Interview With Author Marie Kuipers
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is my first book! In hindsight, I realize that it’s been in the works for over a decade, but I never took the possibility of writing a book very seriously. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would want to hear about my weird-ass life–until I realized that it might help other people navigate their own weird-ass lives.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called We’re All Mad Here: an (in)elegant memoir. The title tips its hat to insanity, rage, a collective reckoning with our mental health…but it’s also an invitation: “Come on in! You’re probably not any weirder than the rest of us, but even if you are, we’re gonna celebrate you. We’re gonna love hard, cry a little, and laugh our asses off while we figure this out together.”
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Oh yeah, I’m a “lock myself in a room and not emerge until it’s done” kind of writer. At which point, I will emerge with manic energy (and an uncanny resemblance to Beetlejuice) asking, “How long was I under?”
What authors, or books have influenced you?
David Sedaris, always. I learned from him that mundane, everyday stories can be poignant, hilarious, and life-changing in the hands of a true wordsmith. Tom Robbins: A literary critic once said that Tom Robbins writes the way that Dolly Parton looks, and just – OMG. YES. Jenny Lawson, the OG Bloggess. Samantha Irby. Allie Brosh. Nick Hornby. I used to adore Neil Gaiman before he was outed as a sexual predator. Now I’m just pissed that he’s so good (and that I have principles).
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m back to my real job as a copyeditor (where I am affectionately [I think??] known as the Grammar Hammer). Working for the Man. I’d rather not discuss it. *silently screams*
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The best method would be my website https://www.mariekuipers.com/
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Hire a book coach. They will help you understand the importance of structure (you will hate it), and offer you advice and direction during the writing process. Whereas editors see your finished work (i.e., the thing you’ve poured all of your heart and soul and tears into) and then tell you why it’s terrible.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Let them.”
What are you reading now?
I’m reading the 934th installment of the Shadowhunters franchise. I can’t get enough. I’m a huge sucker for YA. Teen lit almost always has a happy ending and heaps of sequels. I get attached.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m in the scheming/plotting phase of the next book I want to write. It will require a lot of travel and time off work, so I’m also looking into how many organs I can sell without unaliving myself.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Boy Friends by Michael Pederson, the first Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding, Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. I also have an enormous (like laundry-basket size) book of Shakespeare’s collected works, which is definitely coming with me. All the sonnets, all the plays. I could keep myself occupied by directing daring productions of Macbeth and Midsummer Night’s Dream featuring local talent (iguanas, sturgeon, pelicans, what have you). It’s gonna be lit.
Author Websites and Profiles
Marie Kuipers’s Social Media Links
Author Interview Series
To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.
If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.