Michelle Haimoff is a writer and feminist blogger at genfem.com. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor and The Huffington Post. She can be found on Twitter @MichelleHaimoff (which is how we met) and on Facebook at facebook.com/MichelleHaimoff. These Days Are Ours is her first novel.
You can read a fun review and synopsis of These Days Are Ours over here or just go buy the book.
In what way do you think literature has the ability to change the way people live their lives?
It has the opposite effect of stereotyping.
What was the last book you gave as a present?
I'm going to give my friend Emily a copy of Sharon Pomerantz's Rich Boy the next time I see her.
What is the best sentence you've ever written?
Some of the book reviewers seem to like: “Having two parents who don’t love each other is like having your blood and your skin not get along.”
What's the best sentence you've ever read?
"...and I realize that all it comes down to is that I'm this eighteen-year-old boy with shaking hands and blond hair and with the beginnings of a tan and semistoned sitting in Chasen's on Doheny and Beverly, waiting for my father to ask me what I want for Christmas."
Describe your writing routine.
I write a sentence. I check email. I check Facebook. I check Twitter. I read the articles people link to. I check my other email account. I reread the original sentence and change a word. I read a forward my mother-in-law sends me. I check Facebook and Twitter again. If I'm desperate for distraction I go to nytimes.com.
Do you ever listen to music when you write? If so what's on your ideal playlist?
No. Music is its own thing.
Which inspires your writing more: beauty or controversy?
I think the point of writing is to make the controversial beautiful.
Best bookstore you've ever been to?
Skylight Books in Los Angeles. It's my favorite neighborhood haunt.
What historical literary destination would you most like to visit?
Galt's Gulch.
Is Facebook good for you?
I’m a debut novelist, so I'll take any exposure I can get.
What about Amazon?
Yes. I’ve been in the middle of a conversation with people about my book when they've bought it on their smart phones.
Do you own an e-reader?
No. I generally read heavier books at home and lighter ones when I travel.
Which will last longer: cable TV or the printed word?
I recently heard someone say that the HBO series is the new novel. That makes me more optimistic for TV than it makes me pessimistic for the printed word.
What non-literary profession would you find most compelling to pursue?
I’d die on the barricade trying to convert the United States to the metric system.
What is one of your vices?
Nocturnality.
What is one of your prejudices?
People who don’t find me funny.
Favorite books of the past few years?
I'll read anything by Miranda July, Nick Hornby or Augusten Burroughs.
Favorite word?
“Yes.” It only takes one to get a book published.