It is my privilege to introduce author and newest member of the Pen Dames, the fabulous Barbara Cairns! Barbara's zest for life shines through in everything she does, and I appreciate her taking time from her busy schedule to tell us about herself and her writing. This is Part I of the interview, with more to come tomorrow. Welcome to Pen Dames, Barbara!
What can you tell us about YOU that will allow us to get to know you better—where you live, your background, jobs, interests, etc.?
Born in a farmhouse in Pomfret, CT, I later moved with my family to Hampton, CT where I grew up surrounded by dairy farms. This typical New England village of 1500 residents had three churches, a well-attended library, a general store, a firehouse, and a barbershop, but when the barber died, he was never replaced, so folks traveled 12 miles for a haircut. I attended one-room schoolhouses until the 8th grade when the new consolidated school was built in 1950; there were six in my graduating class, including my cousin George.
My younger sister, Violet, and I always had lots of pets, including not only the usual cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, and birds but also three deer, a raccoon, a grey squirrel and three flying squirrels. I followed in my dad’s footsteps and became an avid animal lover.
I taught Sunday School in the little Baptist church in the valley and eventually became the superintendent while still attending high school. The pastor encouraged me to become a teacher, (rather than a veterinarian) and after graduating from Windham H.S. in 1955, I entered Willimantic State Teachers College where I received my B.A. degree. (That college is now Eastern Connecticut State University.)
Always wanting to travel, I spent my first seven years of teaching in Seattle, WA after receiving a scholarship to get my M.A. from Lexington School for the Deaf and Columbia University in NYC. My future in teaching took me overseas with the Department of Defense Schools in Labrador, Canada, Bamberg, Germany (where I met my Englishman husband at a beer fest), and the Canal Zone, Panama, where I became an elementary school principal.
Following 30 years of living overseas, I returned to the U.S. and retired in Homosassa, FL where I volunteer at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and for United Way as a Reading Pal for preschoolers, getting them ready for kindergarten.
What was your favorite book as a child?
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
How and when did your writing journey begin?
I’ve always enjoyed telling or writing stories. My mother told me I had a vivid imagination.
What genres do you write? What do you like about writing in those genres?
My muse takes me in all directions. I don’t write in any one genre, so my books include picture books, middle grade novels, adult fiction and historical novels. I love it when I get excited about a new story idea, preferably one that involves research so I can educate folks along the way.
What inspires you to write?
I get inspired in a variety of ways. When I heard that art had been taken out of some elementary schools, I wrote a series of picture books about a crazy art gallery cat, Gatsby, that jumps into famous paintings, with resources at the end, so children could learn more about art. When I painted a picture of a Cracker Cow, I wondered, What is a Cracker Cow? And after researching, the end result was a history of Florida based on the cattle industry. When a social worker told me that most of her cases involved drugs or alcohol, I wrote Kate’s Secret, a middle grade novel where three siblings are dealing with an alcoholic father, again with resources at the end. Sometimes, it’s just a desire to write a story set in a special place, like a favorite of mine, Maine.
Which authors/books are on your keeper shelves?
Anything written by Penny Vincenzi or other authors who write multi-generational books . . . The more characters, the better for me, with a good story line.
If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I’ve visited her home at Cross Creek, but it would have been a wonderful experience to have actually met Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. (I once won a writing contest where I compared my Bambi back home to her fawn in The Yearling.) How fun it would have been to talk about our animal experiences together.
Barbara, this has been a wonderful introduction. I know our readers enjoyed meeting you and learning about your books and passion to write. Thanks so much for taking time to answer our questions. I look forward to hearing more from you and especially learning about what you are working on now.
Readers, stay tuned for Part II of our interview with Barbara tomorrow and the chance to ask questions of your own. In addition to the Pen Dames blog, you can also find her at the following places:
Website
Amazon
Facebook
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