Interview with Mira Peck, author of My Men

Inside the Book:

Title: My Men 

Author: Mira Peck 

Publisher: iUniverse 

Pages: 322 

Genre: Fiction 

Format: Ebook

Alina Sherwin has had to fight for every victory in her life. Raised in Poland, she moves to Australia with her family as a young girl. There, in the early 1970s, she becomes the first woman in her state to graduate with an engineering degree and quickly finds that her new industry won’t employ her. Undaunted by rejection from the Australian scientific community and encouraged by her new American husband, Wayne, Alina decides to move again, in hopes of finding what she desires in his homeland.

To her distress, Wayne’s unconditional love is marred by his desire for an open marriage. She is shocked—and intrigued. Convinced that Wayne would make a great father, she resolves to have a baby with him, as long as his yearning is limited to words. On a return visit to Poland, Alina regains confidence in her abilities and finds peace in leaving her childhood behind. The American society that spawned a secular constitution and a vibrant feminist movement, promises to be an inspiring new home. Alina is ready to seek fulfillment once again.  

The Interview:

What was the hardest part about writing your book? 

Fashioning a coherent plot.

Do you have a favorite excerpt from the book? If so, can you share it? 

The ending: “Poland would forever claim my affection as the place where I blossomed, and now it was time to move on. America had its own dark elements, but a society which spawned a secular constitution and a vibrant feminist movement promised an inspiring new home. Would I be lucky yet again? I was ready to find out.”

What do you hope readers will take away after reading the book? 

That women can be smart, strong and kind.

Who or what is the inspiration for the book?

People who defied stereotypes, such as Dr. Rosalind Franklin, Amelia Earhart, and Bella Abzug.

Have you had a mentor? If so, can you talk about them a little? 

I had a mentor during my corporate career, but my writing benefited greatly from the constructive critiques of my writing group and several workshop leaders, especially Catherine Doty.

I have heard it said in order to be a good writer, you have to be a reader as well? Do you find this to be true? And if you are a reader, do you have a favorite genre and/or author? 

I am a voracious reader in many genres: poetry, fiction, history, autobiographies, detective stories. Some favorite authors are Jon Krakauer, Howard Fast, Erica Jong, Maya Angelou, Louis de Bernieres, John Irving, Richard Zachs, Wislawa Szymborska, Julian Tuwim.

Meet the Author:

Like Alina, her protagonist in My Men, Mira Peck grew up in Poland and Australia and built a career in the United States. She has degrees in chemical engineering, business, and law. She has received a Goldfinch Prize twice for her writing (prose, 2010; poetry, 2011), and from the San Francisco 2012 Book Festival for Sour Cherry Tree, a multi-genre collection. She and her husband, David, have two children and live in Denville, New Jersey.