A particularly difficult part about writing stories for this book is that they are, by design, breaking the rules of what we’re taught to share and talk about in our North American society. As such, writing these stories felt at times incredibly tender and poignant, and at other times incredibly raw, and exposing. This is why I believe that contributors showed so much courage in participating in this project.
Heather Hendrie – 19 May 2023
The Back Flap
These are the untold tales of our times.
This hand-selected crew of emerging writers share brave, true stories that the world needs right now. If you’ve ever gotten drunk, peed your pants in public, or gone on a bad date, you’ll find solace here. This is a courageous tell-all, from the trenches of Tinder, to the kinds of experiences with tiny toilets that we’ve all been told to keep to ourselves. These refreshing pages contain the kind of poignant and hilarious truth-telling that have the power to heal us all.
This project was conceived by Heather Hendrie and two of her best friends when they scooped her up to console her after a particularly bad date—to provide the same support to others, in literary form.
Heather is a creative radical who’s spent years fumbling through life and figuring it out as she goes (not unlike the rest of us). She’s travelled the world on a shoestring and a whim, and spent far too many hours lying in bed alone (or on the toilet in the bar) swiping through to the end of the Tinder-verse.
From her humble beginnings as a Ms Frizzle look-alike guiding bus tours through landfills in Calgary, she’s learned a lot about life by stumbling her way from one disaster to another. Heather has also used these life experiences to become a clinical counsellor, and through that work and her humble, intimate writing style, she reaches out a hand to all the rest of us, as we all simply Bumble our way through life, together.
About the book
What is the book about?
awfully hilarious is about the moments we’ve been taught to keep to ourselves. This compilation of stories by emerging writers highlights their embarrassing or taboo moments, reminding us all that we are never alone, especially when we’re at our worst.
When did you start writing the book?
awfully hilarious began as a phone conversation in January, 2022.
How long did it take you to write it?
awfully hilarious came together very quickly after that initial phone call, hitting shelves on Valentine’s/Palentine’s day 2023!
Where did you get the idea from?
awfully hilarious was born of one very bad date and the ensuing phone calls with friends.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
A particularly difficult part about writing stories for this book is that they are, by design, breaking the rules of what we’re taught to share and talk about in our North American society. As such, writing these stories felt at times incredibly tender and poignant, and at other times incredibly raw, and exposing. This is why I believe that contributors showed so much courage in participating in this project.
What came easily?
Once the idea took shape, it wanted to unfold, so folks poured forth to support and bring the book to its present form in record time.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
awfully hilarious is a work of creative non-fiction, so all of the experiences on these pages are real, with names and details changed so as to protect folks who may not have signed up to have their stories shared in this way.
We all know 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?
Augusten Burroughs inspired me deeply by the way he weaves together poignancy and humour. In particular, his book of short Christmas essays entitled, You Better not Cry really inspired me to pull together a thematically organized collection of memoir essays. I’m also regularly inspired by the vulnerable truth-telling characteristic of Glennon Doyle, Liz Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed and others. And of course, this book never would have come to be had it not been for the magic and brilliance of bell hooks. all about love is everything.
Do you have a target reader?
Yes! While we’d love awfully hilarious to speak to anyone it reaches, it was truly written with folks in mind who are currently experiencing the world of online dating, or feeling moments of shame, despair and aloneness. The project was conceived by 3 female bodied folks in our 30s/40s.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Ha! In short, no. I’m spontaneous, messy, flowy, and I just write like mad when the urge hits! I’ve never been one to be able to sit down regularly, in a disciplined way. It tends to all come pouring out like a fire hose on certain days of the month.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
As above. I pour it all out onto the page, then come back to it and edit repeatedly.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I tend to pour it all onto the page, then come back to edit at the end, as these skills tend to use very different parts of my brain. It seems I often don’t hold those two capacities on the same day or at the same time!
Did you hire a professional editor? than self-publishing)
Yes. Meghan Power, and she’s phenomenal J
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No, generally I need silence, but some instrumental music really helps me find calm and flow, most recently anything by the lovely Hania Rani.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No. I never have, but I would be open to it in the future.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher?
We dreamt up this idea ourselves and planned initially to simply print it on paper as a ‘zine. We wanted to keep our words our own, and to do it our way. It grew into its current book form with the support and help of a lot of talented friends, and volunteer contributors.
Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
The whole thing evolved as a process from start to finish. We never could have predicted during that first phone call how things would end up.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
Our dear friend, brand-strategist and web-designer Ken Braithwaite of Ethos Design did it for us from the goodness of his heart (with colours and imagery inspired through a poll of our group of friends!)
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
We’ve been winging it all from day one, haha!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Have fun with it! You won’t likely make money, so focus on the fun, the sense of fulfillment, and the joy you experience through the process as you bring your gift to others.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I’m orginally from Guelph, Ontario (where I met Ken Braithwaite, our designer, in high school. Our two proofreaders are also from Guelph).
Where do you live now?
I now live in Squamish, BC, and am about to move up to Whistler.
What would you like readers to know about you?
That I may be a lot like you, so you can do this too! And that it took many nights of feeling very alone, for me to learn how we might one day walk one another home…
What are you working on now?
My next book! A personal memoir addressing my experience living with, growing through, and ultimately thriving with a severe hormone disorder.
End of Interview:
For more from Heather Hendrie check out her website and follow her on Instagram. You can also sign up for a newsletter about awfully hilarious and possibly more to come at this website as well as follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Get your copy of awfully hilarious from Amazon US or Amazon UK.