Author Q & A with Alana Morales
Author of Domestically Challenged: A Working Moms Survival Guide to Becoming a Stay At Home Mom
Q: Did you come from a family of writers?
A: No! No one in my family writes. My mom has always thought my skill with words was strange – she was a numbers person.
Q: So where did the book Domestically Challenged come from?
A: Well, after my daughter was born I decided that there was no way I could go back to work, which was shocking since I never had a desire to be an at-home mom. So I began staying home and I was completely lost! I had no idea what I was doing and was really surprised at how difficult it was.
So, being the dork that I am, I went to the library and checked out every book I could find about being an at-home mom. I was very disappointed in what I found because many of the books were either outdated or they were very spiritual. I didn’t need to know about my spiritual journey through motherhood, I needed to know how to get my house clean around my kids and get dinner on the table.
One night I was sitting at the computer complaining about the books I found and my husband said “Why don’t you write your own?” So I did.
Q: What does your family think about you writing a book?
A: I think it was a love/hate relationship. On one hand they thought it was cool that I was writing a book, but they were sometimes upset at the amount of time I spent on the computer, because when you are writing a book, you actually have to sit down and write it. People outside of my family we like “Oh, you’re writing a book. That’s nice.” No one who isn’t a writer understands what it actually takes to write (and finish) a book.
Q: Did you think you were the only domestically challenged mom out there?
A: Yes! But when I finally started talking to different moms I discovered they were going through the same feelings I was going through. I was extremely relieved by this fact. Though, I am still convinced that I have more domestically challenged traits at the same time.
Q: What do you want moms to get out of your book?
A: I want them to find ways to make their lives as an at-home mom easier. I want the book to act as a model of support for moms who are new to being at home and are having trouble adjusting. I want them to know that they aren’t alone in what they are experiencing and feeling.
