Q&A
MEET THE AUTHOR
By Madison Hogan
CL: How did the idea for “Waiting
Impatiently” come about?
AH: I’ve always been intrigued by the
idea of living in a Buddhist monastery
and what it would be like to be in
isolation with my Self. In the early days of
the pandemic, I lived with a friend. Life
was full of uncertainty at the time; we
just sat around and spent hours having
lengthy, in-depth conversations about
various topics, from spiritual attachment
to how to make yogurt. When everyone
had to shelter in place, I used the
opportunity of the lockdown as a
makeshift monastery. It provided the
time to examine my struggles with the
human condition of attachment, personal
history and how it causes us so much
pain if we allow it.
CL: What separates this book from
other pieces you’ve written? What
connects it?
AH: “Waiting Impatiently,” was my first
attempt at writing a novel. My second
novel “Invisible Sun,” set for release this
fall, is a prequel of sorts.
Andrew H. Housley knows
what it’s like to go through immense
change.
Housley, who grew up in Cobb
County and graduated from Walton
High School, is a yogi, IT
professional, artist, singersongwriter,
master gardener,
spiritual teacher, adventurer, poet,
and most recently, author.
This year, Housley has released
his debut novel “Waiting
Impatiently,” a tale about a man’s
spiritual metamorphosis. Published
by Atmosphere Press, story follows
Ian, a well-worn yoga teacher and
Zen student, at the precipice of his
life. As the world begins to shut
down in the face of a pandemic, Ian
attempts to accept the gift of
self-examination while burying the
pieces of his painful past.
Through Ian;’s journey, the
reader is oered the uniquely
poignant perspective of a man’s
internal struggle with “Self.” In a
desperate moment, he arrives at the
Monastery, a place where time
stands still. Here, he finds solace to
soothe his soul and meditate on the
Zen riddle, “Can you manifest your
true nature while staring at the
pieces of your broken heart?”
Housley lives and teaches
around Atlanta. He’s been practicing
yoga for more than 20 years. He is
aectionately known as “The
Machine” for his ability to push
himself with a single-minded focus
to achieve any goal he sets for
himself. To purchase “Waiting
Impatiently,” logon to www.
andrewhhousley.com.
Cobb Life Editor Madison Hogan asked Housley
to share some of his insights and best practices
as a writer.
CL: What can readers expect
from “Waiting Impatiently”?
AH: Who am I to set the reader’s
expectations? I hope the reader
discovers an open, raw, funny
and emotional exploration into
the struggle of the human
condition and the transformation
that awaits all of us if we open
our eyes to see it.
CL: How does inspiration strike
you?
AH: Inspiration never arrives fully
formed or without a bit of a
struggle. You have to make
yourself ready, open, and
available to it. Consistent
attendance is required.
CL: Do you have any rituals/
best practices for writing?
AH: Creating a consistent ritual is
essential for me. I schedule a time to
write every day from 2-4 p.m. and stick
to it. When my writing time begins, the
first thing I do is turn o my phone.
There’s something very liberating about
digitally disconnecting and creating
space for myself.
Some days the words will flow, and I
can write pages, while other days, I
might scrap to complete a single
seemingly throwaway sentence. I
attempt to treat the most prolific and
sparse days with the same sense of
evenness by telling myself, “You’ve done
enough today, and that’s fine.”
I scratch down threads of ideas on
half-sheets of paper and leave them in a
pile in my work area if I get stuck while
writing; I read these threads and
sometimes use them as launching points
to weave into the story’s fabric.
I never read what I write, ever. So I
don’t edit. Editing is a slippery slope, and
since I’m constantly ruminating on the
writing, I don’t want to stop the process
by continually second-guessing myself.
46 COBB LIFE | SUMMER 2022
/andrewhhousley.com