Interview with Carole Crowe
Interview by Jenna Glatzer

Carole Crowe is the author of three children's novels: Sharp Horns on the Moon, Waiting for Dolphins, and Groover's Heart. She lived on a sailboat in the Caribbean for fourteen years and recently moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where she's trying to adapt to the writing life on land.

Why did you live on a sailboat for all those years, and what was it like?

From the time he was a boy, my husband, Jack, dreamed of living on a sailboat. When the kids were grown, we sold our home on Long Island and sailed off. I couldn't even swim! I had to tie a line around my waist before jumping overboard to bathe so the current wouldn't take me away. I washed my hair with lemon-fresh Joy because it lathered in salt water. We filled our tanks with rainwater and lugged block ice-- when we could find it-- to keep our food fresh. These inconveniences felt minor though because of the benefits: living close to nature, visiting beautiful islands, meeting interesting people.

And, of course, the spectacular setting was perfect for the novels I eventually wrote. You'll recognize many of my experiences in Waiting for Dolphins. And the experience of a family I interviewed for a newspaper planted the seed for Sharp Horns on the Moon.

What made you decide to become a "landlubber" again?

Fourteen years on a 37-foot sailboat is a long time-- even with a nice guy like Jack. The boat started shrinking. I started longing for a writing room of my own. After the death of my best friend, we stopped cruising for a couple of years. We were still living on the boat in St. Thomas, though. I began to feel like we had all the inconveniences of a small boat without the wonderful cruising benefits.

Jack is very supportive. He understood that I wanted to get into the writing loop. My three novels were published while I lived out of the country. Not the ideal situation for career building. So we sold the boat and bought a condo in Vero Beach, Florida. Now I have a room of my own, but I'm so busy being in the loop I have no time to write. I'm still learning how to live in the real-- unreal?-- world again. Believe me, some days I long for a quiet anchorage with no phone, e-mail, or commitments.

How did you get your start as a writer?

I was meeting so many interesting people in the Caribbean that I began writing interviews. My creative juices were flowing, and I wrote a personal essay about shell collecting, which SAIL Magazine bought. They accepted my next essay, "Cruising the Neighborhood," by return mail. You can read this essay on my website.

I was writing essays, but I kept wishing I wrote novels because I had this idea for a story about a girl living on a sailboat in the Caribbean with her mother. It never occurred to me I could actually write a novel myself. I must have thought novelists sprang fully-published from the head of Zeus. So one day I'm sitting on our sailboat, Morning Dove, and I thought, I wonder if I could write a novel? A moment later-- my hands sweating-- I tapped out the first sentence of Waiting for Dolphins: "The red sun hung in the sky like a lost carnival balloon, and I wished I could reach up and pull it into my lap."

I sat there staring at the words. I was fifty years old, and I knew my life had just taken a huge shift. I typed the next sentence. And the next. Eventually, I typed the last sentence.

How did you sell your first book?

I'd like to say the first publisher who read it snapped it up. Not true. I have a lovely collection of rejection letters and unsold manuscripts. When I finished writing and revising Waiting for Dolphins, I sent it out and started writing the next novel. A close friend who wrote children's books also sent my manuscript to several editors she knew. No one accepted it, but several editors, including Larry Rosler at Boyds Mills Press, liked my writing and encouraged me to keep submitting my work-- which I did, believe me. The fourth novel I wrote-- Sharp Horns on the Moon-- was actually the first to be accepted and published. After many, many revisions, Boyds Mills finally accepted Waiting for Dolphins. Groover's Heart is my third novel with them.

How much of your writing is based on your own experiences?

I think everything I write is based on my own experience. Sometimes, the connection is minor. For example, the funny aunt in Sharp Horns on the Moon always wears housedresses like my grandmother did; I experienced a treacherous hurricane in St. Croix and fictionalized it in Waiting for Dolphins; I gave my childhood memories of ice skating to Charlotte Dearborn in Groover's Heart.

But there's a greater connection between my writing and life: my novels have taught me who I am. I was surprised to find recurring themes in my work: love, guilt, forgiveness, acceptance. I seem compelled to write about families and friends who are working through difficult times. At the end, there's always a new beginning, a rebirth, or renewal.

I wrote Sharp Horns right after my best friend died in the States of breast cancer. In the novel, Ivy Marie and her best friend, a ghost, are having a terrible fight. Ivy throws a scrimshaw box at the ghost-- something I didn't know she'd do until I wrote it-- and a gold coin flips out, an earlier gift to Ivy from the ghost. I began sobbing because my friend also gave me a scrimshaw box. And she gave me a special medallion right before she died. Yet I never made the connection between my medallion and the gold coin in the novel. I didn't even know Ivy kept the coin in a scrimshaw box. I had no idea the writing of Sharp Horns was a catharsis until the girls exposed my own grief and anger.

I shape the novels, create the characters, and revise every draft. However, my life experiences shape me. Sharp Horns on the Moon taught me a lot about creativity and the unconscious. I believe my characters give me the chance of a lifetime-- I get to live my life over again. They take me on their adventures, and in the end, I forgive myself for past mistakes and time squandered. I embrace life and accept who I am.

