Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Moon Pies and Movie Stars

What's the name of your book?

"Moon Pies and Movie Stars"

Tell me about it.

"It's about the owner of a six-lane bowling alley in Devine, Texas, and she spots her runaway daughter on a Butter Maid commercial. So she sets off for Hollywood with her wild and crazy sister and the mother-in-law of the daughter. The daughter left behind two kids, so they go out there to find her and make her own up to her responsibilities. It's a journey -- like a road trip. They get in a Winnebago and head out West. It's 1976. They stop in Arizona and end up having to stay at a swingers' motel. Then they get to Hollywood, and it's '76, so it's Hollywood at its worst, run-down and grubby. They're staying at one of those by-the-hour motels, and they don't have a clue. They think that they're staying in this fabulous place. And they meet all different kinds of people, learn lots of new things, and get on The Price Is Right, which is really exciting for them. The sister that goes along with them, her dream has always been to meet Bob Barker. She thinks Bob Barker is really sexy.

The woman who owns the motel is from Texas, so they think they've hit this great place to stay, but she's married to a black man, and it's all new to them. The mother-in-law is pretty snarky, so she's kind of annoying. I had a lot of fun writing it."

Sponsored
Sponsored

What made you write it?

"I had gone to one of [San Diego Writers, Ink executive director] Judy Reeves's writing marathons, and she had put out these pictures as props. And one of them was a picture of a woman with a menu behind her, and she's talking on the phone. My grandmother lived in Bracketvillle, Texas, which is down on the border, and she owned a honky-tonk. I started writing, sort of from my grandmother's voice, of this woman on the phone talking to her sister. And it just kind of came from that character. It came from my grandmother's inspiration, but the characters weren't anything like [her]; she never owned a bowling alley or anything. But she was just really independent like that. Loralva, the sister, she's a little bit more like my grandmother, more of that wild air. So I took the women characters and [drew up] this montage of all the women I had known growing up, all the women that I knew in Texas when I went down to visit. I write more from character than from plot."

Do you have a favorite passage?

"Probably The Price Is Right scene is the most fun. I actually wrote 12 drafts of the novel, and that's the one scene in the whole book that I never really changed after I wrote it the first time. It's a big scene. To prepare for writing it, I watched the show for three weeks to get a feel for who was on it, how it worked. And the first week I was watching it, I was rolling my eyes and thinking, I can't believe I have to do this. The second week I was getting into it with them, and then the third week when they were winning I found myself crying because I realized this is their dream. I was really excited for them."

Why should someone read this?

"Because it's funny. And it does have some poignant moments. I like to write stuff that has a little heart in it, and I also think that humor does come from a deeper place inside. There's usually some kind of hurt. There are a lot of serious aspects -- the daughter they're going to look for left behind two kids, and she's been abandoned herself. She wasn't actually the main character's real daughter, so there's a lot of stuff that comes out. Why would somebody do this to their kids when it's been done to them, that kind of thing."

Tell me about your writing habits.

"I try to always start in the morning so I can get it done, and so I don't feel like I'm waiting all day to get to it and then never get around to it. Depending on where I am in the story, or how things have been going, I'll do two to four hours. I try not to write much more than that because you get a little...it's exhausting. I write daily. It's like practicing the piano: if you don't do it every day, the muscle gets weak.

I work on my laptop and I write longhand too. I like this combination, depending on what I'm doing. It's easier to carry a pad and a paper than a computer."

Is writing your primary job?

"I teach too. I teach novel-writing courses at UCSD. I just finished a Novel 1, a beginner writing class, then in the winter quarter of January I'm starting a Novel 2, more advanced writing."

What are your relationships like?

"I live with another writer. You have to be really independent people, because writers tend to just go off into their hole and disappear -- and then come back out, and everything's great. Also, when the writer's not writing, they can get kind of grumpy and out of sorts."

Do you talk to your friends about your writing?

"Yes, they ask a lot. The conversation with [non-writers] goes a little differently than with writer friends, because with writer friends you don't have to explain as much. [With writers,] I might talk more specifics, like, 'I'm having trouble with a character, what do you think I should do?' whereas with the non-writer friend I would just say it was going well or not well."

Name: Amy Wallen

AGE: 44

Occupation: Author/Writing Instructor

Neighborhood: South park

Where Interviewed: The urban grind coffeehouse

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?

