Carolyn Korsmeyer
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer
Author of Charlotte's Story
Charlotte Lucas, a character first appearing in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, has made an unfortunate marriage to the loquacious William Collins, reckoning that his tedious conversation is a small price to pay for a prosperous home and family. However, trouble brews within the first months of marriage. To ease the strain of their relationship, Charlotte leaves her husband to visit the fashionable city of Bath with several women companions. The weeks there prove to be a time for self-discovery and freedom, and the marital frost begins to thaw. However, events in Bath result in an unfortunate, even calamitous, consequence. Charlotte devises an audacious solution that combines bold connivance and compassionate duplicity, pursuing her hope of happiness with wit and courage.
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer
Author I draw inspiration from: Since my novel is based on a character from Pride and Prejudice, I have to include Jane Austen on this list. But really, any author whose prose captivates me with its expressive style and an original way of putting things is also a source of inspiration. Just to name a few others: Hilary Mantel, George Eliot, Richard Osman, Geraldine Brooks, Helen McDonald . . . I could go on!
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: I live in a cold climate, so during the chilly months I love to read in front of the fireplace by a lamp that illuminates just me and the book, maybe with snow falling outside. In warmer weather I like to think of myself enjoying a book in the backyard among birds, squirrels, and rabbits, but since Nature also furnishes mosquitoes and bees, I often end up inside.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: The very thought triggers claustrophobia, so I'll choose Dorothy Dunnett's clever hero, Francis Crawford, on the grounds that he can get out of most anxious situations, hopefully even one that he wouldn't have faced in his own time. (He appears in her six-book historical series, beginning with Game of Kings.)
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I can't recall a time when that wasn't at least a vague ambition, so maybe the idea arose when I learned to read. A good deal of my life has been spent in the academic world, and so my first publications are in the field of philosophy. Now that I've started writing novels, a fictional scene draws me in every day.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I like hardback books on the shelves, because if I want to re-read them, they remain in better shape. Paperbacks, however, are my usual reading matter. E-books are good at night when you don't want to keep someone else awake, and audiobooks are good for a long drive in the car. But I'm a speedy reader, so listening to a book sometimes makes me impatient.
The last book I read: Last nonfiction book: Iris Chang, The Rape of Nanking; last fiction: Arthur Phillips, The King at the Edge of the World.
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Computer for the speed. Fountain pen for the serenity and slowing down of thought.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Harriet Vane, especially as she appears in Dorothy Sayers' mystery, Gaudy Night.
Author Interview - Carolyn Korsmeyer | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Perhaps one's ambitious tend to be tailored to what seems possible. If I could carry a tune, I'd be a singer. If I were brave, I'd be an investigative reporter on the front lines somewhere. Years ago, I thought it would be interesting to be an archaeologist, so perhaps that's the best answer to this question.
Favorite decade in fashion history: Maybe the 1920s. Women's fashions were looser and more comfortable than in previous decades, and they used lovely fabrics, beads, and belts. Plus excellent hats.
Place I’d most like to travel: There are many places that I would like to explore, but I have a special liking for central Europe. (My second novel is set in Krakow.) I'd like to learn more about the fascinating history of this complicated part of the world.
My signature drink: Wine. Especially red. Or white.
Favorite artist: Artemisia Gentileschi for her captivating portrayals of women in legend and history. The Pre-Raphaelites for their pretty, over-decorated fairy tales. Bernini for sculpture like flesh. And just about any still-life painting.
Number one on my bucket list: Oddly, my mind goes blank with this question.
Anything else you'd like to add: My thanks to Ashley for this opportunity to talk about books and the pleasures of reading.
Find more from the author:
www.carolynkorsmeyer.com
https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.korsmeyer
Author Bio: Carolyn Korsmeyer is a philosopher as well as a novelist and divides her time between both kinds of writing. Her debut novel, Charlotte's Story was published in 2021, and another, Little Follies, is slated for early 2023. A third and fourth are on the way (fingers crossed). She lives in Buffalo, New York, which is also a site for the plot of story number three.
