A special treat for my blog readers.
CATHERINE ASTOLFO is here in Los Angeles discussing her new bestselling novel
SWEET KAROLINE
I was fortunate to be one of the first readers of SWEET KAROLINE.
"In
Catherine Astolfo's chilling new novel Sweet Karoline,
things aren't always as they seem. Anne, the multifaceted anti-heroine in this
noir tale takes a fateful journey into her forgotten past, uncovering the
painful roots of her childhood. While furrowing for answers, a mystery unfolds,
truths swirl to the surface, a heinous murder occurs. Who's the killer? Caught
in a tangled web of greed, lies and deceit Anne must come to terms with her
past, present and future, and the bleak realization that those we hold close may
be the last ones to trust. Compelling, visually descriptive, deftly
delivered…Catherine Astolfo's got the goods!"
So welcome, Cathy. Nice to have you back in sunny California. Even though we met breifly, it was a pleasure sharing wine and good conversation. Let's get right down to the questions:
•
Sweet Karoline is a confident novel. Your
creative voice is strong. There is something new, something different working
here. Can you explain it?
That’s a great question, something I have been
mulling over ever since I began Sweet Karoline. The answer is kind of
complicated. When I started SK, my main characters, Anne and Karoline, were
enigmas. I seriously couldn’t decide if they were good or bad “girls”. Then my publisher asked me if I could make Sweet
Karoline part of the Emily Taylor series (you know, to help with that
branding thing – important to marketing). I told her I’d give it a try. Months
later, Anne and Karoline were still rebelling. Finally, I let Imajin Books know
that SK would just have to be a standalone. Thank goodness, they understood.
And then – I let go! I allowed my subconscious to take over. No Editor sitting
on my shoulder, no solid outline – just a flow of thoughts and emotions and
experiences. It was the best feeling ever. Plus I think it has changed my
writing forever. I am going to be less rigid, planned and perfectionist in my
writing from now on (at least during the creative flow part).
•
What gave you the idea for Sweet Karoline?
What triggered your imagination to weave this story?
My Emily Taylor series has some elements that are
found in Sweet Karoline, namely the native influence, small town Ontario
settings and complicated relationships. I wanted to write a story based on my
children’s heritage. My kids are part black, part white, and part Native, with
an undocumented connection to Joseph Brant. The combination of my own
descendents and my children’s paternal family was just too weird to resist.
Characters abound on both sides. So I took a little bit of the history,
romance, tragedy and twisted relationships, added a whole lot of imagination,
and out came this story.
•
Sweet Karoline is a one-off, not part of
your ET series. Do you prefer writing a continuing character or one-off’s?
For the longest time, I wondered if I could actually
write a book without Emily Taylor in it. I thought I’d be in mourning for a
long time. Not that I killed Emily or anything, but I did say the fourth book
was her last. In some ways, I think I want to leave her alone, happily ever
after so to speak. Now that I’ve finished one standalone, there are a whole bunch
of others seeking my attention. So I honestly don’t think I’ll write another
series. That doesn’t necessarily make my publisher happy re promotion and
branding – but I guess the brand will just have to be me LOL.
•
How much research do you do for one of your
novels?
I’m not that fond of research to be honest, but it’s
a fact of life. Everything I write needs some kind of fact behind it. For
instance, when I was writing The Bridgeman, I realized I had to know
something about lift bridges. If I can go out and look at something, I do. I
headed to Merrickville and studied their locks and the lift bridge. For the
rest of my books, I’ve had to research wrongful convictions (Seventh Fire),
Ojibwa philosophy (Victim) and legends, puppy mills (The Bridgeman),
gold mines, the law in small town Ontario (Legacy)…you name it. However,
I always caution my readers that I adhere to the old adage, “Never let the
facts get in the way of a good story.” Although the research has been done, I
often manipulate the details for my own purposes. For Sweet Karoline I
even got to travel to Los Angeles and meet one of my favorite writers, Douglas
Wickard.
