Aley Waterman

Dec. 19

Here’s my office at the university where I write sometimes and mostly do a lot of grading.

Here’s my main writing space at home, which is a cute dining room table I got on Kijiji. This day I had spilled coffee on it.

What do you feel is your best piece of work?

I have a novel called Mudflowers coming out in the Fall of 2023 with the Rare Machines, the adult literary fiction imprint at Dundurn Press. I don’t know if it’s my best piece of work but it’s the first long-form thing I’ve done so the process feels more intimate, and the realization of seeing it in print (I haven’t yet but the cover is done and I love it) feels harder-won. It’s a very intimate first-person account and even though it’s fictional it feels a bit surreal that other people are on board and are interested in what I have to say in a long format. I’ve written some stories and songs that I’m proud of but they felt sort of flash-in-the-pan-ey by comparison because the novel takes a village and I feel really scared/excited/humbled by the process. But also once as a kid I gave a chaperone the finger on a school trip when no one was looking and no one believed that it happened. She got very mad and brought me to the principal’s office but I was otherwise a big nerd and just really didn’t like her because she body-shamed my friend, and the teachers wouldn’t buy it. I was a little fluff ball with a big blond ponytail and didn’t even really know what giving the finger meant, just that it was bad. Getting away with that was maybe my best piece of work, but I guess it’s out there now.

What music have you been listening to lately?

Classical, doo wop, Yo La Tengo, and the Early Bird show on NTS. I like to listen to ambling/ambient things while working but also my best friend Lee has gotten me into more romantic, intense music over the years, which they love and it’s really energizing, so I go back and forth. Also Michael Hurley.

What’s in your fridge right now?

Shrimp on a stick! yum. I really love food but I live in Newfoundland right now so fresh produce and prices create a bit of a barrier. I eat a lot of seafood, veg, and pasta, and usually shop based on what’s fresh and affordable and go from there. Today I also got enoki mushrooms, peppers, a really nice cheese, white wine, and ingredients to make lemon christmas cookies (and little bags to put them in so I can give some to friends). I almost spent 20 dollars on cashews but then I put them back last minute.

Who is the last character you related to and why?

This is sort of basic/nerdy but I relate to the younger princess Rhaenyra a lot because she’s stubborn af and very Aries vibes and she sort of wants to be responsible but then daydreams and gets caught up and is lustful. We also look a little similar. Sometimes I get a lot done and other times I just float around and suddenly hours have passed.

Have you ever failed at something you care about?

I fail constantly surely but some semblance of blind confidence has gotten me to places that I like because I’m not often that aware of the failure or undone by it. Once in grade 2 I did a jazz a capella rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and it was so bad that the teacher had to pretend to cough and leave the room, but even after being made fun of for it I didn’t really realize how bad it was until years later. But I try not to dwell too much on failure because it seems arresting and I want to make a lot of stuff and ideally impart something hopeful at the end of the day, even if that hope stems from uncertainty. I think that the easiest way to fail people is by not paying close enough attention so I try to pay a lot of attention.

Last gift you received?

I don’t know if this counts really but this week I received some cover designs for my novel by designer Laura Boyle and I really love the one we went with. I was nervous because a lot of novels these days seem to have these shapes-based covers that are like three colours and I don’t like those but they’re very popular right now. So I was adamant about it looking a certain way, and she sent something that I hadn’t really anticipated but I loved it, so that was a huge relief and feels like a big gift.

Favourite photo?

I just took the sweetest picture of my mom when she wasn’t paying attention. She’s holding her face in her hands and smiling with her eyes closed and she looks 12. That’s definitely a favourite right now.

Significant object in your home?
This picture below has a few special things in it. My cat Margot (who is not an object but definitely most precious being in my home), my piano, a little good luck horse who can’t face the window that a surgeon gave me when I had surgery as a kid, and some books I love (especially Modern Love)

Best season?

In Newfoundland (where I grew up but only only moved back to in 2020) the extreme seasons are best: peak summer and peak winter. Summer is lush and short and there are wildflowers and waterfalls everywhere. It’s sort of shocking how nice it is. Winter is long and difficult but especially on this part of the island the sun hits often and the glow off the white snow is pretty surreal in the daytime and I low key enjoy that it gets dark early in the day for a few months. It makes things feel cozier.

Least favourite household chore?

Shoveling. Sometimes in the winter here it takes over an hour every day and it sucks.

Best outfit you’ve ever worn?

I don’t know about ever but I have these two dresses from Fashion Brand Company, a black one and a white one. My best friend Lee gave me the white one, which is this thick material and weighs like 20 lbs. The black one is silk. They’re really campy with poufy sleeves and a cinched waist and a sweetheart neckline, and the waist bows are 10 feet long. I mostly hate dresses but they’re campy and over-the-top in the right kind of way; I don’t like looking too feminine unless there’s some kind of wink involved and they both have that. I wear them playing music shows and for special occasions, places where I try not to take myself too seriously.

Do you like to write in the morning or at night?

At night.

When did you first receive praise for your writing?

I wrote a long poem in grade 5 as part of this school competition for a women’s shelter. It won the competition and I had to read it at City Hall. Unfortunately it was a very realistic portrayal of a broken home with an alcoholic father, the intent being that the women’s shelter offered refuge for my mother and me, and though it was completely fictional many mistook it for autobiography. I don’t think my parents were very happy about that.

What do you consider to be your first rejection?

I remember in grade 3 a friend of mine decided she didn’t want to be friends anymore. I followed her around the school all day crying and the teachers had to give me detention so that I’d leave the girl alone. I kept asking her what I had done wrong but she wouldn’t tell me. A couple of days later she decided to be my friend again.

Latest book you’ve read or favourite book ever?

I just read Confidence by Russell Smith, who is my editor. I really loved it! Not sure about favourite book but How Should a Person Be? had a huge influence when I was in my early 20’s, as did Franny and Zooey.

Anything you’d like to promote?

You can now pre-order my novel Mudflowers, which is a new development as of this week! So please do if you’re interested. Also my band Bus People just had a song come out called Luck, and we’re releasing an album soon.

https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459751521-mudflowers

https://buspeoplexo.bandcamp.com/track/luck