It’s about a young girl (me) who’s homeless at 16 but pulls herself out of the gutter and puts herself through college, graduating with honors even though she’s a bit of a party animal; she uses good judgement and manages to not fuck up her life. 

Donna Stewart – 15 August 2018

The Back Flap

A thrill-seeking young adventuress heads to the most remote jungles of Mexico and straight into a gritty, grimy adventure story about friendship and crumbling walls. If you like true stories that are exciting, funny, informative and evidence of the inherent goodness of humanity.

About the book

What is the book about?

The ruins of the ancient Maya draw many adventurers into the jungles of Mexico and, once there, they usually find adventures aren’t hard to come by. Donna Stewart’s been on her own since the age of 16. She’d overcome a troubled childhood, homelessness, stereotypes, and predators who look for girls in those types of situations.  After putting herself through college and graduating with honors, she thought she was ready for anything. But when she finds herself alone in the jungle with no pesos, no understanding of the language, and forced to trust people she’d been told all her life she couldn’t…it didn’t take long for her to learn more about the world, human nature – and herself – than one, silly little white girl, could have ever imagined.

Walk in Donna Stewart’s Sandals, and you’ll stumble upon Mayan ruins, Zapatistas and really big spiders. You’ll come face to face with history and legend, kidnappers and temptation, friendship and heroism. You will cringe at her mistakes, but cheer her bravery. And you’ll probably chuckle more than once. Deep research about Chiapas, Mayan Mummies and the Zapatista movement are woven throughout the adventure, including details about the Mexican Revolution. This is a walk well worth taking.

When did you start writing the book?

When Trump started running on The Wall.

How long did it take you to write it?

Around a year and a half.

Where did you get the idea from?

This is a combination of my own adventures backpacking in Chiapas, Mexico and a deep desire to show others the common threads that run throughout all humanity, despite race, religion or culture, but especially to show the world the beauty of Mexico and her people.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I was determined to include the research on the Mexican Revolution and the Zapatista Movement, while at the same time sharing my true experience, which was hardly academic.  Despite the fact that my experiences are really funny and read almost like an Amy Poehler movie, it was important to me that the research be taken seriously. For that to happen, I needed to be taken seriously as the researcher while at the same time, maintaining authenticity and truth, and, truth is, I was a bit of an idiot in some of the stories.

What came easily?

The whole thing. The structure of the story, the words, I wrote much of the book stream of conscious and it just flowed. What’s hard is marketing it! I’m bad with self-promotion. I started it with the whole “if-you-write-it-they-will-read-it” philosophy but getting it in “their” hands? Not so easy. Fortunately, I did win an award so I know it’s not the writing.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The entire book is nonfiction, but it reads like a thriller.

How important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I can’t imagine someone being able to write who doesn’t read. I’ve had my nose in books since I was 7. Influences? Phew. A LOT. My family didn’t trust anything modern so I grew up reading the classics and when I say classics, I mean literally: Rudyard Kipling, O Henry, Shakespeare. Once I was choosing my own: Kurt Vonnegut, Richard Adams, C.S. Lewis, Barbara Kingsolver, Billy Bryson, J K Rowling, the list is long. Largest influence, as far as this book goes, is Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, because, I don’t know if everyone catches it, but he does quite a bit of environmental activism in his book. He tells, a fun, light hearted story but weaves in research and facts about the forest systems he visits and how they need help. I tell an exciting tale about a pretty girl in a foreign country trying to survive without a clue, but weave in information on Indigenous People’s experience in Mexico.

Do you have a target reader?

I think the book appeals to a lot of different kinds of readers. It’s about a young girl (me) who’s homeless at 16 but pulls herself out of the gutter and puts herself through college, graduating with honors even though she’s a bit of a party animal; she uses good judgement and manages to not fuck up her life. She believes in her dreams, chases them all the way to Mexico, then survives what she meets there, including being kidnapped, as well as Indiana Jonesesque experiences; uncovers and confronts unconscious racism planted deep within her psyche as a child; learns a lot about Mexico, but more about herself. There’s even a bit of steamy romance rising off the pages.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I start off stream of conscious to get going, then, like a sculptor, I scrape, I sand and I shape, over and over and over again.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Maybe a vague one, after I’ve gotten going.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Both, but first draft is all unedited. Then I go back.

