EXTRA CREDIT INTERVIEW WITH CARAGH M. O'BRIEN:
Joining LitPick today for an Extra Credit interview is Caragh M. O’Brien. Caragh is the author of the Birthmarked trilogy books Birthmarked, Prized, and Promised and The Vault of Dreamers trilogy books The Vault of Dreamers and The Rule of Mirrors, which is due out February 16th!
Do you have a solid outline before writing, or do you usually get ideas as you go along?
I don’t have a solid outline before I begin writing a novel, though I often wish I did. I usually start with a character and a situation that intrigues me, like Gaia Stone, the young midwife in Birthmarked when she has to deliver a baby to authorities on the other side of the wall, and I see what evolves as I write the first draft. In a way, that draft serves as an outline. It lets me see what’s missing and which directions merit more exploration, but I don’t normally have the real shape of my novel until the sixth or seventh draft. It’s a messy process for me, requiring lots of faith in future ideas.
Has someone you knew ever appeared as a character in a book (consciously or subconsciously)?
No. I draw from my experiences and relationships, but I don’t actively pick a person I know in real life and insert him or her in my novel. The deep ways we overlap as humans give me a wellspring to work from. For instance, I’ve lost one of my parents, so when a character in one of my novels deals with that loss, I identify with her and I try to make the emotions feel real on the page.
What do you do when you get writer's block?
When I’m stuck, which is often the case in a first draft, I go forward as best as I can, knowing I’ll probably delete the pages. Exploring wrong ideas feels like a waste, but it keeps my mind in the world of the novel. If I need to spend a day brainstorming and another day deleting before I find my way again, I count that all as progress. I try to be nice to myself during first drafts because I know they’re not my strength.
If you could live in a book's world, which would you choose?
That’s funny. I live in a book’s world every time I open a novel. I'd never want to choose just one.
What is your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?
I enjoyed how the movie version of Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring captured Griet’s character and portrayed the amazing setting of Delft. Both the novel and the film are visually gorgeous, and they leave me pondering.
If you could have lunch with one other author (dead or alive!), who would it be?
I’d like to have lunch with Sylvia Plath. My mother was friends with her when they were at Smith, and from her poetry and The Bell Jar, Plath comes across as a fascinating person.
Wild Card question: You have a B.A. in Physics. You write YA novels. They do not seem to relate. How did you get from one to the other?
Physics was like a series of puzzles to me, and I liked using a mathematical language to understand the universe. I wasn’t the greatest physics student, though. When I took a creative writing course, it lit me up, and I knew if I enjoyed writing that much more than physics, I ought to switch directions. Writing, too, is about solving puzzles and exploring the world, so I found my skills crossed over.
Caragh, thank you for visiting with LitPick! We think you have reassured a lot of writers now that they know you might write six or seven drafts of a book before you have the real shape of your novel. Congratulations on the release of The Rule of Mirrors!
SIX MINUTES WITH CARAGH M. O'BRIEN:
Today, LitPick is delighted to have Caragh M. O’Brien on the set of Six Minutes with an Author! Caragh is the author of the Birthmarked trilogy and The Vault of Dreamers, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, she was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. Caragh recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels.
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How did you get started writing?
When I was in seventh grade, my teacher gave me a journal and assigned a weekly quota of pages, saying I could write whatever I wanted. I found that writing was fun, and I liked the way it helped me work out my thoughts. I kept up with my journal and stories after that.
Who influenced you?
Stories were always part of my childhood. My parents read to my siblings and me all the time, so my love of stories began with my family. Over the years, I’ve been influenced by writers like Gene Stratton-Porter, Jack London, and Marie Rutkoski because I appreciate the ways they can sweep me into a story.
Do you have a favorite book?
I have old favorites, like Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Stratton-Porter’s A Girl of the Limberlost, and new favorites like Levithan’s Every Day and Pearson’s The Kiss of Deception. I like variety in my reading, so I’m always looking for recommendations from my friends. I go on reading binges when I take a break from writing.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?
Get to the end. That’s what my former college professor told me when I was working on my first novel, and I hold onto the advice. First drafts are still murder for me. If you can write all the way to the end of a book, you’ll know so much more by then that you’ll be able to go back and revise. That’s when the real fun begins.
Where is your favorite place to write?
I like to write in a cozy chair by a window so that when I look up from my laptop, I have a view of nature. Any window will do.
What else would you like to tell us?
Birthmarked is my first YA novel, and it is part of a trilogy, with Gaia’s story continuing in Prized and Promised. I’m also writing a new series that begins with The Vault of Dreamers. I’m always happy to hear from readers, and you can find me online in the usual places. Happy reading!
My publicist is Mary Van Akin, Senior Publicist at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, email: Mary.VanAkin@macmillan.com
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Thanks for sharing six minutes with us, Caragh! We’re proud that you followed up on your talent for writing. The Vault of Dreamers is now available in local bookstores and online!