Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Exclusive Interview with
Cary Lowe
When did you start writing?
I began in high school, writing short stories and editing the school newspaper. I kept writing as an English major in college, and published my first piece in an anthology. But I I didn't start writing more seriously until after I was out of school and began writing essays for publication in newspapers.
What makes writing your passion?
I have always enjoyed story-telling. Doing it for a live audience is more fun, but writing allows me to create something that reaches far more people, hopefully inspiring them and enabling them to share my vision of an idea or an experience.
How long have you been writing?
See #1 above.
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Great excitement! I had previously published dozens of essays and professional articles, but not a book. This felt like an enormous step forward in my growth as a writer.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
My published writing is all non-fiction, various forms of memoirs, so I and the people around me are the characters.
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
The way in which the reading public is far less interested in memoirs than years ago. It is virtually impossible to interest an agent or a major publisher in a memoir other than by a celebrity.
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
I have been fortunate not to have had that problem. Writers I know who get blocked from time to time say they just take a break (maybe for days), get their mind on something else, and then return to work.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
My motivation is in the feeling that I have experiences to relate that will excite, inspire, and/or educate readers. As long as a writer has feelings like that, they should keep writing, regardless of the size of their audience.
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Spend less time pursuing other professional goals and start devoting more time and energy to writing.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
I read the reviews, good or bad. After a career in law and politics, I'm pretty inured to criticism, so the bad reviews don't bother me. And, depending on whether they are constructive, I may learn something from them that I can use to improve my work going forward.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
It's wonderful. It makes me feel like I connected with the reviewer in terms of the content or quality of my writing, hopefully both.
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Everything I have written about to date revolves around my own real-life experiences or those of people around me.
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
See #5 above.
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
Maybe not quite as important as the story, but very important anyway. With so many books coming out, it's more important than ever to grab readers' attention. Since the cover is the first thing they see on-line or in a store, it becomes that important.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I enjoy hearing from readers and I am happy to respond to them (with the exception of the occasional troll).
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
I love having my work appreciated. It validates the effort and commitment it took to produce the work. When that recognition is public, so much the better, as it may motivate a larger number of people to check out my writing.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
There have been so many over the years. Right now, my favorites are writers who produce great memoirs, like Edith Eger, author of The Choice, about her survival of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the life lessons she gained from that experience.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
I'm realistic about the prospects for fame as a memoir writer, though it would nice to be as well-known for such writing as Bill Bryson. I'm considering trying novel-writing next, so maybe that will give me new aspirations.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
I did partially rewrite my first book, reissuing it in a revised edition, with added material I had left out of the original edition.
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
James Michener, whose historical novels were an early inspiration for me.
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
They should try actually being creative. Tearing down someone else's work is easy, but it's just a sign of a weak ego and unfulfilled aspirations.
What would you say to your readers?
Keep reading, especially books and stories that open your mind to new ideas, new experiences, new ways of looking at the world.
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live with my wife in San Diego, California. I have two grown children.
What is your day job if you have one?
I'm retired now, after a lengthy career as a lawyer, mediator, college professor, and political activist.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
My favorite activities are hiking, swimming, and scuba diving. For a longer break, I like to travel, especially to the Caribbean and Europe.
Did you have a happy childhood?
Very happy, even though I was living amid the post-war ruins of Europe. Our family was close, I had lots of friends, and we traveled extensively around Europe.
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
I had a high school English teacher who strongly encouraged my early writing. I credit her as much as anyone/anything with the direction I took later.
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
No
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
We have largely abandoned civics and cultural education in public schools, in favor of math, science, and English--topics that lend themselves more easily to standardized testing. Also, we seem to have given up on expecting students to read very much. I trace a lot of our societal divisions to those deficiencies in education.
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
In no particular order:
1. Renewed interest in memoir writing.
2. A safer world in which to travel and experience different cultures.
3. Less partisanship in politics and media.
What is your favorite music?
No particular favorite. I listen to everything from classical to reggae.
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