Beach Book Bonanza Series: Deb Caletti

Hello Beautiful People,

Deb Caletti is one of those authors that one could easily gush about for sentences upon sentences.  Her words are powerful, her stories ring true, and she’s always willing to give back and lend a hand.  She has been unbelievably supportive of the work that we do here at The Write Teacher(s), participating in both our School Time Author Q&A Series, and now the Beach Book Bonanza.  I thoroughly  enjoyed her answers in this Q&A Series, and I know you all will too!

Ladies & Gents, meet Deb Caletti…

TWT: Where did you come up with the inspiration behind your new book, He’s Gone?

DC: The inspiration came much the same way the book begins. I woke up one day, and my husband wasn’t there. I did that listening you do, where you try to see if the TV is on in the other room, or if there’s the sound of the toaster lever being pushed down. And suddenly there was the What If that often begins a book. What if you woke up one day to find that your husband had vanished? And while my own was merely out walking the dog, the situation was much more complex for Dani and Ian in He’s Gone.

TWT: What’s your favorite summer reading spot?

DC: Oh, how to choose between a grassy spot by a lake, a deck chair by a pool, a towel spread on a beach, a rocker on your own porch?  Anywhere there is a sunny spot for me and my book, I am happy.

TWT: What’s the fondest memory of your summer vacation during your high school years?

DC: My favorite memory isn’t of a particular event, but a FEELING that happened as summer vacation began. Walking out of the doors of my high school for those three joyful months meant that all of the expectations of who I was and how I should be dropped away, and all that was left was this lovely, spacious sense of freedom. Anything could happen. I wrote about this feeling in Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, and it’s one of the most often quoted passages of all my books:

“Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the rest of the year. You can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out.”

TWT: How would you suggest parents get their children engaged in reading over the summer?

DC: Show your own love for reading.  Get everyone their own book bag, and make a day of it at the library.  Get whatever you want!  Explore the whole darn place! Try new books on volcanoes or dinosaurs or caring for a puppy.  Go out for Slurpees after.  Celebrate and share all the cool stuff you found.  Be excited. Excitement is catching.

TWT: Just for fun, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

DC: Coffee.  Sugar cone, with that pointy, last bite of perfection.

AND FRIENDS – GUESS WHAT! You could win an autographed copy of He’s Gone, simply by telling us the title of your favorite MYSTERY movie in the comments section of this post.  We’ll pick a winner by Sunday!

Thank you, Deb!

Live, Love, Learn,

Megan & The Write Teacher(s)