Featured Interview With Cait Reynolds
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in Boston with my husband and our small, neurotic dog Denny who has ambitions for world domination.
There’s not much in my life that doesn’t center around writing or reading. But, when I do tear myself away from all the words, I like to cook authentic Italian food, go rock-climbing, walk/snuggle/nap with Denny, and drink wine with friends.
I love to travel, especially going to see my family in Italy. I’ve been to Greece several times and am hoping to get back there soon. I’m also a Francophone and Francophile, a result, no doubt, of growing up speaking French, living and studying in Paris, majoring in French in college, and writing my thesis on the protofeminism of Victor Hugo in “Les Miserables” as depicted by the effortless switch of characters and destinies between Cosette and Eponine.
In the summer, the beach is my happy place. In the winter, snuggled up with tea, books, and Denny is where you’ll find me.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Apparently, I began my career as an illustrator. My mother says that as a toddler, I used to tell her stories about my stuffed animals and the chipmunk who lived in the bush by our back door. I made her write them down, and then, I would “illustrate” them. Eventually, I graduated to writing and illustrating my own stories, including the infamous “Bird Life in Apartments.”
Eventually, I realized that I probably wasn’t going to have a future in art, so, I settled for using my words. And then, as I got a little older, I realized that I can use words in ways no one else could. (Of course, now, I realize I am just little craftsman tadpole in a very big pond of literary naiads, but back then, I stood out a bit from those around me because of my words)
I think the most accurate thing you can say about me is that I was born a storyteller. Writing is how I express it, but I think I would be compelled to share the stories in my head through crochet if that’s where my talent lay (it doesn’t.)
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
So, here’s where I totally nerd-out. I love, love, love reading non-fiction. I mostly read history and science books. I even subscribe to Astronomy Magazine and Discover Magazine because I think science is so cool. I’ve read about early Amazonian exploration by French cartographers to the discovery of the Mars parallax by Tyco Brahe and Johannes Keppler. I’ve read about Victorian police procedures, Jack the Ripper, and the major families of Renaissance Italy.
All of this gets filed away in my brain and pops out at various times – in the best case scenario, it comes out in my writing…in the worst case, it comes out during cocktail parties.
There are two reasons I don’t read a lot of fiction. The first is that as a writer, I can’t help but parse and analyze a story as I read it. I study the book jacket, the author bio, and the publication details. As I read, my mind goes over the various marketing possibilities and tactics for this book. It ends up feeling very close to “work” for me. The second reason is that when I do find a book that I love, I read it all the way through in one sitting. I can’t help it. I devour fiction. This leaves me with book hangovers and issues of procrastination.
I do have a list of authors that I am absolutely in love with. I love the dark stories and exquisite prose of Gillian Flynn, Tana French, Elizabeth Kostova, and Sarah Waters. When I grow up, I want to be able to write like them. I will buy and read whatever they publish. They are amazing.
There are some authors I’ve discovered recently – either randomly or through professional contacts – and, I love them, too! Kim Alexander just came out with “The Sand Prince,” and I was fortunate enough to read one of the early drafts of it. I was hooked and read it through in 10 hours. Daphne Lamb also came out with “The Girl’s Guide to the Apocalypse,” which had me laughing out loud (the embarrassing, snorting, snickering laugh). I cannot wait for the next books from them.
I also have a really weird thing for modern Japanese fiction with Ryu Murakami, Haruki Murakami, Junichiro Tanizaki, and others. I get so inspired by the way they use prose sparingly but with such tremendous effect.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Downcast” is the story of Stephanie Starr who lives at the bottom of the social totem pole in high school and with a seriously domineering mother at home.
Stephanie’s main goal is just to get through to graduation, and she has hopes of building a better life for herself out in the big, wide world.
Her plans go awry from day one of senior year when two brothers named Zack and Haley Smith show up as transfers into the senior class. Haley seems drawn to her, to the point where Stephanie starts wondering if he’s either crazy or playing her for a fool.
But, the harder she tries to avoid him, the more he’s determined to make a connection with her, and the more she realizes that there is something much bigger at stake than just her heart.
There’s an official synopsis for the book that says this all much better than I have here – and it should, since it is the product of blood, sweat and tears because I hate writing blurbs and synopses! Basically, “Downcast” is a high school love story that takes a steep swerve into Greek mythology.
Yeah, Greek mythology.
I won’t tell you which myth – you’ll have to figure that one out for yourselves when you read the book. I will say that I loved doing all the research to build in tons of detail and mythological Easter Eggs. Okay, I should probably just come out and confess that one of the reasons I like to write is because it gives me an excuse to exercise my geek research muscles.
Anyway. I’m hard at work on “Thunderstruck,” which is the sequel and will come out early next year. I have a third book planned, but the title is teetering between two options, depending which gods make it into the storyline (I have a habit of voting characters off the island during my plotting process then bringing them back in during writing). I also have several short stories and novellas planned for the Olympus Falling series – mostly because I love all my characters so much. I can’t let go.
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