What's the name of your book?

"Moon Pies and Movie Stars"

Tell me about it.

"It's about the owner of a six-lane bowling alley in Devine, Texas, and she spots her runaway daughter on a Butter Maid commercial. So she sets off for Hollywood with her wild and crazy sister and the mother-in-law of the daughter. The daughter left behind two kids, so they go out there to find her and make her own up to her responsibilities. It's a journey -- like a road trip. They get in a Winnebago and head out West. It's 1976. They stop in Arizona and end up having to stay at a swingers' motel. Then they get to Hollywood, and it's '76, so it's Hollywood at its worst, run-down and grubby. They're staying at one of those by-the-hour motels, and they don't have a clue. They think that they're staying in this fabulous place. And they meet all different kinds of people, learn lots of new things, and get on The Price Is Right, which is really exciting for them. The sister that goes along with them, her dream has always been to meet Bob Barker. She thinks Bob Barker is really sexy.

The woman who owns the motel is from Texas, so they think they've hit this great place to stay, but she's married to a black man, and it's all new to them. The mother-in-law is pretty snarky, so she's kind of annoying. I had a lot of fun writing it."

Sponsored
Sponsored

What made you write it?

"I had gone to one of [San Diego Writers, Ink executive director] Judy Reeves's writing marathons, and she had put out these pictures as props. And one of them was a picture of a woman with a menu behind her, and she's talking on the phone. My grandmother lived in Bracketvillle, Texas, which is down on the border, and she owned a honky-tonk. I started writing, sort of from my grandmother's voice, of this woman on the phone talking to her sister. And it just kind of came from that character. It came from my grandmother's inspiration, but the characters weren't anything like [her]; she never owned a bowling alley or anything. But she was just really independent like that. Loralva, the sister, she's a little bit more like my grandmother, more of that wild air. So I took the women characters and [drew up] this montage of all the women I had known growing up, all the women that I knew in Texas when I went down to visit. I write more from character than from plot."

Do you have a favorite passage?

"Probably The Price Is Right scene is the most fun. I actually wrote 12 drafts of the novel, and that's the one scene in the whole book that I never really changed after I wrote it the first time. It's a big scene. To prepare for writing it, I watched the show for three weeks to get a feel for who was on it, how it worked. And the first week I was watching it, I was rolling my eyes and thinking, I can't believe I have to do this. The second week I was getting into it with them, and then the third week when they were winning I found myself crying because I realized this is their dream. I was really excited for them."

Why should someone read this?

"Because it's funny. And it does have some poignant moments. I like to write stuff that has a little heart in it, and I also think that humor does come from a deeper place inside. There's usually some kind of hurt. There are a lot of serious aspects -- the daughter they're going to look for left behind two kids, and she's been abandoned herself. She wasn't actually the main character's real daughter, so there's a lot of stuff that comes out. Why would somebody do this to their kids when it's been done to them, that kind of thing."

Tell me about your writing habits.

"I try to always start in the morning so I can get it done, and so I don't feel like I'm waiting all day to get to it and then never get around to it. Depending on where I am in the story, or how things have been going, I'll do two to four hours. I try not to write much more than that because you get a little...it's exhausting. I write daily. It's like practicing the piano: if you don't do it every day, the muscle gets weak.

I work on my laptop and I write longhand too. I like this combination, depending on what I'm doing. It's easier to carry a pad and a paper than a computer."

Is writing your primary job?

"I teach too. I teach novel-writing courses at UCSD. I just finished a Novel 1, a beginner writing class, then in the winter quarter of January I'm starting a Novel 2, more advanced writing."

What are your relationships like?

"I live with another writer. You have to be really independent people, because writers tend to just go off into their hole and disappear -- and then come back out, and everything's great. Also, when the writer's not writing, they can get kind of grumpy and out of sorts."

Do you talk to your friends about your writing?

"Yes, they ask a lot. The conversation with [non-writers] goes a little differently than with writer friends, because with writer friends you don't have to explain as much. [With writers,] I might talk more specifics, like, 'I'm having trouble with a character, what do you think I should do?' whereas with the non-writer friend I would just say it was going well or not well."

Name: Amy Wallen

AGE: 44

Occupation: Author/Writing Instructor

Neighborhood: South park

Where Interviewed: The urban grind coffeehouse

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
Next Article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.