Amazon Asks: Amy Fusselman, on Fur, Cardamom, and Candy

By Neal Thompson

Amy Fusselman writes the "Family Practice" column for the McSweeney's online 'zine, Internet Tendency. Her first two books--The Phamaracist's Mate and 8--have just been published (by McSweeneys) in one unique volume. After reading The Pharmacist's Mate, you flip the book around and upside down to read 8 on the other side. We chatted with Amy via email about what she's reading, and more.

Describe The
Pharmacist's Mate in one sentence?

Dad going, baby coming, boat floating, doctor, doctor!

That's a phrase, though.

Describe 8 in
one sentence? In 10 words?

Here's a haiku:

Getting a motor

cycle license at 40

is hard. I digress.

What's on your nightstand/bedside table/Kindle?

Ascending
Peculiarity by Edward Gorey and Karen Wilkin

The Cursing Mommy's
Book of Days by Ian Frazier

Preferred
reading format: print? digital?

I'm an equal opportunity reader.

Favorite book(s) as a child?

When I was a kid I had an edition of The Little Fur Family
that had a real fur cover. It was a precious and exotic object to me. I am
waiting for book production today to go in that direction--to differentiate
itself from digital by making hardcover books covered in fur and encrusted with
jewels.

One kids' book I discovered as an adult is Who Needs
Donuts? by Mark Alan Stamaty. My kids and I adore that book. It would
probably be even better covered in fur, though.

What
are you obsessed with now?

I love cardamom. I want to
put it in everything. That's a short term obsession. I have many long-term
obsessions. One  is "The Nutcracker." I see the New York City
Ballet perform it at Lincoln Center every year and I really believe it is a
perfect piece of art. There's a party, a battle, a little girl bringing down an
army, a snowstorm, an intermission, and then a long parade of dancing candies.
The structure is insane. Two years ago we had the good fortune, in New York
City, to have Mark Morris's "The Hard Nut" staged in Brooklyn at the
same time that the New York City Ballet was doing their annual Nutcracker, so
we had a little Nutcracker curriculum going on here. I am reading
Nutcracker Nation by Jennifer Fisher right now and loving it.

What are you stressed about now?

Nothing that can't be dealt with by thinking hard about dancing
candy.  I'm very lucky.

What's
next for you?

I have another book coming out called Savage
Park. I have a web site I just started called Ohio Edit. I am going to
publish books with jewels on them. I am going to drink a big cup
of cardamom coffee. I think that's all for now.