Trashionista: AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Caroline Smailes

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March 11, 2009 7:15 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Caroline Smailes

In Search of Adam was probably the most mind blowing book I read in 2007, both in terms of the subject matter and the sheer genius that is Caroline’s writing. Her second novel, Black Boxes (she has also written a novella for charity), is out now in paperback and I wanted to catch up with Caroline to see what her new book is all about and how her life has changed since we last interviewed her nearly two years ago.

What is Black Boxes all about?

Black Boxes tells the story of Ana Lewis, a 37 year old single mum living with her two children, Pip and Davie. Right at the beginning of the novel, the reader learns that Ana has taken an overdose of pills and that she is dying. Black Boxes is the story of Ana, of Pip and of Davie. But (as this is all sounding a bit too depressing) there is a glimmer of hope in there too, honest.

What inspired you to write it?

I was still a student when I found myself pregnant with my first child and I had to postpone my studies because of the pregnancy. I struggled with childbirth, with postnatal depression and the feeling that I had failed academically. This was my inspiration for Black Boxes. I took this seed of my life and twisted it into fiction. I looked at my past and thought about another path, one where I was swallowed by my depression and my children's emotional needs slipped away from my grasp. Black Boxes explores what could have been.

You finished your first book, In Search of Adam, in 2006 then created a website and a blog, went on to be found by a publisher and published the following year. How has your life changed since then?

Gosh, these last 30 months have seen so many ups and downs. My daughter started school, which brought with it structure to my days and more writing time. I wrote Black Boxes. My publisher went into liquidation and my writing future seemed very uncertain. The Friday project rose again, as an imprint of HarperCollins, and Black Boxes was published. I wrote my third novel, Like Bees to Honey and also my novella Disraeli Avenue was published. But I guess the biggest change since 2006 is that I no longer lecture in linguistics. My career path has changed completely and I now divide my weeks between writing and editing.

And finally, what can we expect next from you?

We’re at the ‘negotiations stage’ for Like Bees to Honey, which is all a bit terrifying and I'm currently writing my fourth novel.

Thanks, Caroline