We are counting the days until we celebrate the launch of Claire Caterer's book The Wand and the Sea... with Claire Caterer herself!
Thursday, June 25
6 - 7:30 p.m.
Lackman Library
Claire was kind enough to give us a sneak peak and I know you will find her as charming as I do!
What are you working on now that The Wand and the Sea is finished?
I’ve got two things going at the moment. I’m outlining the third book in the series, titled (for now) The Spell & the Stone, and I’m also finishing up the manuscript of another, unrelated story for middle-grade readers that I’m very excited about. I can’t say much about the latter, but I hope to have good news very soon.
While working on The Key and the Flame, you kept Snort the dragon on your desk. The Wand and the Sea was represented by a pirate ship. Who’s on your desk now?
The Spell & the Stone will focus on the earth element, and I love to collect stones and fossils. Right now I’ve got two gorgeous amethysts, a geode, and an Irish worry stone cut from Connemara marble. The worry stone gets a regular workout.
What were some of your favorite books when you were a kid?
Oh, there are so many! I loved C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia; anything by Roald Dahl, especially James and the Giant Peach; The Hobbit; Charlotte’s Web; all of Madeleine L’Engle’s books. My favorite stories were about fantastic things happening to ordinary people.
Who are your favorite children's book authors today?
At the top of my list (again, so many to choose from), would be Lauren Oliver, Kate DiCamillo, Rebecca Stead, Neil Gaiman, and of course, J.K. Rowling. For pure adventure fun, I love Rick Riordan and Tony Abbott.
According to your website, you spent several years working in New York publishing. What do you miss about working in publishing?
Probably the camaraderie. It’s nice to get up from your cube and stretch and walk around and talk to people. Book people are so much fun. I enjoyed everyone I worked with in New York. It was also fun to connect with authors and help them see their books to fruition. I still do freelance work for publishers, but I miss the person-to-person connection.
What do you love most about being a writer?
I love the discovery aspect of it. You know that feeling when you’re poking around in the library, not really looking for anything, but then bam!—something hits you? Maybe some clever librarian has put together a display on a topic, or you just stumble on something high on a dusty shelf (well, none of the Johnson County libraries have dusty shelves, but you know). There’s that thrill, that magic feeling, of cracking open a story to see what’s inside. That’s how I feel bumping around my brain, looking for new ideas. I love the rush of coming upon an idea I’ve never explored, and the tingly, giggly feeling that, Hey! I can write that if I want! It’s the best job ever.
Why is Kansas City better than New York? (OK, OK… that’s a leading question. Let me try again.) What are some things that you appreciate about living in Kansas City?
Ha! Very diplomatically put. There is no question that the people in KC make it special. Last year I read a letter to the editor in the Star written by a couple who had traveled to KC from San Francisco for the World Series. They were so impressed with how friendly the Royals fans were (someone even apologized for the Royals’ lopsided win that night). I read that and thought, You’d never see that in New York. I also love the kind of up-and-coming-ness of Kansas City. We’re always striving, always making improvements, like building the Kauffman Center. We have marvelous bookstores and a thriving library system. My family is here, my friends are here—it’s a great place to live.
What did you love about living in New York?
New York has a whole different sort of vibe. It’s electric; the place just hums. Even taking a 15-minute subway ride is interesting: You’ll likely see people from 10 different countries sitting in your car. I looked out my apartment window once and saw a man taking a parrot for a walk. Last time I was there, someone in Greenwich Village held up a sign offering to give away free hugs. It’s fascinating. And the walkability of the city is nice, too. I never had a car all the time I lived there. I loved just walking and looking at everything. And the books! So many bookstores, so little time!
What are you reading right now?
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. It’s a strange, darkly comic novel about the abolitionist John Brown. Also, I recently finished a book I MUST recommend, The London Eye Mystery by the late Siobhan Dowd (middle grade). It’s fantastic.
What do you love about libraries?
Oh, where do I begin? The smell of books. The quiet. The search-and-discovery. The absolute wealth of information—and it’s all free. I always feel like I’m getting away with a crime because I can walk out of the library with a stack of twenty books and I don’t have to pay for them! Going to the library is like coming home. The people there understand me, and it’s filled with all my favorite friends.
Is there anything you would like your readers to know?
I absolutely adore meeting you and hearing from you. Readers of children’s books, whether kids or adults, are a special breed. I feel comfortable with you, and you’re so interesting to talk to. So please, come talk to me! Tell me about your most cherished books, your favorite movies, your dearest pets. I want to hear what you have to say.