Michael Whatling
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
Author of The French Baker's War
“Absence isn’t a hole. It’s a presence living inside you, eating its way out.”
Occupied France, 1943. Returning home from the daily hunt for the rationed ingredients necessary to keep his family pâtisserie open, André Albert finds his four-year-old son in the street, his wife gone, and a Jewish escapee cowering behind the display case.
Without Mireille, the foundation of André’s world crumbles. He desperately searches for her, but finds more trouble than answers. Lives are further jeopardized when he agrees to hide Émilie, the escapee, and a Nazi officer shows up to investigate Mireille’s disappearance.
André will do anything to bring his wife home, catapulting him, their son, and Émilie on a perilous journey impeded by temptation, past trauma, and stunning revelations.
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
Author I draw inspiration from: It has to be Margaret Atwood, a fellow Canadian. What a career! Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, 9 collections of short fiction, 8 children's books, and 2 graphic novels. And she’s still going strong. The characters she’s able to create, and the insights into their lives, are nothing short of incredible.
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
Favorite place to read a book: I can’t think of anywhere more beautiful to be reading than by the sea. An ocean. A lake. A pond. It doesn’t matter to me. There’s something so tranquil about gazing out across the water’s surface or hearing the lapping of the tide.
But in my day-to-day world, I usually end up reading books in the bathtub. Same thing, right?
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Esther Greenwood from The Bell Jar. I admire her for her comedic take on life while dealing with serious mental health issues. Perhaps it’s nothing more than hubris or a “rescue fantasy,” but I like to think I could’ve talked her out of what she was contemplating.
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: In Grade 8, my English class was given an assignment to write a fictional story. I wrote about a homeless orphan who is befriended by an elderly rich woman. It was overwrought and dire, with a tragic ending, of course, but the teacher liked it enough to have me read it in front of the other students. So there I was, standing in front of my peers reading the first story I ever wrote. Just as I got to the final paragraph and the melodramatic ending, the final bell rang and everyone jumped up and rushed out. I looked at the teacher and he just shrugged. Oh, well. Don’t ask me if that shaped my opinion about being a writer at all. It certainly gave me no illusions about my work.
On summer vacation, I read “Surfacing,” by Margaret Atwood, and loved her style so much that I wrote a novel in the backyard sitting at one of those metal tables with an umbrella in the centre pecking away at an old Royal typewriter I found in the basement. It was called “The Song No One Heard.” It ended up being “the book no one read.”
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Hardback to read at home. Paperback while travelling. eBook out of desperation.
The last book I read: “Marjorie's Journey: On a Mission of Her Own,” by Ailie Cleghorn, the story of a woman who sailed to South Africa with 10 children in WWII. What an inspirational story.
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
Pen & paper or computer: I use a computer for the first draft of anything I’m writing, but edit with printed copies and a pen. With subsequent edits, I mix it up: sometimes editing on a tablet, sometimes on paper. I change the font and line spacing, etc., so it looks fresh every time I work on it. I even alternate pen colours. When you’re editing it for the twentieth and thirtieth time, that’s very helpful. Or I’m just weird.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Hmm. Isn’t every character your best friend while you’re reading the book? If I had to choose, I’d pick Jamie from “Empire of the Sun” by J.G. Ballard. That book was very influential when I first read it and saw the movie.
Author Interview - Michael Whatling
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: I’d continue doing what I’ve been doing, being a teacher. Right now I have a very unique position as a set teacher for child actors on movies and TV shows. I’ve worked on productions starring Katie Holmes, Diane Ladd, Treat Williams, and many more. My students are on shows like ABC’s A Million Little Things, Hallmark’s Chesapeake Shores, The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, CBS’s The Unicorn, and Netflix’s Sweet Tooth.
Favorite decade in fashion history: Come on, there’s only one. The 80s! The music. The clothes. The clubs. Could there be any other choice? The soundtrack to my life is Culture Club, Tears for Fears, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Joe Jackson... Stop me if I start singing.
Place I’d most like to travel: I lived in Japan for two years and would like to go back. I’ve never been to Africa or South America, so they’re on my list, too. Egypt would be first, I think.
My signature drink: Water with lemon. Yes, I’m that boring. I seldom drink anything else, except for an occasional latte if I need to stay awake, or tea if I’m being sociable. Tea drinkers are very persuasive.
Favorite artist: I have an affinity for the impressionists like Monet and Cézanne and Degas. For contemporary art, I have to go with Banksy, not only for his style but his philosophy towards art and his own work. He’s never boring.
Number one on my bucket list: I had a bucket list, but I knocked it over. I’m that clumsy. I suppose getting up every morning is number one on my list. Then having tea with Boy George.
Anything else you'd like to add: I wrote “The French Baker’s War” during COVID lockdowns in order to feel productive. Save for my first attempt at writing a novel at 14, before “The French Baker’s War” I’d only written a collection of YA short stories (“A Vigil for Joe Rose”) and many screenplays, one of which became the indie film “The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova.” (Available to watch for free on TubiTV.com) I’m here to tell you that writing a full length novel is real work. I poured out everything I had into it, my blood, sweat, and guts. Again, coming full circle, I have to admire Margaret Atwood’s productivity, but have to ask how does she make it seem so easy?
Find more from the author:
Twitter: @MichaelWhatling
Instagram: Michael_Whatling
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3144222
Author Bio: Michael Whatling began his career as a technical writer for engineering firms in Canada and Japan. Leaving to teach at the secondary and university levels, he returned to writing by penning "A Vigil for Joe Rose," a collection of young adult short stories, based on his doctoral research, that made the American Library Association’s Rainbow List.
He’s the writer of the award-winning independent film, “The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova.”