When writing for children, how do you know if you're writing at an appropriate level for the age group?

I'm not the best person to answer this question. I'm working on my first picture book, and I'm struggling with this very problem. The voice of kids ten and older comes naturally to me. Finding the voice for a picture book has been very difficult. I think anyone who wants to write for children should read children's books. Make friends with the children's librarian. Some books win awards, but do children actually enjoy these books? Ask your librarian or bookstore manager which books appeal to kids, then read and study the books. I'm glad you asked this question; I'm going to take my own advice.

Tell me what it's like to work with Boyds Mills Press.

They've been wonderful to me. Boyds Mills is a subsidiary of Highlights for Children. They have always been dedicated to "fun with a purpose" for young readers. Take a walk through the children's section of Barnes and Nobles for a chilling reminder of the number of books out there. If a big publishing house gets tense about the bottom line, a book can go out of print immediately. I'm sure the Boyds Mills' accountant gets extremely tense. Still, the publisher tries to keep the books in print.

I suppose a bigger house would have the money for more advertising. But I'm not writing to get rich. (Don't tell the accountant!) Having my books in print-- knowing a child might be reading one at this very moment-- this gives me tremendous gratitude. 

Is it necessary to do publicity work-- book signings, readings, interviews, etc.-- for children's books?

Absolutely. Even the movie stars who write children's books show up on talk shows. I was in St. Thomas when my three novels came out, but I sent promotional material to the States. I wrote articles for stateside papers and did interviews with local press. I was on a radio talk-show and did book signings in St. Thomas and St. John. I worked hard at promotion. I'm sure I would have been more successful if I lived in the States. Then again, I would have missed all those dolphins, double rainbows, and green flashes.

Kent Brown, the publisher at Boyds Mills Press, thinks it's important for authors to promote themselves, not just sell their books. I attended a Boyds Mills' workshop in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, called "Life in the Spotlight." Among other things, workshop leaders gave suggestions for writing press releases, and the Highlights' staff videotaped us giving the school visits they arranged. Later, we watched and discussed our performances with the help of sensitive workshop leaders. If you want to spend a few days in a fabulous log cabin, eat food to die for, and get suggestions on effective publicity, give Boyds Mills a call at 1-800-555-1212. Tell them I sent you. You'll also get to visit the Highlights building and meet the friendly and accessible staff. We even had dinner with the editors one night. You'll make good contacts for submitting to Highlights for Children Magazine or Boyds Mills Press.

Last month, I entered this frightening cyber world to help promote myself and my books. (Thanks to 2-Tier Software and Kelly Milner Halls for their excellent services.) Visit me at www.carolecrowe.com and check out the site. Since returning to the States, I've been making school visits, giving presentations, and speaking on writing panels. Actually, I took on too much this year and haven't had enough time to write. I tend to go to extremes in everything I do-- all or nothing. Publicity is very important, but writing is most important of all. I've had to pull back recently and try to find the right balance in my life.

Two of your books address alcoholism.  Have parents and teachers ever complained about this?  Are the children old enough to understand this concept?

No one has ever complained about this issue. On the contrary, many think the humor and sensitivity in Groover's Heart make it an excellent book for introducing young readers to alcoholism, support groups, and recovery. One fifth-grade teacher has her students read Groover's Heart and then invites a local police officer from the D.A.R.E. program to discuss substance abuse. Groover's Heart isn't about alcoholism though. The novel deals with a young girl's dream of finding a loving home. I recently discovered that Waiting for Dolphins was on the Library Journal list for books to help readers cope with their feelings after September 11. It was recommended because the main character, Molly, feels guilty that she wasn't there to keep her father alive. Alcoholism played a part in the father's death, but the book deals with Molly's feelings and experience.

Are children old enough to understand the concept of alcoholism? I don't think children have to understand everything to enjoy a book. Kids seem to care about Groover. They easily accept him as a recovering alcoholic. They feel bad about the family problems and Groover's guilt. Charlotte makes them laugh and cry. If they read Groover's Heart again in a year or two, they'll probably understand it on different level. Every time I reread a book, it's new to me because I'm a new person.

If you could offer aspiring children's authors a few pieces of advice, what would they be?

If you have a story whispering in your ear, write it. Get feedback. Revise and polish your work. Then send it out. Don't hide it in a desk drawer because you're afraid of rejection. The only people who get rejected are those who are writing and true to themselves. And those who take the risk of submitting. If you get rejected-- and every writer does-- have a good cry and call a nurturing writing friend. Drop me a line anytime. Then send the manuscript out again. You've heard people complain that they'll never win the lottery. How many of them couldn't possibly win because they never buy a ticket? Well, you can't get published if you don't submit.

I have a rubber statue of Daffy Duck next to my laptop. He wears a dopey grin, his arms are thrown wide, and his webbed foot is flat on a big yellow star. He's made the big time! I keep Daffy close by when I write so I'll remember to have fun and not take myself too seriously. My advice to aspiring children's authors: Get in touch with your inner Daffy. Enjoy writing for children.

Visit Carole's website at www.carolecrowe.com.

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