Mara Williams

Mara Williams drafted her first novel in third grade on a spiral notebook—a love story about a golden retriever and the stray dog who admired her from beyond the picket fence. Now she writes about strong, messy women finding their way in the world. Williams has a BA in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley, takes creative writing from Stanford Continuing Studies, and actively engages in writing groups and critique circles. Williams’s novel The Second Chance Playlist was a winner of the 2024 Emily Contest. When not writing or reading, Williams can be found enjoying California’s beaches, redwoods, and trails with her husband, three kids, and disobedient dog.

Her new novel is The Truth Is in the Detours.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I find that titles either arrive immediately while drafting or are endlessly evasive. The Truth Is in the Detours was the tenth title for this book. I tried on several while drafting, none of which quite fit. When my editor bought it, she suggested a new title, so we changed it again. Further into the editing process, we decided the new title didn’t capture the wit and lightness. So, I went back to the drawing board and suggested The Truth Is in the Detours. It captures the spirit of the book with a bit of whimsy and a nod to the major themes but isn’t literal. My characters embark on a road trip in search of the truth related to a family secret, but they also discover truths about themselves and what they mean to each other.

What's in a name?

My main character is named Ophelia. It’s a name I’ve always loved because of the softness of the sounds and melodic syllables. However, because of its literary legacy, it’s not a name I would be brave enough to give to my child. So, in creating a character who had been abandoned and lied to by her parents, I thought it fitting that she would be given a beautiful name with a painful history. The book isn’t a direct nod to Shakespeare, but the Hamlet reference is stitched into cultural consciousness, so the name hints at her tragic origin. Her journey and character growth are about subverting that expectation. My other main character is Beauregard, although he now goes by Beau. I wanted a mouthful of a name that could embarrass an awkward, nerdy teen, but would evolve with him as he grew into himself.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

My teenage self would be very proud but not surprised. I’ve wanted to be an author as long as I can remember. I was an avid reader as a kid, and I was always searching for books like this one. At the time, I didn’t know how to find an assortment of rich, emotional, funny books with a central love story. I read a lot of Maeve Binchy as a teen and loved the layers of storytelling that wove romantic threads into family dramas. I’ve written exactly the book I would have devoured as a teen and young adult.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings are, without question, harder to write. I will rewrite an opening chapter a few dozen times to get it right. The opening pages have to do so much heavy lifting—character development, scene setting, intrigue, while providing the exact amount of context. But until it’s complete, it’s not always clear where the book should start. However, I always know how a book will end. By the last third of the book, my fingers can’t keep up with my brain. The ending writes itself. By then, the characters have the wheel and are steering me downhill at a breakneck pace. After the first draft, I rarely change the ending beyond minor tweaks. But the beginning is an invitation to the book, and an introduction to the characters the reader will have to commit to for three hundred pages. It requires a lot more finesse than a first draft can offer it. For this one, however, the opening scene and first line outlived my endless revisions.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Typically, I do share some personality traits with my protagonists. However, with The Truth Is in the Detours, I was looking to stretch myself. My point of view character, Ophelia Dahl, couldn’t be more dissimilar to me, so writing her was both liberating and challenging. She’s flippant where I’m earnest. She’s impulsive while I’m measured. She struggles to apply herself to a particular goal, while I’m often too persistent even when I should cut my losses.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I am inspired by my family and reality. There’s a reason for the cliché that the truth is stranger than fiction. So, I pay attention to life’s absurdities and splendor and create a catalogue of small and big moments to draw from. Characters and stakes are always pure fiction, but the details and texture are often inspired by real life. For example, The Truth Is in the Detours was inspired by a real-life moment. When my husband and I were newlyweds, we bought his childhood home and launched a DIY renovation to make it our own. The catch was that we had to clean out a lifetime’s worth of memories, debris, and clutter. I found my late mother-in-law’s wedding gown in a sideboard in my dining room. Later, I found my husband’s original birth certificate in between the pages of the Pennysaver in a dresser drawer. There’s much to learn about the things people choose to keep—either by choice or avoidance. Each artifact has a story to tell. But I began to wonder about the fictional possibilities. What if we found a secret inside a hand-carved Chinese antique chest—instead of fifteen years of youth soccer photos? What if we uncovered evidence that a missing loved one was still alive—instead of cherished mementos saved after their passing? What if we found mysterious legal documents rather than boxes of old copies of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and dance recital programs? The first line of The Truth Is in the Detours is “It’s been an hour since the truth fell out of an accordion file,” which arrived in my head like a premonition long before I sat down to write the book.

Visit Mara Williams's website.

--Marshal Zeringue