Recently, I found myself looking out the window from the passenger seat, a practically unknown spot materializing on a back road last driven too many years before. These kinds of places leave marks in memories, even if we’re unable to map them into anything tangible.
Debut author, Megan Ciampo knows these places well. In her novel, Dodging Raindrops, Maeve Fitzpatrick longs for those spots on the map she once called home. Keep reading to learn more about Megan’s writing journey, her debut novel, and what comes next!
Let's start at the beginning, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I've always been interested in writing but I didn't seriously consider it until a I took a creative writing class as an elective during the spring semester of my sophomore year at Rutgers. We had to write a three-page story and I realized I wanted to take it a lot further than that so I submitted the three pages and kept the idea in my head. Bits of that three page paper are actually scattered throughout Dodging Raindrops!
Dodging Raindrops follows Maeve struggling through post-college life. Was there anything from your real life experience that inspired you?
In one way or another, most things in Dodging Raindrops have been inspired by my life or my friends' lives. I've switched some details around and combined scenarios to fit the story I was trying to tell but there is plenty of real-life inspiration! I think there's a little bit of all of us in Maeve and her struggles.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between?
I try to be a plotter but I definitely fell more in the "somewhere in between" category while writing Dodging Raindrops. I plotted out the basics and they stayed the same through the entire process but most of the details and pages became on-the-whim creations!
Where is your favorite place to write?
If you asked me this six months ago, I would have said Newburyport, Massachusetts, a really small town on the coast of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But now, after spending the COVID-19 quarantine at my parents' house in Goshen, New York, their house is by far my favorite place to write. I wrote 75% of Dodging Raindrops sitting at a wrought-iron table in their front yard!
Did you curate a playlist for your book while writing, or is music too distracting for your process?
I listened to a lot of country music, especially while writing the parts about her hometown, but I also found myself writing a lot with headphones on but nothing playing. It all depended on what part of the story I was working on.
What Hogwarts house would you sort Maeve into and why?
Fun fact: I never got into the Harry Potter series! I remember reading the first book and seeing the first movie but I also have vivid memories of being scared after watching the first few minutes of the second movie. In my defense, I was seven! But, either way, I still haven't made it past that point in the books or the movies!
Without too many spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write for Dodging Raindrops?
There's a scene in the beginning of Dodging Raindrops where Maeve goes back to her hometown for the first time. I wrote it last fall after spending the majority of a few months away from my hometown. I remember driving down the streets and being struck by a weird sense of nostalgia.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers just starting out on their journey?
It's simple and kind of cliche but keep writing - write for yourself and write the story you want to tell! Every writer has good days and bad days and yes, the bad days always seem like they outnumber the good ones but stick with it. And, as you get toward the end of the story, finish it. That was my biggest struggle. I got to the point where I had three or four chapters left to write and I started hating everything that I was writing. I was ready to throw in the towel and a friend of mine told me I had to finish it. He said "If you hate it after you finish it, you can throw it away. But you have to finish it or you'll always wonder 'what if.'" And, he was right. I finished it, loved it, and published it! So, keep writing and finish your story!
What comes next? Is there another project you will be working on following the publication of Dodging Raindrops?
I told myself that I was going to take a bit of a writing break because this one took a lot of time but I've already gotten a few ideas for a sequel so I don't think the break will last too long! Right now, I'm definitely enjoying the release of Dodging Raindrops but I think Maeve's story will continue soon!
About Dodging Raindrops
For the past decade, Maeve Fitzpatrick has started every January 1st with the creation of a New Year’s Resolution list, always with the intention of bettering herself. List after list, month after month, year after year, items remain unaccomplished and, eventually, forgotten.
After trading her small town on Florida’s Gulf Coast for the crowded streets of New York City and underestimating the struggles of living on her own, Maeve decides to follow her list to a T this year, no matter what it takes.
The ‘just graduated from college’ thing seemed difficult on its own but when a pompous boss, relationship problems, being overworked in a cutthroat industry, losing friendships, bouts of jealousy, and another overseas deployment get added to her plate, she can’t avoid the temptation of booking a one-way flight back to Florida.
Will help from handwritten letters, video chats, new friends, and her always-supportive family, allow Maeve to successfully navigate a new life in a new city?
About Megan Ciampo
Megan Ciampo was born and raised in Goshen, New York before studying Communications at Rutgers Univeristy. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including WeKnowTheDJ and ABC7NY. Dodging Raindrops is her debut novel. Find out more about Megan at meganciampo.com.
Follow Megan and her writing journey on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Thanks for chatting, Megan!
