It’s time for another Meet the Author interview! These interviews are an absolute treasure trove of wisdom from experienced writers—I always learn something, and I know you’ll find a gem or two here as well.
I met Meryl while on vacation earlier this year! (One reason I love staying in true, actual bed and breakfasts: You never know who you’ll meet! Such a delight.) Meryl has an impressive writing resume and so much cool stuff to share with us about her experiences.
Meryl Davids Landau is the author of several award-winning novels with a yoga theme, including most recently, Yoga Bind. She's also a journalist who's written for the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, Prevention, and many other publications.
How did you decide to start writing your books?
I've been a health journalist for many years but yoga and mindfulness are serious passions. One day I looked at my home bookshelf and realized I had a lot of yoga books and a lot of women's fiction—my favorite category for reading—but I had never come across a book that bridged the two.
Sure, there are novels about yoga, but most treat the practice with fluff or satire. My novels are for serious practitioners and deal with how the main character tries to keep her inner peace no matter what's going on in her life.
In Yoga Bind, Janelle follows a guru and he's accused of sexual assault, then her boss betrays her too (affiliate link*). How she stays centered—with the help of her girlfriends, visiting cousin, search for her roots, and, of course, yoga—is key to the plot.
What mindset challenges do you encounter with writing? How do you overcome them?
There's an old joke: “What's the difference between someone with a novel in their head and someone who's published one?” The answer is "typing." It's always easy to find reasons not to sit down and move your fingers over the keyboard, but if you don't, the book's not getting written. When I was starting my first novel, there were many days when I'd tell myself I was going to work on it, but wouldn't.
Finally, I came up with a mental workaround that I still use and now recommend to everyone. Commit to yourself that you're going to write for 20 minutes, 5 days a week. That's it. On some days, when nothing comes, the 20 minutes feel like torture and then I stop. On other days I'm tuned in and the words flow and I continue for hours. Knowing that I'm only committing to the 20 minutes, though, always helps me get started.
What is something you love about the craft of writing?
As a health journalist, every word I write has to be factually accurate, and the publications check that it is. With fiction, I can create things from nothing. Of course it has to feel true, but the people, the scenery, the plots all come from my imagination, which is incredibly fun to do, especially during times when I feel tapped into a well of inspiration and it practically creates itself.
My second favorite part of writing a novel is when the first draft is written, because I love tightening all the words. From my journalism work I've learned that cutting improves everything, so I'm never afraid to take out the hatchet.
What has your publishing experience been like?
When my first novel, Downward Dog, Upward Fog, was finished, I tried to interest an agent in my work (affiliate link*). Several told me they loved the book but couldn't think of a publisher who would take it, since all the houses that did yoga books were strictly non-fiction. Eventually I decided to self-publish with Amazon/KDP and IngramSpark. There was a learning curve, but I love being in charge of every aspect.
I do believe if you're going to be your own publisher, you have to spend money the way a publisher does: I hire a copyeditor and proofreader, a cover designer and, for some of my books, a publicist.
I also enter the novels in contests, which costs money. But when Warrior Won received a prestigious Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award and Downward Dog, Upward Fog was named a Foreword Reviews fiction-book-of-the-year finalist, it boosted visibility and sales. I'm entering Yoga Bind in several relevant book competitions now (affiliate links*).
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What's next for you creatively?
My first two novels are told from the perspective of the character Lorna, whose good friend is Janelle. Yoga Bind is from Janelle's perspective.
I'm debating whether my next novel will be from the point of view of Janelle's cousin, Danny, or whether I want to start fresh with all new characters and locations. I will keep the same yoga themes, though, because my readers love that I've staked out this unique genre, which I've dubbed mindfulness/yoga beach reads.
What advice would you want to offer another writer?
When you first start, keep the fact that you're writing a book to yourself. If you tell others, they'll regularly ask how it's going and if it's not going well, that can derail you. Only when the book is well on its way and has its own momentum might you share the exciting news with friends and outsiders.
I loved Meryl’s advice to commit yourself to 20 minutes of writing on a regular basis. We can do pretty much anything for 20 minutes (and I know I regularly lose that amount of time to doing something silly, like scrolling on my phone!). Set a timer and see how you feel at the end of 20 minutes. If you’re done, at least you wrote for 20 minutes—and if you want to keep going, you’ve built momentum!
Be sure to check out Yoga Bind and Meryl’s other books!
P.S. What did you learn from this interview with Meryl? Reply and let me know! I'd love to hear from you.