Haley McGee
Author Interview - Haley McGee
Author of The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale
Haley McGee is in debt. The solution? A yard sale of gifts from her ex-boyfriends.
But when it comes to pricing, she gets stuck. Surely the ways we invest in our romantic relationships should be reflected in the price. But how? Is the mixtape from your first love worth more than the vintage typewriter from a philanderer? Does sitting on an X-Acto knife wedged between seats on a bus to see the boyfriend you lost your virginity to increase or decrease the value of the necklace he gave you? Should you be compensated for the miserable times or do they render an item worthless?
Haley decides to gamble on a larger payout. She interviews her exes and enlists the help of a mathematician to create a formula—with eighty-six variables—for the cost of love. As she''s searching for answers, the one that got away reappears with a new proposition.
Female desire, heartbreak and the chance for integrity in the aftermath of both are held up in this whipsmart, original and daringly candid memoir. As Haley McGee interrogates her romantic triumphs and failures with unflinching detail and hilarity, her exquisite prose elevates this all too human conundrum: Is love worth it?
Author Interview - Haley McGee
Author I draw inspiration from: Conversations I overhear, secrets from friends and reading great books. (Alice Munro is a master of prose and reading her stories is at once utterly absorbing and a masterclass in good writing.)
Author Interview - Haley McGee | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: In a hammock by a lake on a warm, sunny day.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Heathcliff (I know I know but come on). Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
Author Interview - Haley McGee | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I wrote in journals compulsively as a child. I think I've always known.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback. I want to dog ear pages and break the spine. I'm hard on things that I love.
The last book I read: The Party is Here by Georgina Beaty -- an extraordinarily good collection of short stories -- I've given it to so many friends.
Author Interview - Haley McGee | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Pen and paper forever.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Eleanor Oliphant -- she's strange and hilarious -- from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Author Interview - Haley McGee | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Psychotherapist or an over-zealous school teacher.
Favorite decade in fashion history: Twenties. Hands down. The hair, the silhouettes.
Place I’d most like to travel: Faroe Islands (do a google image search and join me in this fantasy!)
My signature drink: Extra dirty gin martini. I also love a tumeric latte (still clinging onto that 2018 trend haha).
Favorite artist: Janet Cardiff -- specifically her piece Forty Part Motet, an incredible sound installation. I saw it a the Tate Modern in London and cried and cried. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/87291
Number one on my bucket list: Hmm. I travelled a lot in my twenties and now I'm really enjoying being still. Let's say, getting really good a pottery.
Anything else you'd like to add: Come say hi at www.haleymcgee.ca
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/yeshaleymcgee/
https://twitter.com/yeshaleymcgee
Author Bio: Haley McGee is an actor and writer who was born and raised in Canada who now lives in London, UK. “Hilarious and hypnotically honest” (Exeunt), Haley’s award-winning solo shows have played in thirty-six venues in eleven countries and been translated into four languages. She thrives on variety—she writes, acts, performs improv, does voiceovers, teaches online courses and hosts The Cost of Love podcast.
