The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire #33: Jess H. Gutierrez
"Since I was very little there has been nothing I love more than making people laugh with something I write or say."
Since 2010, in various publications, I’ve interviewed authors—mostly memoirists—about aspects of writing and publishing. Initially I did this for my own edification, as someone who was struggling to find the courage and support to write and publish my memoir. I’m still curious about other authors’ experiences, and I know many of you are, too. So, inspired by the popularity of The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, I’ve launched The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire.
Here’s the thirty-third installment, featuring Jess H. Gutierrez, author of A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking): A Never-Coming-of-Age Story. -Sari Botton
Jess H. Gutierrez is the author of A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) (Tiny Reparations, June 2024), and Adulthood For Amateurs (Tiny Reparations, 2025). She lives in Northwest Arkansas with her fire captain wife, three kids, a pair of dogs, a couple of bunnies, and a flock of chickens that refuse to lay eggs. She is a former journalist whose work has been published in Northwest Arkansas Times, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Siloam Springs Herald Leader, and the Fayetteville Free Weekly.
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How old are you, and for how long have you been writing?
I am 41 and I have been writing for longer than I can remember. I have always been a storyteller. Since I was very little there has been nothing I love more than making people laugh with something I write or say.
What’s the title of your latest book, and when was it published?
A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) was published by Tiny Reparations, my absolute dream publishing house, in June 2024.
What number book is this for you?
I feel like I have written approximately seven thousand books. A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) is the first one that sold, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. My agent, Claire Draper, and I had multiple projects die on submission before landing our first book deal together. Talk about the best news ever!
How do you categorize your book—as a memoir, memoir-in-essays, essay collection, creative nonfiction, graphic memoir, autofiction—and why?
It’s memoir-in-essays. I was lucky enough to be able to write the stories that I love the most from my history. The essay form made the most sense for what I was trying to do —tales in little nibbles that would be easy to digest and quick to read through.
What is the “elevator pitch” for your book?
A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) is a collection of essays perfect for anyone who feels like they’ve never quite had their coming-of-age moment. It’s for all the world’s anti-heroes and all the folks trying to figure out who they are and what they’re doing while realizing that the revelation may never come. Told from the viewpoint of an elder millennial, the stories are rife with pop culture references from the 1980s and 1990s and so many relatable experiences about growing up at the tail end of the twentieth century. Dating mishaps, coming out stories, misadventures at work, and miserable trips to grocery stores with kids, are among the many highlights.
A Product of Genetics (and Day Drinking) is a collection of essays perfect for anyone who feels like they’ve never quite had their coming-of-age moment. It’s for all the world’s anti-heroes and all the folks trying to figure out who they are and what they’re doing while realizing that the revelation may never come.
What’s the back story of this book including your origin story as a writer? How did you become a writer, and how did this book come to be?
As mentioned previously, I’ve always written. It feels as natural to me as anything else. As a little girl, with a wanderlust-filled mother, I moved a lot. With my toys mostly in boxes waiting for the next relocation and chances at making friends limited, I found real companionship between the pages of the books that I found in our house. When I discovered that I could create stories too, the world suddenly felt limitless.
I wrote and wrote and wrote. I dreamed too. I thought I would end up in a New York City apartment, chasing leads and writing features for a huge publication. I moved away for college and quickly realized how hard and expensive things were. I loved the journalism classes that I took at my university but found myself struggling to stay afloat. Soon thereafter, I had to drop out of school to work odd jobs. I eventually made my way back to school. I landed a job as a newspaper reporter. A few years later when layoffs began rolling through the newsroom, I went to a local community college and registered for classes to become a respiratory therapist. Today, I teach classes at the same college. It’s funny how full-circle everything is sometimes.
In the years since going back to school, I have had kids. For a long time, my beloved writing was shelved — there wasn’t time enough or energy for creativity. But eventually, one night, tired from breastfeeding and diaper changes, I rocked my second newborn while trying to stay awake. Looking at his little face an idea sparked for a picture book. That moment was such a defining moment for me — it was when my long-dormant creativity woke back up. For the rest of the night, I wrote in a frenzy. By the time the sun came up, I had a solid idea for a book and had fully rediscovered my passion for writing.
Today, that baby is nearly seven years old, and I have sold two books. Writing has become a career instead of a hobby. I am so very glad that I listened to that late-night call to dive back in.
What were the hardest aspects of writing this book and getting it published?
