I’m part of a number of Facebook writing groups, but my favorite by far is Fellowship of Human Authors. It’s a genuinely supportive community, and through it I’ve met some wonderfully interesting authors—many of whom you’ve already read about on this blog.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Maureen Cummins, the author of Paper World.
I haven’t read Paper World yet, though I’ve ordered a copy and plan to share a full review later. What caught my attention in the meantime was the response from readers. Again and again, reviews describe relatable characters, a fast-moving story, and themes that reflect struggles many people recognize from their own lives. Several readers mention finishing the book in just a few sittings and feeling a strong connection to the characters, which is always a sign that a story is resonating.
Below, Maureen talks candidly about her writing journey, the personal experiences that shaped Paper World, and what she’s working on next. I’m grateful she took the time to share her story, and I’m looking forward to reading the novel with this reader feedback in mind.
Interview with Maureen Cummins
How long have you been writing, and what first inspired you to start?
- I have been writing since college
- just little things here and there at first. I’d copy things down in my notebook whenever I’d get struck with a bitter or happy feeling. I found that getting it down on paper helped me get it out of my head for a while.
- I used it as a way to work through things I felt stuck with. Novel writing came much later.
- During COVID I was in Canada, not working and away from my family in the States. I’d been through a really tough breakup and the year following it was extremely painful. I thought to myself, “well, you could sit around indoors all day, or you could work through the sh*tstorm that was your mid-twenties.” Thankfully, I chose the latter, and Paper World was born of that desire to finally bury the past.
What genre do you write—and what genres do you personally love to read?
- I write mostly literary fiction, though I am exploring the realm of gothic horror with a dash of historical fiction.
- I like to write what I know, but I also like to hide a bit in the world of fiction. A little bit of dissociation when writing goes a long way, I like to think.
- As for reading, I love literary fiction, a good psychological thriller, classics, gothic horror and historical fiction or nonfiction.
Who are some of your favorite authors or books that have shaped you as a writer?
- My first love in the literary world was Ernest Hemmingway.
- I read a lot of him growing up, and The Sun Also Rises was my favorite as a teen. It made me respect and love “The Lost Generation” writers.
- Then, I moved on to Kurt Vonnegut (a character in Paper World sported his name as an homage) and I read through almost all of his work in my twenties.
- However, I think the book that shaped me the very most as a writer was Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo. It devastated me in a way I could never truly explain with words.
- That book didn’t leave me – emotionally or mentally speaking – for years. She is a visionary in the realm of emotionally destructive literature, and I knew that I wanted to write similar works upon discovering her.
For readers meeting you for the first time, how would you describe your writing style and the themes you gravitate toward?
- I always say that my goal in writing is to leave you devastated. I think that the beauty in reading and writing comes from its catharsis in many ways. I love Hemmingway’s brevity and how he can pull so much emotion out of you with few words.
- So, I tend to write similarly: I don’t use long-winded detail and try not to expound on a feeling too much. I dabble in stream-of-consciousness writing as well, so you feel like you’re actually experiencing the narrator’s mental status in real time.
- Their thoughts become your thoughts and by the end, you feel what they feel wholeheartedly, like you’ve become them.
- I like to write about mental health struggles, women’s issues, and generation trauma. In many ways, all three can be wrapped up within each other.
What’s the story behind your current book or series—what drew you into that world or these characters?
- I always say that my goal in writing is to leave you devastated. I think that the beauty in reading and writing comes from its catharsis in many ways.
- I love Hemmingway’s brevity and how he can pull so much emotion out of you with few words. So, I tend to write similarly: I don’t use long-winded detail and try not to expound on a feeling too much.
- I dabble in stream-of-consciousness writing as well, so you feel like you’re actually experiencing the narrator’s mental status in real time. Their thoughts become your thoughts and by the end, you feel what they feel wholeheartedly, like you’ve become them.
- I like to write about mental health struggles, women’s issues, and generation trauma. In many ways, all three can be wrapped up within each other.
“The plot was riveting, and the characters felt like people I knew in real life.”
— Amazon Reviewer
What’s the story behind your current book or series—what drew you into that world or these characters?
- Paper World is a very personal work. It was heavily inspired by my own life: my mid-twenties were a massively painful time of life lessons and self-discovery.
- It was an incredibly impressionable time for me where I was making bad decisions born of heartbreak and loneliness. So, really, this book was almost like a two-hundred-page therapy session.
- A lot of working through trauma and asking “what-if” and trying to invite the reader to enter a world that shaped me. Unfortunately, it is also one in which many women can agree is devastatingly familiar.
- The characters were largely based on people I’d known, who’d known me, and who had effectively broken me as an individual when I wrote this. It really is as close to non-fiction as fiction can get.
Which character in your latest book surprised you the most during the writing process?
- Well, I drew inspiration for Paper World from my own life. Each character had a derivation in the outside world, so it wasn’t incredibly difficult to assume how a character would handle situations and conflict.
