Authors on Snacks: Clea Simon

Does creativity have a taste? And, if it does, is it salty or sweet? Does it come in a bag or a can? Do you spend hours in the kitchen preparing it, or do you pick up the phone? The fuels of creativity can take many forms and what authors use for that fuel varies starkly from writer to writer.

January Magazine’s “Authors on Snacks” isn’t a judgment. Rather it’s a personal peek at what some of our most beloved authors nibble on while pushing forward on their latest work.

This time out we talk with author and journalist Clea Simon whose latest book, World Enough (Severn House), is an intriguing, hardhitting, intricately-plotted mystery set in Boston’s clubland. The book marks an exciting departure for cozy author Clea Simon. Kirkus called World Enough “a fascinating reminiscence of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”

What do you snack on while writing?
Cheddar cheese rice cakes! I can go through a whole bag without thinking – so I try to buy the smaller bags these days.

Do you consider your snacking to be mostly under control or mostly out of control?
Seriously? The only control I have is the bag size!

Tell us about World Enough:
Twenty years after her heyday as a rock critic in Boston’s glorious punk clubs, Tara Winton attends a funeral for an old running buddy and is lured back in. Were those wild nights as glorious as she remembered? Could this latest loss be linked to the unexpected OD of a rising star back in the day? Split between those basement clubs and after-hours parties and the more adult corporate life Tara now leads, World Enough ricochets between sex and drugs and rock and roll and memory and regret. New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt calls it my “coming-of-middle-age novel.” The Richmond Times-Dispatch said, “Simon also is a former music journalist, and her background provides a wealth of material in her intelligent and sensitive portrayal of Tara. Add an intricate and smart plot, authentic dialogue and a heartfelt rendering of remembrance and regret, and Simon’s dark story shimmers with brilliance — and stands as her finest.”

 

You can see previous installments of “Authors on Snacks” here.