As a mostly stay-at-home parent to three kids finding time to write is always, always difficult. For the longest time, writing seemed to be more of a hobby than a job and it was hard to make the transition. We are still working on it. There are so many days when I am writing in front of Bluey episodes in between waiting for frozen waffles to pop up from the toaster. Coughs, colds, making dinner, doctor appointments, and piano lessons for kids play tug of war for all of the time available in my day. Being a parent is the best thing that I have ever done, but it also makes scheduling writing time an interesting feat.
How did you handle writing about real people in your life? Did you use real or changed names and identifying details? Did you run passages or the whole book by people who appear in the narrative? Did you make changes they requested?
I asked many of the people in my life for permission before I wrote this book. Though I was very intentional about not villainizing anyone in my essays, I know that some of my stories are about sensitive topics, and wanted to be as delicate as possible. At the end of the day though, these stories are mine. They are my tales to tell. I was respectful in the process while staying true to the messages I wanted to get across. All the names in my stories have been changed. I did not alter any of my stories to make others more comfortable. I wrote them in a way that I felt was respectful while still being funny.
One night, tired from breastfeeding and diaper changes, I rocked my second newborn while trying to stay awake. Looking at his little face an idea sparked for a picture book. That moment was such a defining moment for me — it was when my long-dormant creativity woke back up. For the rest of the night, I wrote in a frenzy. By the time the sun came up, I had a solid idea for a book and had fully rediscovered my passion for writing.
Who is another writer you took inspiration from in producing this book? Was it a specific book, or their whole body of work? (Can be more than one writer or book.)
I try not to read essay collections while I’m writing for fear of sounding too much like writers that I admire. I love essayist Samantha Irby’s body of work more than I can say. Talk about an absolute icon. Sloane Crosley is another favorite of mine.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to publish a book like yours, who are maybe afraid, or intimidated by the process?
I would say that I absolutely agree — the process is intimidating. It can be daunting at times. Aspiring writers should remember to just keep going, keep trying, and keep believing. For the longest time, I couldn’t fathom writing seventy thousand words — the very thought was too intimidating. It took awhile for me to realize that I didn’t need to write seventy thousand. I needed to just a few today, and a few more tomorrow, and to keep going until I had something that resembled a rough draft. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Get the work done and finish your book. I’m a huge planner and know how hard it is to not know what’s going to happen. In publishing you just can’t know. There’s no way to tell in advance where you will be. But you won’t be anywhere at all unless you write the damned book.
What do you love about writing?
I love the way that it makes me feel when I’m really into an idea.
What frustrates you about writing?
I also hate the way it makes me feel when I’m really into an idea. It’s hard to pull away from writing when
What about writing surprises you?
The thing that always surprises me about writing is how endless it feels. If ever there is a moment I worry that I will run out of ideas, or that my writing well will dry up, it’s quickly replaced by something new and exciting. I am fascinated by creativity and how it works.
Does your writing practice involve any kind of routine or writing at specific times?
As a mom of three under nine, I write when I can. Most of my writing is in the middle of the night out of pure necessity. It isn’t unusual for me to take a Red Bull or cup of coffee to bed with me -when the kids go down, my work begins. I hope someday that I can fit into a routine, but for now what I’m doing works. I’m proud of the words I produce in those late-night, caffeine-fueled frenzied writing sessions between my kid’s last blinks and sunrise. You know what they say, “If it ain’t broke…”
For the longest time, I couldn’t fathom writing seventy thousand words — the very thought was too intimidating. It took awhile for me to realize that I didn’t need to write seventy thousand. I needed to just a few today, and a few more tomorrow, and to keep going until I had something that resembled a rough draft. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Get the work done and finish your book.
Do you engage in any other creative pursuits, professionally or for fun? Are there non-writing activities do you consider to be “writing” or supportive of your process?
In the late 1990s, I burned a lot of sweet CDs for friends but now that that isn’t a thing anymore, I’m without a hobby. Kidding. In real life, other than writing and my day job, I don’t do much other than try to figure out how to do my second grader’s math and throw away the leftovers of dinners my kids don’t eat.
What’s next for you? Do you have another book planned, or in the works?
I am excited for my second book Adulthood For Amateurs to come out with Tiny Reparations in 2025. I absolutely have more books in the works and can’t wait to share them with the world.
Informative
My youngest is 5, oldest is 7 and I loved reading about the call back to creativity as they get older. This book went immediately on my TBR list as a fellow elder millennial.