wedding scene was the most fun scene to write just because it is so wacky.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Carpe diem or seize the day.

Isobel Alexander is the author of the new book #MeToo? What happened to Agnes Walters. 

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