Featured Interview With Ingrid McCarthy
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in Schweidnitz (now Swidnica, Poland) and grew up in Bremerhaven, North Germany, a town that once was a port of embarkation for the then-occupying US forces and a fishing harbor of considerable importance. Fishtown, people called the place because when the wind blew in a certain direction, the stench from the fishmeal factory hung over the town like an evil curse, prompting us to slam the windows closed before turning into miserable and retching creatures. And woe to the person in the street who didn’t have a handkerchief ready to slap over the nose and mouth! No wonder I couldn’t wait to get out of there. At the age of twenty-one, I moved to Spain. Four years later to Canada. I lived in Montreal for ten years, then two years in Durham, N.C., and now in Ottawa, Canada’s Capital, where I feel happy, creative, and very much at home.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I cannot remember a time without books. As far as I can think back, there were always books in my life: first coloring books that had little stories on each page; then the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales, and later Roman and Greek mythologies. In my post-WWII childhood memoir, “I Stood Among The Ruins And Cried”, I tell when in my early teens I first entered a public library. I was in awe. So many books! I was in Heaven and became the library’s most frequent visitor. Around the same time, I received a diary as a birthday gift from a friend. My parents were not living in happy bliss. There was much anger due to my father’s excessive drinking and infidelity. Books and the diaries―I ended up filling six of them―became my escape and consolation during those unhappy years: I read one book after another and confided my innermost thoughts, wishes, and fears to the pages of my diaries. That was my early writing experience.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
When I read a book, I either want to be entertained or learn something. That’s why I enjoy fiction and non-fiction in equal measure. Once I mastered the English language, I fell in love with the classic English writers: W. Somerset Maugham, George Orwell, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Wolff, to name a few. Today, I admire: Isabel Allende, Anthony Doerr, and Jonathan Franzen―the list is endless. I also enjoy Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. With so many books in her series, I occasionally choose one of them, which never fails to make me laugh out loud. I prefer physical books to eBooks and rarely listen to audiobooks. The latter, if poorly recorded, irritates me. If well done, the voice soothes me and, sadly, I fall asleep. I love turning the pages of a book, feeling the weight of it in my hands, and even taking in the scent of it. A world without books would mean the end of the world to me. I believe reading has turned me into a good listener. People tend to tell me their life stories and those stories, in nearly every case, have inspired me to create my novels/novellas using a heavy pinch of imagination.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest award-winning novel “Anna’s Shadow” is an example of such a true story, plus heavy imagination. Let me explain: Many years ago, a German friend told me how she met her husband. In the early years of World War II, a young German officer was billeted in her family’s home. A portrait of my friend hung in the family’s living room. The officer was so smitten by her―she was not living in the house at the time of his stay―he vowed that if he survived the war, he would return and ask for her hand in marriage. When I met the officer and my friend many years later here in Ottawa, they were already in their senior years and have since died.
“Anna’s Shadow” isn’t based on the officer’s life. It was his infatuation with a girl in a portrait that served as my inspiration. I’ve sometimes visualized the young officer standing in front of that portrait and falling in love with a pair of blue eyes. It’s as romantic to me as the story of Romeo and Juliet, albeit without the dramatic ending. No wonder when I spotted an article in Oprah Magazine about the Juliet Club in Verona, Italy, where volunteers (Secretaries of Juliet) answer letters received from the broken-hearted, my imagination went into overdrive and, ten months later, I held the book in my hands. So, it’s thanks to my friend and Oprah that I was able to create a dramatic and page-turning novel that is part mystery, part WWII story, part romance, available on Amazon in paperback and eBook.
Kirkus Reviews:
An unusual historical romance set in two time periods.
BookLife Review:
“…The end of World War II is brought to vivid life as McCarthy balances the timelines of Sofia’s 2005 and Luke’s 1945, with storytelling that emphasizes sleuthing and history. Sofia’s own story, of healing and self-discovery, never compels as much as the beautifully narrated tale of Luke and Uwe, Luke’s oldest friend and mentor, which reveals just how unpredictable life can be. Readers will appreciate, though, how McCarthy’s attention to telling detail never slows narrative momentum.”
Literary Titan (5 Stars)
“… Anna’s Shadow stands out for its vivid imagery and compelling setting, particularly appealing to readers who appreciate narratives set in the 20th century. Ingrid McCarthy’s writing style is both engaging and evocative, making her a noteworthy addition to my list of favored romance authors. This book is a testament to the enduring power of love and the complexities of human relationships, making it a worthy read for those who cherish a well-rounded love story.”
From an Amazon Reader (5 Stars)
“I love historical fiction and nonfiction–particularly around the WWII era. This was such a romantic, suspenseful, and hope-filled book. There were so many twists and turns; it was not your average love story. I fell in love with all of the characters and will spend some time missing them. This is one of those books you don’t want to end!”
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