Author Interview: Leslie Handler "Rats, Mice, and Other Things You Can't Take To The Bank"
Author Leslie Handler tells the inspiration behind her latest book, Rats, Mice, and Other Things You Can't Take To The Bank. Leslie Handler is a 2015 Society of Newspaper Columnists award winner. She’s an international syndicated columnist with Senior Wire News Service and a frequent contributor to WHYY and CityWide Stories. She freelances for The Philadelphia Inquirer, ZestNow, and Boomercafe, as well as blogs for HuffPost. Her book, Rats, Mice, and Other Things You Can’t Take to the Bank, is available on Amazon and where other fine books are sold.
The Book Cove: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
Leslie Handler: I grew up in Texas and The Cayman Islands. I married a Yankee thirty seven years ago and now I live in the Northeast with my husband and a zoo consisting of dogs, saltwater fish, a bird, and various tenants who have not actually been invited.
TBC: How long have you been writing?
LH: Now this is a unique story. Although my degree is in Journalism, I never used it. My life took me into different career directions. For twenty years, I've been battling recurrent tongue cancers. For fifteen of those years, I was able to continue to work, but eventually, the cancers came to quickly and too frequently. My employer finally forced me to go out on disability. Since then, there have been long periods of illness, but also periods of grace. Knowing that I could never hold down a job again, I needed and started searching for a creative outlet. One day, an experience happened to me that I write about in my book. When that happened, I couldn't stop thinking about it for two days. I finally got up in the middle of the night to sit at my computer and write about it. It was only then, after I got my thoughts out on "paper" that I was able to go back to sleep with a clear mind. Something possessed me to submit the story to a local publication. Not only did they want to publish the story, they asked if I had more. I sat down and wrote another piece and then they asked if I wanted a contract. A new hobby was born!
TBC: What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
LH: As a freelance syndicated columnist, I've had the fortune of writing what I want, when I want. Not all of my essays find homes. In an effort not only to find homes for them, but also to be able to share them so that others can learn from my mistakes, Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can't Take to the Bank was born.
TBC: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
LH: Actually, the hardest part is not in the writing of the book. Most of us writers write because we love it. We love the creativity and we even love the solitude. Once published, that's where all the real work starts. Putting myself out there to promote the book is tough. The nice part though is that even the promotion has its rewards. Meeting readers who've been touch by my stories is an amazing thing. When people tell me that a particular story really resonated with them, that's when I feel most grateful.
TBC: Do you often develop characters from your personal experiences or draw from that of others?
LH: I only write nonfiction. So all of my stories include true life experiences. They say that sometimes "truth" can put a spin on things that the best fiction can't create. I always hope that readers see themselves in what I write and that they're able to reflect on that.
TBC: Is your writing genre one that you read a lot of?
LH: I read a lot, period. I absolutely like to read other nonfiction essay collections and humor, but I also love historical fiction. I read whatever sways me at the time; however, you will never find me reading romance or horror...just not my thing.
TBC: What is your next writing project?
LH: I'm not quite sure yet. With Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can't Take to the Bank, author profits are going to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Hopefully, the royalties will be enough to make a difference. Once I know how well the book does, perhaps I'll have a better idea of whether I should put another collection of essays together or just continue to publish through my freelance work.
TBC: Now for one of my favorite requests - tell us a random fun fact about yourself.
I have a gazillion hobbies and no time to pursue them all. I recently realized that pretty much all of them are solitary. I wonder what that says about me? They include of course writing, but also, sewing, jewelry making, flute playing, scuba diving, swimming, walking, and reading...in no particular order. Although when the weather is warm, I do socialize by taking long walks with friends and/or a dog.
The Book Cove: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Leslie Handler: I grew up in Texas and The Cayman Islands. I married a Yankee thirty seven years ago and now I live in the Northeast with my husband and a zoo consisting of dogs, saltwater fish, a bird, and various tenants who have not actually been invited.
TBC: How long have you been writing?
LH: Now this is a unique story. Although my degree is in Journalism, I never used it. My life took me into different career directions. For twenty years, I've been battling recurrent tongue cancers. For fifteen of those years, I was able to continue to work, but eventually, the cancers came to quickly and too frequently. My employer finally forced me to go out on disability. Since then, there have been long periods of illness, but also periods of grace. Knowing that I could never hold down a job again, I needed and started searching for a creative outlet. One day, an experience happened to me that I write about in my book. When that happened, I couldn't stop thinking about it for two days. I finally got up in the middle of the night to sit at my computer and write about it. It was only then, after I got my thoughts out on "paper" that I was able to go back to sleep with a clear mind. Something possessed me to submit the story to a local publication. Not only did they want to publish the story, they asked if I had more. I sat down and wrote another piece and then they asked if I wanted a contract. A new hobby was born!
TBC: How have you survived twenty years of recurrent cancers with such a positive outlook?
LH: We all have challenges in our lives. Cancer isn't my only one. We don't always have control over what happens to us, but we do have control over how we react to it. Ok, so I have cancers that keep coming back. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop going to the doctor to get check ups. It doesn't mean I'm going to ignore it and bury my head in the sand. My reaction is to constantly stay on top of it and to live my life in as healthy a way as I can. So I lost a lot of weight and I exercise regularly. My reaction is to do whatever I can to make it better. Although I do believe in positive thinking, I know that just thinking happy thoughts doesn't change a bad situation. At the same time, I don't have to wallow in the bad stuff and make it worse. If I get in a fender bender, I don't back my car up and crash it again just to make matters worse. Instead, I try to actually be grateful for the stupid fender bender! What? Yes, really. I try to think about how much worse it could have been and how fortunate I am to have survived it. Believe me, there are millions of people in the world who are much, much worse off than I am. I get to wake up every morning, look into the mirror, see a bunch of wrinkles and be grateful that I've lived long enough to see them!
TBC: What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
LH: As a freelance syndicated columnist, I've had the fortune of writing what I want, when I want. Not all of my essays find homes. In an effort not only to find homes for them, but also to be able to share them so that others can learn from my mistakes, Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can't Take to the Bank was born.
TBC: What was the hardest part about writing this book?
LH: Actually, the hardest part is not in the writing of the book. Most of us writers write because we love it. We love the creativity and we even love the solitude. Once published, that's where all the real work starts. Putting myself out there to promote the book is tough. The nice part though is that even the promotion has its rewards. Meeting readers who've been touch by my stories is an amazing thing. When people tell me that a particular story really resonated with them, that's when I feel most grateful.
TBC: Do you often develop characters from your personal experiences or draw from that of others?
LH: I only write nonfiction. So all of my stories include true life experiences. They say that sometimes "truth" can put a spin on things that the best fiction can't create. I always hope that readers see themselves in what I write and that they're able to reflect on that.
TBC: Are your comfortable writing in different genres? What is your go-to genre?
LH: No. I don't feel I'm creative enough to write fiction. That's a talent I just don't have. I write nonfiction because that's what I know. My publisher has various divisions they publish under. I was surprised when they wanted to publish the book under the HOPress umbrella, which offers up mostly humor books. I've never felt my writing was laugh-out-loud funny, but there are a whole lot of chuckles throughout the book sprinkled with lots of heartfelt candor. So I guess now you can call me and inspirational humor writer.
LH: No. I don't feel I'm creative enough to write fiction. That's a talent I just don't have. I write nonfiction because that's what I know. My publisher has various divisions they publish under. I was surprised when they wanted to publish the book under the HOPress umbrella, which offers up mostly humor books. I've never felt my writing was laugh-out-loud funny, but there are a whole lot of chuckles throughout the book sprinkled with lots of heartfelt candor. So I guess now you can call me and inspirational humor writer.
TBC: Is your writing genre one that you read a lot of?
LH: I read a lot, period. I absolutely like to read other nonfiction essay collections and humor, but I also love historical fiction. I read whatever sways me at the time; however, you will never find me reading romance or horror...just not my thing.
TBC: Do you have a favorite writing theme?
LH: I guess you could say my life is my theme. People can tell a whole lot about who I am when they read my work. I'm totally an open book (pun completely intended). If I see homeless people, I write about them. If my husband makes me laugh, I write about him. If i have an epic fail physically or emotionally, I write about it. But I also love to share stories about when I get back up from a fall, because I ALWAYS get back up. Those are the stories I love to share most.
LH: I guess you could say my life is my theme. People can tell a whole lot about who I am when they read my work. I'm totally an open book (pun completely intended). If I see homeless people, I write about them. If my husband makes me laugh, I write about him. If i have an epic fail physically or emotionally, I write about it. But I also love to share stories about when I get back up from a fall, because I ALWAYS get back up. Those are the stories I love to share most.
TBC: When did you decide that it was time to take your writing public?
LH: Originally, this was purely by accident. I wrote a story. It resonated with an editor. It then resonated with his readers. Once I realized that I could actually write and that people actually enjoyed reading my work, I was hooked. I found in me a new passion that was apparently there all along, but I had never tapped into.
LH: Originally, this was purely by accident. I wrote a story. It resonated with an editor. It then resonated with his readers. Once I realized that I could actually write and that people actually enjoyed reading my work, I was hooked. I found in me a new passion that was apparently there all along, but I had never tapped into.
TBC: Is writing your first job?
LH: Since I am no longer able to work at a real job, freelancing is perfect for me. When I'm ill, I have no obligations and can heal in my own time. When I'm doing well, I can write. It's a perfect fit.
LH: Since I am no longer able to work at a real job, freelancing is perfect for me. When I'm ill, I have no obligations and can heal in my own time. When I'm doing well, I can write. It's a perfect fit.
TBC: Writers block is inevitable. Either a plot is not developing how you want or something about your character(s) feels missing. What’s something that you do to help find new inspiration?
LH: I keep a running list of ideas. I started out keeping a notepad at my bedside. When I woke up in the middle of the night, an idea might pop into my head. I found that if I didn't write it down immediately, I would not remember it in the morning. Eventually, ideas started popping into my head when I was driving or doing other things that certainly didn't allow me to stop what I was doing and jot it down. So now I use Siri on my Iphone. I just ask her to take a note for me. When I have quiet time to sit at my computer and write, I go through my notes and find inspiration from ideas I jotted down in the past.
LH: I keep a running list of ideas. I started out keeping a notepad at my bedside. When I woke up in the middle of the night, an idea might pop into my head. I found that if I didn't write it down immediately, I would not remember it in the morning. Eventually, ideas started popping into my head when I was driving or doing other things that certainly didn't allow me to stop what I was doing and jot it down. So now I use Siri on my Iphone. I just ask her to take a note for me. When I have quiet time to sit at my computer and write, I go through my notes and find inspiration from ideas I jotted down in the past.
TBC: What is your next writing project?
LH: I'm not quite sure yet. With Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can't Take to the Bank, author profits are going to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Hopefully, the royalties will be enough to make a difference. Once I know how well the book does, perhaps I'll have a better idea of whether I should put another collection of essays together or just continue to publish through my freelance work.
TBC: Now for one of my favorite requests - tell us a random fun fact about yourself.
I have a gazillion hobbies and no time to pursue them all. I recently realized that pretty much all of them are solitary. I wonder what that says about me? They include of course writing, but also, sewing, jewelry making, flute playing, scuba diving, swimming, walking, and reading...in no particular order. Although when the weather is warm, I do socialize by taking long walks with friends and/or a dog.
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