Meagan Church’s historical fiction chronicles the plight and fight of unheard voices of the past. Church holds a bachelor’s in English from Indiana University and is an adjunct for Drexel University’s MFA in creative writing program. A Midwesterner by birth, she now lives in North Carolina with her high school sweetheart, three children, and a plethora of pets.
In The Mad Wife, Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu’s carefully crafted life begins to unravel. When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman’s constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the New York Times bestseller list, Church said: “Success like this is always a combination of factors.” She cited three key elements for The Mad Wife: “The team at Sourcebooks created an exceptional package. The cover image and title are both striking and memorable. The Mad Wife being selected as Barnes & Noble’s October fiction pick also played a huge role,” she said. “Beyond that, there’s an unexplainable magic that authors can hope for but never plan. Lulu’s story—a woman desperate to be seen and heard—seems to have struck the zeitgeist at just the right moment, and I feel incredibly grateful to be along for the ride.”
Church also emphasized the importance of continually growing as a writer. “This story stretched me in new ways. Writing Lulu’s journey was deeply immersive. At times it felt as though I was simply transcribing her experience onto the page. I also allowed myself to experiment more, especially with structure and pacing in the latter third of the book. That freedom came from having a stronger grasp of character and story craft than I did when I began my earlier novels.” She also noted that her agent and editor both pushed her throughout the process and helped to make the novel its best.
“First, focus on the story,” she advises other authors. “And give yourself time. While my name may be new to many readers, I’m far from an overnight success. I’ve spent more than 20 years honing my storytelling craft.” She adds, “And, surround yourself with people who help you see your work more clearly.”
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
