On building a creative life and family
“Writing a book, building a business, and growing a family are so intertwined.”
As the co-founder of Piecework (best known for their design-driven puzzles) and the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tremaine (also a Reese's Book Club pick), Rachel Hochhauser understands how to create something thoughtfully.
Before publishing her debut novel, Rachel translated her talents for storytelling into a successful career in marketing and branding. After cutting her teeth in the industry, she went on to co-open a creative agency and ultimately launch Piecework. But even with a full plate, Rachel’s love for writing never wavered. She returned to graduate school to finish her degree in fiction and, following the birth of her first daughter, began working on Lady Tremaine—a Cinderella retelling (or, as she puts it, “untelling”) from the “wicked” stepmother’s perspective.
For Rachel, motherhood has proven to be an especially powerful vehicle for empathy and creativity. “Writing a book, building a business, and growing a family are so intertwined,” she explained. “It would be so hard to unthread them, and also so hard to quantify the various ways they influence each other.” In this week’s newsletter, Rachel pulled back the curtain on family and creative life. She spoke with us about the rituals she shares with her two young daughters, the threads that tie all of her endeavors together, and how she arrived at the heart of Lady Tremaine’s story. She also shared a few book recommendations for both kids and parents.
I had my first daughter in 2021, and when she was about eighteen months, I went back to writing and began working on what is now Lady Tremaine. The book is a Cinderella retelling from the stepmother’s point of view, but it’s really a story about motherhood and a woman’s relationship with her two daughters and stepdaughter. I don’t think I would have had the idea—in fact, I know I wouldn’t have—if I hadn’t been a mother myself.
It was my experience of parenthood that gave me the idea for the book in the first place: I was in a particularly challenging season of parenting. My husband was really ill, and we were spending a lot of time in the hospital, and I came across a depiction of Lady Tremaine as the stereotypical evil stepmother. In this season of sacrifice I was living in, I suddenly saw her differently. I saw that she was not a villain motivated by self-interest or by harming someone. She was just looking out for her children. That was the initial spark.
My whole understanding of the character was very much informed by this perspective of motherhood, what a mother is willing to do for her children, and how we define “good” and “bad” mothers. I actually call the book more of an “untelling” than a retelling. It’s not trying to justify a particular character that’s already in your mind so much as play with the archetype that’s in your mind. That gave me a lot of creative leeway to make her who I wanted her to be. I think she’s a character that’s very easy to have a lot of empathy for. Alongside the grit, sacrifice, and everything else, her parenting is her joy.
The book itself required nurturing. In some sense, it’s like another sibling competing for attention and energy with my children, but it’s also so additive to my identity. I feel very complete having done this. It’s also interesting to see how it impacts my children’s perception of my identity. For instance, when I got home from New York for part of my book tour, I showed my older daughter the novel and her name on the dedication page. She was taken by it and then wanted to write a book together, so we sat down and started working on a story at six in the morning!
It’s fun to see how all of my endeavors are connected. They’ve all made time so much more precious for me—and when time becomes precious, you become really thoughtful and meticulous about how you’re using it.
“Writing a book, building a business, and growing a family are so intertwined. It would be so hard to unthread them, and also so hard to quantify the various ways they influence each other.”
Rachel’s reflections and rituals with her daughters 🩵
I think a lot about the relationship between my daughters and how that’s evolving. They recently hugged each other without any prompting, and it just warmed my heart. Witnessing these incremental changes in who they are and how they relate to the world is really special.
I generally try to encourage free creativity wherever I can with them. The house is filled with a lot of sensory materials and art supplies. I like doing things that turn into traditions. I think that’s what makes it meaningful: the repetition. One ritual that we do every year is decorate a cardboard playhouse. We started when my older daughter was eighteen months old, and we do it around the holidays.
I also have a giant bulletin board and we put up the art that the kids make—mostly my older daughter (my younger one is just getting into it). She gets really proud of herself and says, “This one’s going to go up on the board.” It’s become an ever-evolving art gallery for her.
Rachel’s joyful book recommendations 🩵
For Kids
The Neighbors by Einat Tsarfati
This is a delightful little story about all the different people living in one little kid’s apartment building. Each page is an immersive, themed world.
The Dory Fantasmagory series by Abby Hanlon
My four-year-old is obsessed with these—as she calls them—”chapter books.” In fact, she’s currently refusing to read anything else. They have a lot of nice winks and nods for the parents. (Though they may need a disclaimer as the kids in the books occasionally use realistic kid language some parents prefer to discourage, like “stupid.”)
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry & The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
This one is such a classic, filled with fun and whimsy and, as the title promises, a big juicy strawberry.
For Adults
Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
This story, which is in large part about a young woman becoming a mother, also manages to weave in Arby’s and professional wrestling. It’s funny, endearing, and enormously entertaining.
One Bad Mother by Ej Dickson
Ej manages to bring a hearty dose of humor and fun in her cultural critique/examination of stage moms and momfluencers—and women society deems “bad” mothers.
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
I had the chance to read an advance copy (the book comes out on April 7th) and I just know that this love story is going to take the publishing world by a storm. It was totally immersive, pulled all of the heart strings, and somehow managed to be joyful and life affirming.
“The love of a mother does away with scales and measurement altogether; it envelops and understands and embraces what is cracked along with what is beautiful.” - Rachel Hochhauser, Lady Tremaine
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Photos courtesy of Rachel Hochhauser unless otherwise noted.
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