Catriona Silvey
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
Author of Meet Me in Another Life
Thora and Santi are strangers in a foreign city when a chance encounter intertwines their fates. At once, they recognize in each other a kindred spirit--someone who shares their insatiable curiosity, who is longing for more in life than the cards they've been dealt. Only days later, though, a tragic accident cuts their story short.
But this is only one of the many connections they share. Like satellites trapped in orbit around each other, Thora and Santi are destined to meet again: as a teacher and brilliant student; a caretaker and dying patient; a cynic and believer. In alternating realities they become friends, colleagues, lovers, and enemies. As blurred memories and strange patterns compound, Thora and Santi come to a shocking revelation--they must discover the truth of their mysterious attachment before their many lives come to one, final end.
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
Author I draw inspiration from: Susanna Clarke. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Piranesi could hardly be more different, and yet they're both among the few novels I absolutely had to reread. Two things I admire about her writing are how she makes the reader wait, and how funny she is, in a way that enhances rather than undermines the emotional impact of her books.
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
Favorite place to read a book: A cosy chair nestled between a radiator and some bookshelves. My husband even made me a little hinged tea shelf that's the perfect size to accommodate my favourite mug.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Ford Prefect from Douglas Adams's Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, for two reasons: 1) he'd almost certainly have alcohol, and 2) he would likely improvise a surprising way out involving a towel.
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: The honest answer is I don't remember! I've known it for as long as I've known anything. My parents still have a picture book I wrote when I was 4 years old, about me and my brother going out to play but having to come back inside because it was raining. Critics call it 'a grittily realistic portrait of growing up in Scotland'.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I do love a beautiful hardback, but there's something about a well-loved, battered paperback that really captures the comfort of reading.
The last book I read: I'm Waiting for You by Kim Bo-Young. It blew my mind and reduced me to tears. It's exactly the kind of science fiction I love: funny, philosophical, and full of striking, emotive images.
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
Pen & paper or computer: Computer, by a million miles. My handwriting is terrible and I need to be able to edit as I go.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Ishmael from Moby-Dick. He has a sense of wonder, humour and empathy that I think would make him an amazing friend.
Author Interview - Catriona Silvey
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: If I were properly fluent in another language, I'd love to be a translator - I really enjoy the puzzle of unpicking a text and trying to achieve a similar effect using a very different set of tools.
Favorite decade in fashion history: The '90s. Flowery dress + combat boots = my aesthetic.
Place I’d most like to travel: My husband and I were planning to honeymoon in Iceland in April 2020, but for obvious reasons, that didn't happen! I'd still love to complete that trip someday.
My signature drink: I'm a cider drinker (I live in the UK, where all cider is hard cider!) Ideal: medium-dry, sitting outside in a field, preferably while listening to live music.
Favorite artist: Ariana Olsen (@barringtonolsen on Instagram). She makes incredible embroidery and mixed-media art where human figures merge with plants & fungi in fantastical, luminous colours. Her work evokes feelings I can't put into words - I love it so much.
Number one on my bucket list: I'd love to learn to sail. I have this (probably unrealistic) image in my head of island-hopping in the Aegean, writing on my boat in the evenings or finding a taverna to drink wine & stare out at the sea.
Anything else you'd like to add: The first chapter of Meet Me in Another Life is available to read on my website, if you're interested: http://catrionasilvey.com/mmial_excerpt.html.
Find more from the author:
Twitter: @silveycat
Author Bio: Catriona Silvey was born in Glasgow and grew up in Scotland and England. After collecting an unreasonable number of degrees from the universities of Cambridge, Chicago, and Edinburgh, she moved back to Cambridge where she lives with her husband and son. Her short stories have been performed at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. Meet Me in Another Life is her first novel.
