Tracy Krauss talks about My Mother the Man-Eater

As an avid reader, I love the chance to ask authors questions about their books and “get behind the scenes.” I find it fascinating to learn how the stories, characters and scenes of the book grew in the author’s mind. In this interview, I chatted with author Tracy Krauss about her novel, My Mother the Man-Eater. (Yes, Tracy tells us about how she picked the title for her novel!)

My Mother the Man-Eater by Tracy Krauss

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TKM: Can you give us the short, quick description?

Tracy Krauss: Here is the short version of the press release. Not to include a spoiler, but the “outlet” is faith in God. 🙂

Loaded with humour, action, intrigue and romance, My Mother the Man-Eater is the exciting story of a woman whose search for meaning in life finds an unexpected outlet. Joleen Allen is on the hunt for a man. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets one, he falls for one of her daughters instead!

At forty-four, Joleen has lived a tough life. She became a mother at 16, and her five daughters are now grown. Her ex-husband, Harold, is out of prison and back in the picture, looking for revenge. He’ll stop at nothing—even murder—to ruin Joleen’s reputation as well as her relationship with their daughters. My Mother the Man-Eater makes for some truly tempting and redemptive reading.

TKM: Where did you get the idea for My Mother the Man-Eater?

Tracy: Believe it or not, this book was inspired while playing the Sims. Really. This was several years ago when the game first came out and I admit, I had a lot of fun (and wasted a lot of time) playing it. My husband calls it “Barbies for big girls.” Anyway, the interesting characters and the twisted inter-relationships that developed mushroomed into the idea for My Mother the Man-Eater.

Of course, the plot became much deeper as I began to write, and includes such potentially “hot” topics as abuse, prostitution, promiscuity, and drug use. However, despite the darker aspects, My Mother the Man-Eater also has a lot of humour in it. There is lots of action and intrigue as well. The real message is one of redemption—God accepts anyone despite their past or present circumstances.

TKM: My Mother the Man-Eater has an, um, shocking title. How did you choose it?

Tracy: The maunscript was originally titled Mother of the Bride. However, I felt that this did not really describe the true nature of the book. The main character is a “cougar”—the term for an older woman out to attract younger men. Also, the plot twists and turns as her own daughters become involved in her various romantic escapades and eventually find redemption as well.

The title just came to me one day when I was trying to think of something that would better suit the novel and also catch the attention of prospective readers. I think My Mother the Man-Eater does both.

TKM: What other projects are you working on right now?

Tracy: My goodness. I just had one of my original plays published—“Ebenezer’s Christmas Carol”—a comedic twist on the classic available through Pioneer Drama Services. I have written a lot of plays and so I am pitching, pitching, pitching!

I’m also in the process of directing an original play based on “A MidSummer Night’s Dream” so after the performance dates, I plan to pitch that one as well. I also have one manuscript ready for publication, one to finish revising and three others in the rough stages. I did the NaNoWriMo thing in November so I’m looking forward to expanding on that one. Life is always busy.

TKM: What is the most rewarding part of writing a novel?

Tracy: There are so many rewards. If writing is your element—your place of passion—the whole process is rewarding. I really enjoyed the freedom to just write without stopping to edit during the NaNo month, and actually finishing a manuscript that you’ve started is a wonderful feeling, too. It has been tremendously satisfying to see my work in print, too, I must say.

TKM: What is your best piece of advice for other writers?

Tracy: Keep on writing. Keep on submitting. Keep on honing your craft. I’m not sure I can offer much beyond that since I feel that I am learning myself every day. Finding a writer’s support group is also something I recommend, whether it is an online group or an “in the flesh” group. We need the encouragement, advise and honest criticism of people that are like minded.