Author Anthony Todd Carlisle focuses on family in his novel The Souls of Clayhatchee.
Tell me about your latest book.
James Kingsman, a career-driven reporter, must suspend his work, his life in New York, and his relationship with his girlfriend, Jackie, to travel 1,130 miles to Clayhatchee, Alabama, to fulfill his mother’s final wish: to be buried in the South, in her native home. James finds his mother’s final request peculiar, since she has spent nearly 50 years in Pittsburgh as a housewife to John Kingsman and a mother to James and his siblings: Francis, Mark, and Cecilia. Although confounded by her request and hesitant to leave New York, duty and love of his mother makes James keep his promise. James, who finds family life and his family, in particular, tedious, launches into a trip that’s revealing. He’s forced to deal with unresolved family history that has current-day ramifications. On top of that, James, an educated African American northerner, confronts these discoveries as past racial animosities play a part in his journey.
What inspired you to write it?
I always wanted to write fiction, and I expected I would one day, after my career as a newspaper reporter. I actually started this story in 2004 when I was on deployment in Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom. When we had downtime, I spent most of my time reading novels–whatever I could get. I remember so thoroughly enjoying Eric Jerome Dickey’s book Milk in My Coffee because of its humor and accessibility, and I thought I could write something like that. I think the next day I flipped open my laptop and started my book.
When did you fall in love with the written word?
I have always loved the written word as long as I can remember. My grandparents, who raised me, kept books around the house. People in my family were avid readers, and it just rubbed off on me. I went from reading stories as a child to wanting to tell my own stories.
What’s the best part of being an author?
Being published. It’s nothing like someone wanting your work. It’s nothing like seeing your work in print. It’s validation. Also, just having an idea and seeing it develop into something is magical.
What’s the hardest part of being an author?
Rejection. I think every author has experienced rejection more than once. I don’t think it ever gets easy. As far as the writing part, it’s the never wanting to stop editing your work that’s pretty hard. When do you stop? Is it good? Is it ready? Did I miss something? Releasing the work is hard.
What books have you read lately and loved?
I read Damon Young’s What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker in about three days. lt’s a serious book that cracked me up the entire read. I couldn’t put it down. In addition, Damon is a Pittsburgh guy, so I was really digging the book. I also read The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. I love everything he writes. Lastly, I’ve recently read Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. It’s a masterpiece.
What book(s) are you most excited to read next?
Stacked and ready to read in this order: Eddie Claude Jr’s Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own; Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys; James McBride’s Deacon King Kong; and Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns.
Who would you cast in a movie to play your main characters?
Michael B. Jordan would play James Kingsman, Octavia Spencer would play Aunt Dee, and John David Washington would play Bunky.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a historical fiction with parallel stories of two young girls as the protagonist. The story came to me in a dream, and I think it could be pretty good, but that’s all I’m saying for now.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I hope that people who read The Souls of Clayhatchee will come to love and care about the characters as much as I do. I believe the book has the power to resonate with just about anyone because at its core, it’s a book about family and love.
Anthony Todd Carlisle, the author of The Souls of Clayhatchee, is an associate professor in the Department of Culture, Media, and Performance at California University of Pennsylvania.
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