I recently finished The Mummy Bloggers by Holly Wainwright, which is the laugh out loud funny, and often frighteningly true tale about what it’s like to be a mummy blogger. If you’re looking for a fast paced read that will have you awkwardly smiling in public, GET THIS BOOK. Holly is seriously the master of translating #mumlife and #bloglife to novel form on top of being the Head of Entertainment at Mamamia and Co-Host of the This Glorious Mess podcast!

When she’s not busy writing, podasting, parenting and instagramming her adorable life, Holly magically finds time to answer questions for me because she’s a legend, obviously.

Where did the inspiration for The Mummy Bloggers come from?

I work with lots of women who write online, so bloggers are not a mystery to me. But last year I began to notice that there were a few “mummy bloggers” who were suddenly popping up in more mainstream media. Their private lives were beginning to be covered as if they were celebrities and it got me thinking – what would it be like to have to keep your life so very interesting, all the time? What if everything wasn’t really as it seemed?

Did you always know you wanted to write a book?

Yes, since I was about 7 years old. It’s only taken me three or four decades… I’m clearly a late bloomer!

Which character were you particularly drawn to? (If any…)

Well, there are three main characters. Elle is a perfect Instagram mum, with abs for days. She’s pretty focussed, some would say ruthless, and seems to inspire the strongest emotions in readers. It’s fair to say that Elle and I don’t have much in common (certainly not abs!). There’s Leisel, who’s a frazzled working mum with a rather scary stalker. She’s certainly closer to who I am (minus the stalker). But the character who was most fun to write for me was Abi. Since she found out that Elle was having an affair with her husband, Abi has had a huge awakening – ripping up all traces of her old life, moving to the country and reinventing herself as a crunchy, anti-vaxxing, sugar-free goddess. She’s nothing like me at all but was enormously freeing to write. I loved her energy.

Will there be a sequel?

I would love that, because I miss these women! Fingers crossed.

What are you currently reading?
I’m reading my seven-year-old daughter Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls. It’s a book full of beautiful-illustrated profiles of incredible women from all over the world and I love it because it’s so enjoyable to read together and it makes me feel smug to be sneaking in a bit of feminist indoctrination!

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

If you haven’t had a chance to join my online book club (that doesn’t hold you responsible to read a designated book at any time!) you should definitely pop over to Summer’s Book Club on Facebook and hit REQUEST. There you will find other people who love reading, discussing and recommending their favorite books.