Ann Mohin

Ann Mohin agreed to be interviewed via e-mail by Nicola Warwick.

NW: What were you doing pre-The Farm She Was? Have you always written or have you had other day jobs? Can you give us your biography up to that point? What other writing have you had published?

AM: In 1980 my husband and I moved from the Washington, D.C. area where I edited in-house trade publications, to 200 acres in an upstate New York town of 700 people about 70 miles south of Syracuse. There we renovated an 1845 farmhouse and began to raise sheep. We kept about 200 Dorsets and Hampshires, along with the usual assortment of farm animals, until 1993 when my husband Bill took a consulting job that sent us on many business trips to England, France, Italy, Holland, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico, Canada and all over the U.S. Because of so much travel we sold the livestock and I was able to concentrate on writing The Farm She Was, my first novel. My poetry and short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and a number of travel articles and essays have also been published. I should tell you that my very first story was published when I was in third grade, so writing is something I have done all of my life.

NW: A burning question for many writers is, "do I need an agent?" What has been your experience?

AM: My own experience is that no agent would accept my book. It was, they told me, not commercially viable. I queried over fifty agents before searching for a publisher on my own, which I found in the Literary Market Place. On the assumption that everyone starts at the beginning, I skipped the "A's" and sent to the "B's". Bridge Works was one of the first I tried. I was very lucky, and am pleased to report that The Farm She Was was #9 on the Syracuse Sunday Herald American's best seller list yesterday.

NW: The Farm She Was is an unusual title. How did you come up with it?

AM: The main character, Irene Leahy, is a single, tough-minded 90-year-old farm woman who battles to save her sheep farm in upstate New York. She scoffs at the minister who tries to convince her to move into a nursing home, and roars at the realtor who presses her to sell out, all the while reliving her life's experiences on the farm: love and betrayal, loss, longing, self-sufficiency and joy. Irene is the farm and the farm is Irene, who is also symbolic of the passing of an era and the demise of small farm life.

NW: What prompted you to write The Farm She Was? What was the inspiration behind the story? Does the book reflect your interests and a lot of issues close to your heart?

AM: I think it's accurate to say that most of what I learned about farming, maintaining the land and animal husbandry is contained in this book. In that sense it is autobiographical, but in no other.

NW: Do you keep a journal yourself?

AM: I do, but not religiously.

NW: Can you tell us a little about the film deal?

AM: I just signed the contract the other day. It will take a couple years to see the screen and will probably be as a TV movie-of-the-week. I'm frankly not quite sure how it all came about, except that my publisher sent it to a Hollywood company owned by two highly successful women producers who say they are "passionate" about the material.

NW: How did you feel when you first knew that your book was going to be made into a film? Was it the ultimate dream come true?

AM: I feel mildly conflicted about it. Joyous, on one hand and skeptical on the other. What are "they" going to do to "my" baby? For me, the dream to come true was the publication of the book; its success is a delicious extra. I guess I knew that if I could get it into print, people would like it. It still thrills me to hold the book in my hands, to study its cover, touch the pages.

NW: Have you given many interviews recently as a result of The Farm She Was? Do you enjoy interviews? And have you been interviewed on TV?

AM: I've had some newspaper interviews and have been invited to be guest speaker at writers workshops, university panels, luncheons and such. It's really quite an odd feeling, and I'm beginning to avoid some of the more direct publicity. One of the Barnes & Noble stores wanted to have the local TV station cover a reading and I asked them not to. I don't hate the attention, but it has been slightly disconcerting to be the one talking on the stage instead of the one listening in the audience.

NW: How would you describe your current lifestyle? What is your home like?

AM: We are back on the farm full-time now, planning to get more sheep, some cows, horses, chickens. We raise most of our own food and love our three dogs and cat. The 1845 post-and-beam farm house is fairly accurately described in the book, along with this area of upstate New York. At the moment we're repairing one of the old barns.

NW: How do you use the Internet? Do you find it useful when writing/researching? If so, any specific aspects?

AM: I use it a lot for research purposes, both literary and personal. We were the first ones in our town to have a computer, back in 1981, and now we each have our own and I carry my laptop everywhere. In fact, we just bought a Volvo via the Internet--how's that for faith in cyberspace!

NW: The Farm She Was has received glowing reviews and you've been busy doing book tours. Are you enjoying that? What is it like meeting people who love your work? Have you had any interesting meetings with fans ?

AM: The good reviews keep rolling in and I absolutely do love that. And I must say I love being on a book tour. It's like throwing a party--everyone who comes is friendly and the more I do the more I enjoy them. People are so kind, so warm, so genuinely pleased for me and the book. It's wonderful.

NW: Do you get more e-mail now as a result?

AM: Not so much e-mail, but I have gotten fan mail via my publisher. I answer each letter.

NW: Are you working on a new project? Or, have you got a future project in your mind? If so, can you tell us a little about it?

AM: I've completed my second book, Tractorland, which is set in the same region of upstate New York and traces the history of a fictional rural family from 1950 through 1990. Bridge Works has it right now. After the book tour I'll begin writing my third book about a city couple who moves upstate with unrealistic expectations of country life. Three or four more novels are lined up in my head, each demanding to be set loose.

NW: How much do you typically write each day when you're working on a book? Do you use a computer? And do you have a writing space?

AM: I do use a computer--can't even read my own writing anymore. When I am working on a project I like to go to my writing space (I'll describe that in a moment) at 9:00 a.m, work until noon, lunch with my husband, then work until 4:00. I have two offices, one in the house where I do regular routine correspondence and phone calling. And the other is a 27-foot RV I call "Phil" set up in the middle of a field adjacent to our house. I love Phil, because I can go there and work with absolutely no interruptions. He's heated, has a kitchen and bathroom with running water and electricity and he's surrounded by trees. In winter he's as cozy as an igloo and in summer as breezy and sunny as the seashore. I call him Phil because it sounds so obnoxious to say "I'm going to my office."

NW: If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, in a century of your choice where and when would it be?

AM: I dread the thought of living anywhere other than here, but if I had to choose somewhere else it would probably be in France in the fifties--a house in Paris and a country retreat in the French countryside. Future centuries look too bleak, the past way too unhealthy!

About the Author:

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