Gina Yates
Gina Yates’s debut novel NARCISSUS NOBODY was released in April 2021 by Three Rooms Press. As the youngest daughter of the late American literary master Richard Yates, Gina always felt a natural impulse to craft stories that illuminate shared human vulnerabilities. After attending the University of British Columbia in the early nineties, she sidestepped higher academia, opting instead to hone her fiction writing skills along a less conventional path of world travel and entrepreneurship. Gina currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her two rescue dogs Fannie and Scarlett, and she is the owner/operator of an eclectic vintage clothing shop.
Twitter: @byGinaYates
Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?
I’ve done a lot of interesting things in my life, but very few are the kinds of things that fit neatly into the expected sections of a CV. Any time I’ve had to fill out an application of any kind, I’ve experienced a crippling sense of imposter syndrome as I bluffed my way through it. Surprisingly though, I’ve never really felt imposter syndrome when it came to calling myself a writer, even when I had zero publishing credits to my name. To me, a writer is simply someone who writes, and I’ve been doing that compulsively since I was six years old.
Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?
Creativity is as vital as air to me, and I consider myself fortunate in that my day job as owner of a vintage clothing shop is one where opportunities for creative expression abound. Frock Star Vintage has a uniquely funky vibe to it, and I love every minute I get to spend creating displays and other marketing pieces in service of that vibe. While fiction writing is the form of expression that comes most naturally to me, it can also be a source of anxiety; dressing up mannequins is a great way to nurture my creative mind when writing has gotten it all tangled up in knots.
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
Because of my day job, I spend a lot of time at estate sales and thrift stores. A few years back I started collecting old photos I found there, and that led to buying whole collections of snapshots on eBay. My favorite photos are those from decades past that show people and animals in unusual contexts and/or those that have interesting inscriptions on them. I’ve also amassed a decent-sized collection of vintage yearbooks. I find that this hobby helps keep my writing fresh, as it’s like having a box of readymade writing prompts at my fingertips.
What brings you great joy?
I’ve talked extensively in other interviews about the vital role music plays in my life and writing. Though I’m generally pretty old school, one thing I love about the modern world is the way you can instantly conjure the right song for any mood, from wherever you are, with a few quick taps to your mobile device. If you’re on a rainy street at midnight and find yourself haunted by a snippet of a song you heard twenty years ago, it’s possible to find it, download it, and – boom - rocket yourself into joy. The only thing that could make a moment like that better for me would be the presence of both my dogs.
What piece of clothing tells the most interesting story about your life?
About four years ago, I was at a church rummage sale and stumbled across a plain black tee-shirt with the word “novelist” printed on it in white block letters. It had a generic label, was hardly worn, and had the feeling of having been custom made by someone. At the time, I had written two novels and gone through two literary agents, but the dream of being a traditionally published novelist remained unfulfilled. Finding that shirt felt like a sign from the universe, a little reminder not to give up. The shirt isn’t especially stylish, and I’ve never worn it out of the house, but I love slipping into it when I have a challenging writing project in front of me. It helps keep the nasty old imposter syndrome at bay.
