"Two Kisses for Maddy" by Matthew Logelin

April 4, 2011  by Fifi Flowers

Just over three years ago, Madeline was born via c-section to Liz and Matt Logelin.  27 hours later Liz collapsed while getting ready to hold Madeline for the first time.  Sadly, she never regained consciousness and died of a pulmonary embolism. Shortly after the happiest and saddest day of his life,  Matt began a blog as a way to reach out... to express his joy and his sadness in his new role as widower and father... 

Father and Daughter on the Eiffel Tower... J'adore this photo!

Now Matt tells his story in this book...

And luckily... I was fortunate enough to get to ask Matt some questions...

Where are you from?

I grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, but I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the past nine years.

Tell us your latest news?

This evening I filled up an ant farm with my daughter, Madeline, watched an episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse and read her two (current) favorite books to her before putting her to bed. I'm about to take a break from this to watch Jersey Shore. Ah, the life of a writer, eh? Actually, if you want a sort of interesting answer to the question, I have been out of the country during at least part of the first four months of the year, trying to relax and escape a little bit before my book hits stores on April 14th.

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing a few weeks after my wife, Liz died, in an attempt to keep my family up-to-date on my life with my newborn daughter. My writing was in the form of a blog, and I quite honestly never considered it writing. It was more like updates for my family and friends.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I finished my book and my publisher officially confirmed they'd be publishing it. I was scared of truly embracing the label until I knew for sure that my book would actually end up in the hands of someone other than my editor and my mom.

What inspired you to write your first book?

The birth of my daughter and the death of my wife. 

Do you have a specific writing style?

I have a specific style of writing on the blog that is not only utterly unacceptable for most learned English speakers, but completely untenable for a major publishing house. The blog is written in something resembling verse, but is completely unpoetic, and I don't use proper punctuation or grammar. Oh, and I never proofread anything before I post it. It’s a bit like a one-sided instant message conversation with a third grader. Based on that description, you can probably imagine what it was like to have to write an entire book as a first time author whose only previous writing experience (beside college/grad school sociology papers and a few record reviews) was a personal blog. My book is a traditional narrative, and it took me a little bit of time to get used to writing one, but once I got started I felt pretty good about what was ending up on my computer screen.

How did you come up with the title?

My editor came up with the title after having read some of my early chapters. The theme of giving Madeline one goodnight kiss from me and one from her mom kept appearing in the pages, and my editor called me one day and said, "the title of your book will be Two Kisses for Maddy." I loved it.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I'm not really trying to push any sort of message with this book, but if there's one to be found it's perseverance. Basically it’s my story of working through the worst moments of my life in ways that worked for me. I’m not telling anyone how to deal with their hard times, but I really hope that my book serves to give hope to those who have struggled with something they thought they’d never get through. It doesn’t need to be the death of a partner, or even a death at all. We all have moments of immense struggle, and sometimes there’s nothing like the shared experience (even if the experience shared is as broad as perseverance) to make one feel that they’re not alone.

How much of the book is realistic?

100%.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

My book covers one year in my life.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Actual Air by David Berman. I currently possess 9 copies of the book, and have purchased at least 25 in my life. I’m constantly giving copies away to people who I know will appreciate it. It’s one of two books that I buy every time I see a copy in a bookstore (the other is Empty the Sun by Joseph Mattson). The second book that has really hit me hard was Homage to Mistress Bradstreet and other poems by John Berryman. We share a birth date, and he lived in Minnesota for a while before his suicide in 1972, but that’s about all we have in common.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

John Berryman.

What book are you reading now?

I’m reading Zone by Mathias Énard (translated from the French). 517 pages, one sentence. I like it a lot.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Joseph Mattson and Jon Raymond make me wish I had the talent to write fiction.

What are your current projects?

Besides reliving my childhood and traveling with my daughter, my current project is promoting the hell out of my book. 

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

My blog readers and the community of strangers that rallied around me after Liz’s death. Without them, I would be nowhere.

Do you see writing as a career?

I had no dreams of being a writer, and I don’t believe that writing will be my career, but I would love and embrace it if it happens. I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to have written one book, but I wouldn’t be disappointed to return to life as a middle manager for some company.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Yeah. I would have tried harder to meet at least one deadline. I feel a tremendous amount of guilt for altering my editor’s sleep schedule and for giving her gray hairs several decades before she otherwise would have had them.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

The first time I had any interest in writing anything was in honor of Liz, shortly after she died. What I wrote ended up on the paper program at her funeral. My book is written in her honor, for our daughter.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

 
My current work ends up on my blog, found here: http://www.mattlogelin.com . These days I hide particularly personal posts somewhere on my blog. Some readers find them. Most do not.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I find it incredibly challenging to write abstractly. I’m not clever enough to effectively use metaphors, so I rely on my real-life experiences to convey my emotions.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

David Berman. Most people know him as a singer/songwriter for the Silver Jews, but he is also one of the most incredible writers you will ever read. He is such a unique and poetic voice, with a wicked sense of the ironic, mixed with the perfect amount of darkness. Only someone who has waded through tons of shit can write like that. I could try all my life to write that beautifully and my life would end in failure.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

My publisher has arranged for a short book tour. I'll be hitting several spots around the U.S. Up-to-date information on my book tour can be found here: http://www.mattlogelin.com/book

Who designed the covers?

An in-house graphic designer at Grand Central, but I played a very active role in choosing the cover photo, and was given a tremendous amount of freedom to say yes or no to most design elements. From the beginning I loved almost everything that the graphic designer came up with so I had very little to say no to.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Revisiting the moments after my wife died. That’s the obvious one. But sometimes it was just hard to get words out of my head and on to the screen. I spent countless hours staring at my computer with countless memories floating in my head, but sometimes translating that to the written word was a struggle.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that writing is very, very difficult.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep writing. And read. A lot.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the book. 

 ______________________________________

Thank you to Matt Logelin!

Please visit his WEBSITE to keep up with Matt and Maddy... learn more and for links to purchase his book.
anddddd
Thank you Matt for offering a copy of  Two Kisses for Maddy
for a GIVEAWAY...
Just LEAVE A COMMENT and YOU will be ENTERED to WIN!!! 
The winner of this book will have to be patient as the book will not be available until the end of the month.
  Deadline to enter is April 11, 2011 @ noon California time...
Winner will be announced April 12th on the GIVEAWAY PAGE
Bonne Chance - Good Luck!