Author Rachel Hamman of Bye-Bye Boardroom: Confessions from a New Breed of Stay-at-home Moms. The book is written in diary format, provides insights into the hearts and minds of almost 30 women who left the comfort of corner offices for the chaotic and most challenging positions of their lives — becoming full-time, stay-at-home moms.
She’s not your ordinary soccer mom. She has been named one of the “Most Remarkable Women” by Barbara Walter’s ABC show, The View. Rachel has been featured in Glamour magazine for her philanthropic advances and has also been recognized for her ongoing community endeavors by being tapped as one of the “Eckerd 100 Outstanding National Volunteers.”
I interviewed Rachel Hamman who shows that an unpublished writer can get there with a little networking and persistence.
How did you get started in writing?
I wrote poetry as a teenager and didn’t start writing again until 1 1/2
years ago. (Proving it’s never too late to start again!)
How did you come up with the idea for the book?
The idea for the book was taking a page out of my real life. (They do say
that truth is stranger than fiction!) After I started on the concept, I then
decided that it would be more interesting to include other short stories
from other Moms, like myself, who decided to trade in their corner office
for carpool duty.
How did you find and select contributors?
The contributors came from a variety of sources. Some were friends and some were friends of friends. I posted a request for story submissions on a few separate mom-based websites, as well as taking out an ad in the back of
Parenting Magazine. Word of mouth proved to be the most successful method.
I am actually taking story submissions for my next book, Mortified Mommies. The stories I am seeking are ones where your ordinarily cherubic child did or said something to embarrass you. If you have ever been in the spot where your child made you laugh so hard you that you cried or he or she had you turning several shades of crimson, then now is your chance to get published!
How did you get recognized on The View?
Yes, I was on The View a few years back. I was nominated by my sister for “The Most Remarkable Woman” segment. They selected four women from across the country who had started different charitable organizations.
They flew us to New York, took us to Bloomingdales to dress us for our appearance on the show. The charity received a $5,000 grant and I received a weekend with no children!
Did you have an agent before publishing your first book? If so, how did you select the person and why did you decide to have one?
I did not have an agent for the book, but it was not for lack of trying. I had approached several agents with the idea for the book and was given a polite “Thank you, but no thank you” form letter.
About the same time, a friend of mine in the publishing industry gave my partial manuscript to Capital Books and they loved the idea. So, it was a case of having friends who happened to be pulling for me!
Thank you, Rachel!