It is with great pleasure that I welcome Lily Mackenzie onto the website today. Lily has taught Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco for thirty years and has published three novels and a collection of poetry.
Alex: Tell me a bit about yourself, Lily.
Lily: I don't have hayseed clinging to my trousers, but growing up on a Canadian farm gave me a unique foundation as a writer. I sprouted under cumulous clouds that bloomed everywhere in Alberta’s big sky. They were my first creative writing instructors, scudding across the heavenly blue, constantly changing shape: one minute an elephant, bruised and brooding. The next morphing into a rabbit or a castle. These billowing masses gave me a unique view of life on earth.
As a girl, I prowled the land, talking to chickens and pigs and lambs, creating scenarios for them. I also tried to make perfume from the wild Alberta roses and captured caterpillars, watching with wonder when they transformed themselves into butterflies. Everything around me seemed infused by nature spirits waiting to be released.
I soon realized that all objects are in motion, waiting for stories to illuminate them. The clouds’ shifting form also schooled me in the various possibilities open to me as a writer. So did Jack Frost’s enchanted creations that enlivened the windows in wintertime, forcing me to view my surroundings as if through a bewitching prism. These early experiences helped me to envision multi-dimensional characters. No wonder magical realism pulses at the heart of my narratives, and my work celebrates the imagination.
As an adult, I continue to seek instruction from clouds. Just as they provide the earth with much-needed water, I believe that stories have a similar function, preparing the mind to receive new ideas. Also, conditions inside a cloud are not static—water droplets are constantly forming and re-evaporating. Stories, too, change, depending on who is reading them, each one giving life to its readers.
A high school dropout, and a mother at 17, in my early years, I supported myself as a stock girl in the Hudson’s Bay Company, as a long distance operator for the former Alberta Government Telephones, and as a secretary (Bechtel Corp sponsored me into the States). I also was a cocktail waitress at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco; briefly broke into the male-dominated world of the docks (I was the first woman to work on the SF docks and almost got my legs broken); founded and managed a homeless shelter in Marin County; co-created The Story Shoppe, a weekly radio program for children that aired on KTIM in Marin; and eventually earned two Master’s degrees (one in Creative Writing and one in the Humanities).
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Lily: My novels all have some element of magical realism in them. Reality is both magical and “real,” if by real we mean something that isn’t imagined. Language by its very nature is magical, transforming our everyday reality in multiple ways, carrying us aloft on the wings of thought. When I call on magical realism in my fiction, I do it because it opens me up to a fuller understanding of our world, both internally and externally. I believe it captures a fuller view of what’s going on in our lives than realism can do.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Lily: I could never write fiction or nonfiction if I knew where the material was going. Vague ideas usually are my starting point, though sometimes, as with Curva Peligrosa (published by Regal House Publishing), an image will grab me and not let me go. In that case it was something I’d read in the paper about a tornado shaking things up in a small Canadian city that I’m familiar with. And off I went with this character that emerged, Curva Peligrosa. She took me on a wild ride.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Lily: Freefall: A Divine Comedy features Tillie Bloom, a wacky installation artist, who travels to Venice for an extended reunion with three former friends, women she hung out with in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. She also plans to crash the Biennale, an art extravaganza scheduled every other year.
Each woman’s life has taken a different direction. Tillie and Daddy have both moved to the States from Canada, where Tillie has given herself over to art. Daddy—once a heterosexual radical feminist/hippie and now a lesbian—has turned into a successful real estate saleswoman. Moll, tres sportif, a housewife and mother of three, spends her free time exploring the Canadian outdoors. Sibyl—also married and a shrewd bookkeeper addicted to 4000-piece jigsaw puzzles, cigarettes, and wine—has a cabin in Whistler, a home in Vancouver, and a flat in Venice.
Tillie often gets lost in the maze of Venice streets, intrigued by the canals’ reflective surfaces and how they participate in the city’s love affair with light. These reflections counter the pull of darker forces that cause the four women to reevaluate themselves. A humorous yet serious meditation on the relationship between art and mortality, Freefall taps into the rich underground springs that feed all of our lives.
Praise for Freefall:
“These fascinating characters will fill your imagination, defying expectations about aging, art, and what truly matters in life.” —Laurie Ann Doyle, author of World Gone Missing.
“This is an enchanting story about old friends reuniting as they struggle with thoughts on aging, religion, motherhood, men, art, and death. A delightful trip in every respect, with plenty of surprises and laughs along the way. A Divine Comedy, indeed!” —Mark Willen, author of the novels Hawke's Point and Hawke's Return.
