Marcie Maxfield
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield
Author of Em's Awful Good Fortune
Em’s Awful Good Fortune is a travelogue deep into the heart and mind of its complex female narrator. Set against the nomadic landscape of an expat lifestyle, this is a story about marriage and compromise, dual careers, and one woman’s journey to reclaim her true self. Em’s booming voice is the engine that drives this novel. “Equally funny and brutal…The pages crackle,” says Pulitzer prize-winning author Junot Diaz. Readers’ Favorite 5-star review calls Em’s Awful Good Fortune “Utterly riveting to read.” 2022 Winner of the Independent Press Award for Contemporary Novel.
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield
Author I draw inspiration from: Junot Diaz's book This Is How You Lose Her cracked open my writing. His use of rhythm and language, laced with humor, tone and attitude, inspired me to unleash my literary voice in Em's Awful Good Fortune. Diaz's work provided a roadmap, a master class in how to draw on lived experience and craft it into a work of stylized fiction.
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: In the backyard, with my dog and cat nearby. Clean fresh air, a gentle breeze. Awww. That's a fantasy. I'll read anywhere. In bed, on the couch, at the doctors office. When I read a good book, I forget where I am.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: I've been stuck in an elevator lots of times, and trust me, you want a good partner. Someone who will have stories to tell, wild crazy ones! And possibly...chewing gum, lip gloss, maybe even a candy bar. That's why I'd wanna be stuck in an elevator with Chris from I Love Dick by Chris Kraus. I have no doubt that Chris, the character, is way more fun than Chris the author. Kind of like me and Em.
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I always knew I wanted to write, but it wasn't until I sat in the audience at a reading of my play Girls Together Always, listening to strangers laughing and gasping and hooting, that I dared to write a book. And...have it published.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback
The last book I read: I'm reading Woke Racism by John McWhorter
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Both. I usually free-write by hand and edit on computer.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: I wanna be best friends memoirist Claire Dederer. She's her own main character. Here's my ideal girl-date with Claire: we'd start out with a yoga class and afterwards go for tea and a light snack, talk about relationships, marriage, family, kids, and finding time to write. This might take hours, it might even call for a glass of wine. Books by Claire Dederer: Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses, and Love and Trouble.
Author Interview - Marcie Maxfield | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Oh, but I am a writer. And it took so long to become one that I don't want to imagine doing anything else. Before becoming an author, I worked in Marketing and PR, in entertainment and publishing. I wrote press releases and bios and ad copy and sales pitches and ... from those jobs, I learned to spin a story. But the story was always about a product. Now I get to write my own stories. Writing is no longer a job, it's a labor of love.
Favorite decade in fashion history: I would totally be a flapper.
Place I’d most like to travel: I admit to being spoiled for travel, having lived in Asia and Europe. But, I've never been south of Mexico. So...I'm gonna say Belize. They speak English.
My signature drink: The Passport, of course. It's pretty simple to make: Vodka, Ginger Liqueur and Fresh lime
Muddled red grapes & basil.
Favorite artist: Barbara Kruger. Her piece "Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground)" created in 1989 for the Women's March on Washington in support of reproductive freedom is to visual arts what The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is to literature. Prescient.
Number one on my bucket list: I don't have a bucket list.
Anything else you'd like to add: Yes! I got into zoom book clubs during Covid, so if anyone wants to invite me their book club, just shoot me an email through my website.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/marcie.b.max/
https://www.facebook.com/m2mktg
Author Bio: Marcie Maxfield’s voice is fierce, authentic and personal. Her debut novel, Em’s Awful Good Fortune, is based on her experiences living overseas as a tagalong wife. Her play Girls Together Always—a collection of coming-of-age stories about “growing up girl”—won the ENCORE! Producer’s Award at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Maxfield is a volunteer for WriteGirl—an L.A. organization dedicated to empowering youth through creativity. Originally from Detroit, Marcie is married with two kids, a French bulldog named Bader, and two rescue cats named Hunky and Dory. They live in Southern California.
