Bella Mahaya Carter
Author Interview - Bella Mahaya Carter
Author of Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book
An invaluable resource for writers that debunks the myth that anxiety is the price of admission to a creative life. Inspiring and practical, this guidebook—divided into five parts: Dream, Nourish, Write, Publish, and Promote—shows writers how to use their present-moment circumstances as stepping-stones to a successful and meaningful writing life, navigated from the inside out.
Author Interview - Bella Mahaya Carter
Author I draw inspiration from: Elizabeth Gilbert. She writes equally well whether she’s writing memoir, fiction, or inspirational self-help. She began her career writing journalism. She’s also written stories, biographies, letters, journals, and more. In a 2013 interview with Kelton Reid posted to “The Writer Files,” on Copyblogger.com, when Reid asked Gilbert about her area of expertise as a writer, she said “getting it done, whatever needs writing. I used to have a business card that said, ‘Words-R-Us.’” I admire her humor, versatility, honesty, vulnerability, authenticity, and faith. Her book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear resonates deeply and is one of the best books I’ve read on the creative process. Her writing sparkles on every page. My copy of the book is filled with notes, underlines, and sticky tabs. I return to it often for inspiration, levity, and grounding.
Author Interview - Bella Mahaya Carter
Favorite place to read a book: My favorite place to read a book is in my Relax-the-Back zero gravity recliner, with a pillow on my chest to prop up my book or Kindle. I also like to read in bed late at night while my husband sleeps.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with Ethan Figman, from Meg Wolitzer’s novel, The Interestings. The book follows a group of teens that meet at an arts camp in 1974 and remain friends as adults. These characters are very familiar. Wolitzer attended my high school. She was a year ahead of me, and her book perfectly captures the era, as well as the privileged kids growing up on Long Island at that time. I was one of those kids. I missed my high school graduation to dance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires the summer before entering The Juilliard School. Ethan Figman, as an adolescent, was uncool and unattractive, but brilliant. I’m touched by his vulnerability and insecurities, and I marvel at his mind, as well as his success. I feel that way about Wolitzer, too, a gifted and prolific author.
As a side note, I was once stuck in an elevator with a guy I didn’t know in film school. We kept our cool, sensing it was just a matter of time before we got out. We cracked jokes, got to know each other, and developed a unique bond.
Author Interview - Bella Mahaya Carter
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I knew I wanted to become a writer after I graduated from film school. Producing films was complicated and expensive, and my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to tell stories, especially my own. I imagined I might want to be published some day, but I sensed (rightly so) that day was a long way off. I didn’t aspire to become an author, per se; I aspired to write well. I had a lot to learn. I wrote and read voraciously. Poetry. Fiction. Stories. Memoir. Essays. Books on craft. I took classes and workshops, attended conferences, and worked with editors and coaches. My focus was on writing, on learning my craft. The author part came as a natural extension of my work as a writer.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback for poetry, writing books, self-help, and inspirational and spiritual books that I want to hold in my hands and mark with a pencil. Ebook for reading in bed late at night. I also use my Kindle to vet books by new authors. My bookshelves are too crowded to house books I don't love.
The last book I read: Blow Your House Down, by Gina Frangello. It wasn’t the last book I read, it was the second-to-last, but it blew me away with its depth, courage, and innovative form. Memoir at its insightful, harrowing best. Great storytelling!
Author Interview - Bella Mahaya Carter
Pen & paper or computer: Both. Pen for constant note taking because my memory isn’t great and I'm always getting ideas I want to remember and develop later. I have a basket I carry around my house with me from one room to another that contains these “essentials”: iPhone, Kindle, different colored pens, a highlighter, a mechanical pencil, sticky notes and tabs, a 4X6 legal pad, AirPods, back up headphones in case my AirPods lose their charge, and ear plugs—items I want on hand when I settle into my chair, bed, or hammock. Pens are also an essential tool for writing in my journal, which I do when I want to explore what's on my mind. Computer for typing up and developing an idea birthed in my journal, for editing articles, blog posts, book drafts, and email. I still like to write thank you notes by hand, which I send via snail mail.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Floral designer. For parties and special occasions I go to wholesale markets and come home with a carload of flowers, which I set up at home in buckets. My kitchen looks like a flower shop and I lose track of time while I work/play. It’ s not uncommon for me to make ten arrangements over the course of several hours, in preparation for a literary salon or holiday gathering. I once did the flowers for a friend’s wedding, which was my gift to the happy couple. Two fun facts: this friend happened to be Meg Wolitzer’s aunt, and Meg’s mom and mine were PTA friends. Small world.
Favorite decade in fashion history: 1920's. Following the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and 1919, the twenties ushered in a modern era of women’s clothing that was looser, more comfortable, and free-spirited than ever before. In addition to the shorter, lightweight dresses (and pants!) women wore, I appreciate how androgyny became a fashion statement. I also love ladies’ meticulously matched accessories, such as hats, shoes, stockings, handbags, and jewelry. When I think of the roaring twenties, I think flirty and fun. Life letting loose. I wonder what'll happen in fashion after we emerge fully from the COVID pandemic. How will our newfound freedom express itself in what we wear?
Place I’d most like to travel: I'd like to visit more of the USA's National Parks, especially, Zion, Arches, Bryce, and Yellowstone. I’d also like to see Machu Picchu in Peru, which is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I feel the presence of something greater than myself in dramatic, natural landscapes, and I also sense that I am—we all are—part of the mystery and majesty.
My signature drink: Sparkling wine. Dry.
Favorite artist: Impossible to choose one. I’ll limit myself to five. 1. I love the soft sensuality and color of Georgia O’Keeffe’s flowers; 2. Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party is a favorite because of the three-dimensional and diverse media (textiles, ceramics, painting, and more) used to honor brilliant and creative women; 3. Rodin’s sculptures captivate me with their shapes and textures; 4. Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s innovative public art projects/outdoor installations are thrilling. I enjoy art in unconventional spaces, especially when natural settings are utilized as a “canvas” or backdrop against which the artist creates. 5. Why limit ourselves to visual artists? Philippine "Pina" Bausch, a German modern dancer and choreographer blends outdoor settings with movement, sound, dancers, and prominent stage sets, to create incredible artistic experiences. I recommend the documentary film about her life, directed by Wim Wenders.
Number one on my bucket list: Cultivate the ability to remain calm under any and all circumstances. I may never achieve this, but it’s worth imagining. A friend and colleague who recently took an equine workshop shared that leaders among horses are not the ones who are the strongest, or the smartest, but the ones who are the most calm. The serene ones run in front. They lead the pack. They are not easily startled. What a great lesson for humans!
Anything else you'd like to add: I'm starting a new round of writing circles July 7 for people interested in taking a deep dive into writing, as well as personal transformation and growth.
Thanks for having me!
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Author Bio: Bella Mahaya Carter is a creative writing teacher, empowerment coach, and speaker who believes in the power of writing to heal and transform lives. She views publishing as an opportunity to deepen self-awareness, nourish meaningful connections, and delight in peak experiences while being of service. She is the author of three books: Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book; an award-winning memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy, and Secrets of My Sex, a poetry collection. Bella has helped hundreds of writers experience greater freedom, joy, and peace of mind. She holds degrees in literature, film, and spiritual psychology. Her writing has appeared in dozens of print and online journals. Visit her online at www.bellamahayacarter.com.
