Meet John Malik, Author of Doughnuts for Amy
What inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always been a story teller and can remember writing a short story for my mom when I was in 5th grade. Eventually I received a degree in English Literature, I studied and read a lot of Shakespeare, Eudora Welty, Jane Austen, Faulkner as well as some of the great philosophers but at the same time I was also becoming a professional cook. After graduating I went right into culinary school where I met my future wife Amy. I wrote bits and pieces for years, mostly stuff for Amy, the occasional poem or love letter. In 2001 we opened our restaurant, 33 Liberty, and soon I was writing weekly for our website. Essays on food, produce, farmers, our kids, airplanes, pastries and whatever else struck my fancy. Several of my articles were picked up by the local newspaper or other websites and from there I just kept going. In 2008 we closed the restaurant and I was hired by a retirement community. I did that for three years and it was such a life changing experience I chronicled those experiences into my novel.
How did you come up with the idea for Doughnuts for Amy?
On April Fool’s day in 2010 the retirement community I worked for got a new management company, lots of people were laid off and many of the residents were furious over the changes. The new company also made several missteps that did not reflect well on their part. Yet my new boss was an amazing woman, compassionate and driven, determined to make our community a leader and innovator. Two months into her tenure she asked her department heads to “do rounds, just like a doctor would, go meet someone new, someone in another department, a family member, a visitor, then write me and tell me who you met or what you did.” Soon my 50 word emails blossomed into 500 word essays and she eventually told me that my essays would be the highlight of her day. She was very complimentary and would often tell me that I should be writing a book. So one day I thought about it, I took a long bike ride and came up with the story line, then wrote the outline, sat down with my wife and talked it over then went from there.
What do you think readers will enjoy most about your book?
It is very romantic. It’s an old fashioned love story about two people, one a widower and one divorced, falling in love and the obstacles they must both overcome. A lot of people have told me that they actually cheered at the end. Plus there’s a lot of great food and cooking scenes.
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
Read what other successful authors have done, how they persevered and emulate them, and writing the book is the easy part, marketing is the tough part so you better have a plan for snagging readers.
Are you currently working on other books?
Yes I’m working on a second novel, a continuation of Doughnuts for Amy, it’s going to be a murder mystery.
You can find out more about John Malik and Doughnuts for Amy by visiting http://chefjohnmalik.com.
I’ve always been a story teller and can remember writing a short story for my mom when I was in 5th grade. Eventually I received a degree in English Literature, I studied and read a lot of Shakespeare, Eudora Welty, Jane Austen, Faulkner as well as some of the great philosophers but at the same time I was also becoming a professional cook. After graduating I went right into culinary school where I met my future wife Amy. I wrote bits and pieces for years, mostly stuff for Amy, the occasional poem or love letter. In 2001 we opened our restaurant, 33 Liberty, and soon I was writing weekly for our website. Essays on food, produce, farmers, our kids, airplanes, pastries and whatever else struck my fancy. Several of my articles were picked up by the local newspaper or other websites and from there I just kept going. In 2008 we closed the restaurant and I was hired by a retirement community. I did that for three years and it was such a life changing experience I chronicled those experiences into my novel.
How did you come up with the idea for Doughnuts for Amy?
On April Fool’s day in 2010 the retirement community I worked for got a new management company, lots of people were laid off and many of the residents were furious over the changes. The new company also made several missteps that did not reflect well on their part. Yet my new boss was an amazing woman, compassionate and driven, determined to make our community a leader and innovator. Two months into her tenure she asked her department heads to “do rounds, just like a doctor would, go meet someone new, someone in another department, a family member, a visitor, then write me and tell me who you met or what you did.” Soon my 50 word emails blossomed into 500 word essays and she eventually told me that my essays would be the highlight of her day. She was very complimentary and would often tell me that I should be writing a book. So one day I thought about it, I took a long bike ride and came up with the story line, then wrote the outline, sat down with my wife and talked it over then went from there.
What do you think readers will enjoy most about your book?
It is very romantic. It’s an old fashioned love story about two people, one a widower and one divorced, falling in love and the obstacles they must both overcome. A lot of people have told me that they actually cheered at the end. Plus there’s a lot of great food and cooking scenes.
What advice would you give to a new author trying to get their book published?
Read what other successful authors have done, how they persevered and emulate them, and writing the book is the easy part, marketing is the tough part so you better have a plan for snagging readers.
Are you currently working on other books?
Yes I’m working on a second novel, a continuation of Doughnuts for Amy, it’s going to be a murder mystery.
You can find out more about John Malik and Doughnuts for Amy by visiting http://chefjohnmalik.com.
Stacie Theis / beachboundbooks@yahoo.com / copyright 2012