Catherine: You’re the mother of two teenagers. Did you always work?
Meg: Yes. I never would have been able to stop working for a long period of time, for financial reasons, but also, in my experience, work is the anti-death. It is my passion, and I’m fortunate that as a writer I have a good deal of flexibility. I think many people’s lives have become more fluid now, and the world needs to catch up to the needs and desires of women.
Catherine: Are you in any of the characters in the book?
Meg: Though I’ve never written anything autobiographical, my life experiences always end up in my books. There’s a funny little scene in which Amy runs out of the YMCA after her toddler, and she’s half-naked. That happened to me when my older son was young, and I was mortified, but I was also struck by my role as a mother—the urgency I felt, the connection. As a writer, some of my observations marinate for a long time until they finally come out in a book.
Catherine: How did you come up with the title? While you say your goal is not to choose a side, the title is a little judgmental.
Meg: I came up with the title early on and my publisher thought it was a little risky. But the concept of The Nap is not about being asleep at the switch or idle. Instead, my goal was to show that women do often wake up at some moment in the middle of their lives and say: what’s next? You come to a point where your kids no longer need you at every turn. What do you want to do now? What can you afford to do now? What makes sense for you and your family and all else? It might be that you want to read all the great novels or do volunteer work or return to your career. Everyone’s needs and imperatives are so different.
Catherine: From Nap to OnRamp … I love it! Thanks for writing this book and giving us all something to think about.
For purchase information: The Ten Year Nap.
