Five Minutes from a Meltdown is a cheeky, offbeat, ridiculously entertaining mashup of punchline poetry and snarky cartoon fun. What was the initial idea behind this collection, and how did that transform as you were writing the book?

I originally started writing comedic poems to provide some joy to my friends and family who subscribed to my Substack, and they were very kind in their responses. Some might say they were too kind, as their positive feedback resulted in me writing hundreds of these poems. Some were sillier than others, some more thoughtful, and many (hopefully) a combination. The poetry collection came together slowly, until I had a manuscript of 100 poems that I thought might be a nice compilation. As I wrestled with which to include and in what order, I started with the funniest, but then began to consider those that I felt had some more meaning or sincerity to them (something I’m not always as comfortable with). I tried to strike a balance as the book came together, to get readers not just to laugh, but think just a teeny bit too.

The cartoons in this book are as entertaining as the writing, elevating this collection from amusing to laugh-out-loud enjoyment. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator Mark Hill?

I originally sent over some potential illustrations that I myself drew to my publishers at Yorkshire Publishing. They looked at my sketches and responded with a gist of…”Great ideas! We’ll find someone else who can actually draw” (they said this more kindly and diplomatically). That was the right choice. I’m a writer, not an illustrator. When Mark came onboard, it became clear immediately that he was going to be the right fit. His illustrations were the exact style of playfulness and thoughtfulness I hoped for, and every idea he had for the illustrations was complementary and elevated the humor and meaning of the poems. The process couldn’t have been easier, and I’m so grateful to have had him as a collaborator!

How did you decide on the themes that run throughout your book?

All the themes of the book have come up in my life. From the goofiest and most unrealistic of thoughts about our world to the most serious and real mental illness I’ve dealt with, I have personal experience with every concept in the book. For the book, I tried to navigate each topic humorously, but also treat those that needed more care both intentionally and thoughtfully.  My publisher helped me pare down the plethora of poems in the first manuscript to those that had a cohesive or comedic idea, or preferably both. With their help, I am happy to say that we found the 60 poems that were the best for this collection. 

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Five Minutes from a Meltdown?

I hope to inspire a little reflection on how silly our world truly is, and remind everyone that humor is an incredible tool to help us all connect and relieve stress. If I can get a few chuckles or make any reader think about a topic more deeply, or both, I’ll be thrilled. I hope the message comes across to look around, laugh, and smell the roses (and presumably sneeze; I have terrible hay fever).

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