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Lily: Dick and Jane books in grade school. I hated them! They could have cured me from ever wanting to read again. I also soaked up my mother's movie and romance magazines. And I loved fairy tales.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Lily: It really depends on the novel and where it takes me. With the internet being a writer’s best friend (unless she’s trying to write and is constantly distracted by it!), it’s so easy to look up things like what people were wearing during different time periods and street names in Venice (which I needed when writing my latest novel Freefall). But when I was writing Curva Peligrosa, which features a character (Curva) who travels what is known historically as the Old North Trail from Southern Mexico to Canada, I read a book entitled The Old North Trail: Life, Legends and Religion of the Blackfeet Indians. This gave me a lot of background info that I needed in order to make Curva’s world come alive. So each novel puts different demands on me in terms of research. Even though my work falls into the magical realism category, I still need to anchor many of the details in verifiable facts.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Lily: Oh, yes! Usually, my characters are an amalgam of individuals I either know or am acquainted with. At times, I only use an image of someone I’ve seen somewhere. Then I fill in the blanks to discover who the person is.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Lily: I just finished reading the novel Stoner by a little known American writer, John Williams. It’s considered a classic by readers who love literary works. A quiet portrait of a man whose life wasn’t particularly significant, but the narrative captures how compelling such a life can be when examined closely, just as Georgia O’Keeffe made viewers aware of flowers in new ways. Stoner, the main character, is still resonating in me.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Lily: Desperately! I’m constantly on the alert for new ways of bringing my work to new readers (and I’m hoping this interview will help!). Unfortunately, I’m not the only writer on this quest, so Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media outlets are inundated with books being marketed. I have numerous files on how to successfully find readers, but if I were to follow all of the recommendations, I wouldn’t have any time to write or read. It’s a balancing act. Placing ads in Facebook before various national holidays like Mother’s Day and Christmas.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Lily: When I was younger and my knees still worked properly, I played tennis and practiced yoga. I can still do some yoga postures, as well as tai chi, but, of course, I can’t play tennis any longer, though I do ride a stationary bike almost daily for 30-40 mins. And I also do full body workouts three days a week. But I can watch the major tennis tournaments on TV. I tape them so I can keep up with all of the players, new and previous champions. I love it! I also love our SF Giants baseball team and will watch portions of many of their games. Of course, reading is a given. I read widely and vociferously via print and audio books. But I also love dabbling in the visual arts: watercolors, acrylic, collage, etc. And museums/art galleries are my houses of worship!
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Lily: I find that I’m a sucker for narrators that immediately engage me and keep me involved by the tone they use and the personality they project on the page. To name a few: Anne Enright. Per Petterson. W. B. Sebald. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Anthony Marra, Jennifer Egan. I’ve also recently been drawn into the literary mystery genre by the Scottish writer Peter May. He’s amazing at creating fully developed intriguing characters and situations, but it’s a genre I have no desire to try myself as a writer.
Alex: Tell me a bit about yourself, Lily.
Lily: I don't have hayseed clinging to my trousers, but growing up on a Canadian farm gave me a unique foundation as a writer. I sprouted under cumulous clouds that bloomed everywhere in Alberta’s big sky. They were my first creative writing instructors, scudding across the heavenly blue, constantly changing shape: one minute an elephant, bruised and brooding. The next morphing into a rabbit or a castle. These billowing masses gave me a unique view of life on earth.
As a girl, I prowled the land, talking to chickens and pigs and lambs, creating scenarios for them. I also tried to make perfume from the wild Alberta roses and captured caterpillars, watching with wonder when they transformed themselves into butterflies. Everything around me seemed infused by nature spirits waiting to be released.
I soon realized that all objects are in motion, waiting for stories to illuminate them. The clouds’ shifting form also schooled me in the various possibilities open to me as a writer. So did Jack Frost’s enchanted creations that enlivened the windows in wintertime, forcing me to view my surroundings as if through a bewitching prism. These early experiences helped me to envision multi-dimensional characters. No wonder magical realism pulses at the heart of my narratives, and my work celebrates the imagination.
As an adult, I continue to seek instruction from clouds. Just as they provide the earth with much-needed water, I believe that stories have a similar function, preparing the mind to receive new ideas. Also, conditions inside a cloud are not static—water droplets are constantly forming and re-evaporating. Stories, too, change, depending on who is reading them, each one giving life to its readers.
A high school dropout, and a mother at 17, in my early years, I supported myself as a stock girl in the Hudson’s Bay Company, as a long distance operator for the former Alberta Government Telephones, and as a secretary (Bechtel Corp sponsored me into the States). I also was a cocktail waitress at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco; briefly broke into the male-dominated world of the docks (I was the first woman to work on the SF docks and almost got my legs broken); founded and managed a homeless shelter in Marin County; co-created The Story Shoppe, a weekly radio program for children that aired on KTIM in Marin; and eventually earned two Master’s degrees (one in Creative Writing and one in the Humanities).