- They were mirrors of the same in my own life, just with some pretty significant artistic license. However, I didn’t know how it was going to end or where so many characters were going to find themselves.
- I think that in this way, they all surprised me. I remember one day where I felt like they all kind of wrote their own endings, and none of them were based on my personal life.
“The characters and everything were very relatable. I felt a connection with each character and truly couldn’t put it down.”
— Amazon Verified Reade
Do you have a favorite scene in your current book? What makes it stand out to you?
- I think my favorite scenes were the most painful ones to write. I think the deeper I delved into my own pain, the more I felt like I would help the reader connect with theirs.
- I talk a lot about being stuck in your own head, about feeling lost when you’re alone with yourself.
- I liked the scenes where the main character Brett’s thoughts are arranged in stream-of-consciousness. Where it all just falls out for the reader to follow along like they’re stuck in her head with her. I think it’s powerful when the narrator – unreliable or not – is honest with themselves and the veil is lifted on the “picture perfect” display they show the world.
Every writer has their own rhythm—what does your writing routine look like on a good day?
- Well, I have two kids. So, my writing times are sporadic and never exactly uninterrupted.
- However, I like to write a few times a week when my son is at school and my daughter is napping.
- About an hour each time. You tend to forget yourself as a mother of littles, so writing is one of the few things I can still claim for myself.
- I’m not “mom” when I write. It’s such a gift to find those time slots whenever I can.
Was there a moment while writing this book when everything suddenly clicked (or when you almost threw the manuscript across the room?
- I wrote Paper World during COVID and before my two children were born, so it basically wrote itself.
- It took me six months and a few bottles of tequila to get the story on paper. It was fast and honest and rooted in my own rotten tree of memories.
- It was easy in that way, but very hard in that I felt like I put myself on paper naked. Although I loved the outcome, the speed in which it was written has taught me to slow down on future projects. I want to soak in a novel a bit more before letting it loose on the world.
What books, movies, or personal experiences have influenced your storytelling the most?
- As stated previously, Shani Mootoo is my spirit guide. Check her out, seriously. Life-wise, I lost a close friend to a car accident was I was fifteen.
- It set me down a rabbit hole of self-medication, actual medication, and fear of death.
- I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety soon after that, and I think the culmination of all of that made me especially sensitive to life.
- I loved Looking for Alaska by John Green for that reason. That’s when I realized how important it is to read, write, and talk about the hard stuff.
- As for television, the most incredible series that discusses love, loss and pain through a horror lens is The Haunting of Hill House by Mike Flannagan.
- It’s an adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s book, but it is so much more than that. It’s a masterpiece in blending real trauma with imagined (or not) ghosts. I have never seen something more astounding and, this may be controversial, but it is vastly more amazing of a story than is its inspiration. Truly iconic and heart-wrenching and magnificent.
If you could give one piece of advice to new or aspiring writers, what would you tell them?
- I think the guidance I’d give to new writers is to not obsess with being published. I was so concerned with it first time around, but it isn’t the end-all as a writer.
- Just write something you’re proud of, something that feels like it betters the world in some way through its creation.
- I like to write about the topics that many individuals experience but few feel they can talk about. So, my advice is to do that: write something that makes the reader feel heard, feel seen, feel like they aren’t existing with their pain or sadness or anger alone.
What’s one fun or unexpected fact about you that readers wouldn’t guess from your official bio?
- I wanted to be an actress when I was growing up, and I was a Radio Disney Kidcaster from the ages of nine to fourteen.
- It was a dream job, but I got made fun of a lot. So, it was a tough adolescence and I felt like the strange one in my age group.
- But I loved it. I joined things like acting troupes where we’d perform songs from the forties at old folks’ homes.
- I really settled into my “weirdness” and I think that helped me to know who I was at my core, even if it did take me until my mid-twenties to accept and embrace it.
What are you currently working on, and what can readers expect from you next?
- I’m writing a gothic horror this time around.
- I am obsessed with scary stories, always have been. People think I’m crazy to want to write a ghost story, but I know that the most honest way to portray family trauma can be through a literal haunting.
- I hope my readers can expect something scary but personal. Something that makes them want to see what skeletons reside in their own family’s closets.
How do you stay motivated or creative when the writing gets tough?
- I think there is power in knowing when to walk away from your work for a bit.
- I’ve been working on my current book for almost two years and have had to have periods of self-imposed writing droughts a few times.
- It allowed me to sit back and rethink it a bit. Make it stronger, develop a more concrete plot.
- The time away makes me miss it, too. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that jazz.
Where can readers follow you online and keep up with your future books?
- Readers can follow my Instagram account under my married name, Mau_Stinson, where I write reviews for the books I read and announce anything to do with my writing.
- I also am on Facebook under Maureen Stinson.
- I have a Goodreads author page as well and my publishing so far is with BookBaby where you can find my book and other information about me.
You can get Maureen’s books on Amazon as well
“The writing style was top notch. I can’t wait to see what Maureen Cummins writes next.”
— Amazon Customer