•
Do you use real people when you create
characters for your novels?
I do – sort of. I think my characters are amalgams. A
little bit me, some people I’ve known in the past (or present), characters I’ve
read about in newspapers, someone I met in passing. I put all of that together,
mix it all up, and make somebody entirely new. Also, I find names in the
obituaries. I put different first with different surnames and so on. Part real,
part fiction!
•
Let’s talk about sex! Are you comfortable
writing sex scenes?
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I LOVE writing
sex scenes. It’s my daughter, who’s always my first reader, who gets very
uncomfortable! This is what one of my reviewers said about the sex scenes in Sweet
Karoline, “The novel hits its heights as the best lovemaking scenes and
the ones that are just 'rocks off' sex as any I've read. The writing jumps off
the page. The main character is real, frail, strong, seeking, manipulative,
scared and secretive.” I really, really like that blurb, I must say. I
think I do have the most fun with the characters during a sex scene. That’s
when they’re naked, not just in body, but vulnerable to either be loved or
used. Sometimes that’s when you can take a peek into their true natures.
•
I felt your ET series maintained a certain
safety, a bit of you holding back. Sweet Karoline does not, in my
opinion. It felt visceral, raw, edgy. Noir. Do you notice the difference? Was
the writing process different for you?
You are so right. I think because Emily is a school
Principal, there’s a certain expectation that she won’t be entirely off the
wall. Since she is integral to the books, she held me back a bit, I think
(sorry, Em, but it’s true). Plus Emily is under a certain constraint throughout
the novels. Her life didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to, and she has to
hold back a lot of secrets. The writing process was quite different with Sweet
Karoline. Far more stream-of-consciousness than with the Emily’s. The
visceral parts were the best, when I could feel what Anne was
experiencing. Honestly, if I could write like that every minute of the day, I’d
be in heaven. It was a terrific experience. I hope I can continue to apply that
process to the next and the next.
•
We often are asked what our writing process
is…but I would like to know how you tackle the editing process. The rewriting.
I’m a bit of an obsessive editor. I think it’s the
bane of all ex-school teachers that we notice grammar and spelling errors. I
have to admit that I edit as I go. Not so much with Sweet Karoline,
however – and that was a good thing. Maybe I’m finally old enough or have been
retired long enough to let go of that. Sometimes when I can’t get going on the
manuscript, I allow myself to spend a few minutes editing. Believe it or not,
that can get the muse flowing again. I reread a section that’s particularly
good and all of a sudden, I’m off again. Once I get my Beta reader responses, I
rewrite according to their suggestions. I don’t keep every suggestion, but if
more than one person points out a flaw, I seriously consider changing the
passage. I don’t know about you, but I could probably rewrite until the story
disappears. At some point, I have to say: OK, done. Now on to the publisher and
professional editors. Usually, if I’ve done my job well and followed my beta
readers’ advice, I don’t have a lot of rewriting to do at that stage.
•
Waiting for Beta reader’s responses can keep us
in an altered, anxious state. How do you choose your Beta reader’s and how do
you use their feedback?
I am so very lucky with my Beta readers. I have seven
of them. Four are all retired teachers; one is a former book editor; one is my
daughter and one my daughter-in-law. The last two are in the film industry and
have read hundreds of scripts. The former are extremely good with the mechanics
of the novel. But they’re also all voracious readers. So they can tell me about
consistency of character or setting and words or phrases that are out of place
or jarring. I listen to them very carefully and often make the changes they
suggest, particularly if several of them make a note of it.
•
What’s next?
I’m working on two books. One is a young adult
mystery novel. The second, an adult mystery, is a “black comedy”. Right now I’m
calling the adult book a cozy, but it’s probably a bit edgier than that. Next,
I think I’ll be writing a general fiction novel about a couple of generations
of women. It’s germinated, but I’m still not sure if I should throw in a
mysterious death. I’ve also got two anthologies of short stories coming out
around Christmas. Obsessed? Ya think?