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Lily: My novels all have some element of magical realism in them. Reality is both magical and “real,” if by real we mean something that isn’t imagined. Language by its very nature is magical, transforming our everyday reality in multiple ways, carrying us aloft on the wings of thought. When I call on magical realism in my fiction, I do it because it opens me up to a fuller understanding of our world, both internally and externally. I believe it captures a fuller view of what’s going on in our lives than realism can do.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Lily: I could never write fiction or nonfiction if I knew where the material was going. Vague ideas usually are my starting point, though sometimes, as with Curva Peligrosa (published by Regal House Publishing), an image will grab me and not let me go. In that case it was something I’d read in the paper about a tornado shaking things up in a small Canadian city that I’m familiar with. And off I went with this character that emerged, Curva Peligrosa. She took me on a wild ride.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Lily: Freefall: A Divine Comedy features Tillie Bloom, a wacky installation artist, who travels to Venice for an extended reunion with three former friends, women she hung out with in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. She also plans to crash the Biennale, an art extravaganza scheduled every other year.
Each woman’s life has taken a different direction. Tillie and Daddy have both moved to the States from Canada, where Tillie has given herself over to art. Daddy—once a heterosexual radical feminist/hippie and now a lesbian—has turned into a successful real estate saleswoman. Moll, tres sportif, a housewife and mother of three, spends her free time exploring the Canadian outdoors. Sibyl—also married and a shrewd bookkeeper addicted to 4000-piece jigsaw puzzles, cigarettes, and wine—has a cabin in Whistler, a home in Vancouver, and a flat in Venice.
Tillie often gets lost in the maze of Venice streets, intrigued by the canals’ reflective surfaces and how they participate in the city’s love affair with light. These reflections counter the pull of darker forces that cause the four women to reevaluate themselves. A humorous yet serious meditation on the relationship between art and mortality, Freefall taps into the rich underground springs that feed all of our lives.
Praise for Freefall:
“These fascinating characters will fill your imagination, defying expectations about aging, art, and what truly matters in life.” —Laurie Ann Doyle, author of World Gone Missing.
“This is an enchanting story about old friends reuniting as they struggle with thoughts on aging, religion, motherhood, men, art, and death. A delightful trip in every respect, with plenty of surprises and laughs along the way. A Divine Comedy, indeed!” —Mark Willen, author of the novels Hawke's Point and Hawke's Return.
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Lily: Dick and Jane books in grade school. I hated them! They could have cured me from ever wanting to read again. I also soaked up my mother's movie and romance magazines. And I loved fairy tales.
Alex: How much research do you do and what does it usually entail?
Lily: It really depends on the novel and where it takes me. With the internet being a writer’s best friend (unless she’s trying to write and is constantly distracted by it!), it’s so easy to look up things like what people were wearing during different time periods and street names in Venice (which I needed when writing my latest novel Freefall). But when I was writing Curva Peligrosa, which features a character (Curva) who travels what is known historically as the Old North Trail from Southern Mexico to Canada, I read a book entitled The Old North Trail: Life, Legends and Religion of the Blackfeet Indians. This gave me a lot of background info that I needed in order to make Curva’s world come alive. So each novel puts different demands on me in terms of research. Even though my work falls into the magical realism category, I still need to anchor many of the details in verifiable facts.
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Lily: Oh, yes! Usually, my characters are an amalgam of individuals I either know or am acquainted with. At times, I only use an image of someone I’ve seen somewhere. Then I fill in the blanks to discover who the person is.
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Lily: I just finished reading the novel Stoner by a little known American writer, John Williams. It’s considered a classic by readers who love literary works. A quiet portrait of a man whose life wasn’t particularly significant, but the narrative captures how compelling such a life can be when examined closely, just as Georgia O’Keeffe made viewers aware of flowers in new ways. Stoner, the main character, is still resonating in me.
Alex: How do you market your books?
Lily: Desperately! I’m constantly on the alert for new ways of bringing my work to new readers (and I’m hoping this interview will help!). Unfortunately, I’m not the only writer on this quest, so Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media outlets are inundated with books being marketed. I have numerous files on how to successfully find readers, but if I were to follow all of the recommendations, I wouldn’t have any time to write or read. It’s a balancing act. Placing ads in Facebook before various national holidays like Mother’s Day and Christmas.
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Lily: When I was younger and my knees still worked properly, I played tennis and practiced yoga. I can still do some yoga postures, as well as tai chi, but, of course, I can’t play tennis any longer, though I do ride a stationary bike almost daily for 30-40 mins. And I also do full body workouts three days a week. But I can watch the major tennis tournaments on TV. I tape them so I can keep up with all of the players, new and previous champions. I love it! I also love our SF Giants baseball team and will watch portions of many of their games. Of course, reading is a given. I read widely and vociferously via print and audio books. But I also love dabbling in the visual arts: watercolors, acrylic, collage, etc. And museums/art galleries are my houses of worship!
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Lily: I find that I’m a sucker for narrators that immediately engage me and keep me involved by the tone they use and the personality they project on the page. To name a few: Anne Enright. Per Petterson. W. B. Sebald. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Anthony Marra, Jennifer Egan. I’ve also recently been drawn into the literary mystery genre by the Scottish writer Peter May. He’s amazing at creating fully developed intriguing characters and situations, but it’s a genre I have no desire to try myself as a writer.
