Author Interview – Carol Selick

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Carol Selick is a gifted songwriter and author. As a songwriter, she partnered with Hall-of-Famer Rose Marie McCoy, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, Maxine Brown, Ike & Tina Turner, and Elvis Presley. We enjoyed having this Author Interview – Carol Selick, for our blog. Check out this fantastic author and follow them for more amazing stories.

When did you start writing?

I got the idea for my book when I was in my late twenties but didn’t get serious about it till many years later.

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What was it like growing up?

I had a sheltered suburban childhood, but like a thunderbolt, when I got to college in the late 60s and early 70s, I became part of the counter-culture – sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll!

How was your early life?

In my early twenties, I rebelled against the norms of the 1950s and embraced the freedom, especially for women, of the counter-culture. I also aspired to become a singer/songwriter.

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What has been the biggest influence in your career?

My biggest influence has been the women singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Laura Nyro, who reflected what women were experiencing during that time period. They inspired me to write music and ultimately write about my coming-of-age journey.

Tell us about your newest release.

Beyond the Song is an autobiographical novel based on the author’s coming of age in the ‘sixties and early ‘seventies. A singer-songwriter like her alter-ego Carol Marks, Carol Selick begins each chapter with lyrics she wrote and still performs today. Taken together, the songs introduce the themes of her story and trace the development of her character as she rebels against her strict suburban upbringing to join the counter-culture in hopes of fulfilling her dream of making it in the music business. The narrator relates her tale in a warm, vulnerable, and irrepressibly zany voice as Carol goes to school in Washington DC, drops out to take a pilgrimage to Berkeley, and eventually winds up living in New York in pursuit of making it in the music business. Torn between romance and career, she continually wavers.

Which book of yours would you call your favorite child?

Beyond the Song

What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write about my coming-of-age, which turned out to be a unique time in history. I wanted to share my experiences with a wider audience.

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What are you usually found doing when you’re not writing?

Singing, playing piano, performing

What does your writing space look like?

I sit at my desk with my computer and stare at a sign my artist friend made for me that says – “The Writer Is In” A cup of coffee is by my side!

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If you wrote your autobiography, what would you name it?

I’m Still Here

How long did it take to write your novel, and what was your process?

I started writing it in my late twenties. A decade later, I added to it, and then a few years after that, I had the good fortune of meeting an editor who guided me through the process.

Favorite reads?

Any book by Erica Jong., Isabelle Allende, or Alice Hoffman

Do you have any book recommendations?

Mary Jane – Jessica Anya Blau, The Air You Breathe – Frances De Pontes Peebles

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What’s your next big project?

I’m working on a Picture Book – Play For Me Peter – about a boy who wants to play the piano just like his jazz pianist grandfather did. Want to make it into a series. The next book will be Sing For Me, Sara