Interview with novelist Deborah Kalb

Helping me wrap up this week is author Deborah Kalb. She’s chatting with me about her new literary fiction, Off to Join the Circus.

Bio:
Deb­o­rah Kalb is the author of the nov­el Off to Join the Cir­cus, her debut nov­el for adults. She has writ­ten fic­tion for kids and non­fic­tion for adults. She’s the host of the blog Book Q&As with Deb­o­rah Kalb, where she inter­views an eclec­tic range of authors., and the co-host of the new podcast Rereading Our Childhood. A for­mer long­time D.C.-based jour­nal­ist cov­er­ing Con­gress and pol­i­tics, she lives in the Wash­ing­ton, D.C., area.

Welcome, Deborah. Please tell us about your current release.
Off to Join the Cir­cus is about an over­ly enmeshed, neu­rot­ic Jew­ish fam­i­ly in the Wash­ing­ton, D.C., area, and what transpires when a rel­a­tive returns after 64 years. Adele Pin­sky ran away as a teenag­er in 1954, possibly to join a cir­cus. The effects of her depar­ture echoed down the gen­er­a­tions, affect­ing her younger broth­er, Howard, now a 75-year-old retired lawyer; his wife, Mar­i­lyn; their three daugh­ters; and their two teenage grand­sons. Adele’s reap­pear­ance in 2018, when the fam­i­ly is prepar­ing for the younger grand­son’s bar mitz­vah and the birth of the mid­dle daugh­ter’s baby, upends the Pin­sky fam­i­ly’s relationships in hilar­i­ous and poignant ways.

What inspired you to write this book?
I have always been interested in family dynamics, and wanted to focus on how the absence of a family member affected the other relatives. I always tell people that my family is NOT the Pinsky family, but often they don’t believe me!

What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m revising several other manuscripts, for various age groups, and working on my book blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, and my new podcast, Rereading Our Childhood. I’m co-hosting the podcast with my longtime friend Mary Grace McGeehan, and we’re rereading books we enjoyed as kids and discussing how they affected our lives. Feel free to listen!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think I always did—I remember writing a “novel” in third grade in black and white notebooks. Of course, it was about a family!

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes, I’m always writing in one way or another. I’ve been a freelance writer and editor for many years, and have worked on a series of projects over that time. I try to organize my day efficiently to get everything done, but sometimes it gets a little overwhelming! Each day is different—it depends on what other obligations I have. Sometimes writing at night is the best time, because it’s quieter then.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Not sure if this is a quirk or if everyone does it, but it really helps to pace around, either inside my house or out on a walk, and talk to myself about my characters and what’s happening next. I have lengthy conversations with myself and with my characters!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a writer! I ended up being a journalist for many years, and enjoyed it greatly. Then I turned to writing books. But I knew from an early age that writing was in my future!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yes! I love book groups and am in several, and would be delighted to visit your book group either in person (if near the Washington, D.C., area), or virtually.

Thanks so much, Lisa, for these great questions!

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