Meet Beth Uznis Johnson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Uznis Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Beth with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

My paternal grandmother was a feminist ahead of her time. She worked alongside my grandpa at his construction business and was instrumental in building the company from the ground up. She always had a can-do attitude, especially if someone told her she couldn’t do something.

When I decided I wanted to write a novel, I quickly learned what a difficult endeavor it could be. It didn’t stop me from trying. My grandmother was a big supporter and encouraged me to never quit. Actually, her attitude was more like, “Of course you can do that if you work hard enough.”

I miss her and dedicated my novel Coming Clean to her memory. I think she’d admire the protagonist, Dawn, who runs an independent cleaning business and does a stellar job. I’m not sure she’d approve of a cleaning lady who poses for provocative photos in her clients’ homes, but I know she’d appreciate the work that went into writing and publishing the book.

My grandma also taught me that someone has to be first in the buffet line and it might as well be you. She was wildly fun and funny in addition to a very hard worker.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Publishing a novel was my goal for so long that sometimes it’s hard to believe Coming Clean is actually out in the world. I’ve been busy promoting it to readers far and wide and am having fun with an idea to get Proctor and Gamble engaged via social media since the cleaning lady in the novel, Dawn, uses Dawn dish soap in her secret cleaning concoction. She calls it Magic because it cleans everything and her customers love it.

So now, what’s next? This question is equally terrifying and exciting, mostly because it feels like there’s a blank slate in front of me waiting to be filled. Figuring out where to focus my writing has been my goal over the last month and, as someone who writes both fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, I have ideas.

I have a next novel project in the works I’m excited about. It’s called The Morning People and tells the story of an overworked mom of little kids whose husband changes course from their annual beach vacation to the dreaded theme park vacation, her worst nightmare. The fun of this project was creating an imaginary theme park chain, a budget version of Disney called Parklando. All Marcia–the protagonist–wants is a relaxing beach with an umbrella drink and instead she is faced with early-morning starts and silly characters based on civil service: A fireman, policeman, safely dogs, etc. Of course everything goes wrong and the vacation is stressful for her. Anyone with kids knows traveling isn’t easy.

Marcia tries to stay sane by taking a morning walk, even though she doesn’t normally exercise. She pretends to be one of the fit and friendly “morning people” she encounters and invents lives for them. The novel shifts perspectives so the reader gradually learns the real story behind the morning people and how wrong Marcia gets it. Meanwhile, she’s also learning a big lesson on what it means to be in a family and compromise on things like family vacations. The books is part commentary on the American “dream vacation,” traveling with kids, and why it’s never good to make assumptions about the people you meet.

I also write nonfiction and have started a series of essays about moving from suburban Detroit to the city of Chicago. My goal is to feature people and businesses I’ve met in my new community and how a big city can sometimes feel even more intimate than a smaller suburb. It is possible to make big changes in life and the payoff of taking such a risk can be enormous, in the best possible way. It has been a fun project to kick off and I’m excited where it might lead. I’m going to the Kenyon writers conference in June and plan to work on it there.

So, to make a long story short, I dream of publishing more books, both fiction and nonfiction, and am working on new projects. Getting to write in a great city like Chicago has been exhilarating. I really love it here.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When I reflect on my journey to write a novel, it’s easy to think of 3 qualities that made a difference in writing Coming Clean and getting it published by Regal House.

First, writers can never quit. It’s an art that takes patience in both the writing process and in the process of finding the right publisher. My advice is to keep writing, submitting your work, and finding a way to file away all the rejection letters that come along without letting them crush your confidence. After all, it only takes one yes. Finding the right editor takes time.

Second, never quitting includes doing anything possible to learn your craft. I have become a lifelong student of creative writing and am always seeking out conferences, workshops, and online classes with the best authors in the world. No matter where you live, you can find these chances to learn more. In Chicago, there is a wonderful literary organization called StoryStudio for classes and workshops. If you live more remotely, so many organizations have Zoom options now. The best way to improve and build confidence is to learn something new.

Third, work on projects you’re excited about. During the years it took me to publish Coming Clean, I worked on other projects, too. But I kept coming back to the cleaning lady, Dawn, and began to think of her as a best friend I wanted to spend time with. She is curious about her customers and the world around her, and tries to find meaning in the contents of their homes. Coming Clean was fun to write, especially creating the five homes she cleans. There is something enticing to me about having access to a house full of people’s stuff. Dawn’s character really grew over time as she healed from the death of her fiancé in a motorcycle crash. I was always most excited about Coming Clean and am so glad it was my first published book. I hope readers enjoy Dawn as much as I do.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I’m overwhelmed, I think about “The Five Second Rule,” a great nonfiction book by Mel Robbins. The rule is: when you get frustrated, stuck, or are procrastinating, pick a task and do it…right now, like within the next five seconds. Five seconds is around how long it takes to begin overthinking something, which is basically time wasted not accomplishing your goal.

It was amazing how the Five Second Rule helped me to be more productive and spend less time worrying. Writing a novel is complicated, but going back to proofread chapter 1 is not. Pick a manageable task and get it done. You always feel better and more capable afterwards. If I wasn’t in a writing mind frame, I could research a small press or literary agent. There is always something you can do.

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Adrianne Mathiowetz

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