Welcome to www.carolynmctighe.ca

ABOUT ME

I am a freelance writer whose articles can be read in various magazines and newspapers across Canada and the United States. In addition to having worked for CBC Radio, I have also written for the Los Angeles Times, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, 24 Hours Vancouver and most recently, ELLE Canada. I am currently a columnist and regular contributor with Sun Media, as well as a wife, mother and author. My first children's book, The Sakura Tree was published in 2007 by Red Deer Press, and will be followed by my first middle grade novel called How to Ruin Your Life and Other Lessons from the Fourth Grade. This book will also be published by Red Deer Press, and is slated for an early 2010 release. In 2011 my first non-fiction book, Vacuuming in Pearls will be published by Three Rivers Press. I currently reside in British Columbia, Canada with my husband and four children.

Putting Away The Pearls

I still find it hard to believe that my 1950's project is over. It began with such a flourish and has ended with very little hoopla. For the past year I've been immersed in the lifestyle of this long ago decade and now I'm returning to my hectic and frantic modern life. To say that I'm not excited to leave behind my dresses, stockings, heels and girdle would be a lie. I'm downright ecstatic about it. But the truth is, those things were simply costumes I had to wear. It was almost like I was an actress in a great movie. My shoes and clothes were merely a part of the set. They weren't the real meat and potatoes of the project.

What I do think I'm going to miss is the sense of calm I had. Despite all the work and trouble that I went through, there was a stillness to my day that hadn't been there before. I grew into my role as a mother and wife and almost, in many shocking ways, excelled at it. I exposed a side of myself that I never honestly thought existed and it was remarkable. Here I was cooking dinners every night, baking cookies in the afternoon and sewing my own dresses- and I truly enjoyed doing it. I found myself excitedly preparing for each dinner like a chef at some fancy restaurant. The clothes I made, though at first very rough, gave me such a sense of accomplishment. It made me feel like I could take care of my family. I was no longer just a shadowy figurehead in the family; I was actually running things. It was my show for the past year and I was happy it was.

Yes, I've missed many things I never thought I would. I missed the luxury of being able to put my feet up on the coffee table at the end of the night and sit like a slob on the couch and watch hours of mindless reality television. I missed sweat pants and sports bras. I missed staying in my pyjamas until noon. But with all that being said, I know I'm going to look back at this past year and miss a lot of things from the era. I'm going to miss sitting around the radio with the kids and listening to old radio shows. I'm going to miss introducing the children to Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy. I'm going to miss the smell of my basement when I've hung up the clothes to hang on the inside line. I'm going to miss the excitement of picking up a cookbook and making something from scratch. I think of this past year almost like a friend whose visit is about to end. Their stay has been fun and memory filled, and even a little stressful, but you can't imagine spending one day without them. I feel that way about 2009. This past year has been a fast paced, quick moving roller coaster that has brought me to new highs and very new lows, but I'm going to miss it nonetheless.

Vacuuming in Pearls, a book based on my year-long challenge of living like a retro housewife, is slated for publication by Random House in 2011. Currently I'm in the writing stage of things. There are many sleepless nights and frantic days of hair pulling and nail biting, but at least I can do it all now in my pyjamas rather than a day dress and pearls. I'll admit it has been a challenge so far trying to get 365 days down into 250 pages. There are so many things I want to write about, and just not enough space to do it.

Thank you to everyone who followed my journey and for all those behind the scenes that gave me the chance to share it.

Fun Facts

Author Q&A

Author Q&A Bonus Material

1. What inspired you to write Vacuuming in Pearls?
My grandmother was my inspiration. She's in her nineties now and is still a force to be reckoned with. She's always been an important person in my life, but it wasn't until doing this book that I really got to understand and appreciate her.

2. Who's your favorite author? I have so many.
I think if I had to pick one though, it would probably be Alice Munro.

3. You're on a desert island and you get three books. What are they and why?
Well I hope I'm never in this situation, but if I were I'd read A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, because it's so compelling. The Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, because it's inspiring and How to be a Canadian by Will Ferguson, because I could probably use a laugh.

4. What's you biggest book memory?
Being about nine-years-old and going to the bookstore for the first time with my mother to pick out my very own book. I picked Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

5. Where do you write?
Anywhere I can, though most often it's in my office.

6. Biggest book pet peeve?
Tired metaphors.

7. Paper or hardcover?
Definitely paper. A paperback is so much easier to stuff inside a purse.

8. Who do you wish you could write like?
Alice Munro.

9. If you could be a character in any book, who would it be and why?
Either Christy Huddleston in Catherine Marshall's Christy or Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I'm a hopeless romantic.

10. What's your favorite book cover ever?
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The book is beautifully illustrated and designed.

11. What's the first thing you bought with your advance.
A dog.

12. What do your book shelves look like?
There are heaping stack of books everywhere. I have all of my favorite books on the first few shelves, followed by my husband's collection of World War II books, and then all of the children's books.

13. What's on your nightstand now?
Wife Dressing by Anne Fogarty.

14. What's the book you recommend the most?
Currently I would recommend I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci. It's a funny and touching book and a great read.

15. What's your favorite childhood book?
Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

16. Have you ever pretended you read a book when you hadn't? Which one(s)?
A friend lent me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when it first came out and I just couldn't get into it. She asked me if I liked it and I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I said yes. My dishonestly didn't last long though, because she figured it out when I couldn't tell her anything about the book.

17. Have you ever read a book on a e-reader?
No, not yet.

18. Fill in the blank: After reading my book, I want people to...
want to read the next one.

19. What's a book you'd never admit to reading and loving?
Any of my husband's World War II books, although I have secretly read a few. But don't tell him, because he'll want to discuss it.