This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 24, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, use the form on my homepage: KathrynHolmes.com.
This week's Creating While Parenting interview is with my amazing friend Janae Marks!
Janae lives in Connecticut with her husband and 7-year-old daughter (as well as an adorable dog). We've known each other since graduate school; we both started the New School's MFA in Creative Writing (with a concentration in Writing for Children) in 2008 and graduated in 2010. Janae has always been a talented writer, and it has been such a joy to cheer her on as her career takes off!
Janae currently has two middle-grade books out in the world: From the Desk of Zoe Washington and A Soft Place to Land. Next up is On Air With Zoe Washington (the sequel to From the Desk...), releasing February 14, 2023.
Janae's website is JanaeMarks.com. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram. Buy her BOOKS!
Now, here are Janae's answers to my three questions:
1. How would you describe yourself as a creator/artist/maker?
I'm an author! I currently write books for middle-grade readers. I've been published since early 2020, but worked toward becoming a published author for more than a decade before that.
Up until recently, I juggled my author work and parenting with another part-time job. I had that job for seven years, but finally got to the point in my author career where I could leave that other job behind. So now I'm juggling writing and parenting, which is still a lot but feels much more manageable. I love what I do!
2. How does being a parent impact and interact with your creative life?
When my daughter was born almost seven years ago, I had to reconfigure my creative life. I couldn't write whenever I wanted to anymore. Instead I could only write during certain pockets of time, which in the beginning was whenever my daughter was asleep. When she was a few months old, I started writing the manuscript that eventually turned into my debut novel. I wrote when she slept, either in the early mornings or during her naps. Since my time was more limited, I learned not to waste a single second, so I was still pretty productive.
Now that she's in school, I have more time during the day to write, but there are still other author, parenting, and household responsibilities that I need to fit in. But it feels much more manageable. So if anyone reading this has young children: it gets better!
The hardest part has been when I've had to write or attend author events when my daughter is not at school on the weekends. Fortunately, I have a very supportive husband who takes care of everything when I can't, but I've had to learn not to feel so guilty about taking that time! This has also gotten easier as my daughter has grown, because now she's used to it, and also has her own life and friends to spend time with when I'm away.
3. What keeps you most connected to your creativity these days?
First and foremost, reading books. I don't only read middle-grade novels, but also books different from mine, and I'm always inspired after reading a good story. I also try to stay connected to other writers, through coffee shop writing dates, writing retreats, conferences, and group chats. Writing can be such a solitary activity, so I love any opportunity to chat with other authors. Being part of this community, cheering other writers on, makes me want to keep creating myself.