Did you hire a professional editor

Nope. I’ve worked as an editor before so I relied on my own eyes, though it actually would have been nice to have the option.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Pandora’s MC Yogi station.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I started doing that a few months ago. But I self-published first.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

We’ve all heard the story about George Lucas peddling Star Wars and getting no bites, JK Rowling said she was turned down by everyone, Paulo Coehlo pitched The Alchemist for ten years…all those stories made me decide to try it on my own. I’ll admit, I didn’t know it was going to be such a barrier to agents, and traditional publishers when I did it. I didn’t know how to market, Oh there’s so much I didn’t know. Would I do it again? Well, that remains to be seen. Let’s see how I do once I learn more about marketing with this one. P.S. I did manage to attract an agent I met at a Writer’s Conference. We’re in the ‘getting to know you’ stage, but I have high hopes. Couldn’t imagine meeting someone I trust more right off the bat.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I did it myself. My 8 year old daughter took the photo.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I’m winging it, as is my style with everything I do, but I am starting to put together a little more organization. There is just SOOOO MUCH!

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Hmmmm…there’s nothing quite like seeing your book on the shelf in your favorite book store, not to mention holding your completed work in your own hands, but you should know that the “Industry” frowns upon self-publishers and once you hit “publish” it’s done and they don’t care if you just wanted to get a copy in your own hands and share with family as soon as possible. Once you hit “publish” they generally won’t consider you unless you make bookoos of money on your own. Then they’ll consider you to see if they can get a chunk of that, too. Otherwise, if you’ve self-published, they won’t even look at your book. I asked an agent about this and was told that they figure if you self-publish and can’t sell it yourself, then it must not be any good. That’s the company line.  But that doesn’t make sense to me at all, because most writers, like me, aren’t good salespeople, and you would think the book sellers know this. No, it feels more punitive to me. Like we’re being punished for having the audacity to bypass the system. But the system requires that you keep your baby in a box for 10 years or more while you query and wait, query and wait.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee and lived there til 17. I grew up, in every sense of the words, in Durango, Colorado.

Where do you live now?

Durango, Colorado.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I have been blessed with a wild, exciting life. I’ve got stacks of “you’ll never believe this!” stories. I am also voraciously curious, always learning, I’m a fighter, a survivor, an adventure junkie, and a sucker for the underdog. This combination makes for some pretty wild stories I look forward to sharing. In the end, my goal as a writer is to inspire people to be the best they can be despite any circumstances. That’s what I try to do myself. Sometimes I fail miserably, but I just keep getting back up and trying again.

What are you working on now?

After releasing Yoga Mama’s Buddha Sandals: Mayans, Zapatistas and Silly Little White Girls, people asked, “When are you going to write more about the stuff that happened in chapter 2??” Here it is. And it’ll be the most unusual travelogue through America you’ll ever read. Talk about cheap travel! I was homeless more or less at 16. No one is more surprised than me that I lived to write these stories down. This book is an exploration of incredible places across the U.S. as well as an often humorous story about survival, adventure, and divine intervention.

Could your car breaking down be one of the best things that ever happened to you? You’re never going to believe how many times I’ve been in cars that broke down and in some of the coolest places, the strangest circumstances. Brakes have failed, tires popped off while driving down the road, engines stalled and/or blew up–I’ve actually been in three cars that caught on fire, one of which burned to the ground, stranding me in the boondocks of Moscow, Tennessee, where locals swap stories of being attacked by swamp monkeys. All the stories are true. I’ve got witnesses. Sometimes very angry or annoyed witnesses.

I’m also lucky that many of these events coincided with a trip to somewhere extraordinary. From rebuilding my carburetor on a picnic table next to Billy the Kid’s grave site in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico, to Volkswagen Beetles catching on fire and burning to the ground in the swamp monkey-infested backwoods of Moscow, Tennessee, you’re just never gonna believe what happens. Oh, and I had a gun. So, girl with gun. Look for excerpts to start appearing periodically in my blog Summer 2018. Psst! This book is also for other kids out there who might be homeless or hopeless. I want to share tips on how you can get it together and pursue the life you used to dream about. This one won’t be out for a year, but my other book has some info too and you can get it from the library. Just ask them to order it. They’ll do it for free. Fill out a form and it’ll be on the way. I don’t have all the answers but maybe I have some that will work for you.

End of Interview:

For more from Donna, visit her blog.

Get your copy of Yoga Mama’s Buddha Sandals from Amazon US or Amazon UK.