To kick off the blogging week, and to give inspiration for when the festive season is over and the dark, cold months stretch ahead, angels & urchins blog talked to author Amanda Egan. Aka the Mummy Misfit, Amanda’s hilarious book about a couple sacrificing luxuries to see their only son Max through private education makes laugh-out-loud reading. Meet the Botox-faced, designer handbag toting Meemies as the heroine faces a not so brave new world of school committees, the credit crunch and the joy of discovering true friendship.

Now available as a book in paperback (£7.97) at Lulu, and as a Kindle (£3.44) edition on Amazon. You can also follow the Mummy Misfit on Twitter @Mummy_Misfit and at Facebook.

Amanda, great to meet you

Q Amanda, great to host you at angels & urchins. How did you turn the book that many feel is inside them into reality?
I’ve always written and been an avid reader.  At eleven, my son developed school phobia which meant I needed to remain physically in the background (mainly in the car park) for three years – this resulted in even more reading and inspired my debut novel.  Writing in a car is ‘different’!  No distractions but freezing in the winter.

Q Would you always have become a writer?
I trained as a professional actress and I guess I had to let the creative side of me out somehow.  Had I not been through the school phobia ordeal with my son, I may never have committed the time to writing.  It was something I’d dabbled with in the past, but there were always distractions.  Now I work at it all day – and often at night too.

Q Can you give aspiring authors any advice? What are the Big Three Don’ts you wish you’d never done? And your biggest tip?
My main advice would be to write something EVERY day – even if it’s only a few words.  It keeps the continuity of your work going and helps keep it fresh in your mind.  The three big don’ts?  1. Don’t get tied up in over-planning.  Your characters and plot will tell you where to go with them and if you fight them it’s often a losing battle.  2. Don’t panic when writer’s block hits.  It will pass.  3. Don’t get hung up on finding an agent or publisher.  There are so many alternatives for getting into print now and very few new writers are being taken on the traditional route.  Biggest tip: Edit, edit and edit.  Typos will always be hiding somewhere and will damage the credibility of your work.

Q What’s the funniest thing about being a published author?
The thing that makes me smile the most is the great feedback from my readers.  It really does make it all worthwhile.

Q Looking to the future, how do you see publishing evolve? You’ve talked about the joys of sticking your nose into an actual book; is this something you think your grandchildren will still be doing?
The publishing world is suffering – I’ve been told this by interested agents.  With the advent of Kindle, writers are taking things into their own hands and earning a living from writing.  I don’t think you can beat the feel and smell (!) of a real book but, sadly, I’m not so sure they will be the norm when I have grandchildren.

Q The sequel. Was it harder or easier to write than the first book?
I think the sequel was harder because Mummy Misfit had to evolve – it couldn’t be more of the same.  But in other ways, the stage had been set and the characters were ready to move on.

Q When you’re not writing how do you relax?
I read, listen to music (all sorts), host themed dinner parties and play Guitar Hero or Wii with my husband and son.  I also turn my hand to a number of crafts.

Q What’s going to be your biggest indulgence in 2012?
Indulgence?  Hmm!  Probably taking a little time off from writing and focusing more on promoting the two books that I’ve written.  Saying that though, I’m sure the bug will bite again and I’ll pick up my third novel (unrelated to the diaries) and start work on that again.  Brief plug – the sequel, ‘The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit’, will be available on Kindle at Amazon and paperback at LuLu by mid-December.

Thank you, Amanda, for taking the time to answer angels & urchins’ nosy questions. Inspiring stuff, and might just give a nervous would-be author the confidence to take the plunge.

Heard on the Playground is a website from the US, but the humour (or should that be ‘humor’?) crosses the pond pretty well. I particularly liked the examples above and below, and have a son whose mind works in just the same way. For example, when he saw a scan picture of a younger brother he said, ‘He’s not going to be any good at football’. ‘Why not?’ ‘He looks like a frog’. Not something, in fairness, I could argue with.

You can upload your own amusing conversations overheard (as the website’s name suggests) in the playground. Just visit Heard on the Playground. Would be great to hear any gems here too.