FEATURED ARTIST FRIDAY: Cara R. Olsen
Today I have the pleasure of introducing you all to author Cara R. Olsen. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome.
Cara is the author of the contemporary young adult novel Awakening Foster Kelly:
If only a pile of wayward curls and the inability to stay on her feet were seventeen year-old Foster Kelly’s most pressing concerns. Unfortunately, stubborn hair and clumsiness is just the tip of it. It was only a mistake, but when at the age of five Foster is told “You don’t belong here” the result is one broken heart. These four carelessly spoken words have shaped and shadowed Foster, and now—a senior at Shorecliffs High School—she seeks the wallflower’s existence, denying herself the most casual of friendships, much too afraid that someone will see what Foster believes is certain: she does not belong anywhere – or with anyone. This reality would continue to suit her just fine, however . . .
Love has a long-standing history of undoing broken hearts.
Like a comet, an unexpected arrival knocks Foster out of the crowded, starry sky, sending her directly into the limelight. Exposed and afraid, she will attempt to regain anonymity; but it isn’t so easy now that someone is watching. He pursues this shy enigma, confronting Foster’s deepest fears head-on, and in the process falls wholly and completely in love with her. But there is something he is not saying; a secret capable of certain ruin. There are two probable outcomes: either he will break her heart once and for all, or he will heal it.
In the end, though, it is Foster who must decide if she is worth mending.
Welcome to the blog, Cara! Let's dive right in. When and why did you start writing?
Since I was a little, feeling thing, I have always carried with me this urge to document things on paper. My diary entries read more like thorough ledgers, and to this day I still bear those shiny, unsightly mounds near my cuticles from holding the pencil for hours, incorrectly. I never did learn how to hold a pencil properly.
Eventually I began to express my thoughts through free verse poetry. I fell in love with language, the words we use to mean what we say. To me, language is the backbone of story. It’s what holds it up or lets it down, marking each page with posture and Scoliosus.
As for the Why, I can only speak for myself; I imagine for most every artful soul, specifically writers, there exists an innate love for storytelling, coupled with the nearly frantic desire to test situations on the page, and the need to create life as an expression of your own. From there, the calling takes a highly unromantic turn, bent at the mercy of the universal condition known as Limited Time. It was when my passion merged with my schedule, and the two didn’t hate each other, that I realized “Okay, I’m doing this.” Then I had to resolve not to throw my keyboard – or myself – out the window when my creativity took sudden, sometimes extended vacations.
What advice would you give to beginners who are nervous?
I would say use those nerves. Absolutely. Nerves are part of what makes a book real. In addition to determination, persistence, and strong support, nerves are what make the writer vulnerable and focused and sincere. At some point, though, you will have to recall why it is you set out to write. And if the answer is To make people happy, perhaps a step back might be in order. Usually, or so I’ve found, the answer is a comfort; a not-so-gentle confirmation that there is something bigger than your fear calling you to step out in faith and share a story only you can tell. Seven years and two books later, I still get nervous; I still have these conversations with myself.
What is the best part about writing?
The characters; naming them; filling their lungs with air; their heads with dreams; holding their hearts in my hand until they can sing a beat all on their own.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Doing it when I’m suffused with nothing beyond the creative impulses of a June bug.
Which authors do you admire? Why?
Diana Gabaldon, for her ability to create characters that live and breathe and take up residence in my head.
Peter S. Beagle, for his books The Last Unicorn and Tamsin, two stunning pieces of literature that continue to nourish the roots from which my God-given longing springs, and for encouraging and inspiring my pursuit to write stories infused with joy and sorrow and the delicately waged battle, Good vs. Evil.
C.S. Lewis, because, well. Because he is awesome. That is all.
Lois Lowry; the woman tells GIANT stories in under two hundred pages. It’s intimdating, and humbling.
Neil Gaiman, specifically for Stardust and The Ocean At The End of the Lane. In general I try to avoid standards and comparisons and putting people on platforms they will inevitably fall from. However . . . Writers cannot help but fall in love with each other; it’s part of the process, a beautiful part I think, and everyone, whether their dreams are grandiose or humble, needs a star upon which to cast wishes.
Would you be willing to share an excerpt from your latest book?
I would absolutely love to.
From Cara's soon-to-be-realeased second novel
Much As Funny Loves A Laugh
Like a pea from its pod, Raegan slipped out of her robe, folding it in half long-ways, and laying it neatly at the foot of her bed. She walked over to the armoire slowly, doing her part to shed residual sadness at the finality of the situation.
In a perfect world, or perhaps in a different time and place, Marion and Sue might have been very good friends. It was true they didn’t have much in common, but the few things they did would have counted for almost everything.
Raegan shook her head and unzipped her dress, removing it from the hanger. As she did, an aphorism of Sue’s popped into her mind, something—if Raegan remembered correctly—Sue had said to her once and never again. That event still throbbed in her mind like a pre-developing bruise. A little piece of her innocence had been lost that day, and with it the belief that all people are good at their center. However necessary, it was a hard truth for any child to accept, let alone one with a mind overlayed with sugarspun optimism.
“Ignorance,” Raegan whispered to her reflection. “It’s the only thing dumber than stupidity.”
Thank you so much, Jenelle, for having me over to your blog. It’s been a pleasure!
Thank you for joining my Featured Artist Friday meme, Cara, and for sharing a bit about your books and your passion for writing!
If you would like to learn more about Cara or her books, you can find her online in the following locations:
Awakening Foster Kelly website
Also, the first ten chapters of Awakening Foster Kelly are available for you to download for free HERE.