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Interview with New Author

Carrie Kabak

Find out more about Carrie Kabak by reading the interview below....and don't miss out on reading the WebPearls review of her new book Cover The Butter....and aren't you going to love it...

WebPearls: Carrie, please share with us a little about your background.

Carrie: I'm married to Mark Kabak, and I have four sons and one stepson. I was born in Bolton, Lancashire, then lived in South Wales, West Midlands, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire. I also spent a lot of time in France, Switzerland, and Ireland.

At eighteen, it was time to line up for career's advice at school. The Head Teacher studied our exam results. She pointed to each girl, teacher, bank, nurse, teacher, bank, nurse. I was labelled TEACHER and encouraged to train for a real job when I objected, saying I'd like to be an artist--even an author.

So I went to Cardiff University to train as a French, English and Art teacher.

 At college, an English professor pulled me to one side. Why was I teaching, he asked. Why wasn't I writing? Because it's not a real job, I explained. Then it's your job to make it one, he said.

I married, taught, designed, and raised four children instead.

But I kept notes, mingled characters in my head. Studied the craft, kept reading, wrote poetry, achieved grade A for my sons' essay assignments. (D for math.)

I moved to the United States and began children's book illustrating, always thinking, I'll write a book next, but it took another four years to finally take the plunge. I was sure words could be used like a paintbrush, but with writing, I could climb inside the picture too. And live in it.

WebPearls: What was it like to hear that your first book was going to be published?

Carrie: I was elated!

WebPearls: Where did the idea(s) for your book and characters come from?

Carrie: When I was nine, my cousin let me into a secret. Parents "hide dirty books and stuff" on top of their dressers. Taking what he said to heart, I promptly found a copy of Edna O'Brien's THE COUNTRY GIRLS on top of my father's wardrobe. Stumbling through the difficult words and all the naughty bits, I found the characters, mood and dialogue pulled me into a familiar world. Here were the mothers, fathers, shopkeepers, teachers and nuns I knew so well in the many places I lived and visited with my family in England, Wales and Ireland. "I might write books when I grow up," I told my cousin. Cover the Butter is a fictitious blend, a mixture, of these characters and their life stories. Some of the elements are from my own life.

WebPearls: What's your writing style?

Carrie: I imagine the reader is my best friend, and I love writing in first person, present tense, so I can really get inside the protagonists head.

WebPearls: Do you have any quirks or preferences that help you in your writing process?

Carrie: I have a very bad habit of working until 4am, sometimes all night, not wanting to lose the thoughts in my head.

WebPearls: Who are some of your favorite authors?

Carrie: Kate Atkinson, Mary Wesley, Jodi Picoult, Alice McDermott, Anne Tyler, Bonnie Shimko, Edna O'Brien, Elizabeth McCracken, Frank McCourt, Trisha Ashley, Jeanne Ray, Joanna Trollope, Allan Bennett, Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates, Lily Prior, Damian McNicholls, Maeve Binchy, Mary Gaitskill, Michael Cunningham, Patricia Scanlan, Rachel Cline, Katie Fforde, Allison Pearson, Muriel Spark, Sara Gruen, Maureen Ogle, Jill Morrow, Karen Abbott, Maggie Dana, Marina Richards, Kris Riggle, Danielle Schaaf, Becky Motew, Liz Stroud, Barbara Derbyshire, Elizabeth Graham, Jane Guill and many, many more.

WebPearls: Tell us about some of your hobbies; what do you do for relaxation, enjoyment?

Carrie: Walking dogs, painting walls and canvas, watching films, cooking and drinking.

WebPearls: Is there any other interesting, surprising fact or event that you'd like to share with us about the process of writing and having your book published?

Carrie: Surprising: I received eleven offers from agents to represent my book, and I was honoured, amazed, grateful, and I couldn't believe it, but BOY, is writing hard work!

Process of writing: My friend sent me this:

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. For all one knows, that demon is simply the same instinct that makes a baby squall for attention." —George Orwell

BUT, writing can also be thrilling, exciting, and very enjoyable!

Well, WebPearls readers, there you have it...an interesting look at an author who is sure to be a new author and a new friend in your reading life. Thanks to Carrie Kabak for a wonderful interview. We at WebPearls appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed talking with her!