About the Author: Caroline Leavitt
What would you like readers to know about you?
I had a pet tortoise for twenty years who was my litmus test for dating. If a guy didn’t love my tortoise, he didn’t stand a chance with me. A piece I wrote about my tortoise was in the New York Times here: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/fashion/a-writers-tortoise-leads-the-way-to-happiness-modern-love.html
I’ve had a strange career. I got famous in my twenties for my first book Meeting Rozzy Halfway, and then the next 8 books kind of struggled. My nineth novel Pictures of You was rejected on contract as being “not special enough,” but it was picked up by Algonquin who turned it into a New York Times Bestseller it’s first week out and it became a Pennie’s Pick from Costco! I want every writer to know that writing careers can have ups and downs and you never know what is going to happen (or not happen), so the best thing to do is just love what you do and keep doing it.
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
It depends on the scene! I love emotional music when I am writing something emotional, and it can be anything from classical to rock and roll. It just cannot be anything that I have to stop to listen to because that would distract me from the writing.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
I have wanted to be a writer since I was ten. My sister and I used to write “novels” on pads of paper and illustrate them—always about a young girl with millionaire parents who were never around! My first literary crush was Edgar Allen Poe (I actually bought a black dress with white type all over it—an Edgar Allen Poe story!). Then Ray Bradbury changed my life with his seemingly effortlessly written stories that pulled you in and made you see the world differently than you had before. I wanted to be able to do that!
About the Book: Days of Wonder
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
Alas, I cannot show the cover yet, but I will say it is absolutely gorgeous and it looks so different from all my other covers. My new book, Days of Wonder, coming Spring 2024 from Algonquin/Hatchett follows the adult lives of two people who were lovers when they were 15 and who may or may not have committed an attempted murder. It’s got poisonous flowers in it! Reckless parents! Tattoos!
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
I have a friend I adore. Everyone loves her. But I didn’t find out until I had known her a year that she had been in prison when she was 15 for murder. She had reinvented herself but she was always wondering, “When do I get to be really forgiven?” (Many people even now do not.) I’m protecting her by not revealing her name.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
I always love to write the opening first, because for me, the first chapter holds the seeds for everything that grows in the book. My first scene was about my main character Ella, being early released (she’s 22) from prison for a crime she doesn’t remember. She’s being picked up by her single mother and hounded by the media because the crime involved a prominent judge.
Where can your book be purchased?
Bookshop.org. Any indie bookstore. Anywhere where books are sold!
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Don’t give up. Don’t let anyone dissuade you. Passion and persistence are what matters most. Write the book that you want to read about the subject that really haunts you, rather than paying attention to the market. That is what is going to make your book universal.
Other good advice is to find a writers’ group, or at least another writer, so you can hold each other up, help with writing, and just find community!
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
My 13th novel DAYS OF WONDER will be published by Algonquin/Hatchette in April 2024. All events and everything else will be found later on my website www.carolineleavitt.com.
Where can we find you:
Twitter-@leavittnovelist
Instagram-@carolineleavitt
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt
Tiktok: Carowriter99
What’s on your TBR list?
Lauren Groff’s new book The Vaster Wilds
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister (About the Brontes!) by Rachel Cantor is coming. I just finished it and it is miraculous.