Pump Up Your Book Chats with Apocalyptic Author Carla Buckley

Carla Buckley is the debut author of The Things That Keep Us Here (Delacorte Press, February 2010.) She was born in Washington, D.C., attended Oberlin College and The Wharton School for Business, and has worked in a variety of jobs, including a stint as an assistant press secretary for a U.S. senator, an analyst with the Smithsonian Institution, and a technical writer for a defense contractor. Orion in the UK and Wunderlich in Germany pre-empted rights to The Things That Keep Us Here and Buckley’s next book, and Random House has purchased audio rights. She is the Chair of the International Thriller Writers Debut Program and currently lives in Ohio with her husband and children. She can be reached at www.CarlaBuckley.com, on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/carla.buckley), and Twitter (http://twitter.com/CarlaBuckley.)

Thank you for this interview, Carla.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

The writing bug nipped me early. As a six-year-old, I used to persuade my friends to play hide-and-seek instead of tag by telling them that one day, I would name a character in my book after them. As a result, I have a list of names I’m currently working through.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

Although I wouldn’t say my path to publication has been frustrating, I would say that the most challenging aspect for me has been adjusting to writing under contract. Before, I simply wrote the book that spoke to me. Now, I write the book that best follows my debut novel, and that’s been quite a learning experience. I’ve been lucky in having an extraordinary editor who’s worked closely with me, and helped me grow as a writer.

By far the most rewarding aspect has been hearing from the people who have read my novel, and were touched by it. From the foreign rights manager at my publishing house who came up to me with tears in her eyes, to the reader in Oklahoma who received an advance reading copy and wrote to say she can’t wait for my book to be released so she can discuss it with other readers, it’s all been a surprising and joyful aspect, and I’m deeply grateful.

The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley (click on cover to order from Amazon)

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life?  Do you have support?

I’m married, with three school-aged children. When my children were very young, I got up before dawn to write, and snatched another few hours to work during their nap times. Now that they’re in school full-time, I write from the moment they get on the school bus until the moment they get off. Although it hasn’t been easy to juggle the demands of both writing and child-rearing, I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to spend as much time as I have pursuing both my dreams.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

My paternal grandmother was Austrian, and although I wouldn’t say I’m as talented a baker as she was, I have inherited her passion for strudel and kuchen. Every December, I bake many different kinds of cookies, and I’m usually the one to be counted on to bring the pies for Thanksgiving.

My husband and I vacation with his family in northern Minnesota every summer, staying at a log cabin beside a pristine lake. We spend every Fourth of July with my family in Washington, DC. At least once a year, we like to take our children somewhere new. Last year, it was the Outer Banks.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

There are three places juggling for top honors. I’ve never been to Vienna, my father’s birthplace, and I’d love to be there to imagine what his childhood must have been like. Conversely, my mother was Irish, and she and my father are buried there among the hills overlooking the ocean. I’d love to take my children there. Or perhaps it would be wonderful to be at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City and see Michelangelo’s The Pieta in real life.

Who is your biggest fan?

I never dreamed I would answer a question like this by saying, Linwood Barclay, but it’s true. He’s been unbelievably enthusiastic about championing my book, both at conferences and on-line, and I can’t tell you how many people have contacted me based on his endorsement. A close second might be Jacquelyn Mitchard, who paid me the highest compliment by writing to tell me that she wished she had written The Things That Keep Us Here.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

After years after scrunching myself into a corner of the kitchen, I now have my own room to write in! It’s the den on our main floor, and it’s lined with bookshelves, my mother’s watercolors, photographs of my children, and large windows that overlook our quiet street.

What’s your favorite library and why?

My favorite library has always been the one nearest my home. I spend a lot of time at libraries, primarily doing research, but also taking my children to library-sponsored activities. Currently, my library system is the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and I love the sunny reading room they have in my local branch. I take a cup of coffee and the manuscript I’m currently working on, and sit for long hours, absorbed in the flow of my writing.

What’s your favorite bookstore and why?

I love bookstores! When I walk through the door, I almost go into a hypnotic trance, and my children know we won’t be leaving for a while. That has turned out be okay with them; they’re all big readers, too. The bookstores nearest my home are a Barnes and Noble, and a Borders, and I try to spend equal time in both.

Do you have any pets?

We have two little dachshunds. My children gave me Lacey for my birthday a few years ago, and she’s quite the dignified lady. Tucker joined us a year ago, after we read about him in our local paper. He was among 1000 other small-breed dogs kept packed in rabbit cages, and when we got him, he’d never walked on the ground, worn a collar, or lolled in sunshine. He’s a delightfully sweet little fellow and Lacey has been busy teaching him how to break into the food pantry and steal crackers.

What are you reading right now?

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf, The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, and Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty.

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

I’m a huge fan of reality TV shows, but if I ever managed to get onto Survivor, I would be the first contestant voted off. Not only would I be reminding the other contestants to apply sunscreen, but I’d also be telling them where to build the shelter and how to cook the rice.

What’s the first thing you notice when you meet someone?

Eye contact! People who look you in the eye are generally establishing some sort of middle ground, and those who don’t make me wonder: are they shy? Sneaky? Distracted? My minds spins down all these paths.

Have you ever won anything?

Back in my previous life as an artist, I won a couple of design competitions. Then, when I first started writing, I won a Maryland writers competition and had my manuscript critiqued by a literary agent. And once I won a huge stuffed white monkey that terrified my then two-year-old and had to be consigned to a neighbor’s house.

What’s on your to do list today?

Well, this close to my release date, I’ve got a lot of publicity and marketing tasks: emailing event updates to my web designer, confirming book events in Texas, writing blog posts due this week, answering emails from readers, and compiling invite lists for my Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Ohio launch parties. Because I’m the Chair of the International Thriller Writers Debut Program, I also have a few things to take care of on that front: revising membership qualifications, welcoming a few new members, and monitoring our online social forum. I’m also deep into writing my next book, and if I can carve out some time, there are a few scenes I need to rework. And last, but never least, there’s my family to consider. Besides making sure the dogs are walked, I’d like to dig through the mountain of laundry so my children have something to wear this week, and make a dinner that doesn’t involve pulling up to a drive-through window.

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in February via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

I’m delighted to have the opportunity that a virtual blog tour offers, to go beyond my immediate geographical reach to meet readers. I’ve already begun hearing from people all over the world, and I’m thrilled to be talking with them about the things that unite us all, despite our country of origin: our responsibilities as parents, children, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, members of a community. And when I think of the new authors I’ve recently discovered, I can track my first learning about them back to an online mention of them or their work.

Thank you for this interview, Carla. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

It’s been a pleasure. And, please don’t tell anyone about Survivor.