,
Malena Watrous

Malena Watrous’s Followers (114)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Mary Keane
292 books | 598 friends

kate
2,686 books | 75 friends

Julie D.
875 books | 15 friends

Ron Cha...
1,485 books | 5,001 friends

Suanne
10,628 books | 307 friends

Skye
1,029 books | 55 friends

Emily V...
2,378 books | 288 friends

Suzanne
4,044 books | 643 friends

More friends…

Malena Watrous

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
Website

Genre

Member Since
November 2009


Malena Watrous is a writer and an instructor of creative writing. Her first novel, If You Follow Me, won the Michener-Copernicus Award and was a Lambda finalist. She co-authored a cookbook, My Mexico City Kitchen, with Gabriela Camara. She has taught workshops in both fiction and nonfiction at Barnard College and USF, and currently works as a Lead instructor for Stanford’s Continuing Studies Online writing program, where she co-founded and directs the Online Writing Certificate program in the novel.

She is the mother of one son, Max, as well as the caretaker of two furry muses: an overweight Siamese cat (Stormtrooper, or “Stormo”) and a Pit-huahua pandemic puppy named Lucy. When she’s not working on her novel, she’s a maker of things that ca
...more

To ask Malena Watrous questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Malena Watrous I recently finished a teen novel that I cowrote with the fabulous novelist Helena Echlin. It was a lot of fun, both to have a creative collaborator fo…moreI recently finished a teen novel that I cowrote with the fabulous novelist Helena Echlin. It was a lot of fun, both to have a creative collaborator for 2 years (writing got a lot less lonely) and to get to write a novel in which magical things were possible and happened. But now that it's done, I'm back at work on an adult novel about a ghostwriter with a dangerous proclivity for putting her own (and her family's) stories into the projects she is doing for hire, who finds out things about her family as a result of mining them for material. (less)
Malena Watrous I don't really believe in writer's block. I think that there can be times when you don't know how to advance in a particular piece of writing, and at …moreI don't really believe in writer's block. I think that there can be times when you don't know how to advance in a particular piece of writing, and at those times it's a good idea to write a different part of that story, or perhaps a different story. I think writing itself is usually the answer for all sorts of problems in writing. If you feel anxious that you're not good enough? That means you're doing more thinking than writing, and more thinking about yourself than your characters or the world. The answer (in my humble opinion) is to get over yourself (in a gentle and loving way) by sitting down and writing about someone else, without stressing too much about the quality. Allow it to be "bad" in first draft. The less effort you put in, the more you relax into the writing, the better it often ends up being.(less)
Average rating: 3.72 · 1,604 ratings · 328 reviews · 3 distinct worksSimilar authors
If You Follow Me

3.54 avg rating — 1,093 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Sparked

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 298 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
My Mexico City Kitchen: Rec...

by
4.23 avg rating — 214 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

How Do Freelance Writers Get Started?

Dear ‘Lena,


For my career planning course, we’re supposed to reach out to someone in our chosen field. It’s my dream to be a published writer, but I’m already 35 and worried that it’s too late. I still feel clueless about how to get into print, even though I love to write and do it all the time. How did you get your freelance gigs? Can a freelance writer make a comfortable living, or is it more of

Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on August 16, 2016 01:00
Shy Creatures
Malena Watrous is currently reading
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
Colored Television
Malena Watrous is currently reading
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

Malena’s Recent Updates

Malena Watrous rated a book it was amazing
The Distractions by Liza Monroy
The Distractions
by Liza Monroy (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Malena Watrous and 2 other people liked Mal's review of The Distractions:
The Distractions by Liza Monroy
"I can't recall what I'd read right before I picked up The Distractions, but I distinctly remember thinking "Finally, some good fucking book," after the first ten or so pages. In the end, it didn't quite fall into the 5-star territory for me, but it i" Read more of this review »
Malena Watrous rated a book liked it
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker
Madwoman
by Chelsea Bieker (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
I'd give this 2.5 if I could. I enjoyed the first part of the book okay-about a woman obsessed with health food, raising her kids with her same orthorexia. It was a fun parody of a kind of person and lifestyle that I'm all too familiar with as a deni ...more
Malena Watrous rated a book really liked it
All Fours by Miranda July
All Fours
by Miranda July (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Malena Watrous is currently reading
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Rate this book
Clear rating
Malena Watrous has read
All Fours by Miranda July
All Fours
by Miranda July (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Malena Watrous is currently reading
Colored Television by Danzy Senna
Rate this book
Clear rating
Malena Watrous rated a book it was amazing
Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin
Clever Little Thing
by Helena Echlin (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
I absolutely loved this razor sharp, weird and witty thriller about a mother determined to save her daughter who may or may not have been possessed by the spirit of a dead babysitter. The characters were so unique and idiosyncratic, the dialog sparkl ...more
More of Malena's books…
Quotes by Malena Watrous  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Problem is, life is not karaoke booth”
Malena Watrous, If You Follow Me

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Apocalyptic Readi...: Megan's 100 in 2010 6 54 Jul 06, 2011 03:57PM  
Around the World ...: Japan 60 2251 Feb 26, 2025 12:40PM  
The Mystery, Crim...: First Name - Last Name 18010 3490 10 hours, 28 min ago  
“Problem is, life is not karaoke booth”
Malena Watrous, If You Follow Me

35109 Debut Author Panel Discussion and Q&A — 175 members — last activity Oct 28, 2020 04:14AM
From July 12 to July 18, these authors will be discussing their experiences as debut fiction authors. Each day, they will tackle a different question ...more
176963 YA Story Sisters Book Club — 864 members — last activity Aug 22, 2020 10:59PM
This is the reading club hosted by a group of YA writers called The YA Story Sisters. Once a month we will be reading and discussing one book selected ...more
77596 Crazy for Young Adult Books — 12917 members — last activity Dec 25, 2025 10:38AM
Buddy Reads: Requests - In Progress - Upcoming A-Z: 2024 Grp Page Count Challenge: 2024 Jan - March Qrtly Challenge: 2023 Series Challenge: 2024 Ge ...more
114325 Bloomsbury Spark — 15 members — last activity Nov 08, 2013 08:40AM
Bloomsbury Spark is a digital-first imprint from Bloomsbury Publishing dedicated to publishing a wide array of exciting fiction eBooks to teen, YA, an ...more
181421 Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate — 119 members — last activity Oct 17, 2020 04:57PM
Companion discussion group for members of the Break the Bechdel Syndicate on Inkshares: https://www.inkshares.com/syndicates/break-the-bechdel-with-s ...more
154447 Support for Indie Authors — 16602 members — last activity Dec 24, 2025 09:20PM
Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le ...more
More of Malena’s groups…
No comments have been added yet.