San Diego Memoir Writers Association is delighted to announce Lindsey Salatka as our August 2021 Member of the Month Please read Lindsey’s interview with SDMWA President Laura Engel and learn more about this outstanding member!
LE: Lindsey congratulations! How did you discover SDMWA?
LS: I remember when SDMWA was an infant! I went to the 1st Memoir Showcase to see what it was all about and fell in love with the concept and the incredibly supportive community. Marni had told me about this idea when it was just an apple in her eye, and I think it is fantastic.
LE: Have you always been a writer?
LS: Yep. I was a latchkey kid who had seen every rerun and regularly ran out of books. I grew up in Phoenix so playing outside wasn’t always that appealing. Writing kept me sane and busy and still does exactly that to this day.
LE: Have writing classes made a big impact on your writing?
LS: I took a creative writing class while in college at the University of Arizona, and something clicked. I quickly made it part of my major and began to feel the rush of landing on a kernel of an idea and then bringing it to fruition. I was not always a fan of critique groups, but now I can’t imagine life without getting feedback from trusted minds on some of my wacky ideas. Classes always give me something to think about and work on, so I sign up for them whenever time allows.
LE: We are excited to hear about your new book Fish Heads and Duck Skin! (Such a great title and I cannot wait to read it!) Please tell us about your journey of writing and publishing your book.
LS: Do you have all day? Just kidding, I’ll be quick. The kernel came to me when I was living in Shanghai and pregnant with my third daughter (who is now 12!). I thought, I have to write down some of what I’m seeing so I don’t forget what it was like to have “new eyes.” I also wanted my kids to know what life was like when we lived there because I knew they would be too little to remember much. I started Fish Heads as a screenplay because I was working on a different screenplay at the time (which still lines a drawer) so I was comfortable in that genre. Then I changed it to a memoir. Then I decided that for many reasons, it made more sense as a novel. One of the reasons for this was we moved to China with one child and left with three, so I was basically pregnant or caring for an infant the entire time. Not exactly the makings of a page turner! Plus, once I turned it into fiction, it became a lot more fun to write. All these changes meant it took a lot longer than I thought to be released into the wild.
As for publishing, I went with She Writes Press and have been very pleased with the quality of the cover, the interior design, and the feel of the final product. The entire process has been very professional, and I have learned so much from the She Writes Community, Brooke Warner, and my project manager, Shannon Greene. Plus, She Writes allowed me to maintain a level of control I was not comfortable giving up for this book.
LE: Are you working on any new projects?
LS: I am excited to be working on a new novel! This one is unrelated to Fish Heads and has been a blast to write so far. And it won’t take 12 years to complete!
LE: Lindsey, you were a winner in the 2020 Memoir Showcase. Please tell us a little bit about how you chose your scene and what it was like to win a spot in the Showcase.
LS: It was amazing to be chosen for the Memoir Showcase after watching so many be performed. The scene I chose felt obvious to me from the prompt, That’s a Terrible Idea, What Time? I am a member of a middle aged, mostly Asian flash mob called Ajumma EXP, and I get a lot of double takes and weird looks for this. It felt fun to explain how I got involved and why I will continue to dance with them (until they send me packing!).
LE: What are some of your favorite Memoirs? Your favorite Authors?
LS: My favorite memoirs are all over the map: Bossy Pants, The Glass Castle, Tender Bar, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
Favorite authors that come to mind though I’m sure I’m forgetting many: Amor Towles, Maria Semple, Liane Moriarty.
LE: Lastly, do you have any advice for new writers starting out?
LS: Write as much as you can and swallow your fears. Every story deserves to be told, it just may need (twelve years of) tweaking, so don’t give up. Also, join a group of other writers. For me, this has been the most validating and rewarding part of the process. The Memoir Association is a great way to connect with people who are on a similar path, and the community is warm and supportive. We are all lucky to be a part of this fine group of humans.
LE: Thank you so much Lindsey. It is an honor to write alongside of you at the San Diego Memoir Writers Association!