|
How
did you get started as a writer?
I started out by writing whatever anyone wanted me to write: sports
stories, letters home, wedding toasts, shopping lists…. I kept
journals all the time, and wrote a lot of letters to my friends to practice.
Where’s your favorite place to write?
Anywhere I can. I’m not picky! Well, except when it comes
to shoes. My favorite place right now is a small attic-like room in
my house, with slanted walls and a very cool window. Unfortunately it’s
really, really cold up there in the winter. My next book will probably
end up being about someone who dies from hypothermia.
How did you come up with that?
I like to think that I go looking for the absurdities in life;
they actually come looking for me. Basically I just listen to people
and look around and try to remember funny, odd or intriguing things
that I see and hear. (My friends always tease me about writing stuff
down on napkins at restaurants.) When I can’t get a particular
thing out of my mind for days on end, I decide to use it as a jumping-off
point for a book, and build from there.
What made you want to be a writer?
I did a lot of reading as a kid. We had a summer cabin with no TV or
phone and only very sketchy radio reception. (Let’s just say that
I’m really good at cribbage and Yahtzee.) (Okay, so Yahtzee is
all luck, but still.) We used to drive to the library and take out about
ten books at a time. Also, my father is an avid reader who taught high-school
English, so we always spent time talking about writers and books. And
then I got that D in Geometry, so the math/science thing was pretty
much out of the question…
What are your hobbies?
I always feel like I should have something amazing to respond to this. I must have some special skill that I haven’t discovered yet. But, in the meantime: reading, eating, sleeping, walking, breathing… All extremely worthwhile and necessary hobbies, you have to admit.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Alice Munro, Richard Russo, others whose names end in “o”. Raymond Carver-o. Jane Austen-o.
What are some of your favorite books?
For me that’s so hard to narrow down. So hard. It’s like giving an awards acceptance speech and leaving out key people, like your spouse—that’s what I’d do if I tried to list favorite, influential books. Overlook a book I really really love.
But ever since I read it in high school, I’ve said that my favorite book, and one of the most well-written books in my opinion, is All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. At least it was the one I folded down the most pages of, and quoted annoyingly to others the most often, and wrote down passages in my journal and on random pieces of paper stuck to my bulletin board. Brilliant phrases such as, “In the end, they just ask you those crappy little questions.” Which is true, really. I mean, look at this entire page.
What do you think you’d be doing if
you weren’t writing?
Winning “American Idol: Middle-Aged Edition.” No, wait. I’d be the one everyone makes fun of the most and who ends up with a recording contract nevertheless. I’d be rich!!!
|
I LIVE in Minneapolis.
And I’ve lived in a few other cities along the way:
Boston, MA
New York, NY
Portland, ME
Fort Collins, CO
Madison, WI
Denver, CO
Greeley, CO
Which means that I’m quite excellent at packing. So as Bill Murray said in Caddyshack, “So I got that going for me, which is nice.” I love Bill Murray.
I SPEND way too
much time with my pets. I have a dog named Sadie, who's a mix of golden
retriever and Australian shepherd. She's fluffy and blonde, unlike
me.
I GREW UP in
Massachusetts, but not near Boston. I come from the western part of
the state. From a town no one's heard of. I graduated from Wesleyan
University with a BA, and then got a Master of Fine Arts degree at
Colorado State University. Those are my qualifications, such as they
are.
Official-Sounding Bio (Including awards)
Catherine Clark is the author of several young adult books, including The Alison Rules, Maine Squeeze, Better Latte Than Never, Rocky Road Trip, and Banana Splitsville. She grew up in western Massachusetts and is a graduate of Wesleyan University. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Colorado State University.
The Alison Rules was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2005, and was named to the 2004 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list.
Better Latte Than Never (formerly Frozen Rodeo) was named to the 2004 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list; dubbed one of the Barnes & Noble Best of 2003 Teen Books; featured in Borders Books Original Voices program in 2003; and chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection.
Banana Splitsville (formerly Truth or Dairy) was named an American Library Association Popular Paperback for Young Adults in 2001. Its sequel, Better Latte Than Never (formerly Frozen Rodeo), was chosen as an ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults in 2003. She lives in Minneapolis, and works as a bookseller in Saint Paul. She loves hearing from readers through her website and corresponding with fans via e-mail.
|
