Meet Maya Fowler
This debut author of The Elephant in the Room finds the beauty of life in the finest details.
The children in the book are very deep-thinking, even troubled. What kind of child were you?
I was always someone who noticed detail, and took great delight in it. For instance, I was the one to notice the flower springing out of the pavement crack. And I still do. I think I've retained some of the child's wonderment, and that's very useful to me as a writer.
The Western Cape settings of the novel feed it with rich texture. Are you affected by your environment?
I am affected by environment, yes and no. On the one hand, I find natural beauty very uplifting and inspiring, but on the other hand, a lot of the writing process is just plain hard work. While it's romantic to think of working away in a room of one's own, or sitting in a room with a view, it certainly doesn't have to be that way.
I wrote maybe 75% of this book in a parking lot. There I sat, in my lunch hour, working on my laptop in my car. It was the only time available to me at that stage, so I just had to make do with the drab environment.
Why did you choose to write about eating disorders?
I've always been interested in psychology, particularly abnormal psychology, and also the way people relate to each other. Having read very widely all my life, I came to know more about various mental afflictions.
I decided eating disorders would be the most interesting to write about, since there's still very little fiction about this. Especially when you compare it to the fiction available on other addictions, such as alcoholism. I did plenty of research on addictions in general, but on eating disorders, the most interesting thing I found was Marya Hornbacher's Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. It was harrowing and insightful.
What is your writing routine?
As I've mentioned, The Elephant in the Room was mostly written during lunch breaks, but for a recent project, I chose to wake up at 5am instead, and then write for 60 to 90 minutes before work. Because I had a deadline, I wrote 1 000 words a day, but under normal circumstances I aim for 500 words a day. I do a lot of my planning work while I'm driving. I don't need anything to get me in the mood apart from visualising the work as a complete, beautifully designed book.
Who are other writers you admire, and what aspirations do you have? (win the Booker, be in every library, touch one human heart, whatever...)
I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Margaret Atwood, Marlene van Niekerk (especially Triomf) and Paul Auster. On the subject of writing, I can really recommend John Gardner.
And sure, I'd love to win every prize out there! Fingers crossed Elephant will get things going in that department. As far as what I'd like to achieve with my writing: If I could get people to look at things differently, whether concrete objects like mirrors, pavements and butterflies or more abstract things like family dynamics or the addict's mind, that would please me enormously.
Are you planning a follow-up novel? Give us a sneak preview...
Yes, I'm working on ideas, but I have a policy of not letting the cat out of the bag until I've signed the publishing contract! Watch this space.