
Last week, I interviewed Jill Conner Browne, who was scheduled to appear this week at the Jackson Hole Writers Conference.
I had such a good time with her on the telephone, she in Jackson, Mississippi and me in Jackson, Wyoming, that I couldn’t wait to meet her. Unfortunately, her Mama is sick, so she had to cancel her talk at the conference. I couldn’t print an interview for an appearance that isn’t happening, so I’m going to print it here. Uncut, even, thanks to the limitless space that Cyberspace provides.
You can find Browne, THE Sweet Potato Queen, at her Web site ... or friend her on Facebook, or find her on Twitter as @spqueens.
Browne published The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love in 1999, and has put out seven other titles since then. She sells merchandise, sponsors chapters of Queens, has a speaking tour. “It is a cult,” she says.
Q: How did you get started as a writer?
A: I had written for newspapers as a stringer for a number of years. I was divorced from The Antichrist and left heavily in debt by that marriage: he loved cashmere socks and racing tires. With no child support, I was raising my daughter by myself, and my mother chose the most inopportune time to have a stroke. I was working full-time for three newspapers. One of the papers changed hands, the new people that came in dropped my story with no preamble... I finally got one of them on the phone. He said, “Maybe it’s just me, but you’re just not funny.” Well, clearly it’s just you. Nobody has ever said to me, “You’re not funny.” All of the other queens, who are incredibly accomplished women and / or heiresses, said, “Why is it a big deal?” It’s my light bill. It was what I had to do to keep our heads above water. It was really the loss of that that put me so off-balance, spurred me to go and look for something else... it was the only reason I ever went to pursue a book deal.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I always say that if you don’t laugh out loud, I’ll personally refund your money. I have no illusions about my work, it ain’t War and Peace. I wouldn’t say that it’s Lit-er-a-ture. The humor is the vehicle through which the greater message is delivered. The books are deceptively deep.
Q: What’s funny about the South?
A: Everything. You might as well laugh. It is a poor region, historically, and very hot. So we would sit still and tell stories, that’s where the storytelling tradition comes from. Wasn’t a whole lot else to do. Willie Morris said that air conditioning and television were the destroyers of conversation. There are very few situations in life that you truly cannot change. Those that you can’t change, you’ve gotta figure out how to make fun out of it, or make fun of it. That is what resilient people do, and we are resilient people.
Q: You sign e-mails “Be Particular.” What is this “Be Particular” business?
A: That is the only advice my grandfather ever gave us. He never said “Be good,” “Be sweet” or “Be careful.” It’s the best advice ever given, the only advice you ever need. I can point to the times in my life when I haven’t followed it.
Q: Have you got advice for writers?
A: There’s no secret to it. We all, prior to writing, want to know a secret about it. You know what the secret is, just to write. Nobody likes writing, we all like having written. Write what you know, write what you like, write what pleases you. Write for yourself. Unless you’re writing textbooks. I think too many people try to write instead of writing. They think, “If I was a writer, how would I say this?” instead of just saying it.”
Q: Who is eligible to be a Queen?
A: Everybody, anybody. We have not found a line in the Queendom that we do not cross. We have men and women, gay and straight, men and women, children, married single, drunk, sober, whatever else you got. We got it, and are glad of it. The youngest are in utero, and the oldest one who marches in the parade comes from Midland, Texas. Everybody calls her Aunt Fay, and she will be 97 next year. There’s one who comes who is older, but she doesn’t march. She will be 102. We have 13 women from Indonesia this past year... they come from all over the world. Women, men, undecided, in-between. There is no line. I have the ashes of a queen from Arizona, who died, one of her fellow queens, got some of her ashes, boxed them up all nice, and Dutchie, she rides on the float.
Q: Are you able to support yourself now, just by writing?
A: Absolutely. I’ve had two number-one New York Times best-sellers. When I was very young, someone said to me, “You should do what makes your heart sing and the money will follow.” It won’t always take the form that you think it’s going to, but whatever you’re doing with your time should make you very happy, or you should not be doing it. There are times in our lives when we must do what’s necessary to fulfill our obligations. But even if we’re forced by circumstances to work at some job that’s not fulfilling us, we need to give the time and energy to something that does fulfill us.
Everybody really did get here with some sort of gift. I wanted to sing. I did not get the gift that I wanted. We spent so much time moaning over what we did not get that we completely miss what’s staring us in the face.
Q: How in the world did you write that first book while being a single mother and working full-time?
A: When I think about it, it makes me sick at my stomach. My daughter was in the second grade when I was writing the first book, I was going to work at 5 o’clock in the morning, and I still had to cut the grass, feed the dogs... Whatever got done, I did it. Then had to promote that, started the Web site... then with the second book, nothing went away. I had to still do all of those things, and write the second book. After the third book I finally gave up my day job. I was making enough money by then. When I look back at what all I did ... I’m satanically lazy. My goal in life is to lie down. I have no ambition whatsoever. I can sit still longer than anyone I know. Not doing jackshit is an absolute gift. There are many people who need my help. I hate to be busy. But I flat did it.
Q: Do you have any advice for people like me, who still aren’t done writing their first novel?
A: Can’t anybody finish it but you. I would write at 2-3 o’clock in the morning when you wake up and are terrified of something. If you’re going to be up in the middle of the night making up crap to worry about, you might as well be writing.
Q: But I just had a baby ...
A: You do get a free pass. Babies aren’t little but once. You enjoy